Uncommon Street Name Suffixes

[Mrt90]

Sacramento, CA has Capitol Mall as a name of a Downtown Street and this has to be one of a rare cases where mall gets used as a street suffux name.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitol_Mall

Henry Mall, Madison, Wisconsin.


https://www.google.com/maps/@43.074922,-89.4101612,3a,75y,208.76h,95.54t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1szh9JFyqS2vbFbvl82EIa0Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

[kphoger]

In the interests of being anal about everything, I should point out that the thread title is misleading.

Street names are made up of the following parts:
[Directional Prefix] [Specific] [Generic] [Directional Suffix]

Only the Specific is a required element, and everything else is optional.

An example of a street name using all four elements here in Wichita:
E 21st St N
Directional prefix = E / East
Specific = 21st is the specific
Generic = St / Street
Directional suffix = N / North

Close, Mall, Cove, Rise, etc are all examples of a generic, not of a suffix.  In the case of Via Vitale, it could be argued that the entire street name is just a specific, or it could be argued that the specific and generic have simply swapped places.

[roadfro]

In the interests of being anal about everything, I should point out that the thread title is misleading.

Street names are made up of the following parts:
[Directional Prefix] [Specific] [Generic] [Directional Suffix]

Only the Specific is a required element, and everything else is optional.

An example of a street name using all four elements here in Wichita:
E 21st St N
Directional prefix = E / East
Specific = 21st is the specific
Generic = St / Street
Directional suffix = N / North

Close, Mall, Cove, Rise, etc are all examples of a generic, not of a suffix.  In the case of Via Vitale, it could be argued that the entire street name is just a specific, or it could be argued that the specific and generic have simply swapped places.

I've never heard the term "Generic" in regards to terms like "Street", "Road", etc. – I've always heard them referred to as a suffix. I'd also note that the USPS maintains a list of Street Suffix Abbreviations

Given that, I think of the following as street naming structure (noting that many jurisdictions use only one directional affix):
[Directional prefix] [Street Name] [Suffix] [Directional suffix] 

Noting it is also common for the Suffix to become a Prefix instead, when the Street Name and Suffix are in a non-English language and it would be phased this way in the original language (such as Via Vitale).

[US 89]

Given that, I think of the following as street naming structure (noting that many jurisdictions use only one directional affix):
[Directional prefix] [Street Name] [Suffix] [Directional suffix] 

You can also switch around the suffix and directional suffix, as is done in several towns that use a variation on the Mormon street grid naming style ("1st South St", for example).

[mapman1071]

Kenilworth, NJ has Via Vitale.
New York City has Grand Concourse and Bowery with no suffix at all.

Grand Concourse is a shortened name, the full street name is Grand Boulevard and Concourse

[bzakharin]

Only the Specific is a required element, and everything else is optional.

This might be true, but is itself an unusual situation. One could even argue the Broadway is both a "specific" and a "generic", it's just written as one word. And is Boulevard by itself a specific or a generic?

[empirestate]

New York City has Grand Concourse [...] with no suffix at all.

Certainly it does: concourse. In fact, by its full name it has two suffixes: Grand Boulevard and Concourse.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Twin Cities area: Hopkins Crossroad

[stevashe]

In the interests of being anal about everything, I should point out that the thread title is misleading.

Street names are made up of the following parts:
[Directional Prefix] [Specific] [Generic] [Directional Suffix]

Seattle's street inventory uses:
[Pre Directional][Street Name][Suffix][Post Directional]

I think this is one case where the terms used are just inconsistent. 

[cpzilliacus]

Or, if you're in Norman, we have "Alameda Street"...tree-lined avenue street. Whoops.

We have Alameda Avenue in Denver. 

Baltimore, Maryland has The Alameda (the southernmost 0.94 miles of The Alameda is part of MD-542).

Recent Baltimore Sun article: Why is it The Alameda and not Alameda Street? Here's how the Baltimore road got its name

Why is it "the"  Alameda, and not Alameda Street or Alameda Boulevard?

It's all in the name.

