Vermont Avenue is one of the longest running north–south

street A street is a public thoroughfare in a city, town or village, typically lined with Building, buildings on one or both sides. Streets often include pavements (sidewalks), pedestrian crossings, and sometimes amenities like Street light, streetligh ...

s in

City of Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Southern California. With an estimated 3,878,704 residents within the city ...

and

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. With a length of , is the third longest of the north–south thoroughfares in the region. For most of its length between its southern end in San Pedro and south of

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of the city of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents ...

, it runs parallel to the west of the

Harbor Freeway Route 110, consisting of State Route 110 (SR 110) and Interstate 110 (I-110), is a state and auxiliary Interstate Highway in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of the US state of California. The entire route connects San Pe ...

(I-110).

Route description

Vermont Avenue's southern point is just north of San Pedro at a five-point intersection with Anaheim Street, Gaffey Street and

Palos Verdes Drive Palos Verdes Drive is a major street that runs for , circling the Palos Verdes Hills and Palos Verdes Peninsula, Peninsula in the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay in Los Angeles County. Name Palos Verdes Drive was named after Rancho d ...

. After a short distance,

Normandie Avenue Normandie Avenue is one of Los Angeles County's longest north–south streets, with a stretch of about . It lies between Western Avenue to the west and Vermont Avenue to the east. The avenue begins in the south by branching off from Vermont A ...

branches off due north while Vermont turns northeast towards its intersection with Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). Afterwards, it travels roughly in a straight line north for , parallel to the

(I-110) to the east. North of PCH, it passes through the unincorporated area of

West Carson West Carson is an unincorporated area, unincorporated community in the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California. The population was 22,870 at the 2020 United States census, ...

before crossing the

San Diego Freeway The San Diego Freeway is one of the named principal Southern California freeways. It consists of the following two segments: *Interstate 5, from California State Route 94 in San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of South ...

(I-405). Between a point south of the intersection with

Artesia Boulevard Artesia Boulevard is a west-east thoroughfare in Los Angeles County and Orange County, California, Orange County. Route description Artesia Boulevard begins at the intersection with California State Route 1, Pacific Coast Highway. West of th ...

/western end of the

Gardena Freeway State Route 91 (SR 91, locally referred to as the 91) is a major east–west state highway in the U.S. state of California that serves several regions of the Greater Los Angeles urban area. A freeway throughout its entire length, it offici ...

( SR 91), and

El Segundo Boulevard El Segundo Boulevard is a west-east thoroughfare in Los Angeles County. It has a total length of . At one time, it was named Ballona Avenue. Geography El Segundo Boulevard begins as a minor street in Lynwood, California, Lynwood. When it runs ...

, Vermont marks the eastern boundary of the

City of Gardena Gardena is a city located in the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 61,027 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 58,829 at the 2010 United State ...

. At 164th Street in Gardena, Vermont widens from a four-lane thoroughfare to a six-lane road with a wide median. From 164th Street, an abandoned railway runs through the median to a point just north of Redondo Beach Boulevard, afterwards the median becomes tree-lined. From 88th Street to Gage Avenue, Vermont Avenue includes adjacent frontage roads. North of Gage, Vermont thins down to 4 lanes. Vermont Avenue then passes at the western end of the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

and Exposition Park in

South Los Angeles South Los Angeles, also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central, is a region in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, lying mostly within the city limits of Los Angeles, south of Downtown Los Angeles, downtown. It is de ...

. In August 2012, the City of Los Angeles designated a portion of Vermont Avenue in

Pico-Union Pico-Union is a neighborhood in Central Los Angeles, California. The name "Pico-Union" refers to the neighborhood that surrounds the intersection of Pico Boulevard and Union Avenue. Located immediately west of Downtown Los Angeles, it is home ...

as the "El Salvador Community Corridor." Between the

Santa Monica Freeway Interstate 10 (I-10) is a transcontinental Interstate Highway in the United States, stretching from Santa Monica, California, to Jacksonville, Florida. The segment of I-10 in California, also known as the Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway, ru ...

