Major cities with least amount of state highways

[TheStranger]

San Francisco comes to mind.  Other than 1 and 35, I don't think the city has any state highways.

Maybe CA-82 enters the city limits, but barely.

82 does continue for a mile past the Daly City limit to end at the San Jose Avenue/I-280/Sagamore/Alemany Boulevard intersection.  (280 north of there used to be part of 82 from 1964-1968)

Prior to 1991, 480 had been a state route in city limits from 1968 to its demolition.

Technically, I-80 along the San Francisco Skyway between US 101 and the Bay Bridge is not in the Interstate highway system (a technicality which came about as part of an Interstate mileage transfer in the late 1960s for I-105, but which has never been reflected in signage).

[thefro]

Indianapolis comes to mind immediately for not having a lot of state highways. Pittsburgh doesn't have a lot of state highways either. Mainly just the important routes. Knoxville comes to mind too.

No cities in Indiana have many because the mileage cap forces INDOT to throw everything on a freeway bypass when one is built.

The mileage cap isn't the reason that was done.  In any case, the city limits of Indy extend beyond I-465 so all those state highways do enter the city limits.

I just count SR 37/SR 67 (and 37 may go away in the city limits depending on what is done with I-69 Sec 6).

[cpzilliacus]

D.C. has exactly one "state" route, D.C. 295.

It has these Interstates:

I-66
I-95 (very short section at the Wilson Bridge)
I-295
I-395
I-695

U.S. 1
U.S. 1 Alternate (not signed in D.C.)
U.S. 29
U.S. 50

[discochris]

I'm pretty sure that Fargo, ND has no state routes, which when I lived there, I always thought was very odd.

[NWI_Irish96]

Indianapolis comes to mind immediately for not having a lot of state highways. Pittsburgh doesn't have a lot of state highways either. Mainly just the important routes. Knoxville comes to mind too.

No cities in Indiana have many because the mileage cap forces INDOT to throw everything on a freeway bypass when one is built.

The mileage cap isn't the reason that was done.  In any case, the city limits of Indy extend beyond I-465 so all those state highways do enter the city limits.

I just count SR 37/SR 67 (and 37 may go away in the city limits depending on what is done with I-69 Sec 6).

IN 135 also enters the city limits and IN 134 is entirely within the city limits.

[noelbotevera]

Indianapolis comes to mind immediately for not having a lot of state highways. Pittsburgh doesn't have a lot of state highways either. Mainly just the important routes. Knoxville comes to mind too.

No cities in Indiana have many because the mileage cap forces INDOT to throw everything on a freeway bypass when one is built.

The mileage cap isn't the reason that was done.  In any case, the city limits of Indy extend beyond I-465 so all those state highways do enter the city limits.

I just count SR 37/SR 67 (and 37 may go away in the city limits depending on what is done with I-69 Sec 6).

IN 135 also enters the city limits and IN 134 is entirely within the city limits.

135 doesn't exist, and technically 465 cheats by exiting Indianapolis sometimes along its route. For example at US 136 it's actually in the town of Speedway.

[Buffaboy]

I mean, it's not a "major" city, but in NY, Utica is the biggest city without a US highway.
edit: Rochester as well

[NWI_Irish96]

Indianapolis comes to mind immediately for not having a lot of state highways. Pittsburgh doesn't have a lot of state highways either. Mainly just the important routes. Knoxville comes to mind too.

No cities in Indiana have many because the mileage cap forces INDOT to throw everything on a freeway bypass when one is built.

The mileage cap isn't the reason that was done.  In any case, the city limits of Indy extend beyond I-465 so all those state highways do enter the city limits.

I just count SR 37/SR 67 (and 37 may go away in the city limits depending on what is done with I-69 Sec 6).

IN 135 also enters the city limits and IN 134 is entirely within the city limits.

135 doesn't exist, and technically 465 cheats by exiting Indianapolis sometimes along its route. For example at US 136 it's actually in the town of Speedway.

Not sure where you're getting that 135 doesn't exist.  I was on it a couple weeks ago.  Also not sure what 465 weaving in and out of the city limits has to do with anything.

[silverback1065]

Indianapolis comes to mind immediately for not having a lot of state highways. Pittsburgh doesn't have a lot of state highways either. Mainly just the important routes. Knoxville comes to mind too.

No cities in Indiana have many because the mileage cap forces INDOT to throw everything on a freeway bypass when one is built.

The mileage cap isn't the reason that was done.  In any case, the city limits of Indy extend beyond I-465 so all those state highways do enter the city limits.

I just count SR 37/SR 67 (and 37 may go away in the city limits depending on what is done with I-69 Sec 6).

IN 135 also enters the city limits and IN 134 is entirely within the city limits.

135 doesn't exist, and technically 465 cheats by exiting Indianapolis sometimes along its route. For example at US 136 it's actually in the town of Speedway.

SR 135 most certainly does exist, and has existed in Marion county since it was created, it's been cut back a lot but still begins at 31 on the southside:
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.693134,-86.1491975,3a,75y,85h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sXhzQ01zlnAUUFuqddcjLnA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DXhzQ01zlnAUUFuqddcjLnA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dsearch.TACTILE.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D96%26h%3D64%26yaw%3D85.1153%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656

[ekt8750]

While Philadelphia has a bunch of unsigned state roads that run through it, there's only a total of 9 signed routes and three of which are US Routes.

US 1
US 13
US 30
PA 3
PA 63
PA 73
PA 232
PA 532
PA 611

[kkt]

Tucson = 525000 / 9 ≈ 58000

How does Tucson have nine state highways?

State highways squared (so 3 state highways). A 