A Road by Any Other . . .

When the Irvine Co. unveiled plans to create the Spectrum in 1984, the giant Orange County developer promoted the dream of a 2,600-acre high-tech business park.

There would be a favorable business climate. There would be clean air. There would be a synergy among local universities, hungry venture capitalists and hungrier start-up firms.

Today, all that exists. But a few companies say that something much simpler draws them to the Spectrum.

It’s the street names. Like Silicon Valley, the Irvine Spectrum has its share of roads with geeky monikers: Technology Drive, Scientific Way, Gateway Boulevard, Research Drive. Don’t forget Bunsen, Hubble and Discovery.

“I always thought it would be cool to hand out a business cards that say my office is on Hubble,” said James Currel, 31, a software developer who is scouting for office space in Irvine. “It’s a trendy kind of thing, like having a cool e-mail address. In the computer industry, cachet is everything.”

The Irvine Co. said it intentionally proposed several science-inspired roadways to the city. The company’s hope was that these names, along with other elements, would enhance the center’s overall theme and draw more businesses to the area, said spokesman Larry Thomas.

“Most companies don’t really care about it,” Thomas said. “But some do. We’ve got one company--I can’t say who because we’re still in negotiations--that wants to be on Technology Drive. They love the name. So if they come here, they need to be on that street.”

P.J. Huffstutter covers high technology for The Times. She can be reached at (714) 966-7830 and at p.j.huffstutter@latimes.com