You're standing on Union Pacific Avenue, a working street in the city of Commerce, south of Los Angeles.
Last reviewed 4 November 2026 · A three-minute read · 1847–2025
The short answer
Union Pacific Avenue is a street in Commerce, California, named for the railroad tracks it follows, where a runaway train derailment destroyed homes in 2003 and a pedestrian was struck and killed by a train in February 2025. The ground beneath it also carries the memory of the 1847 Battle of La Mesa, fought nearby.
1920s to now
A street named for the railroad still running freight
You're on Union Pacific Avenue, a street named for the railroad that still runs freight through Commerce. Close by, a tire factory once stood where shoppers now browse the Citadel Outlets, about half a mile away. A few blocks further, the old Golden Gate Theater, a 1927 movie palace on Whittier Boulevard, stood empty for years before it was demolished after the 1987 earthquake. In 2025, the Canyon Fire was declared a federal disaster across Los Angeles County.
1847, La Mesa
Soldiers fought the Battle of La Mesa nearby
Long before the railroad came through, this land saw a battle. In 1847, soldiers fought the Battle of La Mesa near what is now Vernon, just west of Commerce, Los Angeles County. It was one of the last clashes of the Mexican-American War in California, fought on open ground not far from this street.
1855
An earthquake destroyed at least one house here
In Los Angeles, a separate earthquake in 1855 destroyed at least one house, the earliest disaster on record for this stretch of the county.
1987
Twin earthquakes cracked buildings across the county
In 1987, the ground shook twice in Los Angeles County. The Whittier earthquake killed eight people and the Whittier Narrows earthquake, recorded separately by federal disaster trackers, killed one more. Chimneys came down and old brick buildings cracked across the eastern part of Los Angeles County. This earthquake damaged the Golden Gate Theater on Whittier Boulevard and led to its demolition.
1991 to 1994
The region shook through years of major earthquakes
Southern California kept shaking through these years. An earthquake centered near Arcadia and Glendale killed two people in 1991. Then in January 1994 the Northridge earthquake hit the San Fernando Valley, northwest of Commerce. It killed 57 people and destroyed 40,000 houses across the region. The same federal disaster record counted a tsunami along the West Coast triggered that year, tied to the same death toll in the broader disaster count. None of these quakes struck Commerce directly, but they are the shaking this street has lived through.
June 20, 2003
A runaway train derailed at 95 miles an hour
At midday, a runaway cut of 31 railcars loaded with lumber came off the Union Pacific tracks here at 95 miles an hour. The Commerce railroad derailment destroyed three houses and damaged five more. Thirteen people were hurt. Broken gas and water lines forced about 150 people from their homes. The National Transportation Safety Board later studied the wreck to find out why the train was moving so fast through a city street.
2003
An actress was murdered the year the train derailed
In Alhambra, west of Commerce, Los Angeles County, the actress Lana Clarkson was murdered in 2003, the same year the train derailed on these tracks.
2023
A young man was murdered in Huntington Park
In Huntington Park, south of Commerce, Los Angeles County, a young man named Anthony Lowe Jr. was murdered in 2023.
February 2025
A train struck and killed a pedestrian here
Near the 3200 block of East Union Pacific Avenue, a Union Pacific train struck and killed a pedestrian. The pedestrian was identified as Jay Coller, a 36-year-old man from West Hollywood. Jay Coller died on the same tracks that give this street its name.
2025, the fire
A fire burned baled goods near commercial buildings
Later that year, the Canyon Fire was declared a federal disaster across Los Angeles County, already noted as part of this street's modern record. A separate, smaller fire broke out in the 3700 block of Union Pacific Avenue, closer to where you stand. Firefighters found a burning pile of baled goods, about 50 feet by 25 feet, next to commercial buildings. They put it out within half an hour. Nobody was hurt.
Deeper ground, 650
The settlement grew into a small ranch town
This is the older ground of Los Angeles. It belongs to the city, and the corner at this point comes later. The settlement remained a small ranch town for decades, but by 1820, the population had increased to about 650 residents.
Freight trains still run along Union Pacific Avenue, past warehouses and the quiet stretch where the 2003 derailment tore through nearby homes.
