Western Avenue (Los Angeles)

Western Avenue is a major four-lane street west of Downtown Los Angeles and the center portion of Los Angeles County. Apart from Sepulveda Boulevard, it is one of the longest north–south streets in Los Angeles. The name of the street is derived from its history as the westernmost border of Los Angeles before annexations in the early 20th century expanded the city.

Western Avenue passes through a diversity of neighborhoods ranging from the wealthiest to the most economically depressed in Los Angeles. It begins near the Pacific Ocean and passes north through Lomita, Torrance, Gardena, Inglewood, Baldwin Hills, and South Los Angeles.

Around Pico Boulevard, Olympic Boulevard, and Wilshire Boulevard, Western Avenue passes through Koreatown. Further north, Western Avenue passes through the eastern portions of Hollywood. Around Santa Monica Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard and Hollywood Boulevard it passes through the neighborhood of Little Armenia and Thai Town.

Western Avenue eventually ends north of Franklin Avenue in the Hollywood Hills. It swerves to become an east/west street, Los Feliz Boulevard, a major thoroughfare for Los Feliz.

The portion from Interstate 405 to 25th Street in San Pedro is State Route 213.

Western is served by three rail stations: Hollywood Boulevard on the Red Line, Wilshire Boulevard on the Purple Line, and Exposition Boulevard on the Expo Line. Metro Local lines 205 and 207, in addition to Metro Rapid line 757 and Gardena Transit line 2 operate on Western Avenue; Metro lines 207 and 757 run between Hollywood Boulevard and Imperial Highway, Gardena line 2 between Imperial Highway and Pacific Coast Highway, and Metro line 205 south of Pacific Coast Highway.

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Streets in Los Angeles and the metropolitan area
Numbered streets
  • 1–10
    • 1st
    • 3rd
  • 11–40
  • 41–250
  • The Avenues
North-south streets
  • Alameda St.
  • Alvarado St.
  • Avalon Blvd.
  • Aviation Blvd.
  • Beverly Dr.
  • Broadway
  • Cahuenga Blvd.
  • Central Ave.
  • Crenshaw Blvd.
  • Doheny Dr.
  • Fairfax Ave.
  • Figueroa St.
  • Glendale Blvd./Brand Blvd.
  • Gower St.
  • Grand Avenue
  • Highland Ave.
  • Hill St.
  • Hoover St.
  • La Brea Ave./Hawthorne Blvd.
  • La Cienega Blvd.
  • Laurel Canyon Blvd./Crescent Heights Blvd.
  • Lincoln Blvd.
  • Los Angeles St.
  • Main St.
  • Normandie Ave.
  • Ocean Ave.
  • Robertson Blvd.
  • San Fernando Rd.
  • San Pedro St.
  • Sawtelle Blvd.
  • Sepulveda Blvd.
  • Soto St./Huntington Dr.
  • Pacific Blvd./Long Beach Blvd.
  • Vermont Ave.
  • Vine St.
  • Western Ave.
  • Westwood Blvd.
East-west streets
  • Adams Blvd.
  • Alondra Blvd.
  • Artesia Blvd.
  • Bandini Blvd.
  • Beverly Blvd.
  • Carroll Ave.
  • Carson St.
  • Century Blvd.
  • Compton Blvd./Marine Ave.
  • Del Amo Blvd.
  • El Segundo Blvd.
  • Florence Ave.
  • Franklin Ave.
  • Hollywood Blvd.
  • Imperial Hwy.
  • Jefferson Blvd.
  • Lomita Blvd.
  • Los Feliz Blvd.
  • Manchester Ave./Firestone Blvd.
  • Manhattan Beach Blvd.
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
  • Melrose Ave.
  • Montana Ave.
  • Mulholland Dr.
  • Nadeau St.
  • Olympic Blvd.
  • Pico Blvd.
  • Rosecrans Ave.
  • Santa Monica Blvd.
  • Slauson Ave.
  • Sunset Blvd./Cesar Chavez Ave.
  • Temple St.
  • Valley Blvd.
  • Vernon Ave.
  • Venice Blvd.
  • Washington Blvd.
  • Whittier Blvd.
  • Wilshire Blvd.
The Valleys
  • Balboa Blvd.
  • Beverly Glen Blvd.
  • Cahuenga Blvd.
  • Colorado Blvd.
  • Foothill Blvd.
  • Glenoaks Blvd.
  • Huntington Dr.
  • Lankershim Blvd.
  • Laurel Canyon Blvd.
  • Mulholland Dr.
  • Reseda Blvd.
  • Riverside Dr.
  • San Fernando Rd.
  • Sepulveda Blvd.
  • Sunland Blvd./Vineland Ave.
  • Topanga Canyon Blvd.
  • Valley Blvd.
  • Van Nuys Blvd.
  • Ventura Blvd.
  • Victory Blvd.
Diagonal streets
  • Centinela Ave. (Bundy Drive)
  • San Vicente Blvd.
Streets in San Pedro
  • Gaffey St.
  • Western Ave.
Alleyways
  • Olvera St.
  • Santee Alley

Famous quotes containing the words western and/or avenue:

    It appeared that he had once represented his tribe at Augusta, and also once at Washington, where he had met some Western chiefs. He had been consulted at Augusta, and gave advice, which he said was followed, respecting the eastern boundary of Maine, as determined by highlands and streams, at the time of the difficulties on that side. He was employed with the surveyors on the line. Also he called on Daniel Webster in Boston, at the time of his Bunker Hill oration.
    Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    Play is a major avenue for learning to manage anxiety. It gives the child a safe space where she can experiment at will, suspending the rules and constraints of physical and social reality. In play, the child becomes master rather than subject.... Play allows the child to transcend passivity and to become the active doer of what happens around her.
    Alicia F. Lieberman (20th century)