This was originally two separate avenues called Acacia and Chester. After Los Angeles annexed the Valley in 1915, both had to be renamed so that they wouldn’t conflict with like-named streets elsewhere in the city. Thus they were combined into a brand new street called Yolanda Avenue in November 1916. Who’s the namesake? Possibly nobody – or at least nobody local: a news report that month merely stated that Yolanda was “more sweet sounding [than Chester], and might suggest all sorts of romantic things.” Since I found no Yolandas in L.A. at the time, and since civil engineers with the City drew street name ideas from all manner of sources, it’s certainly plausible that they were inspired by Princess Yolanda of Savoy (1901-1986), daughter of Vittorio Emanuele III, second-to-last king of Italy. Yolanda’s name often popped up in Los Angeles newspapers – especially in 1916, when rumors were spreading that, at fifteen, she was to be betrothed to the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VIII (1894-1972), a.k.a. the throne-abdicating Duke of Windsor. Obviously those rumors were false.
Find it on the map:
