Victory Boulevard (Los Angeles)

Victory Boulevard is a major east-west arterial road that runs 25 miles (40 km) traversing the entire length of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, Southern California, United States.

Victory Boulevard
NamesakeTo honor soldiers returning from World War I[1]
Maintained byBureau of Street Services, City of L.A. DPW, City of Burbank, City of Glendale
West endUpper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve
Major
junctions
Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Canoga Park
Reseda Blvd. in Reseda
Balboa Blvd. in Van Nuys
I-405 in Van Nuys
Sepulveda Blvd. in Van Nuys
Van Nuys Blvd. in Van Nuys
SR 170 in N. Hollywood
Vineland Ave. in N. Hollywood
W. Burbank Blvd. in Burbank
W. Alameda Ave. in Burbank
Western Ave. in Glendale
East end SR 134 at Griffith Park

Geography

Victory Boulevard is approximately 25 miles (40 km) long, and is notable for several reasons. Victory Boulevard is the street where one will find the West Valley's major malls at Fallbrook Center and Westfield Topanga, through the Warner Center business district, along a section of the Metro G Line and by three of its stations, past Pierce College, through the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Center with Lake Balboa, Pedlow Skate Park and golf courses, then through the communities of Van Nuys, Valley Glen and North Hollywood in the center of the valley, crossing the Tujunga Wash, and continuing past Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery with its Portal of the Folded Wing, through Burbank's entertainment district, passing the Nickelodeon studios at Olive Avenue, then veering southeast to its eastern terminus at Griffith Park near the Los Angeles Zoo and Travel Town Museum (at the intersection of Riverside Drive & Sonora Avenue).

Victory Boulevard is one of three Los Angeles boulevards included in the lyrics of Randy Newman's song "I Love L.A.": "...“Century Boulevard (We Love It!), Victory Boulevard (We Love It), Santa Monica Boulevard (We Love It)..."[2]

History

Victory Boulevard in Van Nuys, 2002

When Van Nuys was plotted in 1911, Victory Boulevard was called 7th Avenue.[3] Around 1916, the name was changed to Leesdale Avenue when the city of Los Angeles annexed the San Fernando Valley after the Los Angeles Aqueduct was completed.[3] In the mid-1920s, the Leesdale Improvement Association unveiled plans to expand Leesdale Avenue as an 80-foot (24 m)-wide "great east-and-west boulevard" through the Valley.[3] At that time, the City also changed the name to Victory Boulevard, in honor of soldiers returning from World War I,[1] and paved the boulevard as far west as Balboa Boulevard where it ended.[3] Victory Boulevard did not extend to the West Valley until the 1950s.[3][4]

Transportation

The Metro Local Lines 96 and 164 runs along Victory Boulevard.

Communities (west to east)

  • West Hills – west of Shoup Avenue to the Victory Trailhead entrance of Ahmanson Ranch Park in the Simi Hills, Victory Boulevard marks the southern border of West Hills and northern border of adjacent Woodland Hills.
  • Woodland Hills – between the western city limits, and Corbin Avenue on the east, Victory Boulevard marks the northern border of Woodland Hills, with West Hills, Canoga Park, and Winnetka to the north.
  • Canoga Park – Victory Boulevard marks the southern border of Canoga Park between Shoup, and DeSoto, with Woodland Hills to the south
  • Winnetka – DeSoto Avenue is the western boundary, Corbin Avenue is the eastern boundary, with the Los Angeles River and Woodland Hills to the south.
  • Reseda – Victory Boulevard marks the southern border of Reseda between Corbin Avenue and White Oak Avenue, with Tarzana to the south..
  • Tarzana – Victory Boulevard marks the northern border of Tarzana between Corbin Avenue (west) and Lindley Avenue (east)[5]
  • Lake Balboa – between White Oak and I-405 (the San Diego Freeway)
  • Encino – Victory Boulevard marks the northern border of Encino between Lindley Avenue and White Oak
  • Van Nuys – between I-405 (the San Diego Freeway) and Hazeltine Avenue
  • Valley Glen – between Hazeltine Avenue and CA 170 (the Hollywood Freeway)[6]
  • North Hollywood – between CA 170 (the Hollywood Freeway) and Clybourn Avenue
  • Burbank – between Clybourn Avenue and Allen Avenue
  • Glendale – between Allen Avenue and Riverside Drive/Sonora Avenue

Notable landmarks (west to east)

Pedlow Skate Park, in Encino.

References

  1. Roderick, Kevin (2001). The San Fernando Valley: America's Suburb. Los Angeles Times Books. ISBN 188379255X.
  2. Courrier, Kevin (2005). Randy Newman's American Dreams. ECW Press. p. 246. ISBN 9781550226904.
  3. "The Valley Observed: How Leesdale became Victory Boulevard". Archived from the original on 2012-11-10. Retrieved 2015-04-01.
  4. "How Leesdale became Victory Blvd". The Valley Observed - archived. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  5. "Tarzana Neighborhood Council: Tarzana Boundary Map". Tarzananc.org. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  6. "Valley Glen Map". Valleyglen.org. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  7. "LA Mountains: Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve (formerly Ahmanson Ranch)". Lamountains.com.
  8. "Southwest USA Shopping Center+". Sw.officialsite.com. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  9. "Westfield Topanga & The Village". Westfield.com. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  10. "Los Angeles Pierce College". Piercecollege.edu. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  11. "Rock Show at Birmingham". Archived from the original on 2008-03-03. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
  12. Esquivel, Ralph (May 1, 1956). "Survey of Sales Reveals Record by Valley Plaza". Valley Times (North Hollywood, CA).
  13. "Advertisement for Valley Plaza". Los Angeles Times. April 29, 1960.
  14. Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park: Famous names at Find a Grave
  15. "Griffith Park". Archived from the original on 2005-02-16.

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