The numbered streets of Queens

[Alps]

After being confused by Roads, Streets, Places, Avenues, Courts, and Drives, I decided to sort out Queens for myself. Here's a map of Queens divided into 10x10 numbering blocks, showing how some neighborhoods completely tear the "fabric" apart. At one point, 40 blocks magically disappear as you travel east. Where numbered streets or avenues don't exist, I went by my best information on addresses.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alpsroads/8663613825/in/photostream

[dgolub]

Queens wasn't originally built as a grid like Manhattan or certain parts of Brooklyn, and then they imposed a grid on the existing streets, so it's somewhat messier than the other boroughs.  The basic idea is that streets are north/south and avenues are east/west.  In cases where there's a shorter roadway that is somewhere between two streets or avenues, it became a road, drive, court, or terrace.

By the way, if you take the N or Q subway line toward Astoria the signs at the subway stations give the old names of some of the avenues from back before they were numbered.

[elsmere241]

It still amazes me that they were able to impose any kind of a grid on that hodgepodge.

[Duke87]

The basic idea is that streets are north/south and avenues are east/west.  In cases where there's a shorter roadway that is somewhere between two streets or avenues, it became a road, drive, court, or terrace.

Specifically, it's road then drive then terrace between avenues, and place then lane then court between streets.

It should also be noted that not only were all the streets renamed to have numbers, but all the addresses were redone as well. Check out this building, which has the current address numbers on the doors but the original address numbers preserved in stained glass above:

By the way, if you take the N or Q subway line toward Astoria the signs at the subway stations give the old names of some of the avenues from back before they were numbered.

Some of those train lines were built before the numbering system was imposed, so the latter is the original station name. Of course, the IND lines were built after the numbering yet they still preserve a few old names.

A full list of former names that appear in station names:
21 St - Van Alst St (G)
23 St - Ely Av (E/M)
33 St - Rawson St (7)
40 St - Lowery St (7)
46 St - Bliss St (7)
52 St - Lincoln Av (7)
69 St - Fisk Av (7)
80 St - Hudson St (A)
88 St - Boyd Av (A)
104 St - Oxford Av (A)
111 St - Greenwood Av (A)
30 Av - Grand Av (N/Q)
36 Av - Washington Av (N/Q)
39 Av - Beebe Av (N/Q)
71 Av - Continental Av (E/F/M/R)

[dgolub]

71 Av - Continental Av (E/F/M/R)

Actually, the name Continental Avenue is still used.  If you go to Forest Hills, you'll see that the street has signs with both names on them, Continental Avenue and 71 Avenue.

[Dougtone]

Also, 36th Ave (or is it 36 Av, thanks to NYC street numbering) in Bayside used to be Lamartine Avenue.  There is a stone monument of sorts at the intersection of Bell and 36 Av that marks this.

[empirestate]

After being confused by Roads, Streets, Places, Avenues, Courts, and Drives, I decided to sort out Queens for myself. Here's a map of Queens divided into 10x10 numbering blocks, showing how some neighborhoods completely tear the "fabric" apart. At one point, 40 blocks magically disappear as you travel east. Where numbered streets or avenues don't exist, I went by my best information on addresses.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alpsroads/8663613825/in/photostream

Frankly, I expected it to look a lot less orderly than that, but your map actually makes it seem surprisingly logical to me!

[elsmere241]

Frankly, I expected it to look a lot less orderly than that, but your map actually makes it seem surprisingly logical to me!

I'm just amazed that they were able to impose a grid on all that hodgepodge.

[M3019C LPS20]

I think it is rather neat that many numbered streets throughout the borough do not traditionally end with either "ST" or "AV." It seems that Queens is the only borough that has such streets that end with other common names for streets.

In my collection, I have two numbered street signs from Queens that end with "DR" and "RD."
Below, is a picture of my "150 RD" sign. About 20 years old or so.



The next one is an older street sign made from porcelain and steel. "44 DR." Near Long Island City I believe.

[mapman1071]

Broad Channel, Meadowmere (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meadowmere,_Queens) & The Rockaways have the own numbered street grid!

[Alps]

Broad Channel, Meadowmere (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meadowmere,_Queens) & The Rockaways have the own numbered street grid!

I didn't bother including them because their numbering is self-cohesive.

[Roadgeek Adam]

Though it does get humorous when you're at the intersection of 47th and 47th.