(I-10) and the

Hollywood Freeway The Hollywood Freeway is one of the principal freeways of Los Angeles, California (the boundaries of which it does not leave) and one of the busiest in the United States. It is the principal route through the Cahuenga Pass, the primary shortc ...

(

US 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a major north–south highway that traverses the states of California, Oregon, and Washington on the West Coast of the United States. It is part of the United States Numbered Highway Syst ...

), Vermont Avenue crosses

Wilshire Boulevard Wilshire Boulevard ( wɪɫ.ʃɚ is a prominent boulevard in the Los Angeles area of Southern California, extending from Ocean Avenue (Santa Monica), Ocean Avenue in the city of Santa Monica, California, Santa Monica east to Grand Avenue (Lo ...

and passes through

Koreatown A Koreatown (), also known as a Little Korea or Little Seoul, is a Korean-dominated ethnic enclave within a city or metropolitan area outside the Korean Peninsula. History Koreatowns as an East Asian ethnic enclave have only been in existence s ...

. It then forms the eastern boundary of the East Hollywood district of

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

as it passes through Little Armenia. It intersects

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, United States, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway (California), Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, Pacific Palisad ...

, next to the

Children's Hospital Los Angeles Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) is a nationally ranked, freestanding acute care Pediatrics, children's hospital in the East Hollywood, Los Angeles, East Hollywood district of Los Angeles, on Sunset Boulevard at the corner of Vermont Avenue ...

, and

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It runs through the Hollywood, East Hollywood, Little Armenia, Thai Town, and Los Feliz districts. Its western terminus is at Sunset Plaza Drive in the Hollyw ...

, to the east of the

Barnsdall Art Park Barnsdall Art Park is a city park located in the East Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Parking and arts buildings access is from Hollywood Boulevard on the north side of the park. The park is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural M ...

. At the intersection with Los Feliz Boulevard, it becomes a divided road with one lane in each direction as it heads to

Griffith Park Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains, in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park includes popular attractions such as the Los Angeles Zoo, the Autry Museum of the Amer ...

. Entering the park, it then becomes signed as ''Vermont Canyon Road'' before it passes by the

Greek Theatre A theatrical culture flourished in ancient Greece from 700 BC. At its centre was the city-state of Athens, which became a significant cultural, political, and religious place during this period, and the theatre was institutionalised there as par ...

. The road then ends at the intersection with Observatory Road, the main route to the

Griffith Observatory Griffith Observatory is an observatory in Los Angeles, California, on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park. It commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin including Downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the sou ...

Public transit

Exterior of Vermont and Sunset Metro station at night 2015-02-13

Subway and light rail

Vermont Avenue has the most Metro Rail stations of any street in the

Metro Metro may refer to: Geography * Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...

subway and

light rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

system, that include: * B Line only: **

Vermont/Sunset station Vermont/Sunset station is an underground rapid transit (known locally as a subway) station on the B Line (Los Angeles Metro), B Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. It is located under Vermont Avenue at its intersection with Sunset Boulev ...

at Sunset Boulevard. **

Vermont/Santa Monica station Vermont/Santa Monica station (also known as Vermont/Santa Monica/L.A. City College station) is an underground rapid transit (known locally as a subway) station on the B Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. It is located under Vermont Ave ...

Santa Monica Boulevard. **

Vermont/Beverly station Vermont/Beverly station is an underground rapid transit (known locally as a subway) station on the B Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. It is located under Vermont Avenue at its intersection with Beverly Boulevard, after which the sta ...

at Beverly Boulevard. * D Line & B Line: **

Wilshire/Vermont station Wilshire/Vermont station is an underground rapid transit (known locally as a subway) station on the B Line and D Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. The station is located near the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Vermont Avenue ...

at Wilshire Boulevard. * E Line: **

Expo/Vermont station Expo/Vermont station is an at-grade light rail station on the E Line (Los Angeles Metro), E Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. The station is located in the center median of Exposition Boulevard at its intersection with Vermont Avenue, ...

at Exposition Boulevard. * C Line: **

Vermont/Athens station Vermont/Athens station is a below-grade light rail station on the C Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. It is situated in the median of Interstate 105 (Century Freeway) and named after Vermont Avenue and the Athens community where it i ...

at the

Century Freeway A century is a period of 100 years or 10 decades. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A ...

