What is the lingo in your area for calling route numbers?

[Darkchylde]

For the Kansas City area:

Interstates around here get called "I-#", such as I-49 or I-635.

US highways (on both sides of the line) and MO state routes are usually called "# Highway", such as 7 Highway or 69 Highway.

Kansas state highways are called "K-#", such as K-10 or K-7.

[Dr Frankenstein]

Québec: "La (number)" or "The (number)", except in Montreal, where the highways are almost exclusively refered to by their names.
Ontario: "Highway (number)" for current and former King's Highways, and "County Road (number)" for other city and county roads.

[slorydn1]

Now when it comes to surface streets with names, my experience growing up in the Midwest and living as an adult in the Southeast has, for the most part pretty much mirrored each other. It seems that people have a tendency to refer to the streets both with and with out the suffix.

Growing up in Schaumburg IL, one would always refer to the main road by my house as Schaumburg Road. Yet, they would refer to IL-72 or IL-58 as Higgins or Golf, leaving the suffix "Road" out. You also had Roselle Road, Plum Grove Road, yet one would just say Meachem, again leaving the suffix out.

It's the same thing here in New Bern NC. The main road in front of the high school is Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. We just call it MLK. Dunkin' Donuts is at the corner of Neuse and Simmons, not Neuse Blvd and Simmons St. But, we always refer to that road on the north side of town as Oaks Rd, never leaving out the suffix "Road".

Stranger yet- when we give some one directions to the court house we always say it is at the corner of Craven and Broad. Yet if we were to describe the bumpy ride across the bricks in front of the courthouse, we would say "Be careful driving up Craven Street in front of the courthouse, those bricks are murder on your car." Or it would be "The morons that decided it would be a good idea to remove 2 lanes down Broad Street so they could have a grass and concrete median because it looks nice should be shot."

[dgolub]

From what I've heard, on Long Island in the very rare occasion a number is used, it is just the number.

It depends on what part of Long Island.  In Nassau County, people talk about Jericho Turnpike, Northern Boulevard, and Sunrise Highway, not NY 25, NY 25A, and NY 27.  A lot of people don't even know what the numbers are.  The two exceptions to this are NY 106 and NY 107, which are known by their numbers, and most people don't know the names.  Suffolk County is a whole other story.  There, it's very common to talk about, for example, 25A, and if you say Northern Boulevard, people will know you're not from Suffolk.

[cl94]

From what I've heard, on Long Island in the very rare occasion a number is used, it is just the number.

It depends on what part of Long Island.  In Nassau County, people talk about Jericho Turnpike, Northern Boulevard, and Sunrise Highway, not NY 25, NY 25A, and NY 27.  A lot of people don't even know what the numbers are.  The two exceptions to this are NY 106 and NY 107, which are known by their numbers, and most people don't know the names.  Suffolk County is a whole other story.  There, it's very common to talk about, for example, 25A, and if you say Northern Boulevard, people will know you're not from Suffolk.

If you can't tell, my family is from Nassau, so that's where I got everything. I've never heard anyone refer to NY 27 as anything other than Sunrise Highway or Montauk Highway. Out past Ronkonkoma, though, I do agree completely. Does eastern NY 24 even have a name?

[hobsini2]

Now when it comes to surface streets with names, my experience growing up in the Midwest and living as an adult in the Southeast has, for the most part pretty much mirrored each other. It seems that people have a tendency to refer to the streets both with and with out the suffix.

Growing up in Schaumburg IL, one would always refer to the main road by my house as Schaumburg Road. Yet, they would refer to IL-72 or IL-58 as Higgins or Golf, leaving the suffix "Road" out. You also had Roselle Road, Plum Grove Road, yet one would just say Meachem, again leaving the suffix out.

It's the same thing here in New Bern NC. The main road in front of the high school is Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. We just call it MLK. Dunkin' Donuts is at the corner of Neuse and Simmons, not Neuse Blvd and Simmons St. But, we always refer to that road on the north side of town as Oaks Rd, never leaving out the suffix "Road".

Stranger yet- when we give some one directions to the court house we always say it is at the corner of Craven and Broad. Yet if we were to describe the bumpy ride across the bricks in front of the courthouse, we would say "Be careful driving up Craven Street in front of the courthouse, those bricks are murder on your car." Or it would be "The morons that decided it would be a good idea to remove 2 lanes down Broad Street so they could have a grass and concrete median because it looks nice should be shot."

In the case of Chicagoland, it depends largely on a couple things as to whether or not people use the various suffix. First, how unique is the name. For example, there is not mistaking IL 19 as Irving Park Rd. I myself often call Irving Park Rd as just Irving. Second, how common is the major road. For instance, there are several Main Sts in the West Suburbs. So usually I will refer to the as Main St Downers Grove, etc. And finally, is it named after a suburb. It makes it easier to not confuse it with the town.

[bzakharin]

For regular street names, I was really surprised when visiting Cleveland for the first time that the roads are *signed* without suffixes most of the time. Here in NJ and surrounding area that never happens (except those Broadways that don't have suffixes to begin with). I mean there are roads with same names differing only by suffix all over the place.

For state and US routes here in NJ that have names and are not freeways, there is significant variation even on the same routes. For example NJ-38 and NJ-70 are referred to by number and most people don't know their names, but NJ-41 is "Kings Highway", in the area where the two overlap. NJ-27 in New Brunswick changes names several times in close succession, and those names are used, while in Edison and Iselin, where it's "Lincoln Highway", it's almost always called "Route 27". US-30 is not called by number anywhere in NJ, but US-40 is before joining US-322 as the "Black Horse Pike". Of course rural areas are more likely to not give a name to a numbered route, so even a few county route numbers show up in common use there.

[wisvishr0]

For interstates, usually "I-" and the number.  For other routes, either just the number or "route" and the number.

Pretty much describes everything east of I-81 and north of DC.

Well, including DC. We might be south of the Mason-Dixon line, but we're mostly culturally northern with a few exceptions, especially with the older folks. I've seen older people say "Highway 50" where we younger Washingtonians wouldn't say highway, but "route" (or nothing at all). My school friends were confused when our soon-to-retire drivers ed instructor called Rockville Pike a "highway," when it's clearly not controlled-access.

[thenetwork]

For regular street names, I was really surprised when visiting Cleveland for the first time that the roads are *signed* without suffixes most of the time.

The mostly non-suffixed street blades are also the norm in Toledo, and are/were in Youngstown and Akron -- must be a Northern Ohio big city thing.

[SSOWorld]

In Wisconsin most people call route numbers (or letters) highways, except interstates.  Interstates will be called I-43, for example.  State and US routes will just be called Highway 10, for example.  County roads vary a little bit.  Wisconsin has lettered county roads, and they may be called Highway D, or County D for example.  On freeway over or underpasses, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation will put Hwy X for any type of numbered or lettered road.

look closely in Wisconsin - they use Hwy for Interstates in places too.

[Brandon]

For regular street names, I was really surprised when visiting Cleveland for the first time that the roads are *signed* without suffixes most of the time.

The mostly non-suffixed street blades are also the norm in Toledo, and are/were in Youngstown and Akron -- must be a Northern Ohio big city thing.

It extends into Metro Detroit as well.

[dgolub]

From what I've heard, on Long Island in the very rare occasion a number is used, it is just the number.

It depends on what part of Long Island.  In Nassau County, people talk about Jericho Turnpike, Northern Boulevard, and Sunrise Highway, not NY 25, NY 25A, and NY 27.  A lot of people don't even know what the numbers are.  The two exceptions to this are NY 106 and NY 107, which are known by their numbers, and most people don't know the names.  Suffolk County is a whole other story.  There, it's very common to talk about, for example, 25A, and if you say Northern Boulevard, people will know you're not from Suffolk.

If you can't tell, my family is from Nassau, so that's where I got everything. I've never heard anyone refer to NY 27 as anything other than Sunrise Highway or Montauk Highway. Out past Ronkonkoma, though, I do agree completely. Does eastern NY 24 even have a name?

Yes.  The NY 24/CR 94 multiplex is Nugent Drive.  The rest of NY 24 is Riverhead-Hampton Bays Road.

[Charles2]

Interstates here in Alabama (at least Huntsville) are called "I-xxx" with "xxx" being the route number.
Everything else is just called "highway xxx".

Except certain highways that are referred to (and in some cases signed), "XX-Highway".  The ones that come to mind most are "78 Highway" for US 78, "75 Highway" for AL-75, and "79 Highway" for AL-79.

[SSOWorld]

Since WI was touched on - and simple - Here are the often used for California's metro areas:

California (depending on what latitude you're at, uses (the) # for the most part - most of the northern CA folk use that such as - 80, 280, 101, 12, etc.  Exceptions were the bay crossings - referred by their name (or a shorthand version - Bay Bridge)

Southern CA - especially LA metro - The 5, The 101, The 10, The 60, etc.  maybe you might here something like "the 5 freeway".  The freeways are named, right?  opposite of Alaska - use the #, not the name   One exception is CA 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) - as - what else... the PCH!!!

if Agentsteel were still around - he could remind me how they treat SD, I'm thinking they go along with LA - but I'm not going to assume that.

[MVHighways]

Sorry for the bump.

