Ventura Boulevard

Infobox road
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highway_name=Ventura Boulevard
name_notes=ultimately named after Saint Bonaventure; former U.S. (BUS) 101
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alternate_name=El Camino Real
maint=L.A. Co., City of L.A.
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direction_a=West
terminus_a=Valley Circle Drive in Woodland Hills
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direction_b=East
terminus_b=Lankershim Boulevard and Cahuenga Boulevard by Universal City
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Ventura Boulevard is one of the primary east-west thouroughfares in the San Fernando Valley; as it was originally a part of the El Camino Real (the trail between Spanish missions), Ventura Boulevard is the oldest route in the San Fernando Valley. It was also U.S. Route 101 before the freeway was built and it was also signed as Business U.S. Route 101.

Ventura Boulevard begins in Woodland Hills at an intersection with Valley Circle Blvd., passes through Tarzana, Encino, Sherman Oaks, and finally in Studio City changes into Cahuenga Blvd. and wends through the Cahuenga Pass toward Hollywood.

It has always been the most concentrated location for mom-and-pop shops and small businesses in the Valley; nowadays it has pockets of housing, mini-malls, and boutiques, along with a wide assortment of restaurants, book stores, camera stores, car washes, and supermarkets.

History

Due to natural springs, one of the first inhabited areas of the San Fernando Valley was the land around what is now known as Los Encinos State Historic Park, at the corner of Balboa and Ventura Blvd., which was inhabited by the Tongva Indians possibly for thousands of years. This five acre (2 hm²) park now includes the original nine-room De La Osa Adobe (built in 1849) and a reservoir shaped like a Spanish guitar that collects the spring water.

The Valley's first golf course opened at the corner of Ventura and Coldwater Canyon in 1922 (now this is site of the Sportsmens Lodge).

Also in 1922, around the area of Canoga Avenue south of Ventura Boulevard, Victor Girard purchased 2,886 acres (12 km²) of land and planted over 120,000 pepper, sycamore, and eucalyptus trees, later resulting in the appropriately named Woodland Hills.

In 1928, just a couple blocks east of Laurel Canyon, Mack Sennett created his 38 acre (15.4 hm²) Keystone Studios, which produced silent movies with stars such as Fatty Arbuckle, W.C. Fields, Stan Laurel, and the Keystone Kops. After talkies, Keystone became Republic Pictures, and then in 1963 CBS Studio Center. Although closed to the public, this complex just a couple blocks off Ventura Boulevard probably makes more TV sitcoms than any other studio.

In popular culture

Music

The Everly Brothers recorded a song called "Ventura Boulevard" on their 1968 album "Roots". Ventura Boulevard is mentioned in Tom Petty's song "Free Fallin'" ("All the vampires walkin' through the valley, Move west down Ventura Boulevard..."). The Boulevard is also mentioned in Frank Zappa's "Valley Girl" ("On Ventura, there she goes, she just bought some bitchin' clothes") a song about a Valley Girl (voiced by his daughter Moon Zappa) who lives in Encino and participates in typical Valley Girl activities such as shopping at The Galleria, not wanting to do the dishes, and getting her toenails professionally cut.

Guitarist John5 made a song entitled "18969 Ventura Blvd".

Johnny "California" Mercer is currently looking for Ventura Boulevard.

Ventura Boulevard was also the name of a band from Delhi, India.

Cinema

The boulevard is a prominent location in the movie "The 40-Year-Old Virgin". Much of "Crash" was filmed on Ventura Boulevard.

Television

In the Seinfeld episode "The Trip (Part 2)" [Episode Number: 42 / Season Num: 4 / Prod Code: 402 / First Aired: Wednesday August 19, 1992] Jerry and George were said to be calling from a payphone on Ventura Blvd. In reality, the payphone shown was on Ventura Place, about one block away.

Gallery of landmarks along Ventura Boulevard (east to west)