Harbor Boulevard (formerly Spadra Road) is a north–south road corridor in the counties of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

and

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

. One of the busiest routes in Orange County, the thoroughfare passes through some of the most densely populated areas in the region and carries about 8 percent of the county's bus riders. The route provides access for local residents to travel to work and for drivers travelling from Valley Boulevard in the City of

Industry Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial sector ...

via Fullerton Road to

Newport Beach Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island draws ...

Route description

Harbor Boulevard runs in

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

from

Costa Mesa Costa may refer to: Biology * Rib (Latin: ''costa''), in vertebrate anatomy * Costa (botany), the central strand of a plant leaf or thallus * Costa (coral), a stony rib, part of the skeleton of a coral * Costa (entomology), the leading edge of th ...

through the cities of Fountain Valley, Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Anaheim, Fullerton, and

La Habra La Habra (archaic spelling of ''La Abra'', ) is a city in the northwestern corner of Orange County, California, United States. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,239. A related city, La Habra Heights, is located to the north o ...

. It crosses into Los Angeles County upon entering

La Habra Heights La Habra Heights is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 5,325 at the 2010 census, down from 5,712 at the 2000 census. La Habra Heights is a suburban canyon community located on the border of Orange and L ...

, then 2 miles later, it turns into Fullerton Road in the unincorporated community of Rowland Heights just over the Los Angeles County line.

History

Harbor Blvd at Heil Ave, Fountain Valley, CA, 1960s

Previously, Harbor Boulevard ended at Fullerton Road in La Habra Heights. Commuters were directed to turn left onto Fullerton Road through a two-lane windy road to Pathfinder Road. An extension was proposed to extend Harbor Boulevard to Pathfinder Road in Rowland Heights in the 1980s. This extension would provide an alternate route for commuters coming from Orange County as they were limited to Hacienda Road, Brea Boulevard, and SR 57 at the time. The route would also connect Los Angeles County with Orange County with the developing unincorporated community Rowland Heights and provide access to SR 60 from Orange County. Originally opposed by residents of La Habra Heights, with one person stating that Harbor Boulevard would become a "freeway", the four-lane extension was granted when

Shea Homes Shea Homes is an American homebuilding company. Founded in 1881, its major markets are the West Coast (California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, and Colorado), Texas, the Carolinas, and Florida. History Shea Homes’ parent company, the J. F. ...

broke ground for their newest community, Vantage Pointe, in Rowland Heights. The extension opened in 1992, though the two-lane Fullerton Road is still open for residents who live on that street to use. The portion of Harbor Boulevard between La Palma Avenue in Anaheim to

Whittier Boulevard Whittier Boulevard known as Stephenson Avenue (before 1920) is an arterial street that runs from the Los Angeles River (where it continues into Downtown Los Angeles as 6th Street) to Brea, California. The street is one of the main thoroughfares i ...

in La Habra was part of the historical routing of U.S. Route 101 (US 101), which was at the time the Coast Route from the

Mexican Border Mexico shares international borders with three nations: *To the north the United States–Mexico border, which extends for a length of through the states of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. *To the southe ...

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

. This portion was also formerly part of SR 72, but this segment was later relinquished to the cities of Anaheim, Fullerton, and La Habra. When the extension of Harbor Boulevard opened in 1992, there were plans to make Harbor Boulevard the official SR 39 between Whittier Boulevard and Colima Road in order to close the gap SR 39 currently has, but signs were never erected and it is unknown when this segment will be signed. North Harbor Boulevard, where it rises from La Habra and passes over the

Puente Hills The Puente Hills are a chain of hills, one of the lower Transverse Ranges, in an unincorporated area in eastern Los Angeles County, California, in the United States. The western end of the range is often referred to locally as the Whittier Hills. ...

, follows the historical route of the 1769 Portolà expedition, first Europeans to explore inland California.

Major intersections

Transportation

The

Orange County Transportation Authority The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is the transportation planning commission for Orange County, California in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. OCTA is responsible for funding and implementing transit and capital projects for ...

began the ''Central Harbor Boulevard Transit Corridor Study'' in 2016 to improve transit along Harbor Boulevard in northern and central Orange County between Westminster Boulevard in Santa Ana and Chapman Avenue in Fullerton. The study will analyze and develop transportation options to move people through the area.

History

In 1976, the Orange County District Attorney declared the stretch in Garden Grove with six

gay bars A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) clientele; the term '' gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT communities. Gay bars once serv ...

a " red light area" and attempted to close the bars. While formal charges were filed, they were dismissed a year later with no convictions. Protests marches over the Anaheim police shootings in July 2012 were centered around Harbor. A fatal shooting by police officers on July 21 was followed by a second on July 22. On July 29, 200 protesters walked from the Anaheim police headquarters toward

Disneyland Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envision ...

. They were stopped at the intersection of Harbor Boulevard and Ball Road by a line of riot police and officers on horseback. Both shootings were eventually ruled justified by the Orange County District Attorney.

Points of interest

Current

Disneyland Resort The Disneyland Resort, commonly known as Disneyland, is an entertainment resort in Anaheim, California. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division and is home to two theme parks (D ...

Anaheim Convention Center The Anaheim Convention Center is a major convention center in Anaheim, California and is the largest exhibition facility on the West Coast of the United States. It is located across from the Disneyland Resort on Katella Avenue. The original com ...

Crystal Cathedral Christ Cathedral (Latin: ''Cathedralis Christi''; Spanish: ''Catedral de Cristo''; Vietnamese: ''Nhà Thờ Chính Tòa Chúa Kitô''), formerly and informally known as the Crystal Cathedral, is an American church building of the Diocese of Or ...

* Fox Theatre Fullerton *

Whittier Law School Whittier Law School was a law school in Costa Mesa, California founded in 1966. The law school was part of Whittier College, a private institution. After several years being ranked among the poorest-performing law schools in the United States ba ...

* Orange Coast College

Former

Kona Lanes Kona Lanes was a bowling center in Costa Mesa, California, that opened in 1958 and closed in 2003 after 45 years in business. Known for its futuristic design, it featured 40 wood-floor bowling lanes, a game room, a lounge, and a coffee shop tha ...

In popular culture

Anaheim native Gwen Stefani mentions Harbor Boulevard in the song " Cool". Orange County nativ
Mel C. Thompson
uses Harbor Boulevard as the main backdrop for his nove
"Harbor Boulevard"

References

{{coord, 33, 49, 11, N, 117, 54, 53, W, region:US-CA_type:landmark_dim:30km, display=title Streets in Los Angeles County, California Streets in Orange County, California Boulevards in the United States U.S. Route 101