I am 72 years old, moving closer to 73. I moved as a boy to the San Fernando Valley in 1952. I graduated high school in 1961. I remember when there was only the San Bernadino, Pasadena, Hollywood, and Harbor Freeways. I drove on the Ventura Freeway when it was just a small section in 1960. I think I might remember a lot more than you....Right, but are you old enough to remember when we NEVER referred to HWY numbers: it was "Hollywood Freeway," "San Bernardino Fwy, "Pomona Fwy" "Harbor Fwy"? I hadn't encounterd HWY numbers for locals referring to expressways until Chicago in the 1970's. Then by about the 1990's Hwy # seemed to catch on here as suburbs and exburbs boomed.
FWIW, "LA" was orgianlly used by locals ONLY in certain instances of reference, but then "LA" caught on so profoundly OUTSIDE of "LA" that most here still say "Los Angeles" in most circumstances, far more than outsiders who seem to only say "LA". It is one of my ways of easily finding out who is a visitor: way too much "LA" in their speak, except for our ding-dong Mayor who NEVER says "Los Angeles" but ONLY "LA, LA; LA; LA" it sounds so foreign, the way a visitor from outside would speak. It was an outsider (the brillian Peter Hemmings) who instituded the offical name of "LA Opera" rather than "Los Angeles in the name. The far older Los Angeles Philharmonic never considered "LA", but we do say "LA Phil" in infomal instances as we do LAPD, LADWP, LAFD; LADOT, for quick ease, but NEVER in formal instances nor used by politicians (except the ding-dong Mayor) in public discussion of issues. Meanwhile in the instance of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportaion Authority (LACMTA) we just say "MTA" or even the stupid offical MTA forced upon us moniker or "Metro" never even using "LA" nor "Los Angeles," but many of us still stick with "MTA." Yet, wouldn't "LAMTA" (omitting the "C" for County) roll off the tounge? Funny.
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