Good chance this topic has come up before, but I didn't find it by searching. When I went to the grocery store this weekend, I found myself thinking how absurd it is that the street leading into the parking is named "Clemaline Boulevard." See Street View below–the street to the left is a "boulevard" but exists solely to give access to parking, as it ends just up the way at the Wegmans car park (Wegmans is where the steeple-like thing is visible in the distance). The street is unlikely ever to be extended due to the land on the left (a former landfill) being reserved for Park Authority use and the land beyond Wegmans (also part of the former landfill that was later the site of a nine-hole golf course) not being suitable for building anything.
https://goo.gl/maps/kZuTCoixw9KyDsxz8
I found myself wondering about examples of utterly pretentious street names of this sort. I'm sure there must be hundreds of them. I'm not thinking of situations where a road was truncated and kept its old name (Reston Avenue is an example of that–it used to include what is now Reston Parkway (https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9934745,-77.3502681,16.17z)) because it's understandable to keep the old name in that situation. I'm thinking of roads that are given some sort of name that is out of all proportion to the function the road actually serves.
There may be a distinction to be made between purely vanity addresses, such as for corporate headquarters where there may or may not be a physical road or driveway that bears the name in the address, and what are or appear to be actual public roads, such as in this case.
One could also argue that the very use of descriptors like "boulevard" and "avenue" in residential areas around the country is an example of the same thing, as these terms originally would have applied to roads of a much more substantial character.
Finally, there's another pretentious naming practice that I've noticed for years, and it will often be found in the same type of suburban area as your example. This is the naming constructions of "The 'X' at 'Y'"–for example, "The Shoppes at Wedgewood Green" or "The Residences at Shirewood". The connotation seems to be that Wedgewood Green and Shirewood are eminently well-known locales in their own right, like Beverly Hills or Regent's Park, and so there's no need to actually give a name to the shopping plaza or housing development located there because their identity will be immediately obvious to anyone of sufficient erudition. Of course, the trick is that "Wedgewood Green" and "Shirewood" are actually completely made-up names themselves–often applying to nothing but that single shopping plaza or group of residences.
(There's even something a little pretentious, I think, in the use of the preposition "at" rather than "in". "In" suggests being located in a particular city or town, while "at" suggests a location that's somewhat self-contained and removed from the multitudes; that is to say, exclusive.)
What came to mind for me was the common practice of using British-sounding names (to convey an air of classiness) for residential streets and apartment buildings in middle-class or even low-income suburban areas.
Quote from: KCRoadFan on November 02, 2021, 10:16:03 AM
What came to mind for me was the common practice of using British-sounding names (to convey an air of classiness) for residential streets and apartment buildings in middle-class or even low-income suburban areas.
Enough of them are town names in this area that it doesn't even register that way over here.
Quote from: 1 on November 02, 2021, 10:18:32 AM
Quote from: KCRoadFan on November 02, 2021, 10:16:03 AM
What came to mind for me was the common practice of using British-sounding names (to convey an air of classiness) for residential streets and apartment buildings in middle-class or even low-income suburban areas.
Enough of them are town names in this area that it doesn't even register that way over here.
I guess I was implying outside of New England.
Quote from: KCRoadFan on November 02, 2021, 10:20:08 AM
Quote from: 1 on November 02, 2021, 10:18:32 AM
Quote from: KCRoadFan on November 02, 2021, 10:16:03 AM
What came to mind for me was the common practice of using British-sounding names (to convey an air of classiness) for residential streets and apartment buildings in middle-class or even low-income suburban areas.
Enough of them are town names in this area that it doesn't even register that way over here.
I guess I was implying outside of New England.
In (or near) New England, it's perhaps more common to use names that sound both British and
archaic–such as by appending an 'e' to words like "shop" or "green".
Quote from: empirestate on November 02, 2021, 10:22:15 AM
Quote from: KCRoadFan on November 02, 2021, 10:20:08 AM
Quote from: 1 on November 02, 2021, 10:18:32 AM
Quote from: KCRoadFan on November 02, 2021, 10:16:03 AM
What came to mind for me was the common practice of using British-sounding names (to convey an air of classiness) for residential streets and apartment buildings in middle-class or even low-income suburban areas.
Enough of them are town names in this area that it doesn't even register that way over here.
I guess I was implying outside of New England.
In (or near) New England, it's perhaps more common to use names that sound both British and archaic–such as by appending an 'e' to words like "shop" or "green".
I find it interesting how some people will reflexively add that "e" even when it isn't part of the name. For example, the historic area in the City of Alexandria, Virginia, is named "Old Town." I've frequently seen it spelled "Olde Towne" by many people. (I tend to associate "Olde" with the word "Ye," as in "Ye Olde Apothecary" or whatever, although then you have Arvada, Colorado, which has an area called "Olde Town" with an "e" only on the first word.)
Pretty much any road with a French name that isn't located in Detroit, New Orleans or near Quebec.
Quote from: KCRoadFan on November 02, 2021, 10:16:03 AM
What came to mind for me was the common practice of using British-sounding names (to convey an air of classiness) for residential streets and apartment buildings in middle-class or even low-income suburban areas.
The new trend is nature-sounding words like "Whispering Prairie Drive" or "Flowing Creek Lane" .
Quote from: thspfc on November 02, 2021, 12:24:01 PM
Quote from: KCRoadFan on November 02, 2021, 10:16:03 AM
What came to mind for me was the common practice of using British-sounding names (to convey an air of classiness) for residential streets and apartment buildings in middle-class or even low-income suburban areas.
The new trend is nature-sounding words like "Whispering Prairie Drive" or "Flowing Creek Lane" .
Where I grew up out here, that's all the names. Wildcat Reserve Parkway, Spirit Rock Point, Wagon Box Circle, and I lived on Morning Glory Place.
Chris
In Québec City, there's a residential street called Boulevard Gastonguay (https://goo.gl/maps/LFGzEdWzTU6iomxH9). There's also Boulevard Jean-Talon (https://goo.gl/maps/1oe2No83Jyap6gyb8), though this one is a proper boulevard further west.
Reed Hartman "Highway" (https://www.google.com/maps/@39.2331673,-84.3934291,3a,43.1y,36.98h,86.58t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sRnaVSgM816Socs_3qgsQng!2e0!7i16384!8i8192) in the Cincinnati area. In reality, it's a 4-6 lane stroad.
Quote from: SkyPesos on November 02, 2021, 12:49:26 PM
Reed Hartman "Highway" (https://www.google.com/maps/@39.2331673,-84.3934291,3a,43.1y,36.98h,86.58t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sRnaVSgM816Socs_3qgsQng!2e0!7i16384!8i8192) in the Cincinnati area. In reality, it's a 4-6 lane stroad.
Better than calling it a
street :colorful:
It's hard to top the "Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce Beltway", for all-round unctuousness.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/2816/33577919146_f886fdd0db_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/TaaBws)
Quote from: thspfc on November 02, 2021, 12:24:01 PM
The new trend is nature-sounding words like "Whispering Prairie Drive" or "Flowing Creek Lane" .
Suburbia: Where they tear out all the trees, then name the streets after them.
Quote from: formulanone on November 02, 2021, 01:11:29 PM
It's hard to top the "Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce Beltway", for all-round unctuousness.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/2816/33577919146_f886fdd0db_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/TaaBws)
Yeah that's certainly a mouthful! I thought "unctuousness" was typo, but apparently that's a word :-D
I had a friend who lived in a western themed apartment village with street names like Buckskin, Wagon Wheel, Chisholm, etc. He lived on Rodeo Court, which he always pronounced ro-DAY-o. Like the fancy shopping district in Beverly Hills.
Quote from: wanderer2575 on November 02, 2021, 01:25:01 PM
Quote from: thspfc on November 02, 2021, 12:24:01 PM
The new trend is nature-sounding words like "Whispering Prairie Drive" or "Flowing Creek Lane" .
Suburbia: Where they tear out all the trees, then name the streets after them.
Heh. There's a neighborhood just west of where I went to high school (https://goo.gl/maps/eEsSCogdRHAbkU12A) that's named "Maple Trace." I remember when the construction started my mom said, "Yeah, that's because there won't be a trace of a maple left." Of course, that was over 20 years ago and some new maples have grown in the years since then.
Quote from: wanderer2575 on November 02, 2021, 01:25:01 PM
Quote from: thspfc on November 02, 2021, 12:24:01 PM
The new trend is nature-sounding words like "Whispering Prairie Drive" or "Flowing Creek Lane" .
Suburbia: Where they tear out all the trees, then name the streets after them.
Actually the suburbs have more trees than the farm fields they replaced.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on November 02, 2021, 10:51:36 AM
Pretty much any road with a French name that isn't located in Detroit, New Orleans or near Quebec.
What about roads in France, Monaco, Western Italy, Switzerland, Guadeloupe, or Francophonic Africa? Are those pretentious?
Quote from: michravera on November 02, 2021, 02:05:49 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on November 02, 2021, 10:51:36 AM
Pretty much any road with a French name that isn't located in Detroit, New Orleans or near Quebec.
What about roads in France, Monaco, Western Italy, Switzerland, Guadeloupe, or Francophonic Africa? Are those pretentious?
How dare you forget French Guiana and St. Pierre & Miquelon. :)
Chris
Quote from: formulanone on November 02, 2021, 01:11:29 PM
It's hard to top the "Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce Beltway", for all-round unctuousness.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/2816/33577919146_f886fdd0db_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/TaaBws)
Tell me the locals have shortened that to the CoC Ring.
Quote from: jayhawkco on November 02, 2021, 02:18:53 PM
Quote from: michravera on November 02, 2021, 02:05:49 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on November 02, 2021, 10:51:36 AM
Pretty much any road with a French name that isn't located in Detroit, New Orleans or near Quebec.
What about roads in France, Monaco, Western Italy, Switzerland, Guadeloupe, or Francophonic Africa? Are those pretentious?
How dare you forget French Guiana and St. Pierre & Miquelon. :)
Chris
They're not located in Whataboutism.
Quote from: formulanone on November 02, 2021, 03:42:19 PM
Quote from: jayhawkco on November 02, 2021, 02:18:53 PM
Quote from: michravera on November 02, 2021, 02:05:49 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on November 02, 2021, 10:51:36 AM
Pretty much any road with a French name that isn't located in Detroit, New Orleans or near Quebec.
What about roads in France, Monaco, Western Italy, Switzerland, Guadeloupe, or Francophonic Africa? Are those pretentious?
How dare you forget French Guiana and St. Pierre & Miquelon. :)
Chris
They're not located in Whataboutism.
I was hoping that someone would say that they were pretentious as well!
Quote from: 1995hoo on November 02, 2021, 10:48:42 AM
Quote from: empirestate on November 02, 2021, 10:22:15 AM
Quote from: KCRoadFan on November 02, 2021, 10:20:08 AM
Quote from: 1 on November 02, 2021, 10:18:32 AM
Quote from: KCRoadFan on November 02, 2021, 10:16:03 AM
What came to mind for me was the common practice of using British-sounding names (to convey an air of classiness) for residential streets and apartment buildings in middle-class or even low-income suburban areas.
Enough of them are town names in this area that it doesn't even register that way over here.
I guess I was implying outside of New England.
In (or near) New England, it's perhaps more common to use names that sound both British and archaic–such as by appending an 'e' to words like "shop" or "green".
I find it interesting how some people will reflexively add that "e" even when it isn't part of the name. For example, the historic area in the City of Alexandria, Virginia, is named "Old Town." I've frequently seen it spelled "Olde Towne" by many people. (I tend to associate "Olde" with the word "Ye," as in "Ye Olde Apothecary" or whatever, although then you have Arvada, Colorado, which has an area called "Olde Town" with an "e" only on the first word.)
It's funny that Ye is a misunderstanding caused by the invention of printing and fonts (https://grammarpartyblog.com/2011/07/26/ye-olde-mispronunciation-the-long-forgotten-letter-thorn/). We don't have thorn or eth thanks to the Germans who didn't use either letter.
Quote from: skluth on November 02, 2021, 04:25:58 PM
It's funny that Ye is a misunderstanding caused by the invention of printing and fonts (https://grammarpartyblog.com/2011/07/26/ye-olde-mispronunciation-the-long-forgotten-letter-thorn/). We don't have thorn or eth thanks to the Germans who didn't use either letter.
The obvious follow-up, of course, is what do they do in Iceland when they want to sound old-timey?
Ford Motor Company's HQ building in Dearborn, MI has the address "1 American Road." It was originally simply "The American Road" with no number. American Road is the just the driveway to the front parking lot. If logic prevailed instead of vanity, the building would have an address somewhere in the 17100 block of Michigan Avenue.
Avenue of the Americas in New York City
Quote from: Big John on November 02, 2021, 06:31:21 PM
Avenue of the Americas in New York City
Who actually calls it that? I've never heard it called anything other than Sixth Avenue.
interocean blvd in holyoke, colo. i've mentioned it elsewhere.
fort collins has this area with all these nautical-themed streets ... that surround a smallish pond. things like whaler's way, landings drive, etc.
Quote from: I-35 on November 02, 2021, 02:40:41 PM
Quote from: formulanone on November 02, 2021, 01:11:29 PM
It's hard to top the "Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce Beltway", for all-round unctuousness.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/2816/33577919146_f886fdd0db_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/TaaBws)
Tell me the locals have shortened that to the CoC Ring.
Ooof...though it's more of a spur.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.94455,-75.9831851,4452m/data=!3m1!1e3
Quote from: 1995hoo on November 02, 2021, 06:33:40 PM
Quote from: Big John on November 02, 2021, 06:31:21 PM
Avenue of the Americas in New York City
Who actually calls it that? I've never heard it called anything other than Sixth Avenue.
It did have its day in the late '80s and early '90s, but...yeah.
Imagine having an office on Silicon Valley Boulevard, in San Jose: https://goo.gl/maps/8HkZF6v5DL95FDrk7
You are closer to Gilroy than to Google.
When I was about 13 years old, my mom was driving the minivan with myself and my brother inside, and she took a wrong turn into this OBNOXIOUSLY PRETENTIOUS neighborhood in southern Naperville, where every street name begins with "Royal". Seriously. Look at this garbage. https://www.google.com/maps/@41.6884206,-88.2207144,16.75z
A historic moment occurred as my mom got lost in that neighborhood, because she got really angry, prompting her to yell, "I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING, I'M STUCK HERE ON ROYAL SHITBOX DRIVE". My brother and I laughed our asses off and "Royal Shitbox Drive" became a thing we would reference for years to come.
Anyway, what other Royal Shitbox Drives have people encountered?
Quote from: paulthemapguy on November 02, 2021, 08:30:33 PM
When I was about 13 years old, my mom was driving the minivan with myself and my brother inside, and she took a wrong turn into this OBNOXIOUSLY PRETENTIOUS neighborhood in southern Naperville, where every street name begins with "Royal". Seriously. Look at this garbage. https://www.google.com/maps/@41.6884206,-88.2207144,16.75z
A historic moment occurred as my mom got lost in that neighborhood, because she got really angry, prompting her to yell, "I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING, I'M STUCK HERE ON ROYAL SHITBOX DRIVE". My brother and I laughed our asses off and "Royal Shitbox Drive" became a thing we would reference for years to come.
Anyway, what other Royal Shitbox Drives have people encountered?
That reminds me of King's Isle Luxury Apartments (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.9248984,-73.7631225,16.71z) in a nearby town; they do something similar with their street names. They even have a very large
castle wall sign (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.9265117,-73.7596641,3a,17.5y,185.9h,87.5t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sduA7CT8V_lgs5jleEOLsng!2e0!7i16384!8i8192).
Quote from: paulthemapguy on November 02, 2021, 08:30:33 PM
When I was about 13 years old, my mom was driving the minivan with myself and my brother inside, and she took a wrong turn into this OBNOXIOUSLY PRETENTIOUS neighborhood in southern Naperville, where every street name begins with "Royal". Seriously. Look at this garbage. https://www.google.com/maps/@41.6884206,-88.2207144,16.75z
A historic moment occurred as my mom got lost in that neighborhood, because she got really angry, prompting her to yell, "I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING, I'M STUCK HERE ON ROYAL SHITBOX DRIVE". My brother and I laughed our asses off and "Royal Shitbox Drive" became a thing we would reference for years to come.
Anyway, what other Royal Shitbox Drives have people encountered?
I believe those are all golf courses in Great Britain. Even the streets that don't start with Royal.
Put the word "wood" after ANY word and it works. This is really common in a neighborhood of Little Rock next to Cammack Village and just south of Rebsamen Park. (https://www.google.com/maps/@34.7784557,-92.348483,15.74z)
Quote from: 1995hoo on November 02, 2021, 06:33:40 PM
Quote from: Big John on November 02, 2021, 06:31:21 PM
Avenue of the Americas in New York City
Who actually calls it that? I've never heard it called anything other than Sixth Avenue.
When writing/giving an address, everybody. When referring to the street itself, nobody.
Quote from: catch22 on November 02, 2021, 06:02:53 PM
Ford Motor Company's HQ building in Dearborn, MI has the address "1 American Road." It was originally simply "The American Road" with no number. American Road is the just the driveway to the front parking lot. If logic prevailed instead of vanity, the building would have an address somewhere in the 17100 block of Michigan Avenue.
Then there's "One Microsoft Way" in Redmond WA. A combination of an address and business model. :)
Quote from: jayhawkco on November 02, 2021, 02:18:53 PM
Quote from: michravera on November 02, 2021, 02:05:49 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on November 02, 2021, 10:51:36 AM
Pretty much any road with a French name that isn't located in Detroit, New Orleans or near Quebec.
What about roads in France, Monaco, Western Italy, Switzerland, Guadeloupe, or Francophonic Africa? Are those pretentious?
How dare you forget French Guiana and St. Pierre & Miquelon. :)
Chris
French Polynesia and New Caledonia too!
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on November 02, 2021, 10:51:36 AM
Pretty much any road with a French name that isn't located in Detroit, New Orleans or near Quebec.
Pend Orielle and Coeur d'Alene say bonjour.
Quote from: KeithE4Phx on November 02, 2021, 11:08:22 PM
Quote from: catch22 on November 02, 2021, 06:02:53 PM
Ford Motor Company's HQ building in Dearborn, MI has the address "1 American Road." It was originally simply "The American Road" with no number. American Road is the just the driveway to the front parking lot. If logic prevailed instead of vanity, the building would have an address somewhere in the 17100 block of Michigan Avenue.
Then there's "One Microsoft Way" in Redmond WA. A combination of an address and business model. :)
The same is true with Apple and "One Infinite Loop" in Cupertino CA.
Sargento Foods has their headquarters at One Persnickety Place in Plymouth, WI.
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.7725115,-87.9981606,17.71z?hl=en
Quote from: Crown Victoria on November 03, 2021, 08:57:48 AM
Sargento Foods has their headquarters at One Persnickety Place in Plymouth, WI.
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.7725115,-87.9981606,17.71z?hl=en
Which was an old advertising slogan of theres....and they would love to change the name of.
Quote from: Bruce on November 03, 2021, 02:35:42 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on November 02, 2021, 10:51:36 AM
Pretty much any road with a French name that isn't located in Detroit, New Orleans or near Quebec.
Pend Orielle and Coeur d'Alene say bonjour.
Ah, how can I forget about CDA when I used to date a girl from there?
Quote from: empirestate on November 02, 2021, 05:56:03 PM
Quote from: skluth on November 02, 2021, 04:25:58 PM
It's funny that Ye is a misunderstanding caused by the invention of printing and fonts (https://grammarpartyblog.com/2011/07/26/ye-olde-mispronunciation-the-long-forgotten-letter-thorn/). We don't have thorn or eth thanks to the Germans who didn't use either letter.
The obvious follow-up, of course, is what do they do in Iceland when they want to sound old-timey?
The answer is simple: In Iceland, when they want to sound old-timey, the simply speak English! It is reasonable to think that Icelandic (although what I've seen of it looks more PIE than most other European languages) has evolved and English might be viewed as the "old" language.
When the Detroit Pistons won their first NBA championship in 1989, the access road leading into the parking lot at the Palace of Auburn Hills was dubbed "1 Championship Drive." The number was increased each time one of the arena's basketball tenants, the Pistons and the WNBA Detroit Shock, won a league title. At the time of the building's demise, the address had incremented to "6 Championship Drive" for the Pistons' three NBA titles and the Shock's three WNBA championships. And they should have made it "7 Championship Drive," but alas, they decided to not bother counting the Detroit Vipers' IHL championship in 1997.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on November 03, 2021, 10:26:50 AM
Quote from: Bruce on November 03, 2021, 02:35:42 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on November 02, 2021, 10:51:36 AM
Pretty much any road with a French name that isn't located in Detroit, New Orleans or near Quebec.
Pend Orielle and Coeur d'Alene say bonjour.
Ah, how can I forget about CDA when I used to date a girl from there?
Northern Minnesota has a decent amount too. Mille Lacs, Cloquet, etc.
Chris
Quote from: vegas1962 on November 03, 2021, 04:05:57 PM
When the Detroit Pistons won their first NBA championship in 1989, the access road leading into the parking lot at the Palace of Auburn Hills was dubbed "1 Championship Drive." The number was increased each time one of the arena's basketball tenants, the Pistons and the WNBA Detroit Shock, won a league title. At the time of the building's demise, the address had incremented to "6 Championship Drive" for the Pistons' three NBA titles and the Shock's three WNBA championships. And they should have made it "7 Championship Drive," but alas, they decided to not bother counting the Detroit Vipers' IHL championship in 1997.
Ford Field has entered the chat :-D
Lots of side streets in Columbia, Maryland
Quote from: empirestate on November 02, 2021, 10:09:31 AM
One could also argue that the very use of descriptors like "boulevard" and "avenue" in residential areas around the country is an example of the same thing, as these terms originally would have applied to roads of a much more substantial character.
Originally, an avenue was essentially a long driveway for a fancy country house, usually lined with trees, and almost certainly not a road of "substantial character."
Quote from: TBKS1 on November 02, 2021, 10:42:56 PM
Put the word "wood" after ANY word and it works. This is really common in a neighborhood of Little Rock next to Cammack Village and just south of Rebsamen Park. (https://www.google.com/maps/@34.7784557,-92.348483,15.74z)
Side note: I love that there are letter-named streets in that neighborhood and then the next one after Z is "Ampersand St". Now if only they spelled it "& St"...
