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
Budlong Avenue
Nancy A. Budlong (née Haughawout, 1834-1907) was born in Pennsylvania but moved to Wisconsin with her family when she was about 11. She married lawyer-turned-tax collector David H. Budlong in 1854 and they would have five children, whom they raised in and around Carthage, MO. The Budlongs divorced around 1881; two years later, Nancy – classifying herself as a “widow” – and at least three of their kids relocated to Los Angeles. (David went to Visalia, then Idaho, then San Diego.) Here she showed a knack for real estate investing and bought and sold property across the city and in Redondo Beach. Budlong Avenue was named by 1885, when the Budlongs themselves lived on the street (between Adams and Jefferson), but they would soon move to 2nd Street. Intriguingly, 1885 also turned up a marriage certificate between one Nancy A. Budlong and one Daniel Freeman. The same Daniel Freeman of Inglewood repute? Likely not; at any rate, the union ended in divorce the following year.