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
Catalina Avenue
It’s not named for Santa Catalina Island – at least not specifically. When Redondo Beach was laid out in 1887, most of its east-west streets were named after precious stones while most of its north-south streets were given Spanish female names, e.g., Catalina. Each set of streets followed a rather slack alphabetical order, with some letters skipped over (no “F”-themed gem between Emerald and Garnet; no “K”-named dama between Juanita and Lucia) and some represented twice (Agate and Amethyst; Guadalupe and Gertruda). And some of those street names have since been erased: adios Benita, Margarita, Marguerita, Prudencia, Rebeca, and Ramona! At any rate, it’s a myth – or let’s say half-myth, half-coincidence – that those north-south streets honor the daughters of Rancho Sausal Redondo landowner Manuel Domínguez. He only had eight girls (six of whom survived him), not twenty-plus, and four of their actual names (Adelaida, Dolores, Leonor, and Victoria) aren’t represented here in Redondo.