Quote from: US 89 on November 07, 2021, 08:17:12 PM
Quote from: TBKS1 on November 02, 2021, 10:42:56 PM
Put the word "wood" after ANY word and it works. This is really common in a neighborhood of Little Rock next to Cammack Village and just south of Rebsamen Park. (https://www.google.com/maps/@34.7784557,-92.348483,15.74z)
Side note: I love that there are letter-named streets in that neighborhood and then the next one after Z is "Ampersand St". Now if only they spelled it "& St"...
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ampersand In old text, & was at the end of the alphabet as a shortcut to "and per se, and" and means "and". So using old English, it could be And St.
Quote from: US 89 on November 07, 2021, 08:17:12 PM
Quote from: TBKS1 on November 02, 2021, 10:42:56 PM
Put the word "wood" after ANY word and it works. This is really common in a neighborhood of Little Rock next to Cammack Village and just south of Rebsamen Park. (https://www.google.com/maps/@34.7784557,-92.348483,15.74z)
Side note: I love that there are letter-named streets in that neighborhood and then the next one after Z is "Ampersand St". Now if only they spelled it "& St"...
What if they had chosen to use ASCII encoding? Then the street after "Z Street" would be "[ Street". Or would that be "Left Bracket Street"? :spin:
national turnpike in southwest metro louisville/jefferson county, ky is a 5.2 mile 4 and 2 lane surface street that does not leave the county with no tollbooth in sight.
Quote from: ctkatz on November 08, 2021, 06:59:39 PM
national turnpike in southwest metro louisville/jefferson county, ky is a 5.2 mile 4 and 2 lane surface street that does not leave the county with no tollbooth in sight.
Was that the case when it was named?
Midlothian Turnpike in town of same name in IL, also is 'free'.
Quote from: US20IL64 on November 09, 2021, 11:55:55 AM
Midlothian Turnpike in town of same name in IL, also is 'free'.
Like National Turnpike above, that certainly looks like it could be part of one of the actual early turnpikes. The Northeast is littered with these, but as far as I'm aware, they are not named under the pretense of being turnpikes–they were, in fact, turnpikes.
But there may well be examples somewhere of a road that was named under such a pretense, maybe to give the road the character of an old rural highway of a lost age. Is that the case here?
Jean Baptiste Point du Sable Lake Shore Drive
Quote from: empirestate on November 08, 2021, 07:44:55 PM
Quote from: ctkatz on November 08, 2021, 06:59:39 PM
national turnpike in southwest metro louisville/jefferson county, ky is a 5.2 mile 4 and 2 lane surface street that does not leave the county with no tollbooth in sight.
Was that the case when it was named?
to my knowledge, no toll road was ever planned to go through louisville other than the kentucky turnpike which ended up being I 65, nor am I aware of any nationwide singular toll road, although I would argue that from the chicago skyway to the george washington bridge is the country's longest toll road.
I was in Tucson this past weekend. There may have been something miraculous about the "Miracle Mile" 60-70 years ago, but man does that name need to be retired. It's still the "Miracle Mile" on the BGS on I-10 though.
Did anyone mention Pittsburgh's "Boulevard of the Allies"?
Quote from: ctkatz on November 09, 2021, 06:24:30 PM
Quote from: empirestate on November 08, 2021, 07:44:55 PM
Quote from: ctkatz on November 08, 2021, 06:59:39 PM
national turnpike in southwest metro louisville/jefferson county, ky is a 5.2 mile 4 and 2 lane surface street that does not leave the county with no tollbooth in sight.
Was that the case when it was named?
to my knowledge, no toll road was ever planned to go through louisville other than the kentucky turnpike which ended up being I 65, nor am I aware of any nationwide singular toll road, although I would argue that from the chicago skyway to the george washington bridge is the country's longest toll road.
Well it appears there was a "National Turnpike Company" that merged with the "Jefferson and Bullitt Turnpike Company" to form the "New National Turnpike Company". I would imagine that's the same toll road reflected in the current name.
At one point they even proposed to build a new spur (https://books.google.com/books?id=wEc4AAAAIAAJ&newbks=0&dq=%22national%20turnpike%20company%22%20kentucky&pg=PA191&source=bookclip&ci=19%2C845%2C791%2C692) along Shipp Street and the (then-) Ash Bottom Turnpike.
1995hoo linked to this thread from "Street names that suggest greater aspirations?" and it, combined with a thread from /r/oklahoma, made me think of one: Mount Williams Drive in Norman, OK.
Which, okay, that doesn't sound too pretentious...unless, you know local history. See, Mount Williams is this thing:
(https://i.imgur.com/l3l2hHg.jpeg)
Posted to Reddit by /u/ShaylaDoesIt, no idea if they are the photographer or not
It was a mound of dirt created in WWII when Max Westheimer Airport was used for training, and was the backstop to a firing range. The navy guys named it Mount Williams after their commander, as a joking bit of pretentiousness. Later, I-35 happened to be built right next to it, so it became a highly visible local landmark.
Later on, someone wanted to build a Super Target there (is this the first time a target was replaced with a Target?), and so Mount Williams was removed (along with the hundreds of bullets that were found in it). Since it was a local landmark, this was somewhat controversial (the local paper called it a "beloved lump"). So the access road to the Target was called "Mount Williams Drive" after a removed artificially created hill that was never a mountain to begin with. Yeah.
In the Los Angeles area, there's Whitnall Highway (https://maps.app.goo.gl/FfAB3RCyV5TMYcNa7), which is in several pieces, each just a few blocks long.
It was planned as the start of an 1920s proto-expressway that would cross the San Fernando Valley, but very little was ever built.
But the segments that were built still retain that ambitious street name.
Rockaway Freeway:
Not only is it not a freeway, but nobody in NYC ever calls their limited-access highways that either! (In Chicago, the old-timers don't say freeway either, but the younger ones probably would, especially those born after 1996, the year the Calumet Expressway was renamed to the Bishop Ford Freeway.)
Quote from: Henry on February 08, 2024, 10:53:30 PM
(In Chicago, the old-timers don't say freeway either, but the younger ones probably would, especially those born after 1996, the year the Calumet Expressway was renamed to the Bishop Ford Freeway.)
I've always heard it called "the Bishop Ford", with no "Freeway" at the end.
Fairfield Boulevard in Wallingford, CT is a quarter-mile long cul-de-sac in an industrial park, likely named to give businesses on it a pretentious address.
Well I'll bring over a few from the other thread:
Eagle Mountain Avenue. What it suggests is some kind of mountain highway, or at least something that gains some elevation and goes uphill, maybe it will offer a nice view. What it actually is: a one-block two lane residential street on completely flat ground. There is also nothing named "Eagle Mountain" anywhere close to it.
Templin Highway. Located at the top of the Castaic Grade, the location and name seem like it could be interesting. It even looks interesting, as it winds its way east of Interstate 5. Turns out that's about all it does, as it ends about a mile later. To be fair, this one did have greater plans to be something longer, but it never came to fruition.
Whitnall Highway was already mentioned. Same sort of fate as Templin Highway.
Bear Mountain Boulevard in the southern end of the Central Valley, most notable for being CA-223. Frankly, while this one does at the very least go uphill a bit, I always found the name pretentious. It's hardly a boulevard and the vast majority of it has nothing to do with Bear Mountain.
Princess Jeanne Avenue in Albuquerque. Apparently named for the developer's daughter.
Quote from: midwesternroadguy on March 19, 2024, 06:32:27 AM
Princess Jeanne Avenue in Albuquerque. Apparently named for the developer's daughter.
My daughter would have appreciated the gesture, until she became of driving age.
Howard B. Drollinger Memorial Parkway near LAX. The name is longer than the "parkway," which is just a driveway into a shopping center.
Quote from: Quillz on March 22, 2024, 05:18:32 PM
Howard B. Drollinger Memorial Parkway near LAX. The name is longer than the "parkway," which is just a driveway into a shopping center.
Reminds me of this one: James J. Freeland Memorial Drive (https://www.google.com/maps/@36.0594628,-79.1034849,3a,31.9y,42.02h,88.78t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sRfOKNw4fqDNXZake_JesXA!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DRfOKNw4fqDNXZake_JesXA%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D15.03679%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu). The name is so long that it gets two streetblades on the sign. In days gone by, this was the ceremonial entrance for the old Daniel Boone Village amusement park, and the street is named for the amusement park's owner. For much of its' history, this was a secondary entrance for the Shoppes at Daniel Boone (mostly antique shops). Nowadays, the street is only 311 feet long as nearly all of the former amusement park property was purchased by a real estate developer about 2018. The one building remaining (vacant) on Freeland Drive was most recently a Mexican restaurant that was forced to relocate to the opposite side of Churton Street (into the old Pizza Hut structure that is located on property still owner by Daniel Boone (now an LLC). There is, however, one remaining business located on the old amusement park property at the main entrance - Waffle House!
Portland: N/SE 82nd Avenue of Roses
Quote from: midwesternroadguy on March 19, 2024, 06:32:27 AMPrincess Jeanne Avenue in Albuquerque. Apparently named for the developer's daughter.
Wonder if the developer runs the HOA too?
