Top 10 Questionable Things About Los Angeles

Los Angeles is considered by many to be a neat epicenter of American culture. Hollywood stars live there, gigantic YouTubers seek to move there and it seems as if everyone’s dream is to live and work in Los Angeles but what about all the hype is just a Mirage behind a whole host of less than positive things what if it isn’t true at all these are the 10 most questionable things about Los Angeles.

10: Pollution

You’ve often heard of California’s great year-round weather but in the case of Los Angeles, this is a questionable thing. LA’s topographical situation is such that air pollution has always been a problem in the area. On October 8th, 1542, when Spanish sailors entered San Pedro Bay and made the first written observations of the Southland. They noticed some strange things in the air. This early air pollution so impressed the sailors that their captain Kwan Rodriguez Cabrillo named the area “bay of the smokes”. Given this fact, it is a wonder why people would want to live in smog-ridden Los Angeles at all.

9: Superficial City

Los Angeles is famous mainly for one thing Hollywood films and culture. Beyond that people tend to underestimate the negative impact this has had on the world and people’s relationships. Beverly hills which lies within Los Angeles has more plastic surgeons than anywhere else in the country. The likely equivalent of 200 plastic surgeons for every 100000 people. It is a testament to the amount of money and attention paid to the more superficial aspects of life and dating insight. Surveys have shown LA to be the most superficial city in the country where profile stressed the importance of money, looks, and status. In short, if you want to live in a pretend world with lots of pretend friends LA is the place to be.

8: Not a Well-Planned City

A look at Los Angeles from the outside shows the viewers a city of oddly pointed skyscrapers jutting out in no particular order. Amidst a vast urban sprawl of poorly planned houses and homes. They do little to contribute to the image of being a proper urban center. It stretches as far as the eye can see. In addition to rendering, the city is highly an anesthetic. It makes for a horrible commute for those who have to work in the city’s questionable center. Since driving and owning a car unlike in more sensible cities such as Chicago and New York City is a must in a requirement. Something that makes LA more expensive and worsens the pollution that’s already there. There might be some chic bars and overly priced strip malls in Los Angeles but pretty and well planned it is not.

7: Dangerous City

Crying both violent and petty is a major problem in Los Angeles and the police have trouble containing it. Property crime and theft are among the worst in the nation. So that all the wealth and fame one might garner in LA might not mean much if robbers and thieves managed to take it away. But that is just the tip of the iceberg as LA has no competitors in the area of organized gang violence compared to other cities. It is in fact the gang capital of the United States. And the blood and Cripps whose rivalry in violence extends decades back are quite possibly the most dangerous American-based gangs in the country. The neighborhoods such as Wilmington, Lincoln heights, and El Sereno are also exceptionally dangerous and risky to enter. Beyond the veil of Hollywood entertainment illusion, LA is dormant and dangerous that few denizens of Los Angeles are willing to acknowledge.

6: Traffic Jams

Going hand in hand with urban sprawl is LA’s traffic problem. In fact, when it comes to bad urban traffic, Los Angeles is the world leader. People are usually willing to acknowledge that LA has bad traffic jams. Few people are even aware that for years now. Los Angeles is actually been documented as having the worst urban congestion in the world. The denizens of Los Angeles spend an average of 104 hours stuck in traffic jams or about 12.7% of their total drive time. According to indexes global traffic score card, real-time global internet service providing vital information on driving and traffic. The cost of congestion measured in wasted time and fuel works out to $9.7 Billion for Los Angeles or $2408 per driver based on the study. Across the US the cost of congestion is estimated at almost $300 Billion. LA is being the unfortunate leader in this less than desirable position. LA based YouTubers might look happy sipping their caffeinated beverages in their fancy locales. But the truth is they probably sat through 3:00 hours of traffic to get there in the first place.

5: Heaps of Trash

Los Angeles is claimed as a great place to live however you might want to mind the trash. The city’s biggest landfill namely Puente hills is located in Los Angeles. It was filled year-round with heaps and mounds of waste and trash until it had to be closed in 2013 as a trash receptacle. Because it could no longer handle the burden of ever mounting rubbish and garbage being piled into it. This speaks volumes to the problem of waste removal in Los Angeles. Interestingly, many of LA’s poor neighborhoods rarely see trash removal services at all. One has to wonder whether the city is just too caught up in its own image of fame and glamour to even worry about these admittedly mundane but vital issues.

4: Earthquakes

As if the trash, smog, and pollution are not enough, Los Angeles is precariously on several major fault lines making it a prime target for earthquakes. The area in and around Los Angeles has a documented history of earthquakes. It dates back to the 17th century and that is just what is historically known. Earthquakes are a constant risk for anyone who chooses to live in Los Angeles. When they do strike, they leave tremendous destruction and damage in their wake. For example, in 1994 the Northridge earthquake struck killing 57 people and leaving more than 8700 people injured. What is worse is that there is no surefire predictable way to know when an earthquake will hit. This will help us to wonder why would anyone want to live in LA in the first place.

3: Illegal Immigrants

Number 3 on the list of questionable things about Los Angeles is illegal immigrants. Los Angeles is proximity to Mexico has made for interesting times. For one thing you can get cheap Mexican food just about anywhere in the city. But there is a darker, less pleasant reality to this as well. Millions upon millions of illegal immigrants from Mexico live and work in Los Angeles. They don’t pay taxes and make use of public services just the same. What is most shocking is that LA made $1.3 billion in welfare payouts to illegal immigrants in just 2 years. These were paid for by American tax dollars that will never be refunded by the illegal immigrants themselves.

2: Drug Addiction

On the surface everything and everyone in Los Angeles peers to be picture-perfect. From the sunny beaches to the flawlessly styled celebrities hitting the gym with a face full of makeup and a perfect blowout. Appearances however aren’t always what they seem. In fact, that is evident when the thinly veiled facade of Hollywood glamour is peeled back to reveal an ugly truth that is dominated by rampant drug use and addiction. Approximately, 32826 of the city’s residents entering substance abuse treatment programs in the year 2014 alone. Of those 32826 people, 80% were sucked into heroin addiction. 30.1% couldn’t resist the euphoria of methamphetamine falsely promised. 17.5% chronically used chronic and 16% hitting the bottle harder.

1: Covering up the Problems

Number 1 on the list of questionable things about Los Angeles is that citizens covering up their problems. The biggest issue that Los Angeles faces however is the active and concerted effort of all people who live there to engage in a cover-up of its many flaws and problems. Perhaps feeling the need to lie to themselves about the alleged grandeur and splendor of the city they’ve chosen to live in. Because let’s be honest, all major cities have problems but few if any cities in the United States make it a point to pretend otherwise, and, in this regard, LA simply takes the cake.

So, these were the 10 most questionable things about Los Angeles. Do you know about any other questionable things that we missed? React in the comments section below.