Growing up in Montclair (for me), Thornhill Drive was always just Thornhill Drive. But come to find out it was once called Thorn Road (sometimes Thorne Road). Thornhill is a more delightful-sounding name than Thorn. But there is a perfectly good reason why it was called Thorn Road.
Thorn Road
William J. Dingee 1878 Map of Oakland, Berkeley, and Alameda. David Rumsey Map Collection –
The name goes back to 1856 when a man named Hiram Thorn (Hiram Thorne) built the road at a hefty expense. Thorn’s road brought redwood logs to Oakland out of the vast forest known as the Moraga Redwoods, where he ran a lumber mill on Pinehurst Road. Thorn was later given a franchise to run and collect tolls for the road, it was one of 3 toll roads in Oakland. In 1933 Thorn Road officially became Thornhill Drive.
Since I found out about Thornhill Drive, I have been inquisitive about the names of our city streets. You can read more at the Oakland Local Wiki page Street Names if interested.
Named after Trees.
- Acacia
- Beech
- Birch
- Holly
- Linden
- Locust
- Palmetto
- Pine
- Poplar
- Plymouth
- Redwood
- Sequoyah
- Spruce
- Walnut
- Willow
In the Laurel District, there are streets named for the states.
- Maine
- Vermont
- Jersey
- Montana
- Texas
- Ohio (now Dakota)
- Delaware
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Kansas
- California
- Wisconsin
Maine, Vermont, and Jersey are no longer due to the construction of the MacArthur Freeway. I happen to live on Georgia Street.
Sequoyah Hills
They are varieties of horse-drawn carriages.
- Hansom
- Coach
- CHariot
- Phaeton
- Shay
- Surrey
The theme is a pun, considering the wheel-like arrangement of Shay, Phaeton, and Coach streets radiating from Hansom.
Montclair
Streets named after early explorers, WW II, and the signs of the Zodiac
- Balboa
- Cabrillo
- Cabot
- Drake
- Gasper
- Magellan
- Mendoza
- Liggett
- Pershing
- Sims
- Wood
- Aquarius
- Capricorn
- Leo
- Taurus
- Uranus
English Names
- Ascot
- Bagshotte
- Beaconsfield
- Camelford
- Carisbrook
- Chatsworth
- Chelsea
- Darnby
- Exeter
- Girvin
- Haverhill
- Holyrood
- Keswick
- Mall
- Melville
- Scarborough
- Stockbridge
- Westover
The following is a group of articles by Albert E. Norman from the Oakland Tribune in 1960
If you have wondered about the name of your street, leave a message below, and I will check it out.
More Info:
Oakland-related links:
- The Old Thorn Road – San Francisco Nov 14, 1896
- Thornhill Drive Now Road’s Name – Oakland Tribune May 16, 1932
- List of Streets – Oakland Local Wiki
- Street Signs – Oakland Local Wiki
- Some Street Name Changes in Oakland, CA – Steve Morse
- Old Street Names Go with the Times – Oakland Tribune May 01, 1952
Misc Street Links:
- Most Common Street Names – NLC -National League of Citied
- Street or Road Name – Wikipedia
Coming soon Gold Star Streets