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
Zinn Drive in Montclair? Thanks! Great post!
I thought about Zinn Drive when I was writing this post. It is right in the middle of the streets named after California Explorers. I can’t find anything directly. Rincon Drive which crosses Zinn Drive. Rincon means “angle or corner” in Spanish, which fits. It could be someones last name.
I’ve always loved the group of street names where I grew up, Merriwood, Robinhood, Crown, and Abbot. It seems someone at that time loved to read adventure stories.
Hi Cathie, You might want to read the post I did on Forest Park and the Homes of Forest Park. Dorothy
Any information about Cortereal Ave?
It looks like it falls into the Explorers category like Magellan and Gaspar etc. Miguel Corte-Real (Portuguese pronunciation: [miˈɡɛɫ ˈkoɾtɨ ʁiˈaɫ]; c. 1448 – 1502?) was a Portuguese explorer who charted about 600 miles of the coast of Labrador. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_Corte-Real.
Great posting! I’m curious to know where Ruthland Road got it’s name from.
I don’t really know. But I will see what I can find out. Possibly it was name of a women the developer knew. I grew up on Capricorn Ave, not to far away from Ruthland.
This is so interesting to read about! Any info on Meldon Ave in Maxwell Park? I tried doing some research at the Main Oakland library and all I came up with was a student at UC Berkeley with the last name Meldon in the late 20’s (I think). My house was built on Meldon Ave in 1932.
I haven’t seen anything special about Meldon. One thing does come to mind is that the English meaning of Meldon is: Hillside.
I haven’t seen anything special about Meldon. One thing does come to mind is that the English meaning of Meldon is: Hillside.
I’m curious about Hoover and Clemens Rd. In the Oakmore area. No obvious connections to builders in the area. Possibly for Samuel Clemens and Herbert Hoover, but no similar patterns nearby.
How about the derivation of Guido St.?
Hi,
Guido was named for “Ernest E Guido who was killed in WWI”. See my blog on Gold Star Streets https://abitofhistory.site/2019/05/16/gold-star-streets/
Any clues on origins of Colby Street in north Oakland?
Not yet.
It looks like it was named for Professor George Colby at Cal Berkeley. See this https://www.peraltaschool.org/history
My guess would be https://www.sierraclub.org/library/william-e-colby