Places named after other places

Today being Sunday, it was a good day for a Sunday drive. I went across the San Fernando Valley to check out a street named after my hometown, Tampa Avenue, which runs north-south through the neighborhoods of Tarzana, Reseda, and Northridge. Nearby, there's a minor street named Topeka Avenue, so apparently, somebody had a naming scheme in mind, and it was just the luck of the draw that Tampa ended up as a major street.

It doesn't look much like a street in Tampa, though, mainly because it's a primarily residential street that's six lanes wide plus a center left-turn lane, with the two outer lanes set aside for parking except during evening rush hour (4:00 to 7:00 on weekdays). Some of the residential streets in the newer parts of Tampa may be seven lanes like that, but I'm pretty sure the concept of "street parking except during rush hour" doesn't exist in any residential areas in Tampa.

There are some palm trees along the way, though, so it's like Tampa in that respect. And there are businesses with names like "Tampa Hardware" located on the street. Perhaps if I'd squinted, I could have fooled myself into thinking I was in my hometown, but it's probably not a good idea to squint while driving.