I'm sure we've all gone past street signs and shook our head--or maybe even did a u-turn to double back, to make sure we saw that street name on the sign.
I'll start, there is one in north Dallas: South Better Drive ( http://goo.gl/maps/UMbGw ). As opposed to "North Worse Drive"? About 3 blocks west of the linked sign blade, it does intersect Better Drive. Okay, I guess, but still weird. AND, South Better goes east-west!
Now that I've also found Better Drive, does that mean I can't walk down that street, I'd better drive?? :spin:
Nearby town name streets that are very short and don't go towards the town they say.
If it's some way to get there, that's okay, but sometimes it's a dead end. That obviously doesn't go to the other town.
Quote from: 1 on August 24, 2013, 06:12:31 PM
Nearby town name streets that are very short and don't go towards the town they say.
If it's some way to get there, that's okay, but sometimes it's a dead end. That obviously doesn't go to the other town.
Often when the roads were built and named centuries ago they DID connect these towns. But many have been realigned or abandoned over the years. Often nowadays there is no trace of what was in the 17th century a busy road.
This one was so bad they had to get rid of the street and change it to a walking path:
http://goo.gl/maps/BDD0q
Anything that goes directly to the named town makes sense.
The other ones that make sense:
Lowell Street (MA 129) in Reading: MA 129 goes to Chelmsford, which is close.
Salem Street in Lynnfield: The rotary can get you to Salem.
Salem Street in North Andover: Easy access to MA 114.
Pelham Street in Methuen: Only goes about a mile away.
The ones that don't make sense:
Gloucester Street in Methuen.
Beverly Street in North Andover.
Westford Street in Haverhill.
Boxford Street in Worcester.
How could these have gone to the other towns?
(These are just examples out of hundreds.)
Any road named after a farm in a subdivision that obliterated that farm.
Rode Rd in northern Brisbane:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fexpressway.paulrands.com%2Fgallery%2Froads%2Fqld%2Fnumbered%2Falphanumeric%2Fm-a3%2F03_brisbanetoaspley%2Fsouthbound%2Fimages%2F200906_20_chermside_roderd_robtilley.jpg&hash=c62d2e0d07b807c5e48a01f4cafeea91a3f5325e)
Quote from: Steve on August 25, 2013, 08:10:59 PM
Any road named after a farm in a subdivision that obliterated that farm.
Hence this:
Murray Farm Rd
http://goo.gl/maps/kwUdM (http://goo.gl/maps/kwUdM)
There seem to be several cities with an "Easy Street". Maybe it was a cute idea, but who was actually in charge and approved that?
Quote from: kphoger on September 02, 2013, 11:07:22 PM
There seem to be several cities with an "Easy Street". Maybe it was a cute idea, but who was actually in charge and approved that?
It was Miss Hannigan, Lily, and Rooster.
There's this in the county where I grew up: Memory Lane (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=memory+lane,+silver+spring,+md&hl=en&ll=39.067547,-76.94674&spn=0.009313,0.01929&sll=37.711035,-97.303633&sspn=0.009489,0.01929&t=h&gl=us&hnear=Memory+Ln,+Silver+Spring,+Montgomery,+Maryland+20904&z=16&layer=c&cbll=39.067612,-76.946898&panoid=bBIMaQg4jlxsoXwhoPe3Ow&cbp=12,163.81,,2,-6.41). It's not the only one.
Quote from: Steve on August 25, 2013, 08:10:59 PM
Any road named after a farm in a subdivision that obliterated that farm.
Like this Marlow Farm Terrace (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=marlow+farm+terrace,+silver+spring,+md&hl=en&ll=39.070046,-76.952491&spn=0.009379,0.01929&sll=39.067614,-76.94689&sspn=0.009379,0.01929&t=h&gl=us&hnear=Marlow+Farm+Terrace,+Silver+Spring,+Montgomery,+Maryland+20904&z=16&layer=c&cbll=39.070106,-76.952523&panoid=MHqeGBUBZRZm5VX5MScA7g&cbp=12,46.75,,0,2.28)?
In far southeastern Fairfax County, VA, we have a Mordor Dr that intersects a Furnace Rd.
I suppose I know what they were thinking when they named the streets and the neighborhood, but still, the Friendly Village of Dulles in far western Fairfax County makes me shake my head. (Map here: http://goo.gl/maps/xX8PY )
Main drag is Airline Parkway. Fair enough, though you might expect that to be the road leading into an airport (this neighborhood is off the south side of the Dulles Airport property and has no direct access).
Streets branching off of Airline Parkway: BOAC Circle, Braniff Circle, Icelandic Place, Iberia Circle, Lake Central Drive, Lufthansa Circle, Northwest Place, Northeast Place, National Drive, Lanica Circle, United Drive, Pan Am Avenue, Trans World Avenue, Swissair Place, and Panagra Place. The street names sure date the place, don't they, given how many of those airlines no longer exist?!
Similarly, my sister-in-law in Viera, Florida, lives in a neighborhood where all the streets are named after grape varietals used in making wine (with four exceptions–three streets named after winemakers and one named after a winemaking region). I could understand something like that in a winemaking area, but I think it seems really bizarre in the Space Coast area of Florida. "Mondavi Drive" is just a strange name unless it's the street where said winemaker is headquartered.
Down in Charlottesville, I always disliked the name "Hydraulic Road." It runs out to the reservoir and I assume that's the name's origin, but I still hate the name. "Reservoir Road" would have been a lot better, IMO.
any place where Foo Drive yields branches of Foo Circle, Foo Court, Foo Terrace, etc. there are so many available names.
similarly is where they get all cute and have Foo Mountain Road, Foo Creek Road, Foo Valley Road, Foo Meadow Road all within several blocks of each other.
street names are intended to facilitate navigation first, and foremost. if you're not gonna order them logically (say, a numerical grid, or an alphabetical theme grid), at least don't disorder them to be purposely confusing!
also, any variant of "Camino Road". either you don't speak English, or you don't speak Spanish. your ignorance is showing.
I know of a "Mustang Alley"
Quote from: 1995hoo on September 03, 2013, 12:46:31 PM
I suppose I know what they were thinking when they named the streets and the neighborhood, but still, the Friendly Village of Dulles in far western Fairfax County makes me shake my head. (Map here: http://goo.gl/maps/xX8PY )
Main drag is Airline Parkway. Fair enough, though you might expect that to be the road leading into an airport (this neighborhood is off the south side of the Dulles Airport property and has no direct access).
Streets branching off of Airline Parkway: BOAC Circle, Braniff Circle, Icelandic Place, Iberia Circle, Lake Central Drive, Lufthansa Circle, Northwest Place, Northeast Place, National Drive, Lanica Circle, United Drive, Pan Am Avenue, Trans World Avenue, Swissair Place, and Panagra Place. The street names sure date the place, don't they, given how many of those airlines no longer exist?!
Similarly, my sister-in-law in Viera, Florida, lives in a neighborhood where all the streets are named after grape varietals used in making wine (with four exceptions–three streets named after winemakers and one named after a winemaking region). I could understand something like that in a winemaking area, but I think it seems really bizarre in the Space Coast area of Florida. "Mondavi Drive" is just a strange name unless it's the street where said winemaker is headquartered.
Down in Charlottesville, I always disliked the name "Hydraulic Road." It runs out to the reservoir and I assume that's the name's origin, but I still hate the name. "Reservoir Road" would have been a lot better, IMO.
Wichita has a Hydraulic Ave. - semi-majorish arterial. Used to be the hydraulic mill that has been gone 120 years.
Salina, KS has a number of planet-named streets... all off of Planet Ave. - the frontage for Ninth Street (Old US 81). - http://goo.gl/maps/TjtMv
ICTRds
In the town I grew up in, many of the residential streets were named after the counties of New Jersey.
For some reason, most but not all not all of the streets were named after counties (even though about 6 counties were not included). And there's no logical layout that was used when naming the streets.
Quote from: WichitaRoads on September 03, 2013, 02:21:14 PM
Wichita has a Hydraulic Ave. - semi-majorish arterial. Used to be the hydraulic mill that has been gone 120 years.
Isn't it also parallel to a large storm drain that runs through the middle of the city?
Another problem: Main Street when it's not that important.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on September 03, 2013, 12:53:33 PM
also, any variant of "Camino Road". either you don't speak English, or you don't speak Spanish. your ignorance is showing.
In the area where I live, many Spanish named streets (Calle x x) have "Drive" appended to the end.
Quote from: 1 on September 03, 2013, 03:40:55 PM
Another problem: Main Street when it's not that important.
there's also a rash of Maine Streets, including one in the town in which I live which is sufficiently important that it could be completely sensible without the suffix letter. ha ha de doop LOOL3 ha, you're so clever.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on September 03, 2013, 03:52:25 PM
Quote from: 1 on September 03, 2013, 03:40:55 PM
Another problem: Main Street when it's not that important.
there's also a rash of Maine Streets, including one in the town in which I live which is sufficiently important that it could be completely sensible without the suffix letter. ha ha de doop LOOL3 ha, you're so clever.
More like these are named after the state or the ship (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Maine_%28ACR-1%29).
Quote from: Brandon on September 03, 2013, 06:14:17 PM
More like these are named after the state or the ship (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Maine_%28ACR-1%29).
I'm aware that both of those concepts exist, but I have seen at least 3 or 4 towns where Maine is the most important road therein, so it always makes me roll my eyes.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on September 03, 2013, 12:53:33 PM
street names are intended to facilitate navigation first, and foremost.
With all due respect, says who?
Quote from: codyg1985 on September 03, 2013, 03:38:07 PM
Quote from: WichitaRoads on September 03, 2013, 02:21:14 PM
Wichita has a Hydraulic Ave. - semi-majorish arterial. Used to be the hydraulic mill that has been gone 120 years.
Isn't it also parallel to a large storm drain that runs through the middle of the city?
It's also home to the address I'm currently sitting in. My work address is on N. Hydraulic, basically on the Wichita—Park City line, and I'm closing tonight.
I grew up on Careful Drive - named after the farmer who sold the land.
Quote from: empirestate on September 03, 2013, 10:05:53 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on September 03, 2013, 12:53:33 PM
street names are intended to facilitate navigation first, and foremost.
With all due respect, says who?
Actually, in most places, street names seem to be intended for 911 response.
Quote from: codyg1985 on September 03, 2013, 03:38:07 PM
Quote from: WichitaRoads on September 03, 2013, 02:21:14 PM
Wichita has a Hydraulic Ave. - semi-majorish arterial. Used to be the hydraulic mill that has been gone 120 years.
Isn't it also parallel to a large storm drain that runs through the middle of the city?
Yes and no... it runs roughly parallel to Chisholm Creek, which is now channelized into the Canal. However, the road is anywhere from 4 to 6 blocks from it most of the time. It wasn't named for the creek or canal. The old mill, however, was fed long ago by the creek, whose very old bed may have run close to the street near 1st or 2nd.
ICTRds
Minden, NV has a fairly major residential street called "County Road". It's not "County Road 1A" or "County Road 666" or anything like that, just "County Road".
A few miles west you can find the ever-popular "Goa Way".
Quote from: WichitaRoads on September 04, 2013, 12:32:41 AMYes and no... it runs roughly parallel to Chisholm Creek, which is now channelized into the Canal. However, the road is anywhere from 4 to 6 blocks from it most of the time. It wasn't named for the creek or canal. The old mill, however, was fed long ago by the creek, whose very old bed may have run close to the street near 1st or 2nd.
Where'd you find out about the old mill?
I've found it hard to guess why some arterials in Wichita have the names they do. Ridge and Hillside may have to do with their being the approximate boundaries (west and east respectively) of the Arkansas River floodplain, McLean Boulevard is named after a banker, Maize Road goes to Maize, and Tyler Road goes to the unincorporated community of Tyler (since swallowed up by Wichita). I think Amidon was another banker, and Womer boils down to a choice between two brothers, one of whom built houses on the west side while the other worked as an architect primarily on the east side. But I don't know how Harry, Maple, Lewis, Oliver, West (which is not very west these days), Grove, Woodlawn, Edgemoor, Rock, Webb, Greenwich, and Springdale came by their names.
Before the zoo was relocated from Riverside to its present location near the Big Ditch, the boulevard leading to it, now Zoo, was known as Bickel. I do not know who or what Bickel was. Kellogg Avenue originally existed only east of the Arkansas River (and, per 1930's 7.5' topographic maps, was not the original routing of US 54, which entered Wichita on Central); the western part of what is now Kellogg was built much later and was originally called Brockway Boulevard. I have no idea who or what Brockway was.
I assume Kellogg was not named for the guy who thought corn flakes were an anaphrodisiac?
Quote from: Scott5114 on September 04, 2013, 02:07:23 AMI assume Kellogg was not named for the guy who thought corn flakes were an anaphrodisiac?
Nope. It is also not connected to the Kellogg-Briand Pact. (BTW, cornflakes Kellogg was actually the brother of the Kellogg who advocated circumcision for hygienic reasons and as a way of discouraging boys from masturbating.) As far as I know, Wichita's Kellogg Avenue has nothing to do with the road of the same name in Cincinnati, which carries the US 52 designation and is a two-lane minor arterial for much of its length.
Wichita's Kellogg Avenue is named after Milo Bailey Kellogg, a Civil War veteran and the city's first civilian postmaster:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimage1.findagrave.com%2Fphotos250%2Fphotos%2F2009%2F172%2F5551170_124569462201.jpg&hash=fab723a2c240ef6039da1bdd2e02b624bbb90236) (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=5551170)
He didn't stay around long--when Wichita's city historian (working out of the public library) set about collecting records relating to him in the early 1970's, it was discovered he had moved quickly on to Fresno and then to Seattle. The materials found included his application for a war disability pension, on the basis of heatstroke sustained while a prisoner at Andersonville. I don't know whether it was granted, but he did finish his final year at the Washington State Soldiers' Home in Orting.
Quoteany place where Foo Drive yields branches of Foo Circle, Foo Court, Foo Terrace, etc. there are so many available names.
similarly is where they get all cute and have Foo Mountain Road, Foo Creek Road, Foo Valley Road, Foo Meadow Road all within several blocks of each other.
In other words, like Atlanta's fetish with Peachtree...
Quote from: Steve on September 03, 2013, 11:31:38 PM
Quote from: empirestate on September 03, 2013, 10:05:53 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on September 03, 2013, 12:53:33 PM
street names are intended to facilitate navigation first, and foremost.
With all due respect, says who?
Actually, in most places, street names seem to be intended for 911 response.
Modern rural ones, yes, which probably cover most of the U.S.
by area. But most
places (towns, cities etc.) predate the 911 system, so I'm inclined to look for a different rationale behind their street naming.
To put it another way, Boston.
Why would you need to name a street except to help find something on it? (Other than masturbatory politician memorial naming practice, but such names are never actually used for anything.)
Quote from: Scott5114 on September 04, 2013, 06:41:38 AM
Why would you need to name a street except to help find something on it? (Other than masturbatory politician memorial naming practice, but such names are never actually used for anything.)
A while back there was an article in the Washington
Post about people in one of the rural Virginia counties who were angry that the county government was forcing them to have street names. Seems the emergency services (fire, ambulance, etc.) didn't do well with directions like "turn left at the big rock and look for the house after the red crape myrtle."
Perhaps it would be a perfect time to change Saturn Parkway in Spring Hill, TN, since its namesake GM brand doesn't even exist anymore.
Quote from: Henry on September 04, 2013, 10:03:34 AM
Perhaps it would be a perfect time to change Saturn Parkway in Spring Hill, TN, since its namesake GM brand doesn't even exist anymore.
See my prior comment above about the Friendly Village of Dulles!
Quote from: WichitaRoads on September 03, 2013, 02:21:14 PM
Wichita has a Hydraulic Ave.
Wichita has roads called "Such-and-Such Trafficway". that sounds awful. were "Congestionland", "Accident Alley", and "Utter Shit" taken?
Quote from: agentsteel53 on September 04, 2013, 10:29:16 AMWichita has roads called "Such-and-Such Trafficway". that sounds awful. were "Congestionland", "Accident Alley", and "Utter Shit" taken?
Wichita isn't Trafficway territory--that is northeast Kansas and western Missouri. As I believe NE2 mentioned in another thread, the
trafficway term goes back to the 1910's, long before there would have been any problems with motor vehicle congestion.
Quote from: J N Winkler on September 04, 2013, 01:52:54 AM
Quote from: WichitaRoads on September 04, 2013, 12:32:41 AMYes and no... it runs roughly parallel to Chisholm Creek, which is now channelized into the Canal. However, the road is anywhere from 4 to 6 blocks from it most of the time. It wasn't named for the creek or canal. The old mill, however, was fed long ago by the creek, whose very old bed may have run close to the street near 1st or 2nd.
Where'd you find out about the old mill?
I've found it hard to guess why some arterials in Wichita have the names they do. Ridge and Hillside may have to do with their being the approximate boundaries (west and east respectively) of the Arkansas River floodplain, McLean Boulevard is named after a banker, Maize Road goes to Maize, and Tyler Road goes to the unincorporated community of Tyler (since swallowed up by Wichita). I think Amidon was another banker, and Womer boils down to a choice between two brothers, one of whom built houses on the west side while the other worked as an architect primarily on the east side. But I don't know how Harry, Maple, Lewis, Oliver, West (which is not very west these days), Grove, Woodlawn, Edgemoor, Rock, Webb, Greenwich, and Springdale came by their names.
Before the zoo was relocated from Riverside to its present location near the Big Ditch, the boulevard leading to it, now Zoo, was known as Bickel. I do not know who or what Bickel was. Kellogg Avenue originally existed only east of the Arkansas River (and, per 1930's 7.5' topographic maps, was not the original routing of US 54, which entered Wichita on Central); the western part of what is now Kellogg was built much later and was originally called Brockway Boulevard. I have no idea who or what Brockway was.
A mixture of colloquial knowledge and books by the late Dr. Craig Miner. Also, here is a link about it: http://www.historicpreservationalliance.com/WichitaHPA/Hydraulic_Mills.html
Also, at the Wichita Library, Downtown Branch, there is a book (can't remember the name) that lists all of Wichita's streets, and where the name came from exactly. It's in Geneology, in the basement. I'm here today for work, but can't really get down there to research. From what I know:
Amidon: Col. Samuel Amidon, a lawyer and Democratic party WAG (close friend of Woody Wilson)
Harry - named after an early stage driver Harry Hill (can be found in Tihen Notes)
Maple - the tree
Lewis - named after Col. Hiram W. Lewis, a prominent early citizen.
Oliver - surname of a pioneer family of Wichita; specifically Mark Oliver, who had options on the land that the road now edges.
West - served as western city limit for decades.
Grove - needs verification, but could be named after the grove of trees that stood along the old Chisholm Creek, near East High, where Grove was close to it.
Woodlawn - Named for Woodlawn Heights, a planned community in 1923 that eventually was absorbed to become was is now known as Eastborough.
Edgemoor - Unsure, but served as eastern citiy limit for decades in the 1900s... "Edge" could be indicator there.
Rock - named for town of Rock, KS, located on US 77 between Douglass and Winfield, north of K-15 junction. Sections of the road were once part of an old alignment of K-15.
Webb - Needs research, but a Webb Street existed for a short distance under present-day Century II, verified by 1954 city map. It ran along a short section of track, and was named after Col. A.H. Webb, the MoPac Superintendent. Name may have been transferred, but the road was known by the name as early as 1948, while Webb Street didn't cease until 1968.
Greenwich - Named for unincorporated village of Greenwich Heights, swallowed up by Wichita.
Springdale - Named for unincorporated village of Springdale, now just housing developments (not usally used; just 143rd St East now).
Bickel became Zoo on March 9, 1972. I didn't know about Bickel until a year or so ago when I read the thread on Wichita expressways. Can't find a name source currently. Needs more research. As for Brockway, it was named after P.L. Brockway, a city engineer, named on Feb 21, 1949, from the old Wichita and Western right of way. The same day, K-15 was named Southeast Blvd., and K-42 was named Southwest Blvd. The name was dropped on Dec. 30, 1952, in favor of West Kellogg to avoid confusion for drivers using the new US 54 alignment under construction.
I need to do more research when I can. The Tihen Notes are a wonderful trove of Wichita history info, fully searchable. Dr. Tihen read and summarized every daily paper (Eagle, Beacon, and Eagle-Beacon) between the first papers in the 1870s and his death in 1991. Obviously, he read backward, having been born in the 1920s. You can look here: http://specialcollections.wichita.edu/collections/local_history/tihen/index.asp
And a side note: Greenwood Street, until 1940, was known as Fannie Street. [CORRECTION] Fannie was related to Lulu, Laura, Pattie, and those other streets in the area. They were all female relatives of the landowner, A. A. Hyde. Kids started mocking the street name, and so out of 1940s-style sensibilites, they changed the name to a nearby county.
ICTRds
Quote from: Steve on September 03, 2013, 11:31:38 PM
Quote from: empirestate on September 03, 2013, 10:05:53 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on September 03, 2013, 12:53:33 PM
street names are intended to facilitate navigation first, and foremost.
With all due respect, says who?
Actually, in most places, street names seem to be intended for 911 response.
As 1995hoo points out, facilitating navigation and 911 response amount to the same thing. Facilitating navigation for ambulance drivers.
WichitaRoads--many thanks for this information; I will see if I can find the book on Wichita streets the next time I am at the downtown library. I ran across the Tihen notes as part of an earlier attempt to research freeway openings in Wichita (not just Kellogg, but also I-235, I-135, and K-96), but haven't yet drilled through them.
Quote from: WichitaRoads on September 04, 2013, 12:48:38 PMAnd a side note: Greenwood Street, until 1940, was known as Fannie Street. Fannie was a sister of Lulu, Laura, Pattie, and those other streets in the area. They were all daughters of the landowner, Hiram Lewis. Kids started mocking the street name, and so out of 1940s-style sensibilites, they changed the name to a nearby county.
The story I heard about those streets is a little different: they are in Hyde Addition, named after A.A. Hyde--the mentholatum baron and big wheel in the early YMCA--and the street names come from his female relatives and friends (wife Ida, wife's sister-in-law Laura, wife's half-sister Pattie, and Fannie for a family friend).
http://f5paper.com/article/mentholatum-man
As an aside, Hyde's original metholatum factory on Douglas now houses the Spice Merchant, which is pretty much the only place in Wichita where exotic coffees (Kenyan, Javanese, Ethiopian Sidamo or Yirgacheffe, etc.) can be bought in less than bulk quantities.
Edit: I had also assumed Hoover Road was named after the President. This, it turns out, is not so: instead it is named after Samuel Hoover, an early land developer who was responsible for much of what is now Riverside. He is also the namesake of Hoover Orchard.
http://f5paper.com/article/100-years-ago-wichita-0
Quote from: J N Winkler on September 04, 2013, 01:52:54 AM
But I don't know how ... Greenwich ... came by [its name].
I just always assumed it was due to the town of Greenwich (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwich,_Kansas).
Quote from: Scott5114 on September 04, 2013, 06:41:38 AM
Why would you need to name a street except to help find something on it?
The question implies that people throughout history have purposefully set out to name their streets. Without doing research into the history of street names, I don't immediately believe that to be the case. It is quite easy for me to imagine, for example, that many streets simply came by their names based on who lived on them, what businesses were located on them, what geographical landmarks were nearby, etc., etc.–and came by them organically rather than decidedly–which only
afterwards turned out to be useful for navigation.
Quote from: Scott5114 on September 04, 2013, 06:41:38 AM
Why would you need to name a street except to help find something on it?
Ah! I think I see now where our thinking diverges...you're thinking of "facilitating navigation" to destinations on the street, not necessarily the street itself. You're saying that you'd name a street to identify it as the correct one, so that one could then look for a destination along it. I was taking "facilitate navigation" to mean that the street's name would help you locate the street
itself, which is a common practice in the U.S. but a relatively new one.
In other words, yes, if you know your destination is on Jones Street, then seeing a sign for "Jones Street" would tell you you're at the right place to start looking, but it won't tell you how to find Jones Street in the first place. You need further directions for that. But as for grid naming systems such as "2300 South Road" or "West 215th Street", absolutely those names facilitate navigation by helping you find the road even if you don't have directions to it.
In fact, in the old days often knowing destinations would help you find the street instead of vice versa: if your destination was on Mill Road, and you were already familiar with the mill, you'd know that your destination was on that same road as the mill. (You'd probably say something like "my farm is two miles down the mill road.")
Yes, even roads with historical connections can make sense (all of these examples are in my area).
- Northline Road: runs along what was formerly the northern limits of Wyandotte prior to the annexation of Ford City in 1922
- Eureka Road: the Eureka Iron Company was once located at the foot of this road at the Detroit River in the late 1800's
- Pennsylvania Road: the Pennsylvania Salt Company (later Pennwalt) was located for many years at the Detroit River foot of this road
- Sibley Road: this road once ran along the northern edge of the hamlet of Sibley, which was later annexed by Trenton
- Gibraltar Road, Inkster Road: both roads do pass through their respective communities
- Telegraph Road (U.S. 24): telegraph poles once lined this road
Two roads in my area have names that don't make sense, though:
- Trenton Road: is entirely within Southgate, though it intersects Fort Street (M-85), which passes through Trenton
- Ecorse Road (old M-17): goes nowhere near Ecorse, though it's eastern end is a few blocks from Southfield Road (M-39), which does enter Ecorse itself
I think I shared this image before in a different context, but it seems relevant to this thread, from Caroline County, Maryland: (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.toward.com%2Fcpz%2Fdsc00962web.jpg&hash=1300e12b65f406cb48b01b80e53fe6d6c7d5931a)
Quote from: kphoger on September 04, 2013, 04:06:48 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on September 04, 2013, 06:41:38 AM
Why would you need to name a street except to help find something on it?
The question implies that people throughout history have purposefully set out to name their streets. Without doing research into the history of street names, I don't immediately believe that to be the case. It is quite easy for me to imagine, for example, that many streets simply came by their names based on who lived on them, what businesses were located on them, what geographical landmarks were nearby, etc., etc.–and came by them organically rather than decidedly–which only afterwards turned out to be useful for navigation.
To expand on my point, I grew up in a county that didn't name its rural roads until after 2000. Back when I lived there, people would sometimes refer to roads by "name" even though they had no official names. For example, you might give someone directions by telling them to take "the old highway" for three miles; ideally, it would have later gotten the name "Old Highway", but unfortunately it's now something like "Road M". But my point is that people didn't go and
decide to name it "the old highway" but, rather, it ended up with that name (or should have) simply by
being the old highway. Facilitating navigation just happened to be later-received benefit.
Similarly, there is no town of Rudaville in Rawlins County, Kansas. Yet, if I tell someone from Rawlins County that so-and-so lives three miles east of Rudaville, they'll know exactly where I'm talking about. It's three miles east of where the Ruda family has historically owned farmland. It's easy to imagine that a road running through that area would end up being called "Rudaville Road", whether or not someone actually made a conscious decision to name it that for the sake of navigation.
Quote from: empirestate on September 04, 2013, 04:17:12 PM
Ah! I think I see now where our thinking diverges...you're thinking of "facilitating navigation" to destinations on the street, not necessarily the street itself. You're saying that you'd name a street to identify it as the correct one, so that one could then look for a destination along it. I was taking "facilitate navigation" to mean that the street's name would help you locate the street itself, which is a common practice in the U.S. but a relatively new one.
that would certainly be nice.
but even if the street names were completely arbitrary, it helps to have them be not easily confused. having "Pacific Hwy" be the frontage road for "Pacific Highway" is just utter madness.
I live right off a "Valley Circle Boulevard." It runs in a (mostly) straight line and in no way attempts to circle the valley.
Quote from: J N Winkler on September 04, 2013, 03:40:08 PM
The story I heard about those streets is a little different: they are in Hyde Addition, named after A.A. Hyde--the mentholatum baron and big wheel in the early YMCA--and the street names come from his female relatives and friends (wife Ida, wife's sister-in-law Laura, wife's half-sister Pattie, and Fannie for a family friend).
http://f5paper.com/article/mentholatum-man
As an aside, Hyde's original metholatum factory on Douglas now houses the Spice Merchant, which is pretty much the only place in Wichita where exotic coffees (Kenyan, Javanese, Ethiopian Sidamo or Yirgacheffe, etc.) can be bought in less than bulk quantities.
Edit: I had also assumed Hoover Road was named after the President. This, it turns out, is not so: instead it is named after Samuel Hoover, an early land developer who was responsible for much of what is now Riverside. He is also the namesake of Hoover Orchard.
http://f5paper.com/article/100-years-ago-wichita-0
Right on with Hoover. As for the other streets in Hyde Addition, you are right - my info was a little off! I know for sure about the date of the name change, though!
ICTRds
I've always been annoyed with "Broadway" or "Broad Street" that isn't broad. Or "Grand Ave/Blvd/Etc" that isn't very grand.
QuoteA while back there was an article in the Washington Post about people in one of the rural Virginia counties who were angry that the county government was forcing them to have street names. Seems the emergency services (fire, ambulance, etc.) didn't do well with directions like "turn left at the big rock and look for the house after the red crape myrtle."
Given that virtually every public road in every rural county in Virginia is maintained by VDOT and has a route number (and has for 80 years now), theoretically they could have skipped the streetname and arranged it so that the route numbers were displayed more prominently than they already are (i.e.
"take SR 635 out of Umptyville, turn left on SR 1711, 3rd house on the right just past the red crepe maple"). But regarding your analogy, the route numbers having existed for 80 years means there's no excuse for poor direction giving.
Quote from: Steve on August 25, 2013, 08:10:59 PM
Any road named after a farm in a subdivision that obliterated that farm.
Or any road that is named after what it replaced. I puke a little when I see roads in subdivisions named "Whispering Woods Way", "Apple Orchard Way", "Deer Hill Ct.", etc.
The absolute worst example of the concept of naming the road after what you replaced: Broken Land Parkway in Columbia, MD.
Quote from: Laura Bianca on September 17, 2013, 06:15:35 AM
Quote from: Steve on August 25, 2013, 08:10:59 PM
Any road named after a farm in a subdivision that obliterated that farm.
Or any road that is named after what it replaced. I puke a little when I see roads in subdivisions named "Whispering Woods Way", "Apple Orchard Way", "Deer Hill Ct.", etc.
The absolute worst example of the concept of naming the road after what you replaced: Broken Land Parkway in Columbia, MD.
A neighborhood called "Maple Trace" was built near my old high school. We joked they chose that name because there wasn't a trace of a maple after they tore out the trees.
Quote from: froggie on September 05, 2013, 04:38:31 AM
QuoteA while back there was an article in the Washington Post about people in one of the rural Virginia counties who were angry that the county government was forcing them to have street names. Seems the emergency services (fire, ambulance, etc.) didn't do well with directions like "turn left at the big rock and look for the house after the red crape myrtle."
Given that virtually every public road in every rural county in Virginia is maintained by VDOT and has a route number (and has for 80 years now), theoretically they could have skipped the streetname and arranged it so that the route numbers were displayed more prominently than they already are (i.e. "take SR 635 out of Umptyville, turn left on SR 1711, 3rd house on the right just past the red crepe maple"). But regarding your analogy, the route numbers having existed for 80 years means there's no excuse for poor direction giving.
I rather strongly suspect most of them have no idea what the numbers are, but I tend to agree with you that if you live on an unnamed street, it behooves you to know the route number and not to rely solely on landmarks that may change (for example, "turn at the big maple tree" becomes worthless if said tree falls over in a storm and is removed). I more strongly suspect that in Loudoun's case it was another aspect of conflict between people who lived there when it was primarily rural and out in the sticks versus people who moved there as it became more suburban and wanted it to be like other suburbs.
VDOT is not as thorough about posting route numbers as in the past, though (example: the road in and out of my neighborhood is a VDOT road by has no number posted anywhere).
I always found it a bit odd that Liberty Heights Ave was in the city, but Liberty Heights Terrace was off of Liberty Rd, half a mile in the county. I also felt it was odd that they felt there was a need to name it Liberty Heights Terrace.
In Blairstown NJ there is a Shades of Death Rd. (A house for sale on that street made it to Leno).
Don't forget Street Road in PA...
Quote from: HurrMark on September 20, 2013, 11:33:55 AM
Don't forget Street Road in PA...
Forgot about it. I was on Street Road yesterday. :-D
Salisbury MA has Toll Rd. It doesn't have a toll, and it's not even a freeway.
Quote from: 1 on October 26, 2013, 09:19:30 PM
Salisbury MA has Toll Rd. It doesn't have a toll, and it's not even a freeway.
Well I wouldn't expect a freeway; Massachusetts toll roads, historically speaking, have not in most cases been those.
Toll Road was the southern approach to the New Hampshire Turnpike.
Quote from: 1 on October 26, 2013, 09:19:30 PM
Salisbury MA has Toll Rd. It doesn't have a toll, and it's not even a freeway.
Asheville has Old Toll Rd, an extremely narrow 2-lane that climbs up Town Mountain.
Quote from: Thing 342 on October 27, 2013, 08:54:02 AM
Asheville has Old Toll Rd, an extremely narrow 2-lane that climbs up Town Mountain.
Gee, I wonder. Could it be a former toll road?
Quote from: NE2 on October 27, 2013, 09:07:18 AM
Quote from: Thing 342 on October 27, 2013, 08:54:02 AM
Asheville has Old Toll Rd, an extremely narrow 2-lane that climbs up Town Mountain.
Gee, I wonder. Could it be a former toll road?
Considering that it goes through mostly residential areas, I doubt it.
It was a toll road: http://archive.org/stream/northcarolinagui00fede#page/148/mode/2up/search/toll
As best as I can tell, it began at the Grove Park Inn entrance and climbed to the current end of Old Toll Road at NC 694, then continued straight and looped around on what's now a private driveway, ending up on Westhaven Drive to the summit. The houses came later.
There's a road in Coram/Middle Island/Ridge, NY named Whiskey Road. Obviously you know what they were drinking. http://www.longwood.k12.ny.us/history/midisl/bayles stories/book 9/How Whiskey Road Got Its Name.htm (http://www.longwood.k12.ny.us/history/midisl/bayles%20stories/book%209/How%20Whiskey%20Road%20Got%20Its%20Name.htm)
QuoteA jug of whiskey was placed a short distance a head of the men, who were told that they could stop and have a drink when they had cleared a trail to where the jug was placed, and then the jug was taken ahead again and the same process repeated. Tradition has it they each time the jug was changed a different course was made so the trail was very crooked, and in later years when the road was opened on this trail it became one of the most crooked roads in Brookhaven Town.
I live in a farm themed subdivision, so there are streets like Corn Husker Lane, Red Rooster Lane, Picket Fence Lane, and so on. One thing that annoys me is when subdivision streets try to call themselves Boulevard or Parkway, the pretentious sods.
