And why are you coming to L.A.?

Oct. 7, 1921: H.G. Smith of Nelson, Neb., in town for the American Bankers’ Assn. convention, told The Times that he had done some pondering on his train ride west.

Smith “shared the curiosity prevalent east of the Rockies as to why a third or more of the population is planning to migrate to Southern California.”

So, on the transcontinental Union Pacific train, he conducted a poll.

Out of a total of 132 passengers, “he found that two were moving from one state to another; 20 were residents of Los Angeles; 23 were residents of California outside of Los Angeles; 29 were coming to Los Angeles and vicinity to spend the winter; 19 were coming on indefinite visits, the length to be determined by circumstances; eight were coming on business, while 31, or almost one-quarter of the total, were moving to this community, bag and baggage,” the newspaper said.

“This train, fairly representative of the many arriving every day, revealed to the Nebraskan in a very definite manner the size of the trek toward Southern California.”