Welcome to L.A. Street Names, the origin stories of street names across Los Angeles County, from the shortest cul-de-sacs to the longest boulevards. Mysteries solved, myths debunked, scandals exposed, history revealed. This is an ongoing project with more than 1,700 streets – and growing. See FAQ for more information.
Featured Major Street
Carson Street
Like the city of Carson itself, this street ostensibly takes its name from George Cady Carson (1832-1901) – but it’s really for his wife and kids. Victoria Domínguez de Carson (1842-1916) was one of the six daughters of Manuel and Engracia Domínguez who inherited thousands of acres of Rancho San Pedro in 1883. She was just fifteen when she married Carson in 1857. Her husband was an upstate New Yorker and Mexican–American War veteran who had come to Los Angeles four years earlier as a hardware merchant. After their marriage, he moved to the rancho (where Victoria spent her whole life) and helped manage his father-in-law’s vast holdings. The Carsons had fifteen children over 26 years; ten of them survived their mother. The Domínguez sisters designated a Carson Street on their property in 1885, but probably not in the same location as today’s Carson Street. The area formerly known as Carson-Dominguez became the City of Carson in February 1968; voters narrowly chose “Carson” over “Dominguez” as the name for their newly incorporated city.