The original name of the City of Los Angeles (which means "the angels"), El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Ángeles del Rio de Porciúncula (the Town of Our Lady Queen of the Angels of the River Porciúncula), is a tribute to the city. Beautiful and lustrous as it may sound, with the recent explosion of crystal meth and hate crime, we've felt the rage of angels and the wrath of demons shake our Queen's throne at the foundation. Los Angeles County covers 10,518 square kilometers (4,061 square miles) and had a population of about 9.86 million people at the 2010 census. Encompassing 88 cities, it is the most populous county in the United States. If it were a state, it would be the ninth largest. The city proper is shaped like a shooting pistol. Its narrow barrel extending north from the Port of Los Angeles to Downtown, and its flames flickering irregularly to the north, west, and northwest: East Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, South Los Angeles, Downtown, and the Los Angeles Harbor represent more than 460 square miles of mountains, hills, rivers, lakes, beaches, skyscrapers, mansions, condominiums, poor real estate, and housing projects. The city is bisected by the Santa Monica Mountains, which run from east to west. A futuristic four-level freeway interchange (the first high-speed freeway interchange in the world) opened west of Downtown in 1953, soon becoming the leading icon of Los Angeles. Now, a spaghetti system of freeways dominates the city, the most important of which start the outline and reinforcement of traditional gang lines. The 110 Freeway runs down the belly of South Central L.A. Like a concrete zipper-scar on the belly of the beast and dividing the city into the Southeast and Southwest. South Central's west side (not to be confused with West Los Angeles) is home to the Rollin' 30s, 40s, 60s, 90s, 100s, Black P. Stones, Rollin' 20s NHB, all the Brims, all the Hoovers, the 8 Tray Gangstas and many other traditionally black street gangs.
