Washington Boulevard is an east-west
arterial road
An arterial road or arterial thoroughfare is a high-capacity urban road that sits below freeways/motorways on the road hierarchy in terms of traffic flow and speed. The primary function of an arterial road is to deliver traffic from collector r ...
in
Los Angeles County, California spanning a total of 27.4 miles (44 km).
Its western terminus is the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
just west of Pacific Avenue and straddling the border of the
Venice Beach
Venice is a neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles within the Westside region of Los Angeles County, California.
Venice was founded by Abbot Kinney in 1905 as a seaside resort town. It was an independent city until 1926, when it was annexed by ...
and
Marina Peninsula
Marina Peninsula is a neighborhood in western Los Angeles, California. It is often considered a subsection of the adjacent neighborhood of Venice. Because of its name it is sometimes erroneously thought to be part of the adjacent community of Mari ...
neighborhoods of
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
. The Boulevard extends eastbound to the city of
Whittier, at
Whittier Boulevard. It is south of
Venice Boulevard for most of its length. At Wade Street, Washington Place is formed adjacent and parallel and lasts until just east of
Sepulveda Boulevard
Sepulveda Boulevard is a major street and transportation corridor in the City of Los Angeles and several other cities in western Los Angeles County, California. The street parallels Interstate 405 for much of its route. Portions of Sepulveda Bou ...
, where it merges back into Washington Boulevard. Washington merges into
Culver Boulevard briefly, but forms back into its own street at Canfield Avenue.
Washington Boulevard, which is four lanes, primarily passes through locations in the mid-southern portion of Los Angeles County. The communities to the west include affluent areas such as
Marina del Rey and
Ladera Heights. Further east it passes between
Crestview and
Culver City and through
Mid City,
Arlington Heights,
Pico Union
Pico-Union is a neighborhood in Central Los Angeles, California. The name "Pico-Union" refers to the neighborhood that surrounds the intersection of Pico Boulevard and Union Avenue. Located immediately west of Downtown Los Angeles, it is home to ...
,
City of Commerce,
Montebello,
Pico Rivera,
Los Nietos and
Whittier.
History
The thoroughfare was known as Washington Street until around 1903.
In 1905, it boasted the headquarters of the local
horse driving club, for a mile west of
Western Avenue. "The road is not of the best," reported the ''Los Angeles Times,'' "and automobiles are usurping it . . . but it is the nearest approach to a
speedway
Speedway may refer to:
Racing Race tracks
*Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta
*Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motor raceway in Speedway, Indiana
Types of races and race cours ...
the reinsmen have, and they therefore make the most of it." Mayor
Owen McAleer
Owen McAleer (February 3, 1858 – March 7, 1944) was a Los Angeles, California, businessman who was mayor of the city between 1904 and 1906. His brother Jimmy McAleer played in Major League Baseball.
Personal
McAleer was born on February 3, 1 ...
"has set aside that stretch of the highway to those drivers who delight in vying with each other off the
racetrack
A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also use ...
, and policemen have been given to understand that some latitude is to be allowed horsemen there."
Transportation
Washington Boulevard provides bus service between Venice Beach and West LA Transit Center by
Culver City Transit line 1, between West LA Transit Center and Downtown by
Metro Local
Los Angeles Metro Bus is the transit bus service in Los Angeles County, California operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of .
, there ar ...
line 35, and east of Downtown by
Montebello Transit line 50. A portion of the
Metro A Line runs along Washington Boulevard (serving the
Grand/LATTC,
San Pedro and
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
stations), from Flower Street to Long Beach Avenue, while the
Metro E Line serves
a rail station near the intersection with National Boulevard.
Major intersections
Notable landmarks
*
Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery
Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery is a cemetery in Los Angeles at 1831 West Washington Boulevard in the Pico-Union district, southwest of Downtown.
It was founded as Rosedale Cemetery in 1884, when Los Angeles had a population of approximately 28,000, o ...
*
LA Trade Tech College is located at Grand Avenue near the
Blue Line station of the same name.
* The RPM International building (
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...
Enterprises) is located on the corner of Westmorland Blvd. and Washington Blvd., which is also dedicated as the "Ray Charles Square".
* The Ray Charles Post Office at
La Brea Avenue
La Brea Avenue is a prominent north-south thoroughfare in the City of Los Angeles and in Los Angeles County, California.
La Brea is known for having diverse ethnic communities, and many shops and restaurants along its route.
History
''La Br ...
.
* Government center named after
David S. Cunningham, Jr., City Council member, 1973–87
*
West Adams Preparatory High School is located on
Vermont Avenue
Vermont Avenue is one of the longest running north–south streets in City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County, California. With a length of , is the third longest of the north–south thoroughfares in the region. For most of its length be ...
and Washington Blvd.
Campus Map
/ref>
References
{{coord missing, Los Angeles County, California
Streets in Los Angeles
Streets in Los Angeles County, California
Boulevards in the United States
Culver City, California
Downtown Los Angeles
Marina del Rey, California
Mid-City, Los Angeles
Montebello, California
Pico Rivera, California
Pico-Union, Los Angeles
Venice, Los Angeles
Whittier, California
West Los Angeles
Westside (Los Angeles County)