Language & WorldFact
L.A. is short for an entire Spanish dedication.
Los Angeles was founded in 1781 by Spanish settlers as 'El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles', 'The Town of Our Lady, Queen of the Angels'. Only the angels survived. San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, Las Vegas ('the meadows'): the American Southwest still carries Spanish place names.
Useful: If you know Spanish, the map of the American West reads like a book.
Source: en.wikipedia.org