A History Of Real Estate In Southern California

"Paradise is still here, but the terms have changed significantly. Today we see Los Angeles and this region as if we were on an endless approach to LAX. It may be easy to say that, amid the sprawl, we have lost the past â€" and the reasons for our abiding connection to this land â€" but scattered throughout this sea of rooftops, this tangle of freeways, are places that ignite the same thrill that new arrivals must have felt 100 years ago or that contain a more contemporary charge.

To identify these touchstones, we approached historians, urban planners, friends and users of this metropolis. We looked for the most singular locales that would put a human face on this sweep of development and, when isolated, would capture the speed, the exhilaration, the hope and heartbreak of our undaunted passion. Together these places form a picture of our belief in the possibilities of this land."