In Baton Rouge, but I suspect a good many other cities, originality in street naming is sadly lacking. The list below provides the number of times that certain words turn up as either complete street names or part of a street name in East Baton Rouge Parish:
Park: 118
Wood: 383
Tree: 25
Water: 18
Oak: 187
Pine: 37
Creek: 67
Green: 55
River: 40
Lake: 179
Field: 50
Meadow: 48
Ridge: 156 (in a topography that is essentially flat)
Some of these overlap, but these words are all or part of a fair number of the 6535 unique street names in the parish.
The reason? Developers are lazy around here and use the same street naming themes over and over and over.....
There are a couple roads in Columbus, Ohio that I found particularly amusing; Hard Road, around Dublin, and Godown Road in north-central Columbus (above Upper Arington).
I have an old picture around here somewhere taken at the corner of Fairy and Hooker Sts. in Martinsville VA.
Edit:
Quote from: Urban Prairie Schooner on October 29, 2013, 01:42:17 PM
In Baton Rouge, but I suspect a good many other cities, originality in street naming is sadly lacking. The list below provides the number of times that certain words turn up as either complete street names or part of a street name in East Baton Rouge Parish:
Oak: 187
Yup, that is a part of my street name.
Quote from: MDOTFanFB on September 04, 2013, 04:23:32 PM
Yes, even roads with historical connections can make sense (all of these examples are in my area).
- Northline Road: runs along what was formerly the northern limits of Wyandotte prior to the annexation of Ford City in 1922
- Eureka Road: the Eureka Iron Company was once located at the foot of this road at the Detroit River in the late 1800's
- Pennsylvania Road: the Pennsylvania Salt Company (later Pennwalt) was located for many years at the Detroit River foot of this road
- Sibley Road: this road once ran along the northern edge of the hamlet of Sibley, which was later annexed by Trenton
- Gibraltar Road, Inkster Road: both roads do pass through their respective communities
- Telegraph Road (U.S. 24): telegraph poles once lined this road
Two roads in my area have names that don't make sense, though:
- Trenton Road: is entirely within Southgate, though it intersects Fort Street (M-85), which passes through Trenton
- Ecorse Road (old M-17): goes nowhere near Ecorse, though it's eastern end is a few blocks from Southfield Road (M-39), which does enter Ecorse itself
Ecorse Road is named after Ecorse Township, which today is Allen Park, Lincoln Park, Ecorse, River Rouge and probably others which escape me at the moment.
A street north of Birmingham has the not-so-politically correct name of Jew Hill Road.
About streets "named after the [farm/trees/whatever] they replaced": I think this is technically not true in most cases. They are actually named after the residential subdivisions to which they are the main entrances. Those subdivisions are named after what was there before, which I take as a sign that the developer didn't want to look like a huge for-profit corporation that doesn't care about the community's history. The main road into that subdivision is then given that name to aid the recognition of the subdivision's name.
A distinction without a difference? Maybe, but to me, it's still a distinction worth noting.
Quote from: Thing 342 on October 27, 2013, 08:54:02 AM
Quote from: 1 on October 26, 2013, 09:19:30 PM
Salisbury MA has Toll Rd. It doesn't have a toll, and it's not even a freeway.
Asheville has Old Toll Rd, an extremely narrow 2-lane that climbs up Town Mountain.
There is an Old Toll Rd not far from Lake Arrowhead, California, which used to be a toll road in the early 1900s or around there.
Back to the silly street names, how about Cheery Lynn Rd in Phoenix, a residential street that runs off 7th Street? I use it to get at one of my favorite Chinese restaurants.
Freeway Street/Avenue/Whatever where it is not close to a freeway. There are quite a lot of examples that are within 1000 feet from a freeway.
http://goo.gl/maps/9RYXf
http://goo.gl/maps/6JVyB
In Omaha, just off of 108th Street and Q Street, is John Galt Boulevard, named for the character in Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged.
Quote from: HurrMark on September 20, 2013, 11:33:55 AM
Don't forget Street Road in PA...
I read somewhere that the "street" in "street road" actually means "straight" in some language or other, or possibly during etymological development. The two words are not actually related in English, but "straight" was once spelled "streht", so there could have been some conflation that happened once and then other roads were named after it. The word sequence "street road" has been used as early as 1722 according to Google (http://books.google.com/books?id=2dIHAAAAQAAJ&dq=%22street%20road%22&pg=PA2#v=onepage&q=%22street%20road%22&f=false)
Since many - not all - of the street names in my community have Spanish names, I have thought about a sub-topic here, "Why developers should not use Spanish street names." Some of the Spanish names in this area are totally incorrect (misspelled), or strange when translated back to English. Por ejemplo:
This intersection was envisioned, I'm sure, to be South Street (Drive) and Happy Street (Drive). One problem, common on the Spanish streets in this area, if the street is already a Calle, why add "Drive"? Also, some issues with the names themselves. "Happy" is alegre, not allegre. That additional "l" turns it into a non-existent word in Spanish that would be pronounced differently. "Sud" also had me thinking that the French word for "south" was chosen by mistake, but some digging through Spanish dictionaries on-line led me to find that "sud" is a Latin-American variation of the usual word, "sur". Any of you guys more fluent in Spanish could comment on this, whether you encounter that usage in Mexico.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm8.staticflickr.com%2F7419%2F11180439346_db708c1a7b.jpg&hash=eeea5176425c34a8a1f8ae97a192d8d40ab79f5e)
My first reaction to "Dos Cabezas" was that it just plain looks weird. Did the narcos leave the heads of two informants here as a warning? Then, I reflected that the name sounds like a geological formation. Nothing by that name in this area, but there is a Dos Cabezas Peak in southeast Arizona, only 500 miles from here. So, that's probably the reference even though nobody in this area would know of it.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm8.staticflickr.com%2F7424%2F11180468664_dd7e432735.jpg&hash=e8427e5a49a1020f7fe9c59e7d6a9b5426037de2)
So... are those calles and caminos, or drives? :pan:
Quote from: Dr Frankenstein on December 04, 2013, 01:04:57 PM
So... are those calles and caminos, or drives? :pan:
Apparently, yes.
Quote from: The High Plains Traveler on December 04, 2013, 12:28:41 PMsome digging through Spanish dictionaries on-line led me to find that "sud" is a Latin-American variation of the usual word, "sur". Any of you guys more fluent in Spanish could comment on this, whether you encounter that usage in Mexico.
"sud" tends to be a prefix. I have never seen it written in Mexico, but I feel like I've heard it pronounced. maybe. the "r" and "d" are sufficiently similar when wedged in front of a vowel that I (not that great a speaker, admittedly) can't quite differentiate it. see "suroeste", "suramerica", etc, which may very well have a "d" in there as pronounced.
Quote from: DandyDan on November 19, 2013, 03:21:12 AM
In Omaha, just off of 108th Street and Q Street, is John Galt Boulevard, named for the character in Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged.
Appreciate that very much. I'm familiar with the street, but not the novel, LOL.
With other locally colorful names, Bob Boozer Dr, Q Street, Ruggles Circle, and Golfing Green Drive, it fits right in.
We really don't need a 'funny place names' thread. But Limp is an unincorporated community in Hardin County, Kentucky, United States. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limp,_Kentucky)
I like to know why the City of Orlando picked Radebaugh Way for Tropical Trail which was a very short street in what is now the Millenia Development that is under the I-4 underpass that once connected Americana Boulevard with Vineland Road.
