Los Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the American West, as well as second largest city in the United States. Often abbreviated to L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles is rated as an alpha world city or city which is deemed to be an important node point in the global economic system. It has an estimated population of over 4 million in the city alone and over 10 million in Los Angeles County in general. The City itself spans 500 square miles (1,300 km2) in Southern California. Residents hail from all over the globe and speak a multitude of different languages. Los Angeles is the seat of Los Angeles County, the most highly populated and one of the most diverse counties in the United States.
Los Angeles is one of the world's centers of culture, technology, media, business, and international trade. It is home to renowned institutions covering a broad range of professional and cultural fields, and is one of the most substantial economic engines within the United States. Los Angeles leads the world in producing popular entertainment — such as motion pictures, television shows, and recorded music — which forms the base of its international fame and global status.
According to the 2,000 census, over 80% of the Los Angeles workforce drives to work. That said, there is still some public transport, the most effective of which focuses on the ‘Downtown’ area of Los Angeles. This helps people commute from places as far a field as Pasadena and Long Beach and yet avoid getting caught by the extreme parking charges which can reach as high as $600 a month and probably don’t start any lower that $150/160 a month in the downtown area. The highways are king in Los Angeles, most notably the famous 405 which runs down the west side of LA from the San Fernando Valley past Santa Monica and Torrance and then across Long Beach. There are many other famous roads, including Wilshire Boulevard which basically transects Los Angeles from Downtown to Santa Monica.
LAX is obviously the most famous international airport of Los Angeles, with over 61 million passengers passing through it every year. However, for domestic flights, there is also the Bob Hope airport situated in Burbank which serves nearly 6 million passengers a year. Although, as with most things in LA, the easiest way to and from both of these airports is by car, there are forms of public transport from LAX to most major destinations in the Los Angeles area.
As far as economic markets are concerned, Los Angeles is made up of a number of diverse and very specific areas, most notably Downtown, Beverly Hills, Century City and West LA. In the greater LA area, you can then include areas such as Pasadena, Burbank, Glendale, Long Beach, Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey, El Segundo and of course the San Fernando Valley.
Los Angeles Downtown is the located very close to the geographic center of the LA metropolitan area. The area features many of the city's major arts institutions and sports facilities, a variety of skyscrapers and associated large multinational corporations, an array of public art, unique shopping opportunities, and the hub of the city's freeway and public transportation networks. Downtown Los Angeles is generally thought to be bounded by the Los Angeles River on the east, the U.S. Route 101 to the north, the 10 Santa Monica Freeway on the south and the 110 Harbor Freeway on the west. It has a slightly more commercial atmosphere where suits are more commonly the order of the day instead of the more relaxed feel of some other parts of Los Angeles. As far as Executive suites are concerned, there are five main locations in the Los Angeles Downtown area and a one man office may range from in the $600 range up to $1,500, added to which is the ever-present problem of parking which can cost anywhere from $150 to $600 per month.
Beverly Hills is, besides Hollywood, probably the most famous part of Los Angeles and has been the setting for more than one famous TV show. Beverly Hills and its neighboring city of West Hollywood are together entirely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles. The area's ‘Platinum Triangle’ of wealthy neighborhoods is formed by Beverly Hills and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Bel-Air and Holmby Hills. The population was 34,980 at the time of the 2006 census. Beverly Hills contains some of the largest homes in Los Angeles County and in fact in the nation. As far as executive suites are concerned, there are a number of options throughout the Beverly Hills area and, although demand is always high in the ‘Triangle’, generally some availability can be found. Prices for a standard one-person office space in the area range from around $800 up to $1,600, with the ever present additional problem of parking expenses. While these are not as costly as downtown, they can still be quite substantial.
Century City is a 176 acre (712,000 m²) commercial and residential district on the West Side of the City of Los Angeles. It is bounded by Westwood on the west, Rancho Park on the southwest, Cheviot Hills and Beverlywood on the southeast, and the city of Beverly Hills on the northeast. Its major thoroughfares are Santa Monica, Olympic, and Pico Boulevards (its northern boundary, central artery, and southern boundary, respectively), as well as Avenue of the Stars and Century Park East and West. Century City is an important business center, and many law firms and executives—particularly those with ties to the film, television, and music industries—have offices there. Its Westfield owned mall is one of the major retail centers in Los Angeles. Century City is also often a very good cost-effective alternative to Beverly Hills for Executive Suite space and often has more availability particularly when it comes to larger requirements. A one-person office space in Century City can run anywhere from $700 to $1,300.
