Van Nuys Boulevard

"Van Nuys Blvd." redirects here. For the 1979 movie, seeVan Nuys Blvd. (film).

Van Nuys Boulevard

Namesake	Isaac Newton Van Nuys
Maintained by	Bureau of Street Services, Los Angeles Department of Public Works
Length	11 mi (18 km)
Location	Los Angeles, California
Nearest metro station	Van Nuys
South end	Valley Vista Blvd. inSherman Oaks
Major junctions	US 101 I-5 I-210
North end	Fenton Avenue. inLake View Terrace

Van Nuys Boulevardis a major north-south arterial road that runs through the centralSan Fernando ValleyofLos Angeles County, California.The boulevard was notable for itscruisinglifestyle that was prevalent in the 1960s and 1970s, which was depicted in the 1979 filmVan Nuys Blvd.

History

WhenVan Nuyswas plotted in 1911, the main thoroughfare and its offshoots were called Sherman Way. ThePacific ElectricSan Fernando Lineinterurban railwaywas constructed north to San Fernando between 1911 and 1913 largely in the boulevard'smedian strip.As the town developed, North Sherman Way was renamed Van Nuys Boulevard as the main boulevard in the town of Van Nuys, which got its name from longtime Valley wheat farmerIsaac Newton Van Nuys.Sherman Way,named for entrepreneur and Valley developerGen. Moses Hazeltine Sherman,originally included segments of the thoroughfares known today as Chandler and Van Nuys boulevards.Rails were removed from the street by 1981.

Geography

Van Nuys Boulevard at the Metro G Line crossing, 2008

Van Nuys Boulevard runs approximately eleven miles from theSanta Monica MountainsinSherman Oaksat its southern terminus to the foothills of the western end of theSan Gabriel MountainsinLake View Terraceat its northern terminus. It passes through the affluent community ofSherman Oaks,then continues through the community ofVan Nuys,passing the numerous automobile dealerships in southern Van Nuys, then passing through the Van Nuys Municipal Center, the government center of theSan Fernando Valley,then continuing north throughPanorama City,past the oldGeneral Motorsplant now converted into a shopping plaza called “The Plant,” before veering north east through the communities ofArletaandPacoima,passing theSan Fernando Gardenshousing project, and ending in the foothills of theSan Gabriel Mountains.

With its wide expanse through the heart of theSan Fernando Valley,Van Nuys Boulevard became known from the 1950s through the 1970s as a center of teenagecruising.Its car culture was celebrated in several motion pictures, includingVan Nuys Boulevard.Cruising became a thing of the past as police cracked down on the practice, but the car culture still lives on through the numerous automobile dealerships that line both sides of Van Nuys Boulevard in northern Sherman Oaks and southern Van Nuys.

Van Nuys Boulevard has several bus routes running on it, including twoMetroroutes with heavy ridership,Metro Rapidline 761 andMetro Localline 233. Van Nuys is currently the only arterial bus corridor in the San Fernando Valley runningNew Flyer XN60articulated busesfor both lines (previously operated byNABI60-BRTbuses). TheMetro G Linehas a station atVan Nuys.Further to the north, there is aMetrolink and Amtrak station.In the first half of the 20th century,Pacific Electricinterurban trains ran in the median of Van Nuys Boulevard from Chandler Boulevard to Parthenia Street, which would then continue toSepulveda Boulevard;traces of this route can be seen in the large medians of the streets the tracks used to run on.

Metrois currently proposing a light rail line from the G Line station to San Fernando along Van Nuys Boulevard as part of theEast San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project.

Communities along Van Nuys Boulevard (south to north)

Looking south from Lake View Terrace

• Sherman Oaks- south of Oxnard Boulevard; population 28,601 (78.6% White (not Hispanic); 8.5% Hispanic; 5.4% Asian)
• Van Nuys– between Oxnard Boulevard andRoscoe Boulevard;population 136,443 (50.3% Hispanic; 34.1% White (not Hispanic); 6.5% Asian; 5.9% African-American)
• Panorama City- betweenRoscoe Boulevardand Woodman Avenue; population 65,235 (70.1% Hispanic; 11.6% Asian; 11.9% White (not Hispanic))
• Arleta– between Woodman Avenue andI-5;population 32,092 (71.4% Hispanic; 13.4% White (not Hispanic); 11.7% Asian)
• Pacoima- betweenI-5andFoothill Boulevard;population 58,908 (89.2% Hispanic; 5.2% African-American)
• Lake View Terrace– northeast ofFoothill Boulevard;population 30,759 (58.6% Hispanic; 19.7% White (not Hispanic); 15.3% African-American; 4.8% Asian)

