Surely named for Tobias Miller (1859-1915), who bought a large orchard here to grow the product for his fruit liqueurs. Hard facts are scarce, but it appears that Miller was born in what is now Poznan, Poland, came to America in his boyhood, and grew up in Pittsburgh, PA. He was residing in New York City in 1882 when he married Julia De Boer (1858-1945) and there they stayed, New Yorkers ’til the end, although he visited L.A. each summer to oversee his crops. Miller’s interests in the San Fernando Valley began in 1911 when he purchased Orchardale, a 414 acre fruit ranch located where Panorama City now lies. He’d been a liquor salesman since at least 1895 and incorporated the Golden Gate Fruit Company c. 1901 (under Julia’s name) to manufacture brandies and cordials, primarily of the peach and apricot varieties, which naturally grew better in SoCal than in NYC. Orchardale was Miller’s second such ranch; he’d established his first in Alhambra around the time he founded his company. Tobias Avenue was named just months before Miller’s death.
Find it on the map:
