Streets That Seemed Misspelled But Are Not

[Bruce]

Northup Way in Bellevue, WA is commonly misspelled as "Northrup" (even on some official signs), which was its former name until a correction a few decades ago: https://thesledgehammer.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/is-it-northup-way-or-northrup-way-take-your-pick/

[bing101]

Topsail Drive in Vallejo looks like it was misspelled at first for Topsoil but it is named after the part of a ship.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/wecgENraQw3VugPZ9

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

[formulanone]

Bearss Avenue in Tampa. I'm sure I'm not the only one who pronounces it like the football team!

DA Bearss

When I lived in Tampa for a year, I enjoyed hearing what seemed to be about 5-6 different pronunciations for that road's name.

[Dough4872]

Allentown, PA has a street called Emaus Avenue which seems like a misspelling of the nearby town of Emmaus

[Rothman]

Bearss Avenue in Tampa. I'm sure I'm not the only one who pronounces it like the football team!

DA Bearss

When I lived in Tampa for a year, I enjoyed hearing what seemed to be about 5-6 different pronunciations for that road's name.

My friend pronounced his last name as "Beers."

His mother put in a family order at a restaurant and when asked for a name for pickup, she said, "Oh, it's "Beers" but, it's weird because it's Bear with two S's"

Some minutes later from the microphone:

"Bear with two S's...bear with two S's..."

[GaryV]

Topsail Drive in Vallejo looks like it was misspelled at first for Topsoil but it is named after the part of a ship.

Given that it's in a subdivision with nautical themed street names, why would anyone think the street was named for dirt?

[bing101]

Topsail Drive in Vallejo looks like it was misspelled at first for Topsoil but it is named after the part of a ship.

Given that it's in a subdivision with nautical themed street names, why would anyone think the street was named for dirt?

I didn't know that at that time but then again I had to look carefully.

[mrsman]

Topsail Drive in Vallejo looks like it was misspelled at first for Topsoil but it is named after the part of a ship.

Given that it's in a subdivision with nautical themed street names, why would anyone think the street was named for dirt?

I didn't know that at that time but then again I had to look carefully.

Sure.  Most people wouldn't realize that type of pattern.

But given Vallejo's history of having a naval base, the nautical theme makes sense.

In a similar vein, streets in Lompoc, CA near Vandenberg Space Force base have a space theme.  (Even before space force, it was an air force base with a lot of space related work, including satellite launches.)  The main street through the subdivision is Constellation Road and it intersects with streets named after constellations, planets, and NASA missions from the past.

But then again, many of the streets in the Vallejo subdivision aren't very well known nautical names, for the most part.

[bwana39]

Robison Road in Texarkana TX is named after a local family named ROBISON. A couple of decades ago half or better the signs said the incorrect Robinson. All the signs are correct now.

[hotdogPi]

Senter St., Salem NH, named because it's in the senter of the subdivision

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.7548219,-71.202483,18.01z?entry=ttu

[Ted$8roadFan]

Center Street in Newton, MA is signed in spots with the British "Centre" spelling. It may not technically be a misspelling.

[andrepoiy]

Some Detroit street names that people might not know how to pronounce are Gratiot, Cadieux, Livernois, Schoenherr, Charlevoix and Dequindre.

Since I speak French fluently, I've read these with a typical French pronunciation before I realized that I'm not in Quebec. I've done the same thing in New Orleans lmao.

[pderocco]

Gee, I'm surprised no one's mentioned Zzyzx Road. (I had to look at the map to make sure I spelled it correctly.)

[Quillz]

Dimond Boulevard in Anchorage. It's named for a person and pronounced dim-ond, not die-mond.

[andarcondadont]

In Anoka County, MN, in its vast array of alphabetical street names, lies Silverod Street in various places. It is supposed to be named after the plant known as the silverrod, but the various communities insist on spelling it without the extra R. Though I remember a sign was mistakenly put up back in 2017 featuring the extra R at this intersection here in Coon Rapids, which may explain the difference in street suffix size upon correction.

There also exists Harpers Street, which seems like it should be spelled without the S at the end. Colloquially, the S at the end isn't emphasized due to the street suffix often being Street. But the street is named after historical Harpers Ferry, hence the S at the end.

Xkimo Street also exists and is named after the large indigenous group, Eskimo. Again, the variation in spelling is due to the alphabetical nature of the county's street names, and a name starting with X was needed. Even with that, the name may still be iffy, to say the least.

Lastly, Undercliff or Underclift Street exists in various places in the county. In the grid, they have the same alignment, but different communities prefer one name over another. Coon Rapids prefers Undercliff Street, while neighboring cities to the north such as Andover prefer Underclift Street.

[triplemultiplex]

Some Detroit street names ... Gratiot

This one is rough, because to me, it sounds like Detroiters are saying "grass-shit".

That is a pattern in the Midwest, though.  Taking French words and pronouncing silent consonants.
Detroit
Joliet
Beloit

[boilerup25]

I know it's probably because I recognize the pilot's name more, but Lindberg Road/Lindberg Ave in West Lafayette, IN.

[Dirt Roads]

A favorite of mine is Revenoor Road in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.  Of course, them thar IRS agents follerin' around the moonshiners (and NASCAR drivers) are supposedly spelt as "revenooers".  (And indeed, you can find a perhaps correctly spelt Revenooer Road in Madison, Virginia).  But there is a company named Revenoor that does indeed manufacture home-use distillery equipment (it's based in Oregon, so you can't blame them so much for misspelt Southern words).  Note that John Schneider (of Dukes of Hazzard fame) cain't spell it rightche at all.

[kphoger]

That is a pattern in the Midwest, though.  Taking French words and pronouncing silent consonants.

Joliet

To be fair, that town's original name had all three vowels pronounced.  Only the first vowel was later changed.

[pderocco]

Some Detroit street names ... Gratiot

This one is rough, because to me, it sounds like Detroiters are saying "grass-shit".

That is a pattern in the Midwest, though.  Taking French words and pronouncing silent consonants.
Detroit
Joliet
Beloit

If the French eliminated all the silent letters in their words, they could fit their libraries into buildings that were 20% smaller.

[roadman65]

Lafayette verses LaFayette. Had to fight with auto correct on the latter.

[Rothman]

Lafayette verses LaFayette. Had to fight with auto correct on the latter.

It depends on the location and intention with that one.

[SSR_317]

Some Detroit street names that people might not know how to pronounce are Gratiot, Cadieux, Livernois, Schoenherr, Charlevoix and Dequindre.

I grew up (in Fort Wayne, IN) listening to CKLW - the Big Eight (800 kHz) in Windsor, ON, so I know how to pronounce them all!

[luokou]

NE Andresen Rd in Vancouver, WA. For the longest time, I've always read it "Andersen Rd" until I heard a traffic report pronounce it "An-JREE-sen"

[bzakharin]

This road is almost certainly Forrest Rd (two Rs).
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Forest+Rd,+Cherry+Hill,+NJ+08034/@39.9246991,-74.997685,18z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x89c6cb16d9671953:0x15f3e6322e9b4e60!8m2!3d39.924697!4d-74.9963598!16s%2Fg%2F1tdd1n8c!5m1!1e1?entry=ttu
The entirety of the road is signed that way at all intersections except the northern segment, which is signed "500 Forest Rd" (one R) at both ends. All mapping software I can find constantly signs the entire thing "Forest Rd".

Another oddity is why the 500 block exists at all. The building numbers to the south start in the 100s and increase as you go south. It's almost as if they are two different roads with different spellings, but that can't be right, can it? And if it were, why sign it "500 Forest Rd" and not just "Forest Rd"?