Prairie Avenue was named in 1887 and originally stretched between Nutwood and Arbor Vitae. It was designed as the “P” in an alphabetical series of Inglewood avenues, some of which have retained their names (the “A” is Ash, the “G” is Grevillea, the “M” is Myrtle, etc.) while others have not (the “N” was Nightshade, later changed to Flower Street). Those other alphabetical streets have plant-based names – so why doesn’t Prairie? Not sure. Maybe it was a reference to the flat open land found here in the early 20th century. Or maybe Inglewood planners were inspired by Chicago’s Prairie Avenue, then home to the Windy City’s millionaires. Coincidentally, the southern part of this street was known as Chicago Street in 1904.
Find it on the map:
