La Brea Avenue is a prominent north-south thoroughfare in the

City of 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 in

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. La Brea is known for having diverse ethnic communities, and many shops and restaurants along its route.

History

''La Brea'' is the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

phrase meaning "the tar." The

La Brea Tar Pits La Brea Tar Pits is an active paleontological research site in urban Los Angeles. Hancock Park was formed around a group of tar pits where natural asphalt (also called asphaltum, bitumen, or pitch; ''brea'' in Spanish) has seeped up from the gr ...

, which the 1828 Mexican land grant

Rancho La Brea Rancho La Brea was a Mexican land grant in present-day Los Angeles County, California, given in 1828 to Antonio Jose Rocha and Nemisio Dominguez by José Antonio Carrillo, the alcalde of Los Angeles. Rancho La Brea consisted of one square le ...

was named for, are to the west of its intersection with

Wilshire Boulevard Wilshire Boulevard is a prominent boulevard in the Los Angeles area of Southern California, extending from Ocean Avenue in the city of Santa Monica east to Grand Avenue in the Financial District of downtown Los Angeles. One of the principal ...

in the Mid-Wilshire area. In its early history, its northern section followed Arroyo La Brea, a former creek fed by springs in the

Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains is a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. Because of its proximity to densely populated regions, it is one of the most visited natural areas in ...

that flowed south into

Ballona Creek Ballona Creek (pronunciation: “Bah-yo-nuh” or “Buy-yo-nah” ) is an channelized stream in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, that was once a “year-round river lined with sycamores and willows.” Ballona Creek ...

. Originally the southern section of La Brea Avenue within Inglewood was named Commercial Street.

Route

One end of La Brea Avenue is north of the

Century Boulevard Century Boulevard is a major east–west thoroughfare in the southern portion of Los Angeles, California. Century Boulevard acts as a continuation of Tweedy Boulevard at Alameda Street in South Gate in its east end (Tweedy Boulevard in its ea ...

intersection in

Inglewood Inglewood may refer to: Places Australia *Inglewood, Queensland * Shire of Inglewood, Queensland, a former local government area *Inglewood, South Australia *Inglewood, Victoria *Inglewood, Western Australia Canada * Inglewood, Ontario *Inglewoo ...

, as a continuation of Hawthorne Boulevard in the 17-city South Bay area of Los Angeles County. It continues north through the View Park-Windsor Hills, Ladera Heights, and Baldwin Hills neighborhoods. It also passes through the eastern low Baldwin Hills mountain range, by Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area and the remnant Inglewood Oil Field. Further north, La Brea passes through Crenshaw and the

West Adams West Adams is a historic neighborhood in the South Los Angeles region of Los Angeles, California. The area is known for its large number of historic buildings, structures and notable houses and mansions throughout Los Angeles. It is a youthfu ...

neighborhood, and then through the

Central Los Angeles __NOTOC__ Central Los Angeles is the historic urban region of the City of Los Angeles, California. Geography The City of Los Angeles The Los Angeles Department of City Planning divides the city into Area Planning Commission (APC) areas, each fu ...

area with the Mid-City West,

Park La Brea Park La Brea (Spanish: ''La Brea''—"The tar", after the nearby La Brea Tar Pits) is a sprawling apartment community in the Miracle Mile District of Los Angeles, California. With 4,255 units located in eighteen 13-story towers and thirty-one ...

