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
Magnolia Boulevard
There’s no mystery behind Magnolia’s name: it was simply one of several tree-themed streets laid out in the original 1887 townsite of Burbank (now its downtown core). Then known as Magnolia Avenue, it was introduced along with Walnut, Cypress, Palm, Orange Grove, and Olive avenues. (Myrtle, Holly, and Laurel avenues were also laid out, but vanished.) It was only through the quirks of urban development that, beginning in 1912-1913, Magnolia would slowly extend further west into the San Fernando Valley, while the other four streets never made it out of Burbank. Magnolia attained “Boulevard” status by 1923, coinciding – perhaps intentionally – with the construction of the Magnolia Park subdivision (see Hollywood Way).