The meaning of the Spanish word "Alameda"  – and a hint at how the name likely was chosen for the tree-lined road from Harford Road to the county line – was published The Sun in 1931 in an excerpt from Mayor Ferdinand C. Latrobe's memoir that explained the origin of Mount Royal Avenue.

[cpzilliacus]

A mews is a row of horse stables (or garages, in more modern times) with townhouses above them. In England, these mews probably are true to their name. In the US, it seems to be a term gratuitously used by suburban olde towne fake downtown developments.

The example I cited is in one of the older neighborhoods of Norfolk, VA.

One of my favorite street names anywhere is in the Ghent area of the City of Norfolk, Botetourt Gardens.  The "Gardens" part is somewhat unusual, and the Botetourt is presumably named for Botetourt County, Virginia (the county seat of Botetourt County (Fincastle) is over 250 miles from the Botetourt Gardens street).

Added bonus - the pronunciation of Botetourt is something of a shibboleth, as most people not from the Commonwealth get it wrong.

[J3ebrules]

Someone at the very beginning of this thread mentioned "Turnpike"  in the northeast, but was referring to the large well-known roads that still have tolls. I know New Jersey has a bunch of "Pikes"  that were turnpikes in the 18th or 19th century, but are now just regular county, state, or even US routes. Case in point, near me, there are NJ 70, US 30, and NJ 168 - respectively, the Marlton Pike, White Horse Pike, and Black Horse Pike. When I lived in Delaware County, PA, we had Baltimore Pike, West Chester Pike, and not far off in Delaware, the Philadelphia Pike.

All perfectly normal toll-free roads now, but once were turnpikes in the toll-collecting sense.

[Rothman]

Someone at the very beginning of this thread mentioned "Turnpike"  in the northeast, but was referring to the large well-known roads that still have tolls. I know New Jersey has a bunch of "Pikes"  that were turnpikes in the 18th or 19th century, but are now just regular county, state, or even US routes. Case in point, near me, there are NJ 70, US 30, and NJ 168 - respectively, the Marlton Pike, White Horse Pike, and Black Horse Pike. When I lived in Delaware County, PA, we had Baltimore Pike, West Chester Pike, and not far off in Delaware, the Philadelphia Pike.

All perfectly normal toll-free roads now, but once were turnpikes in the toll-collecting sense.

All from the era before we figured out privatizing roads doesn't work.

Whoops.

[TheGrassGuy]

Someone at the very beginning of this thread mentioned "Turnpike"  in the northeast, but was referring to the large well-known roads that still have tolls. I know New Jersey has a bunch of "Pikes"  that were turnpikes in the 18th or 19th century, but are now just regular county, state, or even US routes. Case in point, near me, there are NJ 70, US 30, and NJ 168 - respectively, the Marlton Pike, White Horse Pike, and Black Horse Pike. When I lived in Delaware County, PA, we had Baltimore Pike, West Chester Pike, and not far off in Delaware, the Philadelphia Pike.

All perfectly normal toll-free roads now, but once were turnpikes in the toll-collecting sense.

Not just NJ. In NY we also have "Glasco Tpk", "Malden Tpk", "Schoharie Tpk", etc.

[SeriesE]

There are many streets in residential neighborhoods in southern Orange County, CA that doesn't have suffixes.

[J3ebrules]

There are many streets in residential neighborhoods in southern Orange County, CA that doesn't have suffixes.

Is that like a "Broadway"  situation - the address would be like, "501 Juniper" ?

[SeriesE]

There are many streets in residential neighborhoods in southern Orange County, CA that doesn't have suffixes.

Is that like a "Broadway"  situation - the address would be like, "501 Juniper" ?

Yes. Here are some examples:
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.645886,-117.6483402,16.58z

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7173949,-117.7472042,16.9z

[J3ebrules]

^^ that's really interesting, especially since now and again there are suffixes like "Way"  and "Parkway" . A lot of the names in the first example were Spanish, too... wonder if there's any correlation with Spanish influence and that naming convention, or if that came way later... I'd love to know the rationale.

