Van Nuys Boulevard

Infobox road
highway_name=Van Nuys Boulevard
maint=Bureau of Street Services, City of L.A. DPW
direction_a=South
terminus_a=Valley Vista Blvd. in Sherman Oaks
junction=Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks
jct|state=CA|US|101 in Sherman Oaks
Victory Blvd. in Van Nuys
Sherman Way in Panorama City
Roscoe Blvd. in Panorama City
jct|state=CA|I|5 in Arleta
San Fernando Road in Pacoima
jct|state=CA|I|210 in Lake View Terrace
direction_b=North
terminus_b=Fenton Avenue. in Pacoima
cities=Los Angeles, California
system=Streets in Los Angeles

Van Nuys Boulevard is a major north-south arterial road that runs through the central San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County, California. It is also the name of a 1979 motion picture about the cruising lifestyle on Van Nuys Boulevard in the 1960s and 1970s.

Van Nuys Boulevard: The Boulevard

Van Nuys Boulevard runs approximately ten miles from the Santa Monica Mountains in Sherman Oaks at its southern terminus to the foothills of the Verdugo Mountains in Lake View Terrace at its northern terminus. It passes through the affluent community of Sherman Oaks, then continues through the community of Van Nuys, passing the numerous automobile dealerships in southern Van Nuys, then passing through the Van Nuys Municipal Center, the government center of the San Fernando Valley, then continuing north through Panorama City, past the old General Motors plant now converted into a shopping plaza called “The Plant,” before veering north east through the communities of Arleta and Pacoima, passing the San Fernando Gardens housing project, and ending in the foothills of the Verdugo Mountains.

With its wide expanse through the heart of the San Fernando Valley, Van Nuys Boulevard became known from the 1950s through the 1970s as a center of teenage cruising. [cite web|title=AskPatty.com: Cruising the Boulevard|url=http://askpatty.typepad.com/ask_patty_/2006/10/cruising_the_bo.html] [cite web|title=Crusing Van Nuys Boulevard|url=http://www.kentbash.com/gallery/vannuysblvd.html] [cite web|title=Van Nuys High School Class of 1966: Let's Cruise Van Nuys Boulevard|url=http://www.vannuys66.com/vnhs66-blvd.html] [cite web|title=Van Nuys Boomers: Van Nuys Boulevard|url=http://vannuysboomers.blogspot.com/2007/11/van-nuys-blvd.html] Its car culture was celebrated in several motion pictures, including "Van 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.

Despite its reputation as the center of car culture, Van Nuys Boulevard has several bus routes running on it, including two Metro routes with heavy ridership, Metro Rapid 761 & Metro Local 233. Van Nuys is currently the only arterial bus corridor in the San Fernando Valley running NABI 60-BRT articulated buses for both lines. The Metro Orange Line has a station at Van Nuys. Further to the north, there is a Metrolink and Amtrak station. In the first half of the 20th century, Pacific Electric interurban trains ran in the median of Van Nuys Boulevard from Chandler Boulevard to Parthenia Street, which would then continue to Sepulveda Boulevard; traces of this route can be seen in the large medians of the streets the tracks use to run on.

Communities along Van Nuys Boulevard (south to north)

*Sherman Oaks - south of Burbank Boulevard; population 28,601 (78.6% White (not Hispanic); 8.5% Hispanic; 5.4% Asian)cite web|title=Los Angeles Almanac: City of Los Angeles Population by Community & Race 2000 Census|url=http://www.laalmanac.com/population/po24la.htm]
*Van Nuys – between Burbank Boulevard and Roscoe Boulevard; population 136,443 (50.3% Hispanic; 34.1% White (not Hispanic); 6.5% Asian; 5.9% African-American)
*Panorama City - between Roscoe Boulevard and Woodman Avenue; population 65,235 (70.1% Hispanic; 11.6% Asian; 11.9% White (not Hispanic))
*Arleta – between Woodman Avenue and the jct|state=CA|I|5; population 32,092 (71.4% Hispanic; 13.4% White (not Hispanic); 11.7% Asian)
*Pacoima - between jct|state=CA|I|5and Foothill Boulevard; population 58,908 (89.2% Hispanic; 5.2% African-American)
*Lake View Terrace, Los Angeles, California – northeast of Foothill 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)

