Ventura Boulevard
Ventura Boulevard is one of the primary east–west thoroughfares in the San Fernando Valley, California, USA; 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 (which it is parallel to for much of Ventura Boulevard’s length) was built and it was also signed as Business U.S. Route 101. Running 18 miles, Ventura Boulevard is the world’s longest avenue of contiguous businesses. The Boulevard begins near Calabasas in Woodland Hills at an intersection with Valley Circle Boulevard, passes through Tarzana, Encino, Sherman Oaks, and finally in Studio City (where it intersects with Barham Boulevard) it becomes Cahuenga Boulevard, which then winds through Cahuenga Pass into 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, coffee and tea shops, schools, pubs and bars, bowling establishments, music media vendors, musical instrument and professional musicians equipment vendors, “small” office buildings, real estate and title offices, movie theaters, live play theaters, national chain “everything” stores, appliance and furniture stores, specialized photography and digital media transfer establishments, hospitals, professional services of all description, jewelry stores, bagel shops, galleries, delis, churches, synagogues, temples, banks and financial institutions, camera stores, car washes, and supermarkets. It’s quite simply the Boulevard that has it all. Homes south of Ventura are considered to be among the most expensive in Los Angeles County, ranging from $2 million to $50 million and home to numerous celebrities, executives, athletes, and entertainers alike.
