San Fernando Road is a major street in the city

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

 and county of Los Angeles

Los Angeles County, California

Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...

. It starts off in Castaic

Castaic, California

Castaic, California, is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, north of Santa Clarita and a few miles from Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park. It is approximately 39 miles from the downtown Los Angeles Civic Center. As of the 2010...

 as The Old Road, passing through Santa Clarita

Santa Clarita, California

Santa Clarita is the fourth largest city in Los Angeles County, California, United States and the twenty-fourth largest city in the state of California. The 2010 US Census reported the city's population grew 16.7% from the year 2000 to 176,320 residents. It is located about northwest of downtown...

 and the Newhall Pass, whereupon its intersection with Sierra Highway

Sierra Highway

Sierra Highway or El Camino Sierra is a road in Southern California, United States. El Camino Sierra refers to the full length of a trail formed in the 19th century, rebuilt as highways in the early 20th century, that ran from Los Angeles to Lake Tahoe following parts of modern State Route 14, U.S....

 near the junction of the Golden State (I-5) and the Antelope Valley (SR 14

California State Route 14

State Route 14 is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California, largely in the Mojave Desert. The southern portion of the highway is signed as the Antelope Valley Freeway. The route connects Interstate 5, or Golden State Freeway, near Santa Clarita and with U.S. Route 395 near...

) Freeways, it becomes San Fernando Road. San Fernando Road then passes through the Sylmar

Sylmar, Los Angeles, California

Sylmar is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. The northernmost neighborhood in the city, Sylmar is located east of Interstate 5 and north of the city of San Fernando...

 district of Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

 and the city of San Fernando

San Fernando, California

San Fernando is a city located in the San Fernando Valley, in northwestern region of Los Angeles, California, United States. The population was 23,645 at the 2010 census, up from 23,564 at the 2000 census.-History:...

. It re-enters the city of Los Angeles at the intersection with the Ronald Reagan Freeway (SR 118

California State Route 118

State Route 118 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that begins running west to east through Ventura and Los Angeles counties in southern California. It travels from Saticoy in Ventura County east to Lake View Terrace in Los Angeles...

) in the Pacoima

Pacoima, Los Angeles, California

Pacoima is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California.It is bordered by the Los Angeles districts of Mission Hills on the west, Arleta on the south, Sun Valley on the southeast, Lake View Terrace on the northeast, and by the city of San Fernando on the north...

 area, where it parallels Interstate 5. Like Laurel Canyon Boulevard

Laurel Canyon Boulevard

Laurel Canyon Boulevard is a major street in the city of Los Angeles, California. It starts off at Polk Street in Sylmar in the northern San Fernando Valley near the junction of the San Diego and the Golden State ) freeways. Laurel Canyon Boulevard bypasses the city of San Fernando to the west,...

 to the west in Sun Valley

Sun Valley, Los Angeles, California

Sun Valley is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California, about 15 miles away from Downtown Los Angeles....

, it passes through rock quarries

Quarry

A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...

 and one of the last remaining open spaces in the San Fernando Valley

San Fernando Valley

The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...

.

Overview

The portion between Sun Valley and the city of Burbank is mostly industrial, with heavy truck traffic thorough this area. San Fernando Road passes next to Bob Hope Airport

Bob Hope Airport

Bob Hope Airport is a public airport located 3 miles northwest of the central business district of Burbank, a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States...

 and through downtown Burbank. Upon entering the Burbank city limits, it is signed as San Fernando Boulevard. At the intersection with Cypress Avenue in the Media City Center

Burbank Town Center

Burbank Town Center is a large shopping mall that opened in August 1991, located on Magnolia Boulevard in Burbank, California, USA, with three levels of interior shopping anchored by Macy's, Burlington Coat Factory and Sears, and outdoor shopping anchored by Ikea, Loehmann's, and Office Depot...

, there is a brief interruption in the route. 1st Street and Magnolia Boulevard connect both portions of San Fernando Boulevard. The road becomes San Fernando Road once it enters the city of Glendale

Glendale, California

Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...

