This was initially called C Street in a Mid-City group of alphabet streets. A 1897 city ordinance gave them full names: B Street became Berendo, F Street became Fedora, I Street became Irolo, and so on. (A Street was simply coopted into New Hampshire Ave.) It’s logical to conclude that Catalina Street was inspired by Santa Catalina Island, one of the oldest non-indigenous place names in Southern California. The island was christened by Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno and his crew on November 24th, 1602: the feast day of 4th century martyr Saint Catherine of Alexandria. (Said feast day was later moved to Nov. 25th.) Catalina is the Spanish variant of “Catherine”, so there you go. P.S. Another Mid-City byway that took Catalina’s name in 1897 was the cool-but-scary-sounding Lightning Street.
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