Fair Oaks Avenue
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Fair Oaks Avenue in
Pasadena, California 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. I ...
, is a major north–south road connecting the communities of
Altadena Altadena () ("Alta", Spanish for "Upper", and "dena" from Pasadena) is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in the Verdugo Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, approximately 14 miles (23 km) from the downtown ...
, Pasadena, and South Pasadena, running in length. It starts at its southernmost end in South Pasadena at Huntington Drive. It travels due north to a terminus above Loma Alta Avenue in Altadena and the gates of Angelus County Park. Beyond this, the road becomes a private easement. At its meeting of
Colorado Boulevard Colorado Boulevard (or Colorado Street in Glendale and Arcadia) is a major east–west street in Southern California. It runs from Griffith Park in Los Angeles east through Glendale, the Eagle Rock section of Los Angeles, Pasadena, and Arcadia, ...
in Pasadena the two roads become the zero-zero, east–west, north–south postal division of Pasadena which carries on into Altadena. In South Pasadena, the street numbering varies with its own postal zip code.


History

Fair Oaks is one of the major roads developed by the Indiana Colony dating back to 1874. It was apparently named for one of Pasadena's earlier ranches, the Fair Oaks Ranch, named by the widow of General Albert Sidney Johnston for her Virginia home. The road led up from Raymond Hill and north to Washington Boulevard where it met the Painter Hotel. There being little reason to travel more northward, the road dwindled to a watery footpath and meandered through about three miles (5 km) of scrub growth until a similar road picked up in the Altadena Community. At that time, the road was the divider between the
Indiana Colony The Indiana Colony refers to a group of Indiana residents who settled the area known today as Pasadena, California. The group was incorporated on January 31, 1874, by Indiana residents who sought warmer weather after the exceptionally cold winter o ...
and
Benjamin D. Wilson Benjamin Davis Wilson (December 1, 1811 – March 11, 1878), commonly known as Don Benito Wilson,Excerpt: ''"Wilson, now known as Don Benito, became a Californio – that group of Mexicans and Angols who thought of themselves as Californians rathe ...
's Lake Vineyard settlement. As the original Indian Colony and the Vineyard colony became friendly economic rivals on each side of the avenue, it became known as the Mason and Dixon line. The intersection of Fair Oaks Avenue and Colorado Boulevard became known as "The Corners." The avenue, along with
Colorado Boulevard Colorado Boulevard (or Colorado Street in Glendale and Arcadia) is a major east–west street in Southern California. It runs from Griffith Park in Los Angeles east through Glendale, the Eagle Rock section of Los Angeles, Pasadena, and Arcadia, ...
became the main streets in the early development of Pasadena with Fair Oaks Avenue being the main route between
Los Angeles 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 Pasadena. In 1895, the Pasadena and Los Angeles Railway built what became 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 ...
's South Pasadena Local Red Car line on the entire length of Fair Oaks Avenue to Pasadena from its 6th & Main terminal in Downtown Los Angeles. Also serving the avenue was the North Fair Oaks Avenue Line and the
Mount Lowe Railway The Mount Lowe Railway was the third in a series of scenic mountain railroads in the United States created as a tourist attraction on Echo Mountain and Mount Lowe (California), Mount Lowe, north of Los Angeles, California. The railway, originall ...
. The lines were mostly abandoned in the 1920s. At a point of today's 210 Freeway, there was a fork in the road that veered obliquely to the northwest. This was an access to the greatest local water source in Millard Canyon, and was named New Fair Oaks Road. Eventually this road was renamed Lincoln Avenue and Old Fair Oaks Road just became Fair Oaks Avenue. Long considered the center of town, the corner of Colorado and Fair Oaks lost its centrality by the ever eastwardly expansion of the city. But now it has regained its central position as one of the most attractive corners in the upscaled
Old Town Pasadena Old Pasadena, often referred to as Old Town Pasadena or just Old Town, is the original commercial center of Pasadena, a city in California, United States, and had a latter-day revitalization after a period of decay. Old Pasadena began as the ce ...
sector.


Landmarks and transportation

Amongst many landmarks on Fair Oaks Avenue is the
Fair Oaks Pharmacy A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...
which opened in 1915 and the historic modernest home
1414 Fair Oaks Building Year 1414 ( MCDXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January 7 – Michael Küchmeister von Sternberg becomes the 28th Grand Master of t ...
which is listed by the
Los Angeles Conservancy The Los Angeles Conservancy is a historic preservation organization in Los Angeles, California. It works to document, rescue and revitalize historic buildings, places and neighborhoods in the city. The Conservancy is the largest membership based ...
. Also on the avenue is the
Los Angeles College of Music Los Angeles College of Music (LACM, formerly LAMA College for Music Professionals) is a private for-profit music college in Pasadena, in Los Angeles County, California. It has been accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music ...
, the
Huntington Hospital Huntington Memorial Hospital is a 619-bed not-for-profit hospital in Pasadena, California. The official name of the hospital is Pasadena Hospital DBA (doing business as) Huntington Memorial Hospital, known locally as HMH, Huntington Memorial or ...
in Pasadena and the Mountain View Cemetery in Altadena. Fair Oaks Avenue is served mainly by
Metro Local Los Angeles Metro Bus is the transit bus service in Los Angeles County, California operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of . , there are ...
line 260 south of Walnut Street, Line 660 between Del Mar Boulevard and Loma Alta Drive, Pasadena Transit Line 20 between Woodbury Road and Glenarm Street (except between Orange Grove and Del Mar boulevards) and Line 51/52 between Mountain and Walnut streets.


References

{{coord, 34.1541312, -118.1505360, display=title Streets in Pasadena, California South Pasadena, California Altadena, California