Although the entire route is a freeway, SR 217 is officially named Ward Memorial Boulevard in honor of California State Senator Clarence C. Ward, who represented Santa Barbara County from 1941 to 1955.

[2] It connects the University of California, Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport with U.S. Route 101, which is the major highway that connects Santa Barbara with other major cities along California's Pacific Coast.

State Route 217 can be found about 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Central Santa Barbara.

[4] Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured on the road as it was in 1964, based on the alignment that existed at the time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage.

[1] Segments that remain unconstructed or have been relinquished to local control may be omitted.