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 (the trail between Spanish missions), Ventura Boulevard is one of the oldest routes in the San Fernando Valley. It was also U.S. Route 101 before the freeway (which it is parallel to for much of Ventura Boulevard's length) was built and it was also signed as Business U.S. Route 101. Ventura Boulevard begins in Woodland Hills at an intersection with Valley Circle Boulevard, passes through Tarzana, Encino, Sherman Oaks, and finally in Studio City changes into Cahuenga Boulevard and winds through the Cahuenga Pass toward Hollywood. It has always been the most concentrated location for mom and pop shops and small businesses in the Valley; nowadays it has pockets of housing, mini-malls, and boutiques, along with a wide assortment of restaurants, book stores, camera stores, car washes, and supermarkets. Due to natural springs, one of the first inhabited areas of the San Fernando Valley was the land around what is now known as Los Encinos State Historic Park, at the corner of Balboa and Ventura Boulevards, which was inhabited by the Tongva