* The Village at Sherman 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. It ranks as one of the Valley’s most recognized destinations for shopping, offering numerous small boutiques and plazas, outdoor shopping centers, specialty shops and service providers. The eclectic collection of trendy shops in The Village offers a main street shopping experience. The Village is home to top-rated restaurants as well as hip fast-food eateries, offering authentic cuisine from around the world. [cite web|title=The Village at Sherman Oaks|url=http://www.villageatshermanoaks.com/]
* Sherman Oaks Hospital and Grossman 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. [cite web|title=Sherman Oaks Hospital|url=http://soh.phcs.us/sohstyle/index.shtm] The world renowned 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. [cite web|title=Grossman Burn Center|url=http://www.shermanoakshospital.com/sohospital/grossmanburncenter/nav/gbc.html] In 2007, the Grossbman Burn Center treated a 4-year-old Iraqi boy named Youssif who was doused with gasoline and set on fire in Baghdad. [cite web|title=How Yousif Got His Smile Back|url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/12/24/youssif.surgery/index.html#cnnSTCText]
* Van Nuys Government Center - The principal government offices for the San Fernando Valley are located in the Van Nuys Government Center on Van Nuys Boulevard. The area includes the Valley Municipal Building, the modern Van Nuys Courthouse designed by Dan 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 in Van Nuys, California was designed by architect Dan Dworsky and received the Kaufman & Broad Award for Outstanding New Public or Civic Project for the design. [cite news|author=Whiteson, Leon|title="Courting Beauty in Construction: New Van Nuys Municipal Court Combines Functionalism and Dignity of Design"|publisher=Los Angeles Times|date=1990-06-04|accessdate=2007-11-26] [cite news|title="21st Beautification Awards Announced"|publisher=Los Angeles Times|date=1991-06-02|accessdate=2007-11-26] The federal building in Van Nuys was renamed the James C. Corman Federal Building in 2001 in honor of James C. Corman who represented the San Fernando Valley’s 21st Congressional District from 1961-1981. [cite web|title=Senate Approves Bill To Designate San Fernando Valley Federal Building in Honor of the Late Congressman James C. Corman|url=http://feinstein.senate.gov/releases01/james_corman.html] The $34 million Marvin Braude Constituent Services Center was originally proposed by Marvin Braude; it opened in 2003 and houses various city services. [cite web|title=Former City Councilman Marvin Braude Dies|url=http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=local&id=3710685] [cite web|title=Braude Center brings uplift to Van Nuys City Hall area|url=http://www.allbusiness.com/government/757816-1.html]
* 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 the WPA-era "Zig-Zag Moderne" architectural styling. [cite web|title=Valley Municipal Building|url=http://flickr.com/photos/brettlove/1345550799/] [cite web|title=PreserveLA.com: Van Nuys City Hall Project|url=http://www.preservela.com/archives/000596.html] It was designed as a smaller version of the 29-story Los Angeles City Hall. [cite web|title=Here in Van Nuys: Van Nuys Municipal Building|url=http://hereinvannuys.blogspot.com/2006/05/van-nuys-municipal-bldg.html]
* The Plant – A shopping center built on the site of the old Van Nuys General Motors plant, stores include Home Depot, Babies "R" Us, Ross Dress for Less, Michael's, Party City, and a Mann Theatres multiplex. Living Spaces recently opened it's third store in this shopping center.
* Panorama High School - A high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District located on Van Nuys Boulevard across from The Plant shopping center. [cite web|title=Panorama High School|url=http://www.panoramahs.org/index.jsp?rn=4135452]
* Arleta High School - A high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District located on Van Nuys Boulevard in Arleta. [cite web|title=Arleta High School|url=http://www.arletahigh.com/]
* San Fernando Gardens - A sprawling housing project in Pacoima built during World War II to house workers at the nearby Lockheed aerospace manufacturing facilities in Burbank. The project was racially integrated; its wartime black population was the first significant African-American population in the San Fernando Valley. [cite web|title=Answers.com: San Fernando Gardens|url=http://www.answers.com/topic/san-fernando-gardens-los-angeles-california] 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. [cite web|title=Youth Policy Institute: YPI iN Pacoima|url=http://www.ypiusa.org/ypipacoima.asp]

Van Nuys Boulevard: The Movie

The motion picture “Van Nuys Boulevard”, released in 1979, was written and directed by William Sachs.cite web|title=Internet Movie Database: Van Nuys Boulevard|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080081/] The movie featured 1974 Playboy Playmate of the Year Cynthia Wood. It told the story of a small-town boy who hears about the wild nights of cruising Van Nuys Boulevard in California. He drives out there to check it out, and gets involved with drag racers, topless dancers and bikers. The movie’s tag line was: “The Greatest Cruisin' in the Land Takes Place on the Street -- Where it all Began... " The cast of the movie included:
* Bill Adler as Bobby
* Cynthia Wood as Moon
* Dennis Bowen as Greg
* Melissa Prophet as Camille
* David Hayward as Leon Barnes “Chooch”
* Tara Strohmeier as Wanda
* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=Z3MOXwdkJp8 Movie Trailer for Van Nuys Boulevard (1979)]

Notes

External links

* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=Z3MOXwdkJp8 Movie Trailer for Van Nuys Boulevard (1979)]
* [http://paulmack.psend.com/ Photographic Tour of Van Nuys Boulevard (2001)]
* [http://hereinvannuys.blogspot.com/2005/12/our-distinguished-history.html Ku Klux Klan parade down Van Nuys Blvd., 1966]
* [http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedailymirror/2007/12/van-nuys-boulev.html Los Angeles 1957 ad for Van Nuys Savings & Loan space-age building on Van Nuys Blvd.]
* [http://digarc.usc.edu/search/controller/view/chs-m4365.html View of Van Nuys Boulevard looking north from Delano Street, Los Angeles, ca.1927]
* [http://laist.com/2007/07/27/neighborhood_pr_7.php Neighborhood Project: Van Nuys (many photographs along Van Nuys Blvd.)]