L.A. Street Names – Los Angeles Street Names – their origins, their histories, their meanings

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 1,500 streets – and growing. See FAQ for more information.

Featured Major Street

Lyons Avenue

Santa Clarita

Lyons is actually named for two men named Lyon: Sanford and Cyrus, twin brothers born in Maine in 1831. Gold Rush fever brought the teenage Lyons to California, but they headed to L.A. instead of San Francisco. After working for a time as clerks, in 1868 the Lyons – or at least Sanford – bought a ranch near the present-day intersection of Newhall Avenue and Sierra Highway and ran a stagecoach depot called Lyon’s Station. Although the land was soon sold to a Polish immigrant named Adam Malezewski, the station kept the Lyon name and grew into a mini-town, with a store, saloon, and post/telegraph office. Sadly, its fate was sealed when the railroad came in… a mile away. A nearby oil field (“Petroliopolis”) kept the Lyons in clover until Sanford passed away in 1882 (he’s buried in Eternal Valley, near the site of his old station) and Cyrus in 1892. Lyons Avenue took the brothers’ name by 1910.

Featured Offbeat Street

Irving Boulevard

Central L.A.

This street was laid out in 1911 by Robert Arnold Rowan as part of his Windsor Square neighborhood. The “Irving” in question is said to be Rowan’s friend Irving Herman Hellman (1883-1975), whose father Herman and uncle Isaias (see Hellman Avenue) were powerful bankers. Born in Los Angeles, Irving Hellman was trained as a civil engineer and worked as a city building inspector until 1907, when he and his brother Marco took over Merchants National Bank in the wake of their father’s death. Bank of America acquired them in 1928. After working as a VP at BofA, Hellman then became a broker at Merrill Lynch for 25 years. As befits a well-known financier, he also served on many boards and foundations. Geopolitical footnote: the Getty House, the official residence of the mayor of Los Angeles since 1975, is located at 605 S. Irving Blvd.