When I moved to Los Angeles (LA) more than 2 year ago, I discovered the city was much more than beaches, Hollywood, and home to former actor Arnold Schwarzenegger turned Governor. Having lived in a number of major cities around the world, incuding New York, Phoenix, Moscow, and Philadelphia, I was pleasantly surprised to find that LA not only rivals, but surpasses, those cities in many ways. As my colleagues and I like to think of it, Los Angeles runs on a premium blend of expertise and innovation, as one can from highlights of the city below.
Global Economic Driver
The LA five-county area is the world’s 11th largest economy in gross domestic product, ahead of the Netherlands, South Korea, and Mexico, and just behind Canada, China, and Spain.
Los Angeles is the largest international trade center in the United States. In 1996 LA County led the nation, with two-way trade over $170 billion through the LA Customs District.
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is the third largest airport in the world.
Pacific Rim Magnet
Los Angeles / Long Beach harbor is the largest and busiest port complex in the US, the most significant port in the Western Hemisphere, and the 5th busiest port in the world – vital to trade within the Pacific Rim.
Arguably the Most Diverse Employment Base in the US
LA’s technology industries have four times the gross domestic product and diversity of Silicon Valley.
With about 200,000 small businesses, Los Angeles is the entrepreneurial capital of the world. That’s nearly twice as many small businesses as can be found in any other region of the United States.
LA ranks second as a manufacturing center in the country, behind only Chicago, and ahead of Detroit, New York, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis / Saint Paul.
LA is home to dozens of major consumer packaged goods brands, including Nestle, Mattel Toys, Taco Bell, Neutrogena and more.
LA is a center for East-West Finance. More than 100 foreign commercial banks operate in branches in LA. So do dozens of investment banks, financial law firms and private equity shop.
Los Angeles is the world’s entertainment center, where every day there are a hundred TV and movie production crews on location.
Exceptional Cultural Diversity
Los Angeles is home to people from 140+ countries who speak 224 different identified languages.
Read the full article: Reasons to Make Los Angeles Your MBA Destination