In New England - particularly Eastern MA into Southern NH - it's either "Route xx" or just the number. MA Route 28 and I-93 are both "Route 28" and "Route 93" or simply 28 and 93. We also have a thing for using older designations on some things - 128 is the overlord example of this, but Francis Sargent's cancellation of 95 through Boston is largely to blame.

[ghYHZ]

Here in Nova Scotia......the 100 series Freeways are usually referred to as "The One Oh One" "The One Oh Two" etc...... and the 104, 105 & 106, collectively; "The Trans-Canada"

The original highways; #1, #2, #3 etc are Trunk 1, Trunk 2, Trunk 3 in NSTIR documents but the public usually says Highway 1 or Highway 2.  And the secondary roads....."Route 201" or "Route 345" etc (and that's "Root" )

In Newfoundland it's usually a names you hear: "The Trans-Canada" "The Trans-Labrador Highway" "The Viking Trail"  "The Burgeo Highway" or "The Stephenville Access" ect.

In New Brunswick .....they're "Roots" : Route 1, Route 2 (or The Trans-Canada), Route 935 etc.

Same in Prince Edward Island ....."The Trans Canada" (Route 1) or Route 2 .....the other main road across the island.

[MVHighways]

And the secondary roads....."Route 201" or "Route 345" etc (and that's "Root" )

Thank you for reminding me of a point I missed in my post: New England also uses the "root" pronunciation.

[Zeffy]

Here I think it's pronounced Rowte (like wow but with an r, this pronunciation attempt sucks I get it) instead of 'root', but I know I've heard both before. I interchange them, generally saying 'Root 1' or 'Rowte 95'. Half of the time I just say the number.

[odditude]

Here I think it's pronounced Rowte (like wow but with an r, this pronunciation attempt sucks I get it) instead of 'root', but I know I've heard both before. I interchange them, generally saying 'Root 1' or 'Rowte 95'. Half of the time I just say the number.

I've only ever heard it pronounced "root" around here - "rout" is the verb's pronunciation.

[wxfree]

In my area, the DFW region, most highways are labelled as "I" or "Highway."  I-35W is "I-35," while I-35E is more often "I-35E."  US 377 is "377" or "Highway 377."  SH 171 is "171" or "Highway 171."  FM 4 is "Highway 4" or less commonly "Farm Road 4" (the way it's written on the signs).  "Route" is an unknown word.  SL 12 is "Loop 12" and SS 408 is "Spur 408," which are both correct.  Business routes are generally "Business XX" or the city street name.  Park roads are generally referred to as "Park Road XX."  I've never heard a recreational road referred to in speech.

US 75 is usually "Central" but occasionally "I-75," and I-635 is usually "LBJ."  I-820 is usually "Loop 820" (I-20 between the two intersections with I-820 is also "Loop 820" [at one time it was part of I-820]).  Around Austin, SH 130 is sometimes "I-130" and sometimes very annoyingly "I-30" and SH 45 is sometimes "I-45" (this pair of severe misinterpretations turns Austin into Dallas).

[Rothman]

What just dawned on me is that where I grew up in Massachusetts, yes, you heard "Root 9" and "Root 2" there was even a silly pride in pronouncing it that way.

However, I don't think "Root 91" was very common, but probably not unheard of.  My perception is that people called it just "91" more commonly and the Massachusetts Turnpike was just "the Pike." 

[MikeTheActuary]

Thinking about it, and building on the above: in CT I'm accustomed to hearing interstates by just their number ("84", "91", "291", "384"), US and state highways as "roots" ("root 2", "root 6", "root 10") with the exception of 15 (known by name: "the Merritt", "the Wilbur Cross", "the Berlin Turnpike"/"the Turnpike")

And, while it's not in Connecticut, the MassPike is always "the MassPike".

[bing101]

In the San Francisco Bay Area


Highway is used before the route number


as in Highway 880 (Officially I-880)
Highway 680 (I-680)
Highway 280(I-280)
Highway 580 (I-580)
Highway 101 (US-101)
Highway 85 (CA-85)
Highway 237 (CA-237)

[iBallasticwolf2]

In northern Kentucky we have people refer to Interstates as I-xx (Example: I-75). And then anything not an interstate is just the number. So like for US 25 it would be 25 or State route 17 is just 17.

[Rothman]

In the San Francisco Bay Area


Highway is used before the route number


as in Highway 880 (Officially I-880)
Highway 680 (I-680)
Highway 280(I-280)
Highway 580 (I-580)
Highway 101 (US-101)
Highway 85 (CA-85)
Highway 237 (CA-237

Pfft.  When I lived in San Francisco, "The 5" was ubiquitous.