Abstract: Throughout the twentieth century, the cities of the United States have been central to the experiences of American Indians. Yet, with a handful of exceptions, historians and other scholars have failed to investigate American Indian urbanity. This dissertation addresses this oversight by presenting a twentieth-century history of American Indians in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It focuses on the migration of Indians to Los Angeles; their experiences with work, housing, and leisure; the formation and development of urban Indian communities; and the changing relationships between Los Angeles and Indian reservations throughout Southern California. In large part, it 'tells the story' of American Indians living within the complex and shifting urban landscape of Greater Los Angeles, by exploring Indian experiences, highlighting Indian perspectives, and analyzing Indian motivations. It also places these experiences in larger context by examining the systems of power that Native people negotiated, such as the city's labor and housing sectors, the cultural expectations of the non-Indian population, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. In its broader sense, this dissertation is concerned with issues of historiography and tries to influence the direction of both American Indian history specifically and U.S. history more generally. From the outset, it argues that American Indian historians need to 're-imagine Indian Country' to include the cities and towns of the United States. Doing so will enrich American Indian history by helping to illuminate the presence of American Indians throughout modern American society. At the same time, it will help open avenues between American Indian history and other historical fields. Indeed, a major goal of this study is to show that modern American Indian history is relevant to studies of the American West, urban history, race and ethnicity, and other important themes in twentieth-century U.S. history.