[cpzilliacus]

Someone at the very beginning of this thread mentioned "Turnpike"  in the northeast, but was referring to the large well-known roads that still have tolls. I know New Jersey has a bunch of "Pikes"  that were turnpikes in the 18th or 19th century, but are now just regular county, state, or even US routes. Case in point, near me, there are NJ 70, US 30, and NJ 168 - respectively, the Marlton Pike, White Horse Pike, and Black Horse Pike. When I lived in Delaware County, PA, we had Baltimore Pike, West Chester Pike, and not far off in Delaware, the Philadelphia Pike.

All perfectly normal toll-free roads now, but once were turnpikes in the toll-collecting sense.

Not just NJ. In NY we also have "Glasco Tpk", "Malden Tpk", "Schoharie Tpk", etc.

The Maryland and Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. have quite a few "pikes" and "turnpikes" that are not toll roads any longer.

In Maryland:

Marlboro Pike now county-maintained, formerly MD-4
U.S. 29 Columbia Pike
MD-355 Rockville Pike
U.S. 40 Baltimore National Pike

In Virginia:

VA-236 Little River Turnpike
VA-7 Leesburg Pike
VA-244 Columbia Pike (not the same road as the part of U.S. 29 in Maryland)
VA-193 Georgetown Pike
Parts of U.S. 29 in Northern Virginia were once the Warrenton Alexandria Turnpike

[empirestate]

Twin Cities area: Hopkins Crossroad

In the interests of being anal about everything, I should point out that the thread title is misleading.

Street names are made up of the following parts:
[Directional Prefix] [Specific] [Generic] [Directional Suffix]

Seattle's street inventory uses:
[Pre Directional][Street Name][Suffix][Post Directional]

Apropos of all this, I was just thinking the other day as I passed Haights Cross Road: would it not be correct to parse this as a one-word specific ("Haights") and a two-word generic ("Cross Road")? After all, it is the cross road named for Haight; it isn't the road that goes to Haights Cross.

(The more pertinent part of that question is, how often, in this day and age, will the nuance of that parsing be pretty much blown over in every system that matters?)

[SeriesE]

^^ that's really interesting, especially since now and again there are suffixes like "Way"  and "Parkway" . A lot of the names in the first example were Spanish, too... wonder if there's any correlation with Spanish influence and that naming convention, or if that came way later... I'd love to know the rationale.

Same here, I would like to know why.

My hypothesis is since those cities don't show the street suffix on road signs, developers never bothered thinking of adding one when naming those streets.

[bulldog1979]

Twin Cities area: Hopkins Crossroad

In the interests of being anal about everything, I should point out that the thread title is misleading.

Street names are made up of the following parts:
[Directional Prefix] [Specific] [Generic] [Directional Suffix]

Seattle's street inventory uses:
[Pre Directional][Street Name][Suffix][Post Directional]

Apropos of all this, I was just thinking the other day as I passed Haights Cross Road: would it not be correct to parse this as a one-word specific ("Haights") and a two-word generic ("Cross Road")? After all, it is the cross road named for Haight; it isn't the road that goes to Haights Cross.

(The more pertinent part of that question is, how often, in this day and age, will the nuance of that parsing be pretty much blown over in every system that matters?)

Similar to this is when a road is named for a place containing a cardinal direction, yet the USPS addressing rules treat it like a directional. For example: "East Jordan Road", which runs to East Jordan, Michigan. The USPS rules abbreviate that as "E JORDAN RD", which to me implies that it's the eastern end of a "Jordan Road". North of my hometown, we have "South Basin Drive" and a "North Basin Drive" on opposing sides of the Dead River Basin. Abbreviating the first word implies, to me, that they are opposite ends of the same "Basin Drive" instead of separate roads. (It's also wonky when "North Road" becomes "N RD", although that's rare.)

[US 89]

Twin Cities area: Hopkins Crossroad

In the interests of being anal about everything, I should point out that the thread title is misleading.

