You can keep L.A. and its smog. I've been to LA and hated it so don't think I would be going back. The car reliance is insane, and the people are pretty superficial at times. There are some cool sights in the city, but you could really visit California and totally skip L.A. as there are much better places to spend your time!

Seriously out side of your extremely wealthy areas like Beverly Hills, Hollywood Hills and the beach would you really care about LA?  One of the main reasons why our society has become fat and stupid.  The LAs, Phoenixs, Houstons, and Vegas where people drive everywhere no one walks, fake materialistic phony made up people and places.  LA has culture but its only in Hollywood.  Of course air pollution, smog, and a gang epidemic.  Honestly, whats LA given our society as a whole besides gangs, crappy pop culture, and Beach Boy songs?

The good: a very large urban sprawl with a wide variety of attractions, cultural hub, excellent homes, Every kind of food you could want, Diverse Geography, excellent overall weather, Excellent parks.
The Bad: too decentralized, mediocre public transportation, downtown needs some work, smog problem, Way too engulfed in celebrity gossip, Generally Materialistic attitude,

i've always dreamt of going to L.A. and finally did. what a dissapointment. i do not know why people talk about this place as they do. i come from toronto, and if it wasnt for our damn weather, L.A. coudnt come close to toronto.
first of all, people there are all on crack, or they at least appear to be. they are all fake especially al those dumb blondes. and i mean dumb. now i know where all the silicone goes.too much pollution, dont think of looking at anybody longer than 3 seconds cuz you'll be shot, or at least they wanna make you think that. way too much traffic. takes you half hour to drive half mile.lol. cops look like gang members, they just look crooked. not the people you wanna turn to for help. maybe their gang members gone straight? lol. everybody who has ever thought of going to L.A. should visit. this way that thought will quickly go away. unless your steven spielberg or a dumb ass paris hilton, why else would you wanna be in a place like this.
places i highly recommend and have visited would be toronto, NY, Athens, Sandiego(not bad), Milano, Vancouver and Munich.

Cannot say enough. Too crowded expensive, people annoying and crabby; everone is trying to look and act cool, or are too ppoor to care; morning news is all about gossip and movies coming out; eople panic when it hits 56 degrees at night (grab a coat!); I cannot say enough. Get nails done yet? Boob job? Stop this city, somebody! Hollyweird, so so many sad failures people who wanted to be SUPASTAHS!)

if it werent for the weather, this would be the worst place to live in america, no question. worst traffic, worst pollution, worst quality of people, high crime, expensive.

LA is ok I guess but it seems so small. I mean when you can walk into a store and buy somethin from the guy workin and you see him at a night club four hours later I mean thats insane. I am from NYC and its so big and has so much culture unlike LA. LA kind of sucks now that I think of it and needs to get bigger. If you want to be in a huge huge city then come to NYC. NYC has the food, the culture, and the best looking people by far. Don't forget we got the hottest and toughest accents too!!! HA

The single worst city in the US, nothing else comes close. The worst air pollution, the worst traffic, the most shallow and materialistic people, and overrated weather (ooh boy, fires, earthquakes, and mudslides, I can't wait, i'm gonna pack to move there right now).

yuck, it isnt even a city! the perfect weather that LA has means that all of the poor people live on the streets, literaly, their are boxes and blankets all around the downtown area, its deffinetly the worste american city, so much so that i think we can't really even call it an american city.

I love LA. The glitz, glamour, Hollywood, the entertainment industry, The laid back attitudes ,the scenic beauty in the surrounding areas. This is one great city, truly a La La Land. I definitely recommend it as an urban get-away vacation city with lots to see and do. You can actually see movie stars and celebrities walking around just being ordinary people and no one bothers them. There are a number of suggested things to do there. In particular, drive into the Hollywwod Hills and see the views of the city. Go to Pink's for Hot dogs Homer Simpson would love. Sit in the audience for a TV show. Go to Santa Monica or the Rose Bowl Swap meet. It's just a great place, but....I think I if I lived there and saw the negatives, I'd be turned off on it some. No one walks anywhere. You MUST drive. Traffic is crazy and smog is a reality. It's expensive and earthquakes are for real.The downtown is almost an afterthought. People there can also be stuck up, superficial and will use you for their own selfish gains. This place has the best looking women around though. Across the board, young and old, of whatever racial background, the best looking women are in LA.

WARNING. Do not move here if you want to raise kids in a safe area. You have a better chance of getting stuck with a dirty needle than with a fishing hook. We have a word for hunting out here. It is called murder. The water in the ocean around here is about as clear as a septic tank. In the mornings and afternoons, the freeways double as parking lots. There are many children with birth defects in my neighborhood. Do you have a half mil to buy a 2 bedroom 1 bath house?

For visiting, LA might not be such a bad place...BUT...unless you are looking to start a t.v/movie career, I wouldn't waste my healthy lungs on staying there too long. (Same goes for Houston-minus the t.v career part)

I had a total blast the last time I was here. I'd live here if I got to pick where I lived but that won't happen anytime soon. It's got everything except casino's.

There is no way I would live in LA, but every American should visit this place at least once.

LA is another one of those cities I would never live in, but I would encourage anyone I know to visit the City of Angels. It is a fabulous place, but I can't help but say that it would have been an even more fabulous place to visit say 40 or 50 years ago. Overpopulation and some of the problems that not just LA, but much of Southern California has faced over the last thirty years has made LA a different place in a negative way. The geography and weather are wonderful, and the great sites to see and visit are still there. If you don't know where you are going, for Pete's sakes take a guided tour. Yes, that's one of the negatives about LA.

I lived here in the Silverlake district for several years in the 70s and loved the hills and the little houses. However, I have heard that this area has been nastily gentrified since last I visited in the '80s. When I lived there, the weather was a huge PLUS, but the public transportation was a SIN! This is a huge city and hopefully by now their public transportation has improved some.