Landmarks along Van Nuys Boulevard (south to north)

Valley Municipal Building

Panorama High School

• The Village atSherman Oaks- The Village at Sherman Oaks is the name given to the shopping and dining area surrounding the intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Van Nuys Boulevard.
• Sherman Oaks HospitalandGrossman Burn Center- Sherman Oaks Hospital is a 153-bed acute care facility on Van Nuys Boulevard in Sherman Oaks. The facility is owned and operated by Prime Healthcare Services, Inc.The Grossman Burn Center, founded by Dr. A. Richard Grossman, at Sherman Oaks Hospital has provided specialized and targeted care to burn patients since 1969. It has grown over the years from two dedicated beds to a 30-bed burn center.In 2007, the Grossman Burn Center treated a 4-year-old Iraqi boy named Youssif who was doused with gasoline and set on fire in Baghdad.
• Van Nuys Government Center- The principal government offices for theSan Fernando Valleyare located in the Van Nuys Government Center on Van Nuys Boulevard. The area includes the Valley Municipal Building, the modern Van Nuys Courthouse designed byDan Dworsky,the James C. Corman Federal Building, the Van Nuys Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, and the Marvin Braude San Fernando Valley Constituent Services Center. The Van Nuys Municipal Court building inVan Nuys, Californiawas designed by architectDan Dworskyand received the Kaufman & Broad Award for Outstanding New Public or Civic Project for the design.The federal building in Van Nuys was renamed the James C. Corman Federal Building in 2001 in honor ofJames C. Cormanwho represented the San Fernando Valley’s 21st Congressional District from 1961-1981.The $34 million Marvin Braude Constituent Services Center was originally proposed byMarvin Braude;it opened in 2003 and houses various city services.
• Valley Municipal Building- Constructed in 1932 and designed by Peter K. Schabarum, the Valley Municipal Building (sometimes called Van Nuys City Hall) is a San Fernando Valley landmark and is considered a good example of theWPA-era "Zig-Zag Moderne" architectural styling.It was designed as a smaller version of the 29-story Los Angeles City Hall.
• The Plant– A shopping center built on the site of the oldGeneral MotorsVan Nuys plant.
• Panorama High School- A high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District located on Van Nuys Boulevard across from The Plant shopping center.
• Panorama Mall
• Arleta High School- A high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District located on Van Nuys Boulevard in Arleta.
• Pacoima Branch Library- A branch of theLos Angeles Public Library
• Mural Mile- A section of Van Nuys Boulevard in Pacoima where artists, led byLevi Poncein 2011, have painted large murals on walls facing the street.
• San Fernando Gardens- A sprawling housing project in Pacoima built during World War II to house workers at the nearbyLockheedaerospace manufacturing facilities inBurbank.The project was racially integrated; its wartime black population was the first significantAfrican-Americanpopulation in the San Fernando Valley.The San Fernando Gardens contains 448 units and 1,621 residents, 48% of whom are under the age of 18. The average annual income is $18,000, more than 45% less than the Los Angeles median family income.
• Pacoima Charter School- An elementary school

Places on Van Nuys Boulevard

• 
  The Village at Sherman Oaks
• 
  Los Angeles River at Van Nuys Blvd.
• 
  Van Nuys Courthouse
• 
  Braude Constituent Service Center
• 
  James C. Corman Federal Building
• 
  LA Engine Company No. 39
• 
  Panorama Theater Converted into Church
• 
  Arleta High School
• 
  San Fernando Gardens
• 
  Foothills at North Terminus

See also

• Van Nuys station (Los Angeles Metro)

External links

• Movie Trailer for Van Nuys Boulevard (1979)
• Photographic Tour of Van Nuys Boulevard (2001)
• Los Angeles 1957 ad for Van Nuys Savings & Loan space-age building on Van Nuys Blvd.
• View of Van Nuys Boulevard looking north from Delano Street, Los Angeles, ca.1927
• Neighborhood Project: Van Nuys (many photographs along Van Nuys Blvd.)

Template:Attached KML/Van Nuys Boulevard

KML is not from Wikidata