There were plenty of other streets created in the Millenia Development that could have been named that. It is just Tropical Tail was never a real street, but part of the original Americana Boulevard that never got named it. For years it created confusion for motorists on Vineland Road looking for Americana Boulevard and many would always talk about why the City of Orlando let Americana Boulevard change it name for one brief moment while passing under I-4. I guess that is a bigger mystery than the one I am pointing out here, but nonetheless somebody went out of their way (even for one brief moment) to merely put this name on the books.
I would wager, that the city had no idea that Tropical Trail even existed and thought it was all Americana Boulevard all the way to Vineland Road. Then when the whole development went up where Americana got severed, they thought that the part under I-4 needed a new name so they chose whoever Radebaugh was and decided to name the rest of that street after him or her.
Radebaugh was originally the part of Millenia south of current Radebaugh. It was named by 1957, presumably for a local landowner.
In 1959 the county requested (http://www.occompt.com/attachments/article/4659/06-01-1959%20Minutes.pdf) (unsuccessfully, of course) that the state build an I-4 underpass at Conroy/Holden rather than Tropical/Radebaugh. [Note that original Tropical is now Conroy/Americana.]
Some from Lafayette, LA:
* Intersecting streets named College and Coolidge. The former is a major road that goes nowhere near the local major university (which IS on University Ave.). The latter just happens to be one of a series of streets named for presidents.
* Souvenir Gate. That's the complete name of the street (ignore the erroneous signs that say "Souvenir Gate Street"). There is no gate. There's also no place to get souvenirs.
* Mountainside Lane. I delivered pizzas in that area for two years. Never did find the mountain.
In rural St. Martin Parish there is a road named "Old Trash Pile Road." As if Louisiana didn't have a bad-enough reputation for littering.
And yes, there is a Clearview Parkway, in Metairie, which has nothing to do with the font.
The one that really bothers me is the road named "Hwy 99" in Vancouver, WA. Yes it was the former alignment of US 99, but due to the proximity to Oregon it is confused for an actual highway by people, even though Washington technically uses State Route, the locals call them highways. It doesn't help either that there is a section of SR-99 in Lynnwood, WA simply called "Hwy 99".
This is almost as bad as roads called "Highway" that either were never highways, or haven't been for 50+ years. Ballenger Highway in Flint, MI was one that really bothered me. It was never US-23, and from what I can find was never a highway, but has had that name for decades.
Another one is when a road changes names between jurisdictions, only to have that name used for another road/street in the other jurisdiction. M-24 outside of Lake Orion, MI is often known as Lapeer Rd. However, in Lake Orion, it is simply M-24. Adjacent to it, only within Lake Orion is a street called Lapeer St. It is really confusing for people unfamiliar with the area to follow directions from locals because of that.
The only other one that bothers me is a street named, for example, Evergreen St., has several branches, Evergreen Ct., Evergreen Pl, Evergreen Lp, etc. Come up with other names!!!
Of course, I would love to have a new city, or start a renumbering campaign, to name the numbered streets after Presidents, in order of service. Or have an excuse to have 1st, 2nd, 3rd, πth, 4th, etc. Perhaps even adding eth before 3rd, with eth and πth being oneway cuplets, and 3rd being a local access rd.
Here's a clever one here in Huntsville:
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5543/11036237473_85e0d0eb92.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/hPeAUr)
A Cleaner Way (https://flic.kr/p/hPeAUr) by freebrickproductions (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr
In Clinton, OK–Google Maps shows it as Gary Boulevard, but there's at least one set of signs calling it "Gary Freeway".
It's old US-66. Definitely NOT a freeway.
Quote from: freebrickproductions on June 16, 2014, 05:42:03 PM
Here's a clever one here in Huntsville:
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5543/11036237473_85e0d0eb92.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/hPeAUr)
A Cleaner Way (https://flic.kr/p/hPeAUr) by freebrickproductions (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr
Is a laundry soap or a fabric softener factory nearby? :D
Quote from: TEG24601 on June 16, 2014, 05:41:01 PM
Another one is when a road changes names between jurisdictions, only to have that name used for another road/street in the other jurisdiction. M-24 outside of Lake Orion, MI is often known as Lapeer Rd. However, in Lake Orion, it is simply M-24. Adjacent to it, only within Lake Orion is a street called Lapeer St. It is really confusing for people unfamiliar with the area to follow directions from locals because of that.
A very similar thing occurs in Beverly Hills, CA and the nearby neighborhoods of Los Angeles:
Bedford Drive (BH) is 1.4 miles west of Bedford Street (LA) and both intersect Olympic Blvd.
Camden Ave (LA) is 2.4 miles west of Camden Drive (BH) and both intersect Olympic Blvd.
Spalding Drive (BH) is 2.8 miles west of Spaulding Ave (LA) and both intersect Olympic Blvd.
Stanley Drive (BH) is 1.4 miles west of Stanley Ave (LA) and both intersect Wilshire Blvd.
There really is no need for this. Especially, Stanley Drive is a relatively short stretch of street. North of the BH city line and south of the BH city line the street is known as Holt Avenue and the street is only in Beverly Hills for like half a mile.
No one has mentioned Lois Lane in Southfield MI.
And Lenawee County has the habit of naming gravel roads not much more than dirt tracks "Highways".
In Pelham, AL, just south of Birmingham, the access road to the local bowling alley is named Bowling Lane.
Quote from: amroad17 on June 16, 2014, 06:30:57 PM
Quote from: freebrickproductions on June 16, 2014, 05:42:03 PM
Here's a clever one here in Huntsville:
(https://flic.kr/p/hPeAUr)
A Cleaner Way (https://flic.kr/p/hPeAUr) by freebrickproductions (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr
Is a laundry soap or a fabric softener factory nearby? :D
There's also a "Soap Circle" nearby. Maybe "Bathtub Ring" would have been better.
Based on a quick glance at Google Maps, a number of cleanup-related business are in this industrial park: Green Mountain Soap, Republic Services (trash and recycling services), and Servpro (fire/water damage restoration).
Personally, I never understood why things like 'Nine Foot Road' (or stuff similar to that) exist. The road tends to be longer than the length it is named for.
Quote from: Alex4897 on June 16, 2014, 10:01:08 PM
Personally, I never understood why things like 'Nine Foot Road' (or stuff similar to that) exist. The road tends to be longer than the length it is named for.
The reverse is true for 2 Mile Rd. in Barrington NH (just off of US 4). It's slightly under 1 mile long.
Quote from: GaryV on June 16, 2014, 09:00:42 PM
And Lenawee County has the habit of naming gravel roads not much more than dirt tracks "Highways".
So does Eaton County. Nobody tell TEG24601!
Quote from: 1 on August 25, 2013, 06:29:59 PMThe ones that don't make sense:
Gloucester Street in Methuen.
Beverly Street in North Andover.
Westford Street in Haverhill.
Boxford Street in Worcester.
How could these have gone to the other towns?
(These are just examples out of hundreds.)
You're assuming the present city and town boundaries are as they were when these roads were built, and that's not true in many cases. The town I live in, Stoneham, was once part of Charlestown (when Charlestown was independent of Boston). By their present boundaries, the two are almost ten miles apart.
Or, to pick a really extreme example: Boston Road (formerly Boston Post Road) in the Bronx.
Fort Wayne has this street name. Its named after a former mayor but it got national attention.
In National Cemetery of the Pacific , which overlooks Honolulu ,there are two drives that circle the cemetery, Inner and Outer, then they are divided, North and South. Thus, there is a street sign saying ,S. Inner Drive. So you could have loved ones buried on" Sinner Drive." Good planning?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fucking,_Austria
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gropecunt_Lane
Hey there is a street called Butt Hole Road in England.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butt_Hole_Road
Sadly, Breakfast Hill Road does not smell like bacon:
http://goo.gl/maps/QsqDt
Quote from: Pete from Boston on June 17, 2014, 05:51:03 PM
Sadly, Breakfast Hill Road does not smell like bacon:
http://goo.gl/maps/QsqDt
The golf club that the street is named after might, though.
Quote from: SidS1045 on June 17, 2014, 11:47:29 AM
Quote from: 1 on August 25, 2013, 06:29:59 PMThe ones that don't make sense:
Gloucester Street in Methuen.
Beverly Street in North Andover.
Westford Street in Haverhill.
Boxford Street in Worcester.
How could these have gone to the other towns?
(These are just examples out of hundreds.)
You're assuming the present city and town boundaries are as they were when these roads were built, and that's not true in many cases. The town I live in, Stoneham, was once part of Charlestown (when Charlestown was independent of Boston). By their present boundaries, the two are almost ten miles apart.
Or, to pick a really extreme example: Boston Road (formerly Boston Post Road) in the Bronx.
WRT Boston Road, it is not so far fetched that the road goes to Boston, as it once did, and in fact still does. Most of the stretch of Boston Road and Boston Post Road is signed currently as US 1, so the state DOTs are still signing the way to Boston along this road, if you follow the US 1 signs.
Whenever we drove up (my family and I) from Atlanta to New York, my dad would get a chuckle at the I-85 exit 65 (Squirrel Level Road) in Petersburg, Virginia. Like, what were you thinking and who's in charge of naming these roads? What the heck is "squirrel level"? :confused:
Quote from: ElPanaChevere on June 30, 2014, 03:03:09 AM
What the heck is "squirrel level"? :confused:
Obviously, it's somewhat higher than snake belly level, but not as high as hound dog level. :bigass:
I have often wondered why St. Paul, Minnesota has a Cretin Ave.
Edit: A quick Wikipedia search reveals that it was named after Joseph Crétin (1799-1857), the first Roman Catholic bishop of St. Paul. The accent is normally omitted on city street and freeway guide signs (hence "Cretin"), but adding back the accent wouldn't really improve things since crétin in French means the same as cretin in English--i.e., somebody whose mental and physical development has been stunted as a result of congenital hypothyroidism.
Quote from: GaryV on June 16, 2014, 09:00:42 PM
No one has mentioned Lois Lane in Southfield MI.
And Lenawee County has the habit of naming gravel roads not much more than dirt tracks "Highways".
Interesting. There is also an alley in a newer planned development in Loudoun County, VA named "Lois Lane" too. I also know of Devil's Reach Road in Woodbridge, VA as well.
Quote from: J N Winkler on July 04, 2014, 01:01:19 PM
I have often wondered why St. Paul, Minnesota has a Cretin Ave.
Edit: A quick Wikipedia search reveals that it was named after Joseph Crétin (1799-1857), the first Roman Catholic bishop of St. Paul. The accent is normally omitted on city street and freeway guide signs (hence "Cretin"), but adding back the accent wouldn't really improve things since crétin in French means the same as cretin in English--i.e., somebody whose mental and physical development has been stunted as a result of congenital hypothyroidism.
There's a business called Cretin Homes (http://cretinhomes.com) in the Florida Parishes area. Not sure I'd buy a house from them.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=866093216753560&set=a.187942584568630.50648.100000586708549&type=1&theater
Weiner Cutoff Rd from google images Its a strange road name.
Odd Fellows Rd In Lynchburg.
Quote from: Thing 342 on July 09, 2014, 11:22:58 PM
Odd Fellows Rd In Lynchburg.
Not as "odd" as you may think. It's obviously referring in some way to the Odd Fellows, a fraternal organization much like the Freemasons or Rotary Club (more Masonic, though). Either they had a foundation on the road, or some connection to it. It's like naming the road Masonic Rd or Lions Dr.
ICTRds
Quote from: mrsman on June 22, 2014, 07:05:26 AM
Quote from: SidS1045 on June 17, 2014, 11:47:29 AM
Quote from: 1 on August 25, 2013, 06:29:59 PMThe ones that don't make sense:
Gloucester Street in Methuen.
Beverly Street in North Andover.
Westford Street in Haverhill.
Boxford Street in Worcester.
How could these have gone to the other towns?
(These are just examples out of hundreds.)
You're assuming the present city and town boundaries are as they were when these roads were built, and that's not true in many cases. The town I live in, Stoneham, was once part of Charlestown (when Charlestown was independent of Boston). By their present boundaries, the two are almost ten miles apart.
Or, to pick a really extreme example: Boston Road (formerly Boston Post Road) in the Bronx.
WRT Boston Road, it is not so far fetched that the road goes to Boston, as it once did, and in fact still does. Most of the stretch of Boston Road and Boston Post Road is signed currently as US 1, so the state DOTs are still signing the way to Boston along this road, if you follow the US 1 signs.
It borders on neurosis to want all road names to "make sense." Sure, some are rooted in a historical identification of roads primarily with their destination, but that only lasted until the first road built just as a place to put more houses. At some point you just need a name for the sake of identification.
In Boston, streets in the South End were named as a nod to the cities and towns served by the railroads in its midst. Lenox St. is not supposed to go to Lenox, and nobody is expecting Springfield St. to go to Springfield.
The streets in East Somerville named for states... well, you get the point.
There's a street called "no name uno" in Rucker, CA, in Santa Clara county. It's a frontage road to us-101.
Quote from: WichitaRoads on July 10, 2014, 12:23:13 PM
Quote from: Thing 342 on July 09, 2014, 11:22:58 PM
Odd Fellows Rd In Lynchburg.
Not as "odd" as you may think. It's obviously referring in some way to the Odd Fellows, a fraternal organization much like the Freemasons or Rotary Club (more Masonic, though). It's like naming the road Masonic Rd or Lions Dr.
Crowley, LA, also has an Odd Fellows Road, and cemetary (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=oddfellows,+Crowley,+LA&hl=en&ll=30.232819,-92.370129&spn=0.050649,0.095444&sll=30.214093,-92.374576&sspn=0.101317,0.190887&hq=oddfellows,&hnear=Crowley,+Acadia+Parish,+Louisiana&t=m&z=14).
Grumpy Old Men Rd., Shelburne, NH:
http://goo.gl/maps/nl44k
I have a picture of the same road name in Maine, but it's not on any on-line maps I've checked.
http://www.spokeo.com/Weiner+Cutoff+Rd+Harrisburg+AR+addresses
Weiner Cutoff Rd is in Arkansas according to Spokeo.