An Olive Tree on Olive Drive by Richard Marquez

Nestled between the Train Tracks and I-80, Olive Drive is one of Davis' older neighborhoods, with a distinct small-town feel despite its proximity to the bustling Downtown and the busy transportation corridors. Full-grown Olive Trees line each side of the street, and the sidewalk is stained purple by their fruit. It is also home to a number of very impressive cork oak trees, many of which are on the City of Davis Landmark Trees list.

Olive Drive started as a turnaround adjacent to I-80 West, and runs west alongside the train tracks just opposite 2nd Street for several blocks until its end at the South Davis Bike Path and Olive Drive Shopping Center. The street is home to two Trailer Parks. While there used to be an Olive Drive exit off of I-80, the off-ramp was closed off in March 2021 for construction of a pedestrian connector to Pole Line Road. The exit remains closed as of March 2023 and is recommended to be permanently closed as part of the Richards Boulevard Interchange Improvements Project.https://www.davisvanguard.org/2022/07/richards-boulevard-interchange-improvements-project-moves-to-final-initial-study/

The part of Olive Drive east of Richards Blvd. is part of the historic U.S. Highway 40, also known as the Lincoln Highway, the nation's first transcontinental highway. U.S. 40 continues westward at Richards Blvd. and eastward at I-80.

There is also a local band whose name is Olive Drive.

Establishments

Things you will see on Olive Drive, starting from the freeway and heading west:

Richards Blvd, aka the Worst Intersection in Davis

Other features

  • Olive Drive is approximately south-central with respect to the rest of the city.
  • Look for the Old-Drunk-Guy that sits in a chair, wearing headphones, drinking, and yelling a lot while listening to radio. I think its his job. Also the transvestite street-cleaner; the top half is a guy, but he usually wears a skirt and pumps.
  • The Worst Intersection in Davis
  • Though it had already established itself as the shadiest areas of Davis, the street gained notoriety when someone living on the street tried to dispose of several hundred pounds of human remains — by placing tupperware containers of body parts out with the trash.
  • When the city revamped the Amtrak Station to make it beautiful and accessible to the downtown area, planners neglected to allow any safe crossing from Olive Drive, which borders the station on the other side. Currently, some Olive residents walk down a partially paved road, past some rusting farm equipment, and through a gap in the fence to reach the train tracks. Pedestrians then climb across the tracks and up a small ledge, wave good-morning to the homeless individuals sitting on the other side of the tracks, and continue through the gorgeous, well-maintained train station to the edge of downtown.
  • There is a walking/bike trail that starts at the eastern end of Olive, right where the offramp from Interstate 80 comes off the highway. It runs parallel and directly adjacent to I-80, and there are patches of the fence that separates them that aren't intact. There are patches of the old Lincoln Highway visible to the sides of the bike path.
  • After much trial and tribulation, Olive Drive was FINALLY connected to the Pole Line Road overpass in 2022 by a bike/pedestrian connector to much rejoicing on the part of long-suffering Olivians. Now it is legally possible to get places from east Olive Drive without having to navigate The Worst Intersection in Davis or the Worst Bike Path in Davis.
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