Three avenues in this neighborhood copy three in Avalon, the city on Santa Catalina Island: Vieudelou, Claressa (misnamed for Clarissa), and Marrilla (misnamed for Marilla). In a nutshell, Vieudelou was a (very bad!) translation of the French vue de l’eau, “view from the water”; Clarissa was the nickname of Avalon cofounder Clara Shatto; and Marilla was the middle name of her sister-in-law Etta Whitney, the woman who actually named Avalon. These Norwalk facsimiles were named on a 1923 tract owned by newlyweds Everett & Helen Baker and movie theater pioneers Michael & Abraham Gore. Funny how they knew how to spell “Vieudelou” but not “Clarissa” or “Marilla”!
Find it on the map:
