Street Talk
S A N T A R O S A S A N T A C L A R A H O R I Z O N C O R T O
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By Nick Perry & Candace Bowers MVHA Past President , MVHA Historical Data Chair
After an over two-year hiatus due to the pandemic , our summer event marks the MVHA ’ s long-awaited return “ home ” to our traditional meeting / event location , the historic Adobe Building on Moffett Boulevard . In honor of this happy occasion , we thought it ’ d be fun to focus this newsletter ’ s Street Talk column on the names of the streets in the small neighborhood just behind the Adobe Building .
This small residential neighborhood was once known as “ Estrada Park .” Further research is needed , but the name ’ s origins likely are linked to Francisco Estrada , original owner of the Mexican-era rancho that is now occupied by present-day Mountain View and Sunnyvale ( Estrada ’ s father-in-law , Mariano Castro , inherited the rancho after his son-inlaw ’ s death in 1845 ). Early 1900s newspaper clippings regarding “ Estrada Park ” in the MVHA archives describe a number of plans to subdivide the area as an expansion of the town of Mountain View , with proposed street names like Adams Avenue ( perhaps a nod to the second US President to compliment the nearby Washington Street ), Alvarado Street , Estrada Boulevard , and Estrada Place . These streets , as far as our current research shows , never came into being . Instead we see the present-day streets start to appear on maps of Mountain View , starting in the early 1940s . Here ’ s what we know about each of them :
Santa Rosa Avenue : Saint Rose of Lima (“ Santa Rosa ”) was born in 1586 as Isabel Flores de Oliva , in Lima Peru and died in 1617 . She was canonized as a Catholic saint in 1671 . She is the namesake of the City of Santa Rosa , the County Seat of Sonoma County , founded in 1833 .
Santa Clara Avenue : Santa Clara de Assisi (“ Saint Claire ”) was born in 1194 as Chiara Offreduccio in Assisi , Italy and died in 1253 . She was canonized as a Catholic saint in 1255 . Mission Santa Clara ( founded in 1777 ), the Santa Clara Valley , the City of Santa Clara , and Santa Clara County are all named in her honor .
Corto Street : “ Corto ” means “ short ” in Spanish , and is a fitting name for the block-long street that connects Santa Clara and Santa Rosa avenues . Only ~ 200 feet long , it was probably one of Mountain View ’ s shortest streets until more tightly-packed subdivisions were built in recent decades .
Horizon Avenue : Maps as early as the 1920s show this street as Miramonte Avenue . In the 1940s , the Fire Department led efforts to rename the street to avoid confusion when serving emergency calls from the still extant Miramonte Avenue south of El Camino Real . Maps in the 1950-60s show the street renamed as “ North View Street ,” an extension of View Street to the south . Some time between 1965 and 1969 it was renamed again to “ Horizon Avenue .” Why ? Likely due to the fact that the railroad ( and later Central Expressway and Evelyn Avenue ) always made it impossible to connect the two segments of View Street . As for why the name “ Horizon ,” we ’ re not certain . Perhaps the answer lies deeper in our archives our among one of the readers of this column . Reach out to us if you have more info !
1950 US Census map showing the portion of Mountain View north of the railroad including Santa Rosa Avenue , Santa Clara Avenue , and the road connecting them , Corto Street ( unlabeled )
ALMA ST
MOFFETT BLVD
SANTA ROSA AVE
This 1939 aerial photo shows Santa Rosa Avenue when it was an unpaved back alley to Moffett Boulevard . The Adobe Building and adjacent circle-shaped City reservoir are visible at the intersection of Moffett Boulevard and Alma Street ( now Central Expressway ).
ALMA ST
MOFFETT BLVD
SANTA ROSA AVE
CORTO ST .
SANTA CLARA AVE
CENTRAL AVE
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MIRAMONTE AVE ( HORIZON AVE )
MIRAMONTE AVE ( HORIZON AVE )
By the time this 1956 aerial photo was taken was taken , Santa Rosa Avenue , Santa Clara Avenue , Corto Street , and Miramonte Avenue ( now Horizon Avenue ) are lined with single family homes , as they are today .
Aerial Photo Source : UCSB Aerial Photo Archives 5