All you ever wanted to know about...

All you ever wanted to know about L.A.: On Jan. 1, 1886, The Times ran a guide titled, “Seventy Answers to Queries Oftenest Put by Prospective Comers.” Some excerpts:

2. Sunstrokes are unknown save on the desert.

4. For a short time after the rain the streets are muddy. Three days of sunshine makes them all right.

6. No high winds.

9. The evenings are always cool.

40. The inhabitants do not . . . shoot at the drop of a handkerchief. The Apaches are 800 miles away.

41. Los Angeles is not a border town.

48. Los Angeles County has the first ostrich farm in America.

55. There are two strong and well-equipped athletic clubs, one German.

58. The climate discourages malaria.

65. There is an endless profusion of flowers all winter.