The Port of Los Angeles, SoCal's doorway to international imports and exports, is located just 20 miles from downtown. The burgeoning seaport not only sustains its competitive edge with innovative cargo operations, but is also known for its inventive environmental initiatives, progressive security measures and diverse recreational and educational facilities. Also known as the Los Angeles Harbor Department, Port Los Angeles occupies more than 7,500 acres land and water along 42 miles of waterfront.

The south-facing San Pedro Bay was originally a shallow flat area, not solid enough to support a wharf. Visiting ships had two options, remaining out at anchor and have their cargo ferried to shore; or beach themselves. Phineas Banning tremendously improved docking convenience when he cleared out the channel in 1871 to a depth of 10 feet. The port handled more than 55,000 tons of shipping in that year.

After Banning's death in 1885 his sons pursued their interests in promoting the port, which handled 500,000 tons of shipping that year. The Southern Pacific Railroad wanted to build the Los Angeles Port at Santa Monica, and constructed the Long Wharf there in 1893. Los Angeles Times administrator Harrison Otis and Senator Stephen White pushed for federal support of the structure to be built at San Pedro Bay. The issue was resolved when San Pedro was endorsed in 1897 by a federal commission. With government support construction began in 1899 and the spot was absorbed into Los Angeles in 1909. The Harbor Commission was founded in 1907.

In 1911, the Railroad Authority completed its first major wharf at the port. In the 1920s, Port Los Angeles surpassed San Francisco as the West Coast's busiest seaport. In WWII it was mostly utilized for shipbuilding, which employed more than 90,000 people. The establishment of the Thomas Bridge in 1963 significantly improved access to Terminal Island and allowed for more traffic and further expansion.

Currently Port Los Angeles is the busiest in the U.S. by container volume, the eighth busiest in the world, fifth when combined with the nearby Port of Long Beach.

In 2007, the top five imported goods were furniture, apparel, motorcar parts, toys, and computers. The top five exported goods were soybeans, paper, cotton, animal feed and metal scraps.

Article Directory : http://www.articlecube.com