President Barack Obama has a road named after him in Orlando, FL.

[Alps]

[formulanone]

It's nice to know Autoroute 640 is finally being recognized for it's achievements. Soon, they'll rename Rue de Celine Dion for its contributions to society.

[roadman65]

What about Frank Lautenburg of NJ.  He is still alive and the new Secaucus Transfer Station is named after him.  Same party as Obama.

[jgb191]

Whatever happened to the idea that you have to be dead before you could get something named after you?

This is not the first time:  George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

[1995hoo]

Whatever happened to the idea that you have to be dead before you could get something named after you?

This is not the first time:  George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

CIA headquarters near DC is also named after Bush. The signs on the GW Parkway say "George Bush Center for Central Intelligence," which always makes me laugh because it doesn't specify George H.W. Bush. I'm sure there are plenty of anti—George W. Bush drivers who see that sign and are outraged because they assume it refers to "W." (The elder Bush was the head of the CIA for about a year during the Ford Administration.)

Reagan Airport here in Virginia was renamed for the former president in the late 1990s when he was still alive, though his Alzheimer's was fairly far advanced by then.

[US71]

I was wondering when the first road named after him would open up. Though, I think this is a tad too soon. Whatever happened to the idea that you have to be dead before you could get something named after you?

The Postal Service used to have that policy, but I think they changed it a few years ago.

Besides, there's a George Bush Tollway in Texas, a Bill Clinton Blvd in Fayetteville, AR (and another in Little Rock) and a Jimmy Carter Rd in Georgia.

[agentsteel53]

why do we venerate our former political leaders so much?  I have always been a fan of how other countries give national significance to scientists, artists, social reformers, etc.  but we name our airports and dams after forgettable presidents like Bush and Hoover. 

[NE2]

We name stuff after social reformers too (e.g. Chavez, King). Artists - I guess Elvis Presley Boulevard counts.

[agentsteel53]

We name stuff after social reformers too (e.g. Chavez, King).

anybody else?  we appear to have one token black civil rights leader, and one token Hispanic one, after whom a street must be named in every community ... but good luck finding a Booker T Washington Boulevard. 

personally, I'd like to see an entire state or perhaps the entire country named Teslaland but that will never happen.

[NE2]

good luck finding a Booker T Washington Boulevard. 

http://g.co/maps/46w4e

personally, I'd like to see an entire state or perhaps the entire country named Teslaland but that will never happen.

There's the township of Edison, NJ, though I guess he was more of an experimenter than a pure scientist.

[agentsteel53]

good luck finding a Booker T Washington Boulevard. 

http://g.co/maps/46w4e

I knew you'd be good for it! 

personally, I'd like to see an entire state or perhaps the entire country named Teslaland but that will never happen.

There's the township of Edison, NJ, though I guess he was more of an experimenter than a pure scientist.

he certainly counts.  plus given general reports of his personality, this clears the way for a town called Jobs.  Maybe Rick Perry can do something about that.

[english si]

anybody else?  we appear to have one token black civil rights leader, and one token Hispanic one, after whom a street must be named in every community ... but good luck finding a Booker T Washington Boulevard.

France seems to have only one famous person that wasn't royalty, President, a saint or Foreign and it seems like every settlement honors him with a Rue Victor Hugo.

[Michael in Philly]

We name stuff after social reformers too (e.g. Chavez, King).

anybody else?  we appear to have one token black civil rights leader, and one token Hispanic one, after whom a street must be named in every community ... but good luck finding a Booker T Washington Boulevard. 

personally, I'd like to see an entire state or perhaps the entire country named Teslaland but that will never happen.

The Jane Addams Tollway.

[US71]

Of course, nearly every town has a Sam Walton St or Wal-Mart Drive   

[Zmapper]

CIA headquarters near DC is also named after Bush. The signs on the GW Parkway say "George Bush Center for Central Intelligence," ...

A bit of an oxymoron if I ever saw one. 

[formulanone]

why do we venerate our former political leaders so much?  I have always been a fan of how other countries give national significance to scientists, artists, social reformers, etc.  but we name our airports and dams after forgettable presidents like Bush and Hoover. 

Truer words never spoken...then again, the average person has no idea who Invented the television set or proposed the World Wide Web.

[NE2]

proposed the World Wide Web.

Some military douchebag with a Pentagon toilet named after him, most likely.

[agentsteel53]

Truer words never spoken...then again, the average person has no idea who Invented the television set or proposed the World Wide Web.

eh, those two were basically gradual developments of concepts without a single agreed-upon "eureka!" moment. 

except of course we know that Al Gore invented both, personally assembling the prototypes in his garage out of old pinball machine parts.

[3467]

Sometimes they are named after their promoters. In Illinois I-172 the Streiby Expressway is named after a former head of teh Quincy Highway committee(its in rmsandw's site)
The rest of the road, the IL 110 to Macomb is named after Thomas Oakley Chairman of Quincy Newspapers who gave his endorsement only to politicians who would build his road.

[J N Winkler]

There is a street two blocks from my house named Sabin--after, presumably, the inventor of the oral polio vaccine.  (As far as I know, there is not a Salk Street nearby.)

[US71]

There's the John Paul Hammerschmidt Freeway (I-540)
Wilbur Mills Freeway (I-630)
Martha Mitchell Expressway (Bus US 65 Pine Bluff)

I-40 in Arkansas is also the Veteran's Memorial Highway

Part of I-44 in Missouri is Mel Hancock Freeway

[oscar]

Let's also add to the list, streets or bridges named to former popular athletes like Pete Rose (who have the Pete Rose drive in Cicinnati), Joe Montana (Joe Montana bridges on PA-43), Wayne Gretzky (Wayne Gretzky drive in Edmonton), Guy Lafleur (there a Guy Lafleur Blvd in Thurso)

Then there's the small town in eastern Montana that renamed itself Joe, Montana, as a fundraising move (believe me, it needed the $ -- and it did get a brand-new community center/city hall/firehouse out of it).  The Postal Service has always called the town Ismay, and the use of the Joe name seems to have faded away.  I visited twice, and picked up several souvenirs on my first visit while the fundraising effort was still active.

I'm sure Disney lawyers have sent threatening letters to every small town in Montana, telling each not to even think about renaming itself Hannah.

[vtk]

Isn't there a Jeff Gordon Blvd in Pittsfield, IN?  As far as I know, he's still doing well in the Winston Nextel Sprint Cup.

[1995hoo]

CIA headquarters near DC is also named after Bush. The signs on the GW Parkway say "George Bush Center for Central Intelligence," ...

A bit of an oxymoron if I ever saw one. 

The point of the remaining part of my prior comment seems to have been underscored.

[US71]

I'm sure Disney lawyers have sent threatening letters to every small town in Montana, telling each not to even think about renaming itself Hannah.

Who would be dumb enough to do that?