Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-02-02
Areas, Populations ana cities.

California is nearly five times as large as
the whole of the kingdom of Portugal.
Many people do not realize that Los An
geles county contains an area equal to
about one seventh of that country. Por-
tugal is not a very progressive, very
fertile or very level country, yet she
has a population of 4,3O6,554 souls.
When California is as densely peopled
as this European country, her population
will number 100000 to 25,0O0,O 900.
The areas of the three territories com.
pared are: California, 156,591 square
miles; Portugal, $4,000 square miles;
Los Angeles county, 4,812 square miles.
Portugal is rather an obscure land, and
perhaps not sufficient importance will
be attached to any comparison made be-
tween her and the Golden State. Take,
then, Italy for the comparison. The
total area set down for this country is
1lO,652 square miles, but the peninsula,
or mainland, contains only 81 900 square
miles of surface. That is somewhat
more than half the superficies OF the State
of California. Italy has population of
80 900, 900. When California has reached
the same stage of development as this
old land she will have q population OF
So, 900, 900, or as many people as there
were in the United States few years
ago. If the county of Los Angeles had
population as dense as that of Italy, it
would number all of million souls.
Spain has an area of 1914, ,945 square
miles. This is larger by more than
fourth than the area of California.
Spain, with all her drawbacks, has a
population of 17,5OO,O0O. If this State
were as populous as the land of the Gas.
tilians it would contain over 10000
people.
There is nothing in the natural re-
sources of any of the three countries
named to give it denser popu-
lation than California. Our State
is capable of supporting quite as
many people to the square mile
as any of these is. 1t may not be alto
gether desirable that this State should
ever TEEN with redundant population
to such a degree as this. Natural
laws do not always work to
the most desirable results from
our standpoint. We are now dealing
with facts, not theories; and these
facts lead directly to the conclusion that
California will in due time be as densely
peopled as any of the countries glanced
at above. They have in some degree the
same climate and the same contour Of
land. There is as much level land in
California in proportion to it's total area as
in any of them, and our lands are as
fertile as any in these European
countries. Our products are quite as
diversified as theirs and we have better
market.
Belgium is of course the most
thickly peopled portion of Europe, and
far outranks the most populous portions
of America. With an area of only IL 1873
square miles she has within her borders
more than 100000 of people. At that
rate the County OF Los Angeles would
have a population approximating 2,00O,-
900. The soil of Belgium is unusually
fertile. There is very little waste land
in her territory, and it is all kept in the
very highest state of cultivation. There
is no reason why the greater part of our
county should not be brought into as
productive state, and we can produce
crops here which pay many times more
than the best results to be shown in this
small nation of Europe. The fact of Bel
gums 1000, 900 of souls is all the argu-
ment needed to prove the proposition
that Los Angeles county will support
over million souls. AS compared with
this small kingdom, the Golden State
should have population of nearly co.
900 900.
France has an area of 204, ,066 square
miles. Her population is 3S,000,000.
At the same rate California would have
nearly 100000 of people in her bor-
ders, and Los Angeles county would be
inhabited by not less than 100000
people.
l California, and Southern California
ia PshiuiCldi, ouOuio piOF0 uo'
only capable of supporting quite as many
people to the square mile as either Bel
GUM or France, but our land should
prove more attractive to the average man
than they. Ours is a much more de-
lightful climate than that of France,
which, excepting in the extreme south
is bad. Then our free institutions, our
lexcellent educational facilities, the vigor
of our people and many other factors
in our favor should materially aid ir
drawing population TO our shores. TIA
/ ly's beauty in old times was al
: fatal to her peace, as many an indiscree
3 maiden's ever was to her happiness
+ The thought which buoyed up the hear
r of Goth, Visigoth or furious Hun in al
, his wanderings was that beyond thu
: Alps lay Italy. Ours is peaceful in
vasion, but it will be in the proportions
, of the hordes who crossed the Alps tt
quaff the wines of Italy. From the
frozen plains of the East and the mala
rial morasses of the South the armies
will come in thousands to fill up the
waste places of this beautiful and fertile
land.