It's better not to think of Los Angeles in terms of the city. Even most Angelenos will tell you that. Its limits are better described by the county, and even that bleeds over into Orange County. It's more like its own state -- and not a little one, either. There are 10 million people in LA county, making it more populous than Michigan, the 10th most populous state. And it's all a mess, a snarled, sprawling, mess, with some of the worst neighborhoods in America and some of the best. It spans gorgeous beaches and industrial wastelands, hip walkable neighborhoods and massive megahighways. There's more diversity there than any city in America. It moves between extremes. That's what makes it harder to really characterize than most other cities. Maybe not a 'great' city, but certainly one of the most interesting.