GEORGE A. GONZALEZ - fieldi

72THE POLITICS OF AIR POLLUTIONwould connect the area “with the commercial points of the world [especiallySan Francisco], and does it by more direct routes than any other road can”(351). Fogelson (1967) reports that “by November the pressure from the businesscommunity had eroded the antipathy to the subsidies,” and the paymentto the Southern Pacific was approved (55).Even before the establishment of the Southern Pacific extension, largelandholders sought to attract migrants and capital to the area. Most significantly,“the Southern California Immigration Association, founded by theLos Angeles Board of Trade and supported by prominent property owners,persistently advertised the entire region” (Fogelson 1967, 63). After theSouthern Pacific came to Los Angeles, and connected it with San Franciscoand New Orleans, this effort started to gain traction. Between 1880 and1890, the Los Angeles population grew “from 11,183 to 50,395,” as did itseconomy—with the city’s “assessed value” growing from “$7 million to $39million” (Fogelson 1967, 67). This population and economic growth were nomean feats, since numerous areas throughout the country were seeking toattract newcomers and investment. Fogelson explains that Los Angeles’sboosters had to compete with “the Great Lakes, Prairie, Rocky Mountain,Southwest, and Pacific Northwest states.” Moreover, “nearly all their governmentshoped to accelerate settlement and increase property values bychanneling the flow of immigration to their regions.” These efforts were also“supported by commercial associations seeking to foster trade and encourageindustry and assisted by transcontinental railroads trying to stimulate demandfor their lands and traffic for their lines” (64–65; also see Robbins 1994).Despite this intense competition, the Los Angeles area became a vibrantarea of population growth and economic activity by the 1920s (Fogelson1967). The city’s railroad connections, which came to include the Santa Ferailroad, and its temperate weather made Los Angeles a leading tourist destination,as well as a magnet to affluent retirees—especially from the upperMidwest (Fogelson 1967, chap. 4). In addition to its natural amenities andinfrastructure, the city’s growth was spurred by an aggressive publicity campaignundertaken by the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. Fogelson(1967) points out that “between 1890 and 1920 the Chamber effectivelymobilized the community’s resources for promotional enterprises.” He goes onto describe these enterprises in some detail:[The Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce] established a permanentexhibit of regional agriculture in Los Angeles, encouraged local farmers toparticipate in fairs and expositions, and shipped their produce to NewOrleans, Omaha, Chicago, and San Francisco. More than ten million personssaw these displays of oranges, grapes, and walnuts. The Chamber ofCommerce also dispatched a railroad car filled with authentic southernCalifornia fruits, vegetables, and spokesmen into rural parts of America.