Huntington Drive is a major thoroughfare that begins in the Rose Hills community in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and heads east/northeast to

Irwindale, California Irwindale is a city in the San Gabriel Valley, in Los Angeles County, California. The population was 1,422 at the 2010 census, down from 1,446 at the 2000 census. The ZIP Codes serving the area are 91010, which is shared with Duarte, 91702 ...

. The street was named after railroad magnate Henry Huntington. It also served as one of the only thoroughfares between Los Angeles and

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

in the early 1900s. Portions of Huntington Drive were part of

U.S. Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...

. The road has a wide median that was originally one of the lines of the

Pacific Electric Railway The Pacific Electric Railway Company, nicknamed the Red Cars, was a privately owned mass transit system in Southern California consisting of electrically powered streetcars, interurban cars, and buses and was the largest electric railway system ...

Route Description

Huntington Drive begins at Soto Street in Lincoln Heights. South of Soto St. the road is

Mission Road Mission Road is a major north-east south-west arterial road, arterial street in the city of Los Angeles. It serves primarily as an alternative route to get to and from the Downtown Los Angeles area and the San Gabriel Valley. Part of the road i ...

. The street heads north but quickly heads northeast through

El Sereno, Los Angeles El Sereno ( Spanish for "The Serene") is a Los Angeles neighborhood in the Eastside Los Angeles region of Los Angeles County, California. History Native American era The Native American village of Otsungna was situated in today's El Sereno on ...

and then into

South Pasadena, California South Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 25,619, up from 24,292 at the 2000 census. It is located in the West San Gabriel Valley. It ...

. In South Pasadena, Huntington Drive intersects with

Fair Oaks Avenue Fair Oaks Avenue in Pasadena, California, is a major north–south road connecting the communities of Altadena, Pasadena, and South Pasadena, running in length. It starts at its southernmost end in South Pasadena at Huntington Drive. It travels ...

. The portion from Soto Street to Fair Oaks was part of the original routing for US 66. Past South Pasadena, Huntington continues through

San Marino, California San Marino is a residential city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It was incorporated on April 25, 1913. At the 2010 census the population was 13,147. The city is one of the wealthiest places in the nation in terms of househol ...

and passes just south of the

Huntington Library The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, known as The Huntington, is a collections-based educational and research institution established by Henry E. Huntington (1850–1927) and Arabella Huntington (c.1851–1924) in San Mar ...

. The road then goes through

East San Gabriel, California East San Gabriel is a census-designated place (CDP) in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 14,874 at the 2010 census, up from 14,512 at the 2000 census. Geography East San Gabriel is located at (34.119149, -118.0820 ...

and then

Arcadia, California Arcadia is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located about northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. It contains a series of adjacent parks consisting of th ...

where it merges with Colorado Boulevard near

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

. At this junction, Huntington Drive becomes another portion of US 66, passing through

Monrovia, California Monrovia is a city in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 37,931 at the 2020 census. Monrovia has been used for filming TV shows, movies and co ...

and

Duarte, California Duarte () is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 21,727. It is bounded to the north by the San Gabriel Mountains, to the north and west by the cities of Bradbury and Monrovia ...

until Irwindale where it continues as Foothill Boulevard.

History

Huntington Drive was the major route between Los Angeles and Pasadena in the early 1900s until the opening of the

Arroyo Seco Parkway The Arroyo Seco Parkway, also known as the Pasadena Freeway, is one of the oldest freeways built in the United States. It connects Los Angeles with Pasadena alongside the Arroyo Seco seasonal river. It is notable not only for being an early f ...

. The median was a line of the Pacific Electric Railway which was owned by the street's namesake, Henry Huntington. When the railway discontinued service in 1951, the large median became a large lawn with trees, and the roadways either side of the median were reconfigured from

bidirectional traffic In transportation infrastructure, a bidirectional traffic system divides travellers into two streams of traffic that flow in opposite directions. In the design and construction of tunnels, bidirectional traffic can markedly affect ventilation con ...

one-way traffic One-way traffic (or uni-directional traffic) is traffic that moves in a single direction. A one-way street is a street either facilitating only one-way traffic, or designed to direct vehicles to move in one direction. One-way streets typical ...

. In the 1930s, traveling on Huntington would have drove you by the Cawston Ostrich Farm in South Pasadena and in Monrovia a hot dog stand, the first restaurant opened by the McDonald brothers who would later create the fast-food restaurant

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...

. Huntington Drive between Soto Street and Fair Oaks Avenue was the original alignment of US 66 from 1926 until around 1936 when it was re-routed to eventually the Arroyo Seco Parkway. Between Colorado Boulevard east to the Irwindale city limit it was signed as US 66 until it was decommissioned. The city of

Duarte Duarte may refer to: * Duarte (surname), person's surname (or composed surname) and given name * Duarte, California, United States * Duarte Province, Dominican Republic * Pico Duarte Pico Duarte is the highest peak in the Dominican Republic, on th ...

stenciled Route 66 logos onto the street in 2017 to commemorate the city's 60th anniversary.

Major Intersections

/Soto Street *Main Street *Fair Oaks Avenue *Garfield Avenue * Atlantic Boulevard *Rosemead Boulevard ( State Route 19) *Colorado Boulevard * Interstate 210 *

Interstate 605 Interstate 605 (abbreviated I-605, officially known as the San Gabriel River Freeway) is a major north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway in the Greater Los Angeles urban area of Southern California. It runs from I-405 and State Route ...

References

{{Streets in the San Gabriel Valley Streets in the San Gabriel Valley Streets in Pasadena, California