. When entering Glendale

Glendale, California

Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...

 it serves as a major street for West and South Glendale. From the intersection with the Ventura Freeway

Ventura Freeway

The Ventura Freeway is a freeway in southern California running from Ventura to Pasadena. It is the principal east-west route through Ventura County and in the southern San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. From Ventura to its intersection with the Hollywood Freeway in the southeastern San...

 (SR 134) to its southern terminus, it closely follows the Los Angeles River

Los Angeles River

The Los Angeles River is a river that starts in the San Fernando Valley, in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and flows through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the western end of the San Fernando Valley, nearly southeast to its mouth in Long Beach...

 through the Atwater Village

Atwater Village, Los Angeles, California

Atwater Village is a neighborhood in northeast Los Angeles, California. It lies at an elevation of 404 feet .-Geography:Atwater Village lies between the Los Angeles River to the west and Glendale to the north and east...

 and Glassell Park

Glassell Park, Los Angeles, California

Glassell Park is a neighborhood in northeast Los Angeles, California.-Geography:Glassell Park borders Atwater Village and the Los Angeles River on the west, the city of Glendale on the northwest, Eagle Rock on the northeast, Mount Washington on the southeast and Cypress Park on the south...

 neighborhoods. North of Figueroa Street

Figueroa Street

Figueroa Street is a street in Los Angeles County, California named for General José Figueroa , governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835, who oversaw the secularization of the missions of California...

 San Fernando Road splits with Avenue 26, and San Fernando Road ends at Pasadena Avenue, where it becomes Avenue 20, and it finally ends at Main Street, northeast of Downtown Los Angeles

Downtown Los Angeles

Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...

.

There is another San Fernando Road entirely within the city of Santa Clarita starting only 2½ miles north of the northern end of the original San Fernando Road. San Fernando Road in Santa Clarita has now been renamed and split into 3 different streets from south to north Newhall Ave, Main Street, and Railroad Ave. At times, the route carried SR 126

California State Route 126

State Route 126 is a highway in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, California. The route runs from U.S. Route 101 in Ventura to Interstate 5 in Santa Clarita...

.

San Fernando Road should also not be confused with the nearby San Fernando Mission Blvd. The two roads intersect in the City of San Fernando about a mile from the San Fernando Mission.

The Southern Pacific Railroad

Southern Pacific Railroad

The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....

 follows both portions of San Fernando Road for their entire routes.

Prior to the construction of Interstate 5, San Fernando Road was old U.S. Route 99 (see sign to the left) and U.S. Route 6, and with the completion of the Golden State Freeway, it was re-signed as State Route 163 in the 1960s and Business

Business route

A business route in the United States and Canada is a short special route connected to a parent numbered highway at its beginning, then routed through the central business district of a nearby city or town, and finally reconnecting with the same parent numbered highway again at its...

 Interstate 5 in the 1970s, although Los Angeles did a poor job in maintaining business routes (see Ventura Boulevard

Ventura Boulevard

Ventura Boulevard is one of the primary east–west thouroughfares in the San Fernando Valley, USA; as it was originally a part of the El Camino Real , Ventura Boulevard is one of the oldest routes in the San Fernando Valley. It was also U.S...

). Today, San Fernando Road is used as an alternative to the congested 5 Freeway between Lincoln Heights

Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, California

-Geography and transportation:Lincoln Heights is bounded by the Los Angeles River on the west, the San Bernardino Freeway on the south, and Indiana Street on the east; the district's Eastern border is unclear due to the area's uneven terrain...

 and the Newhall Pass, due to the relatively few traffic signals on the route.

Local Transportation

Metro Local

Metro Local

Metro Local is a bus system in Los Angeles County operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority . This retronym designation was placed to differentiate it from the Metro Rapid service...

 lines 94 and 224 run along San Fernando Road, as well as Metro Rapid

Metro Rapid

Metro Rapid is a bus rapid transit service in Los Angeles County, California that operates in mixed traffic environments and has fewer stops than the Metro Local service. The system is mainly operated by LACMTA. Two routes are operated by Santa Monica Transit and one by Culver City Transit...

 line 794 and Glendale Transit lines 7 and 12.