| Length | 6.4 mi (10.3 km)[1] |
|---|---|
| Nearest metro station |   Soto |
| South end | 33°59′21″N118°13′10″W / 33.9891°N 118.2194°W /33.9891; -118.2194 Slauson Ave. inHuntington Park |
| North end | 34°04′38″N118°11′39″W / 34.0771°N 118.1942°W /34.0771; -118.1942 Huntington Dr./Mission Rd. inLos Angeles |
Soto Street is a major north-south thoroughfare inLos Angeles, California, connecting the southernmost neighborhoods of theEastside, as well as the southeastern suburbs ofVernon andHuntington Park.
It was first designated and paved as anarterial road in 1927. The street has been the focus of several significant ethnic communities over the years.
Soto Street begins at its intersection withSlauson Avenue, shortly before entering Vernon and crossing theLos Angeles River. It then runs north through the neighborhoods ofBoyle Heights,Brooklyn Heights.
InEl Sereno, nearLincoln Heights, Soto Street merges withMission Road to formHuntington Drive.
In 1890 Soto Street was "a dirt road lined with pepper trees."[2] By 1927 the city had decided to pave it as an arterial.[3][4][5] The intersection of Soto Street and Brooklyn Avenue (now calledCesar Chavez Avenue) came to be considered the most important intersection in East Los Angeles, both when it was the center of the Los Angeles Jewish community (the largest Jewish community in the western United States) and later when it became the heart of the largest Mexican-American community in the country.[2][6] It is the site of the landmark mural byEast Los Streetscapers entitledEl Corrido de Boyle Heights, and is the major transportation hub for the region.[2][6] In 2004, a portion of the street inEl Sereno known as the Soto Street Bridge, where Soto Street becomes Huntington Drive North, was declared functionally obsolete and scheduled for replacement.[7] The bridge was constructed in 1936 as joint venture between the state, city andPacific Electric Railway as an overpass of its Red Car system.[8]
Metro Local lines 251 runs along Soto Street. TheMetro E Line operates at alight rail underground station at the street's intersection with1st Street inBoyle Heights.