Ballona
Placename in Southern California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ballona is a geographic place name in the Westside region of Los Angeles County, California.
Geographic place names:
Historic places:
- Rancho La Ballona
- Ballona Road (now Washington Blvd.)
- La Ballona Township
- La Ballona station (1870s to 1890s)
- Port Ballona
School:
- La Ballona Elementary School, Culver City
Place name origin
The origin of the unique toponym Ballona is much disputed and possibly unknowable.[1] Various theories have been exchanged for more than 150 years.
- 1875: Misspelling of Ballena, Spanish word for whale (various dead whales did wash up near Ballona during the 19th century), or misspelling of Spanish “valle” meaning valley [2]
- 1893: An introduction to Southern California in the Los Angeles Herald noted “Ballona, meaning and derivation unknown; not Spanish.”[3]
- 1939: “The origin of the word Ballona is in doubt.” Discounts whale theory; Cristobal Machado, an heir of the rancho family, suggests it’s somehow derivative of “bay” [4]