Whittier Boulevard known as Stephenson Avenue is an arterial street that runs from the Los Angeles River to Brea, California. The street is one of the main thoroughfares in both Whittier and East Los Angeles. At various times, portions of Whittier Boulevard carried the designation of U.S. Route 101. Whittier Boulevard also carries a portion of El Camino Real. Its west section leading from the Sixth Street Viaduct was demolished in 2016. Currently, Whittier Boulevard carries two Caltrans controlled highways. The portion between Rosemead Boulevard and Beach Boulevard carries State Route 72 and the portion between Beach and Harbor Boulevards carries California State Route 39. The portion of State Route 72 up to State Route 19 was relinquished back to Pico Rivera in the early 2000s and the portion of State Route 72 between State Route 19 and Downey Road was deleted from SR 72 in 1992. East LA is often confused with being a dangerous city, but in reality there is nothing to be afraid of. The majority of the population in east la are mexican families. As the population grew larger, it developed its distinctive, world famous cultural makers. East LA is the home of the zoot suits and the lowrider cars cruising down whittier boulevard. Many artists were discovered and acknowledged by their contribution to the chicano movement. East Los Angeles walkouts displayed the largest mobilization of Chicano youth leaders in Los Angeles history.
During World War II, Whittier Boulevard and neighboring East LA streets went through the neighborhoods of many Pachucos. A few Zoot Suits fights happened in East Los Angeles' streets like Whittier Blvd. When the Zoot Suit Riots occurred in Los Angeles it was difficult to be a Latino in that area, especially for those who wore a Zoot Suit.
Lowriding
One memorable and still alive trend along Whittier Boulevard is the usage and showings of lowriders. It has been said that East Los Angeles, specifically on Whittier Boulevard was one of the few first places that low riders began to appear around World War II and up until now, there are still low-rider showings along Whittier Boulevard, or anywhere in East Los Angeles. Drivers would compete against each other and hope to win the other driver's car, known as "hopping for pink slips.” The street itself became very popular because it became a place for low riders to come together and the locals would cruise up and down the streets. To this day lowriders are still being driven and meet ups occur, where those who still have cars and want to showcase them come together at parks, parking lots, etc. anywhere they find place and come in groups. In 1965, on weekend nights in East Los Angeles, Mexican-American teenagers would hop in their cars to cruise up and down Whittier Boulevard. There, they met up with friends while listening to radio DJ's like Godfrey Kerr, Dick "Huggy Boy. The 1984, Frank Romero's oil on canvas entitled The Closing Of Whittier Boulevard, 96” x 144” painting documents the real event that happened in the 1970s when the police closed off Whittier Boulevard to all the low riders who regularly cruised it.
The Walk of Fame is similar to the one in Hollywood but with a focus on Latino celebrities. The Latino Walk of Fame was inaugurated on April 30, 1997, to honor outstanding leaders who have made historical and social contributions with a sun plaque on Whittier Boulevard the heart of unincorporated East L.A. spaces have been created for over 280 plaques. Permanent granite plaques have been put in place for the first 20 honorees. The merchants’ association of East Los Angeles sponsors a comprehensive clean-up campaign that cleans the sidewalks and gutters daily and removes litter and trash.
Present day: The cuisine of Whittier Boulevard
Whittier Blvd located in The East Los Angeles community consists mainly of Latino descent, but as well as other culture groups, which provides the diversity of East L.A. Whittier Boulevard is the heart of the community in East Los Angeles; it is filled with street vendors, selling hot dogs, fruits, garments, and Mexican food. In particular, taco trucks appear frequently on Whittier Boulevard. Other establishments include liquor stores, bread shops, clothing stores and furniture warehouses, 99 cent stores, as well as a supermarket, but with the change in times, places are being shut down and remodeled or new shops pop up frequently. The tacos are not the only thing popular along these strips, but the occasional, but a more growing popular snack rising is the Hot Dog created on the streets of Whittier. Hot dogs served along Whittier are wrapped in bacon and served with grilled onions and jalapeños. When prepared this way, it is known as an East L.A. Ditch Dog. Both hot dogs and tacos can be served with nieves, the esquites.
Events
Every year there is a Christmas parade, called the East Los Angeles Parade. It takes place on Whittier Boulevard and starts on Eastern and ends at Whittier Boulevard and Atlantic. This parade usually consists of elementary school, middle school and high school cheer squads. They occasionally bring in elephants, television reporters, local broadcasters to cover the parades and sometimes some television celebrities. In 2008, they brought in Jose Jose, a famous Mexican singer.
Media
Another trend that became part of the popular culture of Whittier Boulevard are Thee Midniters. Thee Midniters were a Chicano rock band that became popular in the 1960s. Their song “Whittier Boulevard” gained popularity just as they did. They named their song after the most popular street in East Los Angeles: Whittier Boulevard. Scenes of Whittier Blvd appeared in the beginning of Chico and the Man TV show. The show was based on East Los Angeles and showed much of the neighborhood and streets. Scenes of Whittier Blvd. also appeared in the 1979 film Boulevard Nights, which concerned gangbanging and lowriding on the streets of East L. A. There is a Cvs, that used to be the Spanish Churrigueresque-style theatre was designed by William and Clifford Balch, who also participated in the design of the El Rey Theatre on Wilshire Boulevard and the Fox Theatre in Pomona. The Vega Building, a historic retail building that once surrounded the theatre, suffered severe damage from the 1987 Whittier Earthquake and was demolished in the early 1990s. The theatre sat vacant until it was adapted for use as a CVS retail pharmacy in 2012.
service on Whittier Boulevard is provided by Metro Local line 18, Metro Rapid Line 720, and Montebello Transit Line 10. Metro Lines 18 and 720 run on Whittier Boulevard between Downtown and East Los Angeles, and Montebello Line 10 runs east of East Los Angeles.
