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When El Cajon Avenue Became a Boulevard

I frequently walk the streets of North Park. Recently, when repairs were being done to the sidewalk, the imprinted street names in the concrete were preserved by cutting the cement around them, removing them, and then returning them to their original locations.

I was walking down the 2300 block of El Cajon Boulevard, and at the corner where it met Louisiana Street, I looked down and saw “El Cajon Ave” imprinted in the sidewalk. My first thought was someone really screwed up, and I kept walking. The next block (2200), I looked down and the curb was painted red and worn, but it was clear enough to see the words “El Cajon Ave.”

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No longer figuring this was a mistake, I set out to find out about the name. The El Cajon Boulevard Business Improvement Association website, theboulevard.org has historical info and photos, but I was unable to figure out the name mystery. I did see a photo of JFK in a motorcade on the boulevard.

I sent an email to [email protected], and Steve Aldana was kind enough to respond to my question — What year did the name change from Ave to Blvd? In 1937, the city council voted to change its name and designation to note its significance as a major thoroughfare.

Photo credit: So Cal Metro (please contact us: [email protected] — Robert Mizrachi)

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I frequently walk the streets of North Park. Recently, when repairs were being done to the sidewalk, the imprinted street names in the concrete were preserved by cutting the cement around them, removing them, and then returning them to their original locations.

I was walking down the 2300 block of El Cajon Boulevard, and at the corner where it met Louisiana Street, I looked down and saw “El Cajon Ave” imprinted in the sidewalk. My first thought was someone really screwed up, and I kept walking. The next block (2200), I looked down and the curb was painted red and worn, but it was clear enough to see the words “El Cajon Ave.”

Sponsored
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No longer figuring this was a mistake, I set out to find out about the name. The El Cajon Boulevard Business Improvement Association website, theboulevard.org has historical info and photos, but I was unable to figure out the name mystery. I did see a photo of JFK in a motorcade on the boulevard.

I sent an email to [email protected], and Steve Aldana was kind enough to respond to my question — What year did the name change from Ave to Blvd? In 1937, the city council voted to change its name and designation to note its significance as a major thoroughfare.

Photo credit: So Cal Metro (please contact us: [email protected] — Robert Mizrachi)

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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