, and

Hancock Park Hancock Park is a city park in the Miracle Mile section of the Mid-Wilshire neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. The park's destinations include the La Brea Tar Pits; the adjacent George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries, which displ ...

neighborhoods. It is the dividing border of eastern

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages ...

and the city of Los Angeles. The northern end of the avenue is just north of Franklin Avenue, at the foot of the

Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills are a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Geography The Hollywood Hills straddle the Cahuenga Pass within the Santa Monica Mountains. The neighborhood touches Studio City, Un ...

in central Hollywood. La Brea turns into Hawthorne Boulevard or

California State Route 107 State Route 107 (SR 107) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that forms part of Hawthorne Boulevard in the Los Angeles Area from State Route 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) in Torrance north to Redondo Beach Boulevard at the Redon ...

and terminates in the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Transportation

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 a ...

lines 40 and 212 operate on La Brea Avenue. Line 212 serves the majority of La Brea Avenue and Line 40 starts at

Florence Avenue Florence Avenue is a major east–west street in central Los Angeles County and South Los Angeles, in Southern California. 150px, The oldest operating McDonald's is on Florence Ave at Lakewood, in Downey, California. Route It is bounded in th ...

. An elevated light rail station for the

Metro E Line The Metro E Line is a planned bus rapid transit route in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Edina. The route will operate from Southdale Center Transit Center in Edina, Minnesota to Westgate station in St. Paul. Running mostly on France Avenue, Hennepin ...

is located at the intersection with Exposition Boulevard in the West Adams neighborhood. Another light rail station for the Metro K Line at Downtown Inglewood is located nearby within

in the city of

. An underground station for the Metro D Line at

is currently under construction and is due to open in 2023.

Landmarks

* Ray Charles Station, West Adams Post Office — honoring

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

, on La Brea at Washington Boulevard in the Crenshaw District. *La Brea near Wilshire is at the eastern end of Museum Row in the Miracle Mile district, which includes the

Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum). LACMA was founded in 19 ...

, George C. Page Museum,

Craft Contemporary Craft Contemporary, formerly the Craft and Folk Art Museum, is a non-profit, non-collecting arts museum dedicated to showcasing contemporary craft in Los Angeles, California. The museum is located on Los Angeles' Museum Row on Wilshire Boulevard, ...

Petersen Automotive Museum The Petersen Automotive Museum is located on Wilshire Boulevard along Museum Row in the Miracle Mile neighborhood of Los Angeles. One of the world's largest automotive museums, the Petersen Automotive Museum is a nonprofit organization specializi ...

, and

Academy Museum of Motion Pictures The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is a museum in Los Angeles, California constructed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), which is devoted to the history, science, and cultural impact of the film industry. It is the f ...

(in 2017). *La Brea Avenue north of

and south of

Melrose Avenue Melrose Avenue is a shopping, dining and entertainment destination in Los Angeles that starts at Santa Monica Boulevard, at the border between Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. It ends at Lucile Avenue in Silver Lake. Melrose runs north of ...

has numerous designer boutiques, antiques and clothing stores, and cafés. The

La Brea Bakery La Brea Bakery is a retail bakery, restaurant operator, and industrial baking company started in Los Angeles, California. Since opening its flagship store on 624 S La Brea Avenue in 1989—six months earlier than Campanile, the restaurant it was ...

and the Lyric Theatre Los Angeles are on La Brea between Wilshire and 5th Street.The Lyric Theatre , Los Angeles
/ref> *

Pink's Hot Dogs Pink's Hot Dogs is a landmark hot dog restaurant in the Fairfax District of the city of Los Angeles. It is on North La Brea Avenue, across the street from the Hollywood district on the east. History Pink's was founded by Paul and Betty Pink ...

— on North La Brea Avenue, Hollywood. * Charlie Chaplin Studios — built in 1918 on North La Brea Avenue, Hollywood. Later the A&M Records studios, and the present day Jim Henson Studios. A

Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments are sites which have been designated by the Los Angeles, California, Cultural Heritage Commission as worthy of preservation based on architectural, historic and cultural criteria. History The Historic-Cult ...

References

External links

{{Authority control Streets in Los Angeles Streets in Los Angeles County, California Central Los Angeles Crenshaw, Los Angeles Baldwin Hills (mountain range) Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles Fairfax, Los Angeles Streets in Hollywood, Los Angeles Mid-City, Los Angeles Mid-Wilshire, Los Angeles West Adams, Los Angeles Streets in West Hollywood, California Westside (Los Angeles County)