In 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo discovered the 揃ay of Smokes?which continued in pristine state for more than 200 years. In 1771, Spanish mission monks first used the harbor. The first trading ship brought sugar, textiles, and household goods to San Pedro in 1805.

California came under United States?control in 1848, when increasing cargo volumes made expansion necessary. In 1869, the railroad brought new development. By 1885, the Port of Los Angeles handled 500 thousand tons of cargo. In 1912 the Port of Los Angeles was dredged to 800 feet wide and to 30 feet deep. Port of Los Angeles growth boomed in the 1920s, when it became the second busiest cargo port in the U.S.

During World War II, the Port of Los Angeles was a shipbuilding center, and facilities were converted to commercial use after the war. In the 1980s, the Port of Los Angeles was dredged to 45 feet deep to handle larger ships. Four years later, traffic surpassed two million containers. Global Gateway South, one of the world's biggest and most advanced ocean-rail container terminals was opened in 1997, and the 47-acre Terminal Island Container facility was finished.

Just 20 minutes from downtown Los Angeles on San Pedro Bay, the Port of Los Angeles is not supported by taxes but from fees for shipping and port services and property leases to tenants who operate their own facilities. The Port of Los Angeles contains 43 miles of waterfront and has 27 cargo terminals on its 7500 acres handling nearly 190 million tons of cargo every year.

The Port of Los Angeles boasts the World Cruise Center, the Nation's most secure passenger cruise complex. Its 18-acre area contains two terminal buildings and four passenger processing areas. It has homeport agreements with all the world's major cruise lines. In 2006, 258 cruise ships brought over one million passengers to the Port of Los Angeles.