SETTLEMENT
The late 1800s was a period of tremendous change in Southern California. With the completion of the railroads, California, previously a remote outpost in the West, was connected to the rest of the nation. In 1870, only 5,000 people lived in Los Angeles, a miniscule number compared to New York’s 940,000 residents and San Francisco’s population of 150,000. Touting Southern California’s rich soil, favorable climate, health benefits, and economic opportunities, city boosters, including many railroad companies, launched massive advertising campaigns to attract settlers from the Midwest and eastern United States, as well as from Europe.
Anglo Settlers in La Puente, California by Los Angeles Public LibraryItalian American Museum of Los Angeles
Immigrants, especially white Protestants, flocked to the region, bringing their conservative values that often clashed with Southern California’s cosmopolitan culture. Within thirty years, Los Angeles’ population reached 100,000. This growth trend continued with the completion of the Panama Canal in 1913, which made travel to Southern California easier and more economical.
Pictured here: Midwestern settlers in La Puente, a city in Eastern Los Angeles County, circa 1890.