San Vicente Boulevard (Santa Monica) facts for kids
| West end | Ocean Boulevard in Santa Monica 34°01′34″N 118°30′48″W / 34.0260°N 118.5134°W |
|---|---|
| East end | Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles 34°03′03″N 118°27′33″W / 34.0509°N 118.4591°W |
San Vicente Boulevard is a well-known street in Santa Monica and Brentwood. These areas are part of the Westside region of Los Angeles, California. The boulevard runs from west to east.
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Exploring San Vicente Boulevard
Where Does It Go?
San Vicente is a major road in Santa Monica. It starts at Ocean Avenue. This is next to Palisades Park (Santa Monica). You can see a historic Native American totem pole sculpture there. The street then heads east.
As it goes through Santa Monica, the road starts to curve south. San Vicente then enters the city of Los Angeles at 26th Street. It becomes the main street in downtown Brentwood. This area has many popular restaurants and shops.
San Vicente curves south again near the Los Angeles Veterans Administration complex. It meets Wilshire Boulevard, where it ends. After this point, it becomes Federal Avenue and continues south into West Los Angeles.
The entire street has a wide, grassy area in the middle. This area is filled with many trees. Only a few traffic lights are found between Ocean Avenue and Bundy Drive. These are at 7th Street and 26th Street.
If you go to Ocean Avenue or 7th Street in Santa Monica, you can head down to Santa Monica Canyon. From there, you can reach the Pacific Coast Highway. The intersection with 26th Street (north) connects to Sunset Boulevard and Mandeville Canyon. For most of its path, San Vicente runs next to Sunset Boulevard (to its north) and Montana Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard (to its south).
Some navigation systems call this street West San Vicente. This helps tell it apart from another San Vicente Boulevard. The other San Vicente Boulevard is about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) to the east. It also meets Wilshire Boulevard.
Street numbers get smaller as you go west. They start at 11400 near Wilshire Boulevard. The last number in Los Angeles is 13100. In Santa Monica, the numbers follow that city's system. They start at 2600 and get smaller towards the ocean. The road ends at number 100 on Ocean Avenue.
What Makes It Special?
San Vicente Boulevard is four lanes wide. It has a large, beautiful median along its whole length. This median is a strip of land in the middle of the road. It is planted with about 120 large Coral trees (Erythrina caffra).
The coral trees in the western part of Los Angeles are very special. They are between 26th Street and Bringham Avenue. This section is a designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. This means it is an important historical and cultural site. The median is also a popular spot for people who like to jog.
Other interesting places along the boulevard include The Brentwood Country Mart. This is a shopping area at 26th and San Vicente. There is also the private Brentwood Country Club and its golf course.
The neighborhoods north of San Vicente Boulevard in Santa Monica and Brentwood are often home to large properties. These properties have unique and beautiful houses.
A Look Back in Time
San Vicente Boulevard was built in the early 1900s. It was designed to connect the Soldiers' Home (now the Sawtelle Veterans Home) to Ocean Avenue. The street was named after the Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica. This was a large ranch that used to be in the area.
This street was 130 feet (40 m) wide. It had trolley lines in its center. These lines were used by the Los Angeles Pacific Electric Railway. The road was treated with oil and surfaced in 1906. When it was finished, people said it was "one of the finest drives in the country."
