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| Part ofEl Camino Real | |
| Namesake | Saint Bonaventure |
|---|---|
| Maintained by | Los Angeles County,City of Los Angeles |
| Length | 16.5 mi (26.6 km) |
| Nearest metro station |   Universal City/Studio City |
| West end | Valley Circle Boulevard inWoodland Hills |
| Major junctions |  SR 27 I-405 US 101 |
| East end | Lankershim Boulevard andCahuenga Boulevard byUniversal City |
Ventura Boulevard is one of the primary east–west thoroughfares in theSan Fernando Valley region of the City ofLos Angeles, California. Ventura Boulevard is one of the oldest routes in the San Fernando Valley as it is along the commemorative routeEl Camino Real. It was alsoU.S. Route 101 (US 101) before thefreeway (which it parallels for much of Ventura Boulevard's length) was built, and it was also previously signed asU.S. Route 101 Business (US 101 Bus.).
Approximately 18 miles (29 km) long, Ventura Boulevard begins nearCalabasas inWoodland Hills at an intersection with Valley Circle Boulevard. The Boulevard travels throughTarzana,Encino, andSherman Oaks before intersecting withLankershim Boulevard inStudio City, where it becomesCahuenga Boulevard and winds throughCahuenga Pass intoHollywood.
Historically, the street has been one of the most concentrated location for small businesses and shops in the Valley, while today it has pockets of housing, mini-malls, and shops, along with a wide assortment of businesses, schools, and other establishments. Homes south of Ventura Boulevard are considered to be among the most expensive in Los Angeles County, ranging from $2 million to $50 million and home to numerous executives, celebrities, athletes, and other entertainers.
Ventura Boulevard follows an ancientpre-Columbian trading trail that served theTataviam andTongva village ofSiutcanga, which is at least 4,000 years old.[1][2]
Due to natural springs in the area, one of the first inhabited areas of theSan Fernando Valley was the land around what is now known asLos Encinos State Historic Park, at the corner of Balboa and Ventura boulevards, which was inhabited by theTongva for thousands of years.[2] This 5-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 springwater.
The Valley's first golf course opened at the corner of Ventura and Coldwater Canyon in 1922 (this is now the site of the Sportsmen's 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 ofLaurel Canyon,Mack Sennett created his 38-acre (15.4 hm²)Keystone Studios, which produced silent movies with stars such asFatty Arbuckle,W.C. Fields,Stan Laurel, and theKeystone Cops. After talkies, Keystone becameRepublic Pictures, and then in 1963CBS Studio Center. Although closed to the public, this complex, which is located only a few blocks away from Ventura Boulevard, probably makes moreTVsitcoms than any other studio.[citation needed]
In 2015 the Studio City section of Ventura Boulevard, along with Lankershim Boulevard, was the site ofCicLAvia, an event sponsored by theLos Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority in which major roads are temporarily closed to motorized vehicle traffic and used for recreationalhuman-powered transport.[3]
A stretch of the former U.S. Route 101 in theVentura County city ofCamarillo paralleling the current freeway route is also named Ventura Boulevard.[4]
Ventura Boulevard carriesMetro Local lines 150 and 240.
The Everly Brothers recorded a song called "Ventura Boulevard" on their 1968 albumRoots.
Ventura Boulevard is mentioned inTom Petty's song "Free Fallin'" ("All the vampires walkin' through the valley, Move west down Ventura Boulevard..."). When Petty died in 2017, what was intended as a walk by four fans turned into a public memorial as 10 times that many ‘Vampires’ walked west down the Boulevard in memory of the singer.[5]
The Boulevard is also mentioned inFrank Zappa's "Valley Girl" ("On Ventura, there she goes, she just bought some bitchin' clothes") a song about avalley 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 pedicured.
GuitaristJohn 5 made a song entitled "18969 Ventura Blvd."
In the documentaryLiving with Michael Jackson, it is revealed thatMichael Jackson wrote the songBillie Jean while riding down Ventura Boulevard in his car.
Haim's music video "Want You Back" is filmed on Ventura Boulevard.
The boulevard is a prominent location in the movieThe 40-Year-Old Virgin. Much of the filmsCrash andTransformers were filmed on the boulevard.
In theSeinfeld episode "The Trip, Part 2", Jerry and George were said to be calling from a pay phone on Ventura Boulevard. In reality, the pay phone shown was on Ventura Place, about one block away.
In theTreehouse of Horror VI episode ofThe Simpsons, Ventura Boulevard features as the location of the show's first ever live-action scene.
Steve Allen, who lived in Encino, famously joked that "The Valley is the hippest part of town. They even named a boulevard afterCharlie Ventura," referring to the renowned jazz saxophonist.
Detective fiction authorRaymond Chandler on Ventura Boulevard from his novelThe Little Sister (1949):
AtLa Brea I turned north and swung over to Highland, out overCahuenga Pass and on toVentura Boulevard, pastStudio City and Sherman Oaks andEncino. There was nothing lonely about the trip. There never is on that road. Fast boys in stripped-down Fords shot in and out of the traffic streams, missing fenders by a sixteenth of an inch, but somehow always missing them. Tired men in dustycoupés and sedans winced and tightened their grip on the wheel and ploughed on north and west towards home and dinner...I drove past the gaudy neon’s and the false fronts behind them, the sleazy hamburger joints that look like palaces under the colors, the circular drive-ins as gay as circuses with chipper hard-eye car-hops...Behind Encino an occasional light winked...from the homes of screen stars. Screen stars, phooey...”[6]
Video game developerInfinity Ward, which developed most of the games in theCall of Duty series, has its headquarters on Ventura Boulevard. The studios can be seen at 15821 Ventura Boulevard,Encino.
The Ventura Business District is the commercial district along and around Ventura Boulevard. Ventura Boulevard and the district run along the northern base of theSanta Monica Mountains. Mission bells have been placed marking the commemorative route of theEl Camino Real.[7]
Due to the district's extended linear size, it is rare for it to be considered one unified district, instead identified by neighborhoods within and along it.
They include:
