Living in LA, you notice that in some areas, just crossing a street changes the city name, police, and taxes.

This raises the question, "How many cities make up LA?"

To put it simply, LA is not just one city but a massive region made up of dozens of independent cities.

First, let's look at the scale. Los Angeles County, where LA is located, has a total of 88 official cities.

One of these is the City of Los Angeles, while the others are all separate independent cities.

For example, places like Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Glendale, and Torrance may seem like neighborhoods of LA, but administratively, they are completely different cities.

If a place has the name City, it usually means it has its own government and is an independent municipality.

This means they operate their own mayor, city council, police department, fire services, and tax systems.

So, the Beverly Hills police are not the LA police (LAPD), and Santa Monica's parking regulations differ from those in LA.

Garbage collection schedules, building permits, and business licenses also vary from city to city.

Why is it divided this way? The reason is to allow each area to decide its own taxes and services.

Some cities raise property taxes or sales taxes and invest in safety and schools.

Conversely, some cities lower taxes and reduce regulations. The city operates according to the desired living standards and cost structures of its residents. Therefore, affluent areas often maintain a small independent city structure.

So, what is included in the area referred to as LA? When people say "LA," they usually mean one of two things.

One is the administrative city of Los Angeles, and the other is the entire LA region, meaning Los Angeles County or the broader metropolitan area.

Typically, even if someone lives in Santa Monica, they will just say they "live in LA." The region is one, but the administration consists of multiple entities.

For reference, not all areas are cities. In LA County, there are also 'Unincorporated areas' that do not have city governments and are managed directly by the county. For example, East LA falls into this category.

In summary, there are over 80 cities near LA, and most of them operate independently if they have the name City.

However, the region is connected as one, so residents do not feel the city boundaries significantly.

Thus, it is more accurate to view LA as a massive union of several cities rather than just one city.