If you drive over Sherman Pass in California, you'll likely be on "Great Western Divide Highway" at some point. Well, calling it a highway is generous, given it's just a typical forest service road and it's only a few miles long. And while it does seem to be part of the Western Divide, it doesn't really boast a scenic view, with most of the surrounding landscape fairly flat.
In Niagara Falls, NY they had Robert Moses Parkway. What remains of it was recently renamed Niagara Scenic Parkway.
Quote from: steviep24 on April 16, 2024, 08:10:00 PMIn Niagara Falls, NY they had Robert Moses Parkway. What remains of it was recently renamed Niagara Scenic Parkway.
I fail to see the pretention, pretentiously.
Quote from: Rothman on April 16, 2024, 09:53:47 PMQuote from: steviep24 on April 16, 2024, 08:10:00 PMIn Niagara Falls, NY they had Robert Moses Parkway. What remains of it was recently renamed Niagara Scenic Parkway.
I fail to see the pretention, pretentiously.
Probably that it was named after Robert Moses. If we're calling stuff named after politicians "pretentious", I think the Hal Rogers Parkway (still the Daniel Boone Parkway to everyone with a brain) fits very well.
Robert Moses was never elected to any position...
Quote from: zachary_amaryllis on November 02, 2021, 06:42:04 PMinterocean blvd in holyoke, colo. i've mentioned it elsewhere.
fort collins has this area with all these nautical-themed streets ... that surround a smallish pond. things like whaler's way, landings drive, etc.
In that case would the Overseas Highway (and the Overseas Railroad that preceded it) count too? I mean it doesn't actually cross any seas.
Thinking about it, I feel "Rim of the World Highway" might qualify. Pretty cool name for a mountain highway, but in reality the San Bernardinos are pretty modest in height, and a highway name like that would probably be better served in the Sierra Nevada, Rockies, or the Himalayas. And I don't really like "highway" being applied to two lane roads, although that's pretty standard in some places like Alaska.
Quote from: Quillz on April 18, 2024, 05:16:17 AMThinking about it, I feel "Rim of the World Highway" might qualify. Pretty cool name for a mountain highway, but in reality the San Bernardinos are pretty modest in height, and a highway name like that would probably be better served in the Sierra Nevada, Rockies, or the Himalayas. And I don't really like "highway" being applied to two lane roads, although that's pretty standard in some places like Alaska.
Here in New Jersey the name "highway" seems to be randomly applied. I'm not sure I know any "highway" here that deserves that name, except maybe McCarter Highway, a.k.a. NJ 21 (I'm excluding names nobody uses like all those different names for segments of I-287). I assume most of those names are historic relics of bygone days.
Quote from: zachary_amaryllis on November 02, 2021, 06:42:04 PMfort collins has this area with all these nautical-themed streets ... that surround a smallish pond. things like whaler's way, landings drive, etc.
Las Vegas has nautical streets here and there... in the
freaking desert. There's also a neighborhood that has a whole bunch of precipitation-themed streets: Raincloud Dr., Tempest Place, Hurricane Way. And one of them is Blizzard Lane. I would be surprised if Blizzard Lane has ever had more than an inch of snow since it was built.
Quote from: Scott5114 on April 20, 2024, 06:12:42 AMQuote from: zachary_amaryllis on November 02, 2021, 06:42:04 PMfort collins has this area with all these nautical-themed streets ... that surround a smallish pond. things like whaler's way, landings drive, etc.
Las Vegas has nautical streets here and there... in the freaking desert. There's also a neighborhood that has a whole bunch of precipitation-themed streets: Raincloud Dr., Tempest Place, Hurricane Way. And one of them is Blizzard Lane. I would be surprised if Blizzard Lane has ever had more than an inch of snow since it was built.
Can't forget about the Pokémon streets in Henderson. Pretty sure none of those streets ever saw a Pokémon on them.
Quote from: LilianaUwU on April 20, 2024, 06:29:09 AMQuote from: Scott5114 on April 20, 2024, 06:12:42 AMQuote from: zachary_amaryllis on November 02, 2021, 06:42:04 PMfort collins has this area with all these nautical-themed streets ... that surround a smallish pond. things like whaler's way, landings drive, etc.
Las Vegas has nautical streets here and there... in the freaking desert. There's also a neighborhood that has a whole bunch of precipitation-themed streets: Raincloud Dr., Tempest Place, Hurricane Way. And one of them is Blizzard Lane. I would be surprised if Blizzard Lane has ever had more than an inch of snow since it was built.
Can't forget about the Pokémon streets in Henderson. Pretty sure none of those streets ever saw a Pokémon on them.
Those go in "awesome street names", thank you very much.
Well, okay, Squirtle Lane is sort of pretentious, because Henderson is no place for a water type.