Ventura Boulevard facts for kids
| Part of El Camino Real | |
| Maintained by | Los Angeles County, City of Los Angeles |
|---|---|
| West end | Valley Circle Boulevard in Woodland Hills |
| East end | Lankershim Boulevard and Cahuenga Boulevard by Universal City |
Ventura Boulevard is a major road in the San Fernando Valley part of Los Angeles, California. It runs from east to west and is one of the oldest roads in the area. It's part of the historic El Camino Real route. This road was once part of U.S. Route 101 before the Ventura Freeway was built. The freeway now runs next to Ventura Boulevard for most of its length.
Ventura Boulevard is about 18 miles (29 km) long. It starts in Woodland Hills near Calabasas, at a street called Valley Circle Boulevard. The road then goes through several towns like Tarzana, Encino, and Sherman Oaks. In Studio City, it meets Lankershim Boulevard and changes into Cahuenga Boulevard. From there, it winds through Cahuenga Pass all the way to Hollywood.
This boulevard has always been a busy place for small businesses and shops in the San Fernando Valley. Today, you can find homes, small shopping centers, and many different types of businesses, schools, and other places along it. The homes located south of Ventura Boulevard are some of the most expensive in Los Angeles County. They can cost millions of dollars and are home to many famous people, business leaders, athletes, and entertainers.
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History of Ventura Boulevard
Ventura Boulevard follows a very old trading path that existed long before Europeans arrived. This path was used by the Tataviam and Tongva people and led to a village called Siutcanga, which is at least 4,000 years old.
Early Settlements and Parks
One of the first places people lived in the San Fernando Valley was around what is now Los Encinos State Historic Park. This park is at the corner of Balboa and Ventura boulevards. The Tongva people lived here for thousands of years because of the natural springs in the area. Today, the 5-acre (2-hectare) park has an old nine-room adobe house built in 1849. It also has a reservoir shaped like a Spanish guitar that collects spring water.
First Golf Course and Woodland Hills
The very first golf course in the Valley opened in 1922. It was located at the corner of Ventura and Coldwater Canyon. Today, the Sportsmen's Lodge stands on that spot. Also in 1922, a man named Victor Girard bought a large area of land, about 2,886 acres (12 square kilometers), south of Ventura Boulevard near Canoga Avenue. He planted over 120,000 trees, including pepper, sycamore, and eucalyptus trees. This area later became known as Woodland Hills, which was a very fitting name.
Movie Studios and TV Shows
In 1928, just a few blocks east of Laurel Canyon, a famous filmmaker named Mack Sennett built his 38-acre (15.4-hectare) Keystone Studios. This studio made silent movies with stars like Fatty Arbuckle, W.C. Fields, Stan Laurel, and the Keystone Cops. After movies started having sound, Keystone became Republic Pictures. Then, in 1963, it became CBS Studio Center. Even though it's not open to the public, this studio is very busy. It makes more TV sitcoms than almost any other studio.
In 2015, the Studio City part of Ventura Boulevard, along with Lankershim Boulevard, was used for an event called CicLAvia. This event is sponsored by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. During CicLAvia, major roads are temporarily closed to cars. People can then use them for fun activities like biking, walking, or skating.
Getting Around Ventura Boulevard
You can use public transportation to get around Ventura Boulevard. Metro Local bus lines 150 and 240 run along the boulevard.
Ventura Boulevard in Pop Culture
Ventura Boulevard has been mentioned in many songs, movies, and TV shows.
Music Mentions
- The Everly Brothers had a song called "Ventura Boulevard" on their 1968 album Roots.
- Tom Petty's song "Free Fallin'" mentions the boulevard: "All the vampires walkin' through the valley, Move west down Ventura Boulevard..." When Tom Petty passed away in 2017, many fans walked west down the boulevard to remember him.
- Frank Zappa's song "Valley Girl" also mentions it: "On Ventura, there she goes, she just bought some bitchin' clothes." This song is about a "valley girl" from Encino who loves shopping and other typical Valley Girl activities.
- Guitarist John 5 made a song called "18969 Ventura Blvd."
- In the documentary Living with Michael Jackson, it was shared that Michael Jackson wrote his famous song "Billie Jean" while driving on Ventura Boulevard.
- The music video for Haim's song "Want You Back" was filmed on Ventura Boulevard.
Film Mentions
- The boulevard is an important location in the movie The 40-Year-Old Virgin.
- Many scenes from the films Crash and Transformers were also filmed on Ventura Boulevard.
Television Mentions
- In the Seinfeld episode "The Trip, Part 2", Jerry and George say they are calling from a pay phone on Ventura Boulevard. However, the pay phone shown was actually on Ventura Place, which is about one block away.
- In The Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror VI", Ventura Boulevard is the location for the show's first-ever live-action scene.
- Steve Allen, a famous entertainer who lived in Encino, once joked that "The Valley is the hippest part of town. They even named a boulevard after Charlie Ventura," referring to a jazz saxophonist.
Literature Mentions
- Detective writer Raymond Chandler described Ventura Boulevard in his 1949 novel The Little Sister. He wrote about the fast cars, busy traffic, and different types of businesses along the road. He also mentioned the fancy homes of movie stars behind Encino.
Video Game Mentions
- The company Infinity Ward, which created many games in the Call of Duty series, has its main office on Ventura Boulevard. You can find their studios at 15821 Ventura Boulevard in Encino.
Ventura Business District
The Ventura Business District is the area along and around Ventura Boulevard where many businesses are located. This district runs along the northern base of the Santa Monica Mountains. You can see mission bells placed along the road, marking it as part of the historic El Camino Real route.
Neighborhoods Along the Boulevard
Because the business district is so long, it's usually thought of as several smaller areas or neighborhoods. These include:
Gallery of Places Along Ventura Boulevard
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Studio City Hand Car Wash
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Former Dupar's Restaurant, Studio City
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Sherman Oaks Shopping District
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Citibank and City National Bank Buildings
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Garnier Building at Rancho Los Encinos, 2008
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Rancho Encino - Garnier Building, 1900
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Encino Park Liquor
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Encino-Tarzana Branch Library
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Cupid's Hot Dog's, Tarzana
