Los Angeles: Capital of the Pacific Rim
In a century increasingly focused on Asia, USC builds on its location in Los Angeles, the "Capital of the Pacific Rim."
Los Angeles County offers an unprecedented diversity of cultures and global advantages:
- More people of Korean descent than anywhere outside the Korean peninsula
- More Thais and more Filipinos than anywhere outside those countries
- The largest U.S. populations of Japanese and Cambodians
- Major concentrations of Vietnamese
- Thousands of foreign-owned enterprises
- World center of business, international trade, entertainment, culture, fashion, media, science, technology and education
- The number-one U.S. port in terms of container volume and cargo value
On November 10, 2008, USC President Steven B. Sample gave an address to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council in which he made his case for calling Los Angeles the capital of the Pacific Rim. To read the speech, click here.
About This Photo: Los Angeles County is one of the most diverse counties in country, with the largest population of Japanese in the United States. Japanese immigrants began moving to Los Angeles' Little Tokyo, originally a citrus grove, in the 1880s. By the beginning of World War II, the district's population had risen to 30,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans. Today, Little Tokyo is home to restaurants, markets and shops as well as the Japanese American National Museum, the first U.S. museum dedicated to preserving the rich heritage and cultural identity of Japanese Americans. The "Home is Little Tokyo" mural at the corner of 1st First Street and Central Avenue has welcomed visitors to Little Tokyo since 2005. Conceived during community planning meetings and the culmination of three years' work by nearly 500 individuals, groups and organizations, the mural depicts significant moments in Little Tokyo's history and serves as a tribute to community teamwork and self-determination.
