La Cienega Boulevard
Coordinates: 33°59′53″N 118°22′15″W / 33.99815°N 118.37080°W
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| South end | El Segundo Boulevard near El Segundo |
|---|---|
| Major junctions |
 I-10 near Santa Monica |
| North end | Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood |
La Cienega Boulevard is a major north–south arterial road that runs between El Segundo Boulevard in El Segundo, California on the south and the Sunset Strip/Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood.
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Route description [edit]
From south of Fairview and from north of Rodeo Road (not Drive), La Cienega Boulevard is a regular surface street and one of Hollywood's major thoroughfares. Offices for A&E Network, The History Channel and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are located on La Cienega as are the studios of Citadel Broadcasting flagships KABC and KLOS, two of Los Angeles' biggest radio stations. A portion of La Cienega in and adjacent to Beverly Hills is known as "Restaurant Row" for its large number of upscale restaurants. South of Olympic, La Cienega is known for its large number of automotive-related business including several used car dealerships and many body shops and auto mechanics.[1]
It continues south passing Interstate 10, and the Metro Expo Line.
It is unusual among Southern California roadways to be built to freeway standards. South of Interstate 10, La Cienega was built to freeway standards in the late 1940s as part of the proposed Laurel Canyon Freeway, part of State Route 170. The SR 170 freeway was never completed south of U.S. Route 101, and the stretch of La Cienega from just north of Fairview Blvd in Inglewood, through the Baldwin Hills and along the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area to Rodeo Road in Los Angeles is a divided, limited access highway with few traffic signals. As such, emergency call boxes like those found along the area's freeways were installed along that stretch in the 1970s.
Naming [edit]
La Cienega Boulevard is named after Rancho Las Cienegas Mexican land grant roughly in the region now called "West Los Angeles." The Spanish phrase la ciénaga translates into English as "the swamp" and the area named "Las Ciénegas" was a continual marshland due to the course of the Los Angeles River through that area prior to a massive southerly shift in 1825 to roughly its present course. The difference in spelling between the Spanish word ciénaga and the name of the thoroughfare originated with the name of the rancho.
Transportation [edit]
Metro Local lines 105 and 217, and Metro Rapid line 705 run on La Cienega Boulevard. As of April 28, 2012, the Metro Expo Line serves a station at Jefferson Boulevard.
La Cienega Design Quarter [edit]
The area of La Cienega Boulevard, from Beverly Boulevard to Santa Monica Boulevard, and its satellite streets is known as the La Cienega Design Quarter. Its shops and galleries house many antiques, furniture, rugs, accessories and art. Art dealer Felix Landau operated his trend-setting gallery there in the 1960s.
Major intersections [edit]
Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured on the road as it was in 1964, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. R reflects a realignment in the route since then. The entire route is in Los Angeles County.
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References [edit]
- ^ "June 9, 2007". Car Talk. Episode 200723. June 9, 2007.
