Question: Ask someone where you’ll find California’s steepest streets and they’ll likely guess San Francisco, where roadways like Filbert and 22nd sport a 31.5-percent grade. Hilly as the City by the Bay may be, however, it’s got nothing on the City of Angels, which actually lays claim to not one, but five of the state’s meanest climbs. Can you name them and the neighborhoods in which they’re found? Hit the “Read More” link to jump to the answer. And no fair peeking or Googling for hints…
Answer: Next time you’re struggling for some useless cocktail banter, reach for this factoid… Echo Park’s Fargo, Ewing, Duane and Baxter Streets all boast grades of 32 percent. Of the four, Baxter is the longest and possibly scariest, with a roller coaster-like drop as it crests over Alvarado. (Trust me — I drive it daily.) In fact, according to the Echo Park Historical Society, early automobile manufacturers once tested the gearing of their latest models on Fargo and Baxter. Officially, however, California’s top clutch burner is Eldred, in L.A.’s Highland Park neighborhood, which city surveyors say is a 33-percent grade.
