Spanish Street Names - Part 3
Welcome back! This is the third part of a post about Mesa street names that come from Spanish. If you missed the first two parts, you can find them further down on this page.
El Monte Drive — (MUN-tay) Monte means mountain, a man's first name, or the name of another gambling game.
Flora Vista Drive — (FLOR-uh VEES-tuh) The name means "view of flowers". Mesa oldtimers remember that freesia used to be grown here, so perhaps this name accurately reflected what was once seen in this area.
Isleta Avenue — (ees-LAY-tuh) An isleta is a small island or traffic island. Perhaps the name refers to the fact that the street forms a loop and meets Miramonte Drive in two places.
Juanita Avenue — (hwah-KNEE-tah) is a woman's name that is the diminutive of Juana.La Coronilla Drive — (core-oh-NEE-yuh) Coronilla is a word with a wide-range of meanings. It can be a small crown, the crown of the head, a bald patch on the head, a South American tree, or a type of bean. Here on the Mesa, it probably refers to its location on the top of the hill. Back in the Sixties, it was a popular lovers' lane.
La Cresta Circle — (CRES-tuh) Similar to the word "crest" in English, cresta can mean the crest of a hill or the comb of a rooster. Like La Coronilla Drive, the name probably refers to its location on top of a hill.
La Jolla Drive — (HOY-yuh) A name that means jewelry. It may be named for the city of La Jolla in southern California.
La Marina — (mah-REE-nah) The Spanish word marina generally relates to the sea. It can mean navy, a fleet (of ships), or a village on the coast of Spain. Marina is also a woman's name. This is one of several street names on the Mesa that is not followed by word street, avenue, calle, etc.
La Plata — (PLAH-tuh) Another street name probably inspired by wishful thinking like Calle de Oro and Del Oro Street. Plata means silver, silverware, or slang for money. There is a city named La Plata in Argentina.
La Vista del Océano – The Spanish pronunciation of océano is oh-SAY-ah-no, but you'll definitely get some strange looks if you say it this way. As is obvious, océano means ocean, so the street name means "ocean view." But back in the heyday of the Mesa oil boom, the name of this street could have been La Vista del Petroleo, because this street and Santa Cruz Boulevard were thickly forested with oil derricks.
Las Ondas – (OWN-dahs) Ondas are waves or ripples in the water.
This series of posts will continue with part 4 next Monday.
(For more information about Santa Barbara's Mesa, pick up a copy of "MESApedia - a history of the Mesa's early years" by yours truly.)