Everything about Wilshire Boulevard totally explained
Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west
arterial roads in
Los Angeles,
California,
United States. It was named for
Henry Gaylord Wilshire (1861-1927), an
Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in
real estate,
farming, and
gold mining.
Overview
Running 16 miles from Grand Avenue in
Downtown Los Angeles to
Ocean Avenue in the City of
Santa Monica, Wilshire Boulevard is densely developed throughout most of its span, connecting five of Los Angeles's major business districts to each other, as well as
Beverly Hills and Santa Monica downtown. Many of the post-1956
skyscrapers in Los Angeles are located along Wilshire; indeed, one of the oldest and tallest is known simply as "One Wilshire."
Aon Center, at one point Los Angeles's largest tower, is at 707 Wilshire Boulevard in Downtown Los Angeles.
One particularly famous stretch of the boulevard between
Fairfax and
La Brea Avenues is known as the
Miracle Mile. The area just to the east of that's referred to as the
Park Mile.
All of the boulevard is at least four
lanes in width, and most of the portion between Hoover Street and
Robertson Boulevard has a raised center median. The widest portion is in the business district of central
Westwood, where mobs of pedestrians crossing Wilshire at Westwood Boulevard must traverse ten lanes (including two left-turn pockets). This and the nearby intersection of Wilshire and Veteran are among the busiest in Los Angeles.
Image:Wilshire and San Vicente Blvds, 1.jpg|Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile District, looking east toward Downtown Los Angeles
Image:Wilshireblvdthruwestwood.jpg|Wilshire Boulevard in Westwood, looking east toward the "Millionaire's Mile"
Image:Wilshireview.jpg|Wilshire Boulevard in Koreatown
Image:Brentwood.jpg|Wilshire Boulevard in Brentwood
Transportation
The
Purple and
Red subway lines of the
LACMTA run along Wilshire Boulevard from just past the
7th/Figueroa Street station until
Vermont Avenue, where the Purple Line branches off to terminate at
Western Avenue in
Koreatown, while the Red Line branches off to terminate in
North Hollywood. Considerable discussion is underway to extend the Purple Line to Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, following Wilshire for most of its route: during the
2005 campaign for
Mayor of Los Angeles, ultimately victorious candidate
Antonio Villaraigosa pledged to begin construction on the Wilshire Boulevard subway.
The
Metro Rapid line 720 operates along Wilshire and has been the object of considerable attention due to its significant growth in ridership since it started operating
June 24,
2000. Due to its high ridership, 60-foot
NABI articulated buses are used on this route.
Wilshire Boulevard was named by
Henry Gaylord Wilshire, a real estate developer from
Ohio who also owned a lucrative
gold mine in
Aspendell, near
Bishop, California. An historic apartment building, the Gaylord, across from the site of the
Ambassador Hotel carries his middle name.
Traveling on Wilshire Boulevard (with the exception of late nights and Sundays) is difficult, as it passes through the busiest sections of Los Angeles. The Santa Monica and
Brentwood portions are relatively tame, but the Westwood and
Beverly Hills portions are almost guaranteed to have thick traffic. There are traffic lights on every block in Beverly Hills and the Miracle Mile.
The boulevard's widest portion is in Westwood and
Holmby Hills, where it expands to six, and briefly, eight lanes. Several tall glitzy condominium buildings overlook this part of Wilshire, hence earning its title of Millionaire's Mile. This section is also known as the Wilshire Corridor.
MacArthur Park Connection
Wilshire Boulevard formerly ended at the
MacArthur Park lake, but in 1934 a berm was built for it to cross and link up with the existing Orange Street (which ran from Figueroa to Alvarado) into downtown Los Angeles. Orange Street was renamed Wilshire and extended east of Figueroa to Grand. This divided the lake into two halves; the northern one was subsequently drained.
Cities and Communities along Wilshire Boulevard (east to west)
Landmarks along Wilshire Boulevard (west to east)
Third Street Promenade (Santa Monica)
Wadsworth Theater
VA Hospital (Veterans Affairs Medical Center West Los Angeles, in Sawtelle)
Los Angeles National Cemetery
University of California, Los Angeles (nearby)
Hammer Museum
Beverly Hills Ritz Hotel
Los Angeles Country Club
Beverly Hilton
The Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel
Rodeo Drive
Canon Theater
Wilshire Theater
Petersen Automotive Museum
Hancock Park
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
La Brea Tar Pits
George C. Page Museum
E. Clem Wilson Building
Wiltern Theatre
Radisson Wilshire Plaza Hotel
Southwestern University School of Law (in the former Bullocks Wilshire department store complex)
MacArthur Park
Good Samaritan Hospital
Books
Further Information
Get more info on 'Wilshire Boulevard'.
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