The watershed and mouth of the Missouri-Mississippi River system became known as Louisiana and was from the earliest days of discovery considered strategically important by many European nations.

With a population of 16,373,645 at the turn of the 21st century, the Los Angeles metropolitan area was second only to the New York metropolitan area in size.

Lithuanian immigration to North America, spurred by economic opportunity and political oppression, has been the largest among the Baltic states.

Liberia traditionally was not an important source country for immigration to North America; however, political turmoil during the 1990s and into the 21st century and the region’s special relationship to the United States led to a significant increase in immigration.

The Lebanese, among the earliest Middle Eastern immigrants to come to North America in significant numbers, formed the largest Arab ethnic group in both the United States and Canada.

According to the U.S. census of 2000 and the Canadian census of 2001, 87,564 Americans and 22,615 Canadians claimed Latvian descent.

The La Raza Unida Party (LRUP) was the first attempt to create a national political party to represent the rights of Mexican Americans.

Laotian immigration to North America was almost totally the product of the Vietnam War (1964–75).

From the colonial period, immigrants were viewed as a potential threat to the interests of workers already in North America.