Ventura Boulevard is one of the primary east-west thouroughfares in the San Fernando Valley; as it was originally a part of the El Camino Real (the trail between Spanish missions), Ventura Boulevard is one of the oldest routes in the San Fernando Valley. It was also U.S. Route 101 before the freeway was built and it was also signed as Business U.S. Route 101.

Ventura Boulevard begins in Woodland Hills at an intersection with Valley Circle Boulevard, passes through Tarzana, Encino, Sherman Oaks, and finally in Studio City changes into Cahuenga Boulevard and winds through the Cahuenga Pass toward Hollywood.

It has always been the most concentrated location for mom-and-pop shops and small businesses in the Valley; nowadays it has pockets of housing, mini-malls, and boutiques, along with a wide assortment of restaurants, book stores, camera stores, car washes, and supermarkets.

History

Due to natural springs, one of the first inhabited areas of the San Fernando Valley was the land around what is now known as Los Encinos State Historic Park, at the corner of Balboa and Ventura Boulevards, which was inhabited by the Tongva Indians possibly for thousands of years. This five acre (2 hm²) park now includes the original nine-room De La Osa Adobe (built in 1849) and a reservoir shaped like a Spanish guitar that collects the spring water.

The Valley's first golf course opened at the corner of Ventura and Coldwater Canyon in 1922 (now this is site of the Sportsmens Lodge).

Also in 1922, around the area of Canoga Avenue south of Ventura Boulevard, Victor Girard purchased 2,886 acres (12 km²) of land and planted over 120,000 pepper, sycamore, and eucalyptus trees, later resulting in the appropriately named Woodland Hills.

In 1928, just a couple blocks east of Laurel Canyon, Mack Sennett created his 38 acre (15.4 hm²) Keystone Studios, which produced silent movies with stars such as Fatty Arbuckle, W.C. Fields, Stan Laurel, and the Keystone Kops. After talkies, Keystone became Republic Pictures, and then in 1963 CBS Studio Center. Although closed to the public, this complex just a couple blocks off Ventura Boulevard probably makes more TV sitcom than any other studio.

Public Transportation

These buses operate on Ventura Boulevard:

Metro Local: 150, 240Metro Rapid: 750

In popular culture

Music

The Everly Brothers recorded a song called "Ventura Boulevard" on their 1968 album Roots. Ventura Boulevard is mentioned in Tom Petty's song "Free Fallin'" ("All the vampires walkin' through the valley, Move west down Ventura Boulevard..."). The Boulevard is also mentioned in Frank Zappa's "Valley Girl" ("On Ventura, there she goes, she just bought some bitchin' clothes") a song about a Valley Girl (voiced by his daughter Moon Zappa) who lives in Encino and participates in typical Valley Girl activities such as shopping at The Galleria, not wanting to do the dishes, and getting her toenails professionally cut.

Guitarist John5 made a song entitled "18969 Ventura Blvd."

Ventura Boulevard was also the name of a band from Delhi, India.

Cinema

The boulevard is a prominent location in the movie The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Much of Crash and also "Transformers" was filmed on Ventura Boulevard.

Television

In the Seinfeld episode The Trip (Part 2) [Episode Number: 42 / Season 4 / First Aired: August 19, 1992] Jerry and George were said to be calling from a pay phone on Ventura Boulevard. In reality, the pay phone shown was on Ventura Place, about one block away.

In Treehouse of Horror VI Ventura Boulevard features as the location of the first ever live-action scene in The Simpsons.

Gallery of landmarks along Ventura Boulevard (east to west)

Image:Studio City Hand Car Wash, Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA.JPG‎|Studio City Hand Car WashImage:CBS Studio Center, Soundstage 2.JPG‎|CBS Studio Center, Studio CityImage:La Ve Lee Jazz Club Restaruant.JPG‎|La Ve Lee Jazz Club Restaurant, Studio City (closed September 2008)Image:Dupar's Restaurant.JPG‎|Dupar's Restaurant, Studio CityImage:California History Mural on Washington Mutual Branch, Studio City.JPG‎|California History Mosaic, Studio CityImage:Studio City's Ventura Boulevard Shopping District.JPG‎|Studio City Shopping DistrictImage:Studio City Theater converted into Book Store.JPG‎|Studio City TheaterImage:Sportsmen's Lodge, Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA.JPG‎|Sportsmen's Lodge, Studio CityImage:Hallmark Channel Headquarters.JPG‎|Hallmark Channel HQ, Studio CityImage:Sherman Oaks Ventura Boulevard Shopping District & J.R.'s Jeweler.JPG‎|Sherman Oaks Shopping DistrictImage:Wiener Factory, Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA.JPG‎|Wiener Factory, Sherman OaksImage:Citibank and City National Bank Buildings, Ventura & Sepulveda, Sherman Oaks.JPG‎|Citibank and City National Bank BuildingsImage:Shermanoaksgalleria.jpg|Sherman Oaks GalleriaImage:Valley Inn, Encino, California.JPG|Valley Inn, EncinoImage:St. Cyril of Jerusalem Church.jpg|St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Encino, CA‎Image:Valley Beth Shalom.JPG‎ |Valley Beth Shalom, Encino, CAImage:Manufacturers Bank Building, Encino.JPG|Manufactuers Bank Building, EncinoImage:Imperial Capital Bank Building, Ventura Blvd., Encino.JPG|Imperial Capital Bank Building, EncinoImage:Our Lady of Grace Encino.jpg‎ |Our Lady of Grace, Encino, CAImage:Garnier Building at Rancho Los Encinos.JPG|Garnier Building at Rancho Los Encinos, 2008Image:RanchoEncino-1900.jpg|Garnier Building, 1900Image:Firefighters Mural at City of Los Angeles Fire Station No. 83 (Balboa) .JPG‎|Firefighter's Mural, EncinoImage:Mural on Encino Branch of Washington Mutual.JPG|Mosaic on WaMU in EncinoImage:Encino Park Liquor with "Time to Buy" Sign, Ventura Blvd., Encino, CA.JPG‎|Encino Park LiquorImage:Encino-Tarzana Branch, Los Angeles Public Library.JPG|Encino-Tarzana Branch LibraryImage:Cupid's Hot Dogs, Ventura Blvd., Tarzana, California.JPG‎|Cupid's Hot Dog's, TarzanaImage:Taft High School Woodland Hills.JPG‎ |Taft High School, Woodland Hills, CAImage:My Brothers Bar-B-Q Woodland Hills.jpg|My Brothers Bar-B-Q, Woodland Hills