Sourced records, high and medium confidence. Era background is marked as such.
Modern
1841
The Juan Matias Sanchez Adobe, built around 1841, is the oldest home in the nearby Montebello area and testifies to settlers who arrived via the Old Spanish Trail, about 4 miles northeast of here.
Era background — not a record of this tile · National Park Service
1847
The Battle of La Mesa took place in 1847 near Vernon, about 3 miles west of here, during the Mexican-American War.
Union Pacific Avenue was laid out in 1928 as part of the streetwork in this area. The street was named for the railroad that ran through Commerce.
Era background — not a record of this tile · OpenHistoricalMap
1929
The Union Pacific's East Los Angeles station, at Ferguson Drive in Commerce, was built in 1928 to a design by Gilbert Stanley Underwood and opened on May 15, 1929. The City of Commerce named it a local landmark in 1990.
Carl Laemmle, a German-American film producer and founder of Universal Studios, died in 1939 and was buried at Home of Peace Cemetery, about half a mile north of here.
On August 2, 1942, José Gallardo Díaz, a young Mexican-American man, was found dying near a reservoir in Commerce, about half a mile south of here. His death sparked the Sleepy Lagoon murder case.
Curly Howard, an American comedian who performed as one of the Three Stooges, died in 1952 and was buried at Home of Peace Cemetery, about half a mile north of here.
Louis B. Mayer, a Canadian-American film producer who built MGM into a major studio, died in 1957 and was buried at Home of Peace Cemetery, about half a mile north of here.
Jack Warner, an American film studio executive at Warner Bros., died in 1978 and was buried at Home of Peace Cemetery, about half a mile north of here.
The Whittier earthquake of July 9, 1987, killed 8 people and struck near here. A smaller quake on the same day killed 1 person in the Whittier-Pasadena area.
The Northridge earthquake of January 17, 1994, killed 57 people and destroyed 40,000 houses across the Los Angeles region, about 30 miles northwest of here.
Era background — not a record of this tile · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
June 20, 2003, 11:58 a.m.
A runaway cut of 31 railcars carrying lumber derailed on Union Pacific tracks in Commerce on June 20, 2003, at 11:58 a.m., destroying three residences and damaging five others. Thirteen people were injured and about 150 were evacuated from the area.
A large outdoor fire broke out in the 3700 block of Union Pacific Avenue near commercial buildings in Boyle Heights, described as a 50-by-25 pile of baled goods. Crews contained it within 30 minutes.
The Canyon Fire was declared a disaster in Los Angeles County in 2025, part of a series of major fires that year.
Era background — not a record of this tile · FEMA Disaster Declarations
Questions about this place
Answered in one sentence, then in full above
What happened at Union Pacific Avenue in 2003?
On June 20, 2003, at 11:58 a.m., a runaway cut of 31 railcars loaded with lumber derailed at 95 miles an hour on the Union Pacific tracks, destroying three houses, damaging five more, injuring thirteen people, and forcing about 150 residents from their homes.
What was here before the railroad and the factories?
Before the railroad and surrounding industry, the land saw the Battle of La Mesa in 1847, one of the last clashes of the Mexican-American War in California, fought nearby on open ground.
What happened on Union Pacific Avenue in 2025?
In February 2025, a Union Pacific train struck and killed a pedestrian identified as Jay Coller, a 36-year-old man from West Hollywood, near the 3200 block of East Union Pacific Avenue. Later that year a smaller fire broke out in the 3700 block, burning a pile of baled goods before being put out within half an hour.
Has Union Pacific Avenue been affected by earthquakes?
The street has lived through regional shaking rather than a direct hit, including the 1855 Los Angeles earthquake, the 1987 Whittier earthquake that killed eight people, and the 1994 Northridge earthquake that killed 57 people across Southern California.
Why is it called Union Pacific Avenue?
The street takes its name from the Union Pacific railroad, whose tracks still carry freight through the city of Commerce.
Who investigated the 2003 derailment?
The National Transportation Safety Board studied the wreck afterward to determine why the train was moving so fast through a city street.