(Interstate 105).

Buses

Metro Local The Los Angeles Metro Bus is the transit bus service in Los Angeles County, California, operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). Metro Bus operates in the Los Angeles Basin, the San Fernando Valley, and th ...

Lines 204 and 205,

Torrance Transit Torrance Transit is a transit agency primarily serving the South Bay, Los Angeles, South Bay region of Los Angeles County. In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of . History Torrance Transit inaugurated service on Januar ...

Line 1,

Gardena Transit GTrans is a municipal transit agency that serves Gardena, California and surrounding Los Angeles County neighbourhoods. It was founded on January 15, 1940, as Gardena Municipal Bus Lines. On the agency's 75th anniversary, the agency was renamed as ...

Line 2, run along Vermont Avenue, as well as

Metro Rapid Metro Rapid is a bus service in Los Angeles County, California, operated as part of the Los Angeles Metro Bus system. Metro Rapid service was introduced in the early 2000s to provide faster service on major corridors in Los Angeles, with stops sp ...

line 754. *Metro lines 204 and 754 run between Sunset Boulevard and Vermont Green Line Station *Gardena Line 2 between Interstate 105 and the

Harbor Gateway Transit Center Harbor Gateway Transit Center, formerly Artesia Transit Center, is a large bus station at the southern end of the Harbor Transitway that serves as a transport hub (known locally as a transit center) for the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South B ...

, Torrance Transit Line 1 between Gardena Bl and Carson St, and Metro Line 205 to PCH. Metro lines 204 and 754 use

NABI Nabi may refer to: People *Adil Nabi (born 1994), English footballer *Heiki Nabi (born 1985), Estonian wrestler *Isadore Nabi, satirical pseudonym of Richard Levins and Richard Lewontin, scientists in the 1960s *Mohammad Nabi (born 1985), Afghan c ...

New Flyer New Flyer is a Canadian multinational Bus manufacturing, bus manufacturer, specializing in the production of transit buses. New Flyer is owned by the NFI Group, a holding company for several bus manufacturers. New Flyer has several manufacturing ...

buses (9500-9594) & (8700-8834)

''Transit Corridor''

is planning to rebuild the roadway between the Sunset B Line station and 120th Street. Initial plans call for a bus rapid transit line to operate along the corridor. In the future,

Measure M Measure R was a ballot measure during the November 2008 elections in Los Angeles County, California, that proposed a half-cent sales taxes increase on each dollar of taxable sales (originating in or made from Los Angeles County) for thirty years ...

funding is expected to become available for an extension of the B Line subway down Vermont Avenue at least as far as the neighborhood of

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

(just south of the 105 Freeway), possibly as a combination of both underground and elevated heavy rail. Bus rapid transit implementation is expected as part of the Twenty-eight by '28 initiative, in anticipation of the

2028 Summer Olympics The 2028 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 2028 or LA 28, is an upcoming international multi-sport event scheduled to take place July 14–30, 2028, in the United States. Los Angeles ...

. Rail funding is planned for 2067. The service was dubbed the R Line in 2018, though line names are tentative until opening.

Los Angeles Railway

Until 1963, Vermont Avenue was served by several

Los Angeles Railway The Los Angeles Railway (also known as Yellow Cars, LARy and later Los Angeles Transit Lines) was a system of streetcars that operated in Central Los Angeles and surrounding neighborhoods between 1895 and 1963. The system provided frequent loc ...

Yellow Car

streetcar A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include s ...

lines: the F, R, S, U, and V. After streetcars ceased running under the

Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (sometimes referred to as LAMTA or MTA I) was a public agency formed in 1951. Originally tasked with planning for rapid transit in Los Angeles, California, the agency would come to operate the vesti ...

, tracks were torn up and service replaced by buses.

References

External links

{{Streets in Los Angeles Streets in Los Angeles Streets in Los Angeles County, California Central Los Angeles East Hollywood, Los Angeles South Los Angeles