Street names are made up of the following parts:
[Directional Prefix] [Specific] [Generic] [Directional Suffix]

Seattle's street inventory uses:
[Pre Directional][Street Name][Suffix][Post Directional]

Apropos of all this, I was just thinking the other day as I passed Haights Cross Road: would it not be correct to parse this as a one-word specific ("Haights") and a two-word generic ("Cross Road")? After all, it is the cross road named for Haight; it isn't the road that goes to Haights Cross.

(The more pertinent part of that question is, how often, in this day and age, will the nuance of that parsing be pretty much blown over in every system that matters?)

Similar to this is when a road is named for a place containing a cardinal direction, yet the USPS addressing rules treat it like a directional. For example: "East Jordan Road", which runs to East Jordan, Michigan. The USPS rules abbreviate that as "E JORDAN RD", which to me implies that it's the eastern end of a "Jordan Road". North of my hometown, we have "South Basin Drive" and a "North Basin Drive" on opposing sides of the Dead River Basin. Abbreviating the first word implies, to me, that they are opposite ends of the same "Basin Drive" instead of separate roads. (It's also wonky when "North Road" becomes "N RD", although that's rare.)

How do those streets show up on signage, though? You could make the same argument about "North Temple" and "South Temple" in Salt Lake City, which are two parallel streets named because they run on the blocks north and south of the Mormon temple downtown. I have no issue with abbreviating those as "N Temple" and "S Temple" because they are in fact signed as such.

[empirestate]

Similar to this is when a road is named for a place containing a cardinal direction, yet the USPS addressing rules treat it like a directional. For example: "East Jordan Road", which runs to East Jordan, Michigan. The USPS rules abbreviate that as "E JORDAN RD", which to me implies that it's the eastern end of a "Jordan Road". North of my hometown, we have "South Basin Drive" and a "North Basin Drive" on opposing sides of the Dead River Basin. Abbreviating the first word implies, to me, that they are opposite ends of the same "Basin Drive" instead of separate roads. (It's also wonky when "North Road" becomes "N RD", although that's rare.)

The same applied to me when I used to live on East End Avenue; automated systems often treated as though it were the eastern component of End Avenue.

How do those streets show up on signage, though? You could make the same argument about "North Temple" and "South Temple" in Salt Lake City, which are two parallel streets named because they run on the blocks north and south of the Mormon temple downtown. I have no issue with abbreviating those as "N Temple" and "S Temple" because they are in fact signed as such.

Would it be different if there were two temples? So, instead of having a northern street that passes the temple and a southern street that passes the temple, you'd have a street that passes the northern temple and a street that passes the southern temple?

[SeriesE]

Twin Cities area: Hopkins Crossroad

In the interests of being anal about everything, I should point out that the thread title is misleading.

Street names are made up of the following parts:
[Directional Prefix] [Specific] [Generic] [Directional Suffix]

Seattle's street inventory uses:
[Pre Directional][Street Name][Suffix][Post Directional]

Apropos of all this, I was just thinking the other day as I passed Haights Cross Road: would it not be correct to parse this as a one-word specific ("Haights") and a two-word generic ("Cross Road")? After all, it is the cross road named for Haight; it isn't the road that goes to Haights Cross.

(The more pertinent part of that question is, how often, in this day and age, will the nuance of that parsing be pretty much blown over in every system that matters?)

Similar to this is when a road is named for a place containing a cardinal direction, yet the USPS addressing rules treat it like a directional. For example: "East Jordan Road", which runs to East Jordan, Michigan. The USPS rules abbreviate that as "E JORDAN RD", which to me implies that it's the eastern end of a "Jordan Road". North of my hometown, we have "South Basin Drive" and a "North Basin Drive" on opposing sides of the Dead River Basin. Abbreviating the first word implies, to me, that they are opposite ends of the same "Basin Drive" instead of separate roads. (It's also wonky when "North Road" becomes "N RD", although that's rare.)

I used the USPS tool and it's smart enough to only abbreviate the first cardinal direction if there are multiple. Like East "South"  Street, West "West Covina"  Parkway