Santa Monica is a coastal city in western Los Angeles County. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is completely surrounded by the City of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades and Brentwood lie to the north, West LA and Mar Vista to the east, and Venice to the south. The Census Bureau 2006 population estimate for Santa Monica is 88,050, while a 2007 estimate from the California State Department of Finance places it at 91,124. Santa Monica is named for Saint Monica of Hippo because the area on which the city is now located was first visited by Spaniards on this Saint’s feast day. Because of its agreeable weather, Santa Monica had become a famed resort town by the early 20th century. As regards office space, there are only two executive suite locations here and this, combined with near-constant high-demand, keeps the prices up. However, there are a number of options just outside of Santa Monica where a deal is often in the offing.
Located just north of Los Angeles, Pasadena is famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and the Tournament of Roses Parade. Pasadena is the home of many leading scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (the leading robotics and spacecraft design and manufacturing NASA center), the Art Center College of Design, the Pasadena Playhouse, the California School of Culinary Arts Pasadena and the Norton Simon Museum of Art. As at the 2000 census, the city population was 133,936, making it the 160th largest city in the United States. The California Finance Department estimated the Pasadena population to be 146,166 in 2005. Pasadena is the 6th largest city in Los Angeles County, and the main cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Pasadena is also one of the only cities boasting great wealth, a rich history, and a financial district which is both commercial and residential. It is also located very conveniently for a quick and relatively simple trip into Los Angeles Downtown either on the Metro or by car. There are a number of executive suite providers in Pasadena and prices range from between $700 and $1,200 for a basic one-person office but there are certainly larger team rooms available there.
Long Beach is situated in Los Angeles County, about 20 miles (30 km) south of downtown Los Angeles. Long Beach borders Orange County on its southeast edge. Long Beach is the 36th largest city in the USA and the fifth-largest in California. As of 2006, its estimated population is 466,718. In addition, Long Beach is the largest city nationwide that is not a county seat. The Port of Long Beach is one of the world's largest shipping ports. The city also has a large oil industry; oil is found both underground and offshore. Aircraft, automobile parts, electronic and audiovisual equipment and home furnishings manufacturers can all be found in this city. It is also home to the headquarters of many large corporations including Epson America, Molina Healthcare, and Scan Health Plan. Long Beach has grown with the development of high-technology and aerospace industries in the area. Long Beach also has its own airport which although far smaller that LAX, still sees about 3 million passengers pass through it every year as well as being one of the top five busiest general aviation airports in the world. There are a number of executive suites in Long Beach ranging from the Downtown hub of the city out to locations much closer to the airport which are ideal for companies with a lot of interstate business. Prices here vary a lot and, although there are some amazing deals to be had where you can sometimes find an office for as low as $300 – $400, a more accurate price range for a basic one person office is about $500 – $1,000.
The San Fernando Valley or The Valley is an urbanized valley located in the north-western section of Los Angeles County. The San Fernando Valley is 345 square miles (894 km2) bounded by the Santa Susanna Mountains to the northwest, the Simi Hills to the west, the Santa Monica Mountains to the south, the Verdugo Mountains to the east, and the San Gabriel Mountains to the northeast. The Valley has a population approaching 2 million. It consists of a number of key individual communities including Burbank, Woodland Hills, Encino and Sherman Oaks. There are a number of executive suites in all of the major hubs representing most of the major operators in the area. Prices vary very much from location to location, with Woodland Hills probably topping the bill with an average cost of $800 – $1,300 on a one-person office.
Clearly, Los Angeles is a truly diverse city in terms of both culture and business. There are many other key business areas which have barely even been mentioned here and a one person office can very realistically range from anywhere around the $300 mark all the way up to over $1,500. There really is a place for every type of person and every type of business in LA, whether it be an internationally renowned law firm which needs highly impressive serviced offices near to the Law Court in Downtown, or a small start-up company that needs a very cost-effective serviced office whilst they establish their business and build their client base.