Beachcombing -- Street Names

What’s in a Long Beach Street Name?

You can learn a little history just by driving around Long Beach. You can also learn that our ancestors had a sense of humor, an affection for foreign languages and occasionally a desire to make future generations wonder how in the world to pronounce a street sign.

Consider Junipero Avenue.

It dates to the Alamitos Beach townsite laid out in 1886, when north-south streets were arranged alphabetically and often given Spanish-flavored names. Junipero is generally associated with Franciscan missionary Junípero Serra. The fun part is pronunciation. Generations of Long Beach residents have pronounced it something like “Juan-i-pero,” a localism that can instantly separate longtime residents from newcomers.

Then there is Ximeno Avenue, possibly Long Beach’s champion conversation-starter.

Even the origin is disputed. One local tradition says Ximeno derives from Ximena, wife of the medieval Spanish hero El Cid. Another historical account links it to Franciscan missionary Bartolomé Ximeno. What isn’t disputed is that Long Beach residents have developed their own pronunciations over the years.

One of my favorites is Mariquita Street in the Belmont Heights area. Mariquita can indeed mean “ladybug” in Spanish, which makes for a delightful street name. But the Long Beach story is even better. The tract was subdivided in 1901 by Mary Greble and Capt. Brewster Kenyon. Greble reportedly had been called “Little Mary” as a child to distinguish her from an aunt called “Big Mary.” Kenyon supposedly transformed “Little Mary” into the Spanish diminutive Mariquita and put it on the map.

Drive east and we suddenly leave Spain for ancient Rome.

Appian Way, laid out in 1906 as part of the Naples Extension, takes its name from Rome’s famous Via Appia, begun in 312 B.C. Since Naples was given an Italian identity, borrowing the name of one of antiquity’s great roads made perfect sense – even though the original Appian Way never actually went to Naples.

Then we head north to Scandinavia – or at least Lakewood Village.

Norse Way was originally the far less catchy Los Cerritos Diagonal. In 1951, local businessmen held a contest for a new name. Librarian Nola Gowen Vredenburgh suggested Norse Way because it complemented nearby Viking Way. She won a $100 merchandise prize, and the new name became official in 1952.

Another oddity is Monlaco Road. It sounds vaguely Spanish, but it isn’t. Monlaco is a contraction of Montana Land Company, which managed thousands of acres once owned by William Andrews Clark and his brother J. Ross Clark.

And then there’s Lois Lane.

Yes, Long Beach really has one. In 2007 the City Council officially gave that name to a previously unnamed Belmont Shore alley paralleling Livingston Drive. Neighborhood residents selected Lois Lane from roughly 40 suggestions. Somewhere, Clark Kent must have smiled.

Finally, there’s Termino Avenue. Término means “end” in Spanish, appropriate because it originally marked the eastern end of the Alamitos Beach townsite. Naturally, Long Beach eventually expanded beyond it – proving that even our street names can become obsolete.

Considering that Community Hospital was located on Termino Avenue for 102 years, perhaps its closure was a fait accompli.

Long Beach streets are more than asphalt and addresses. They’re a city history book laid out in concrete – one that we drive through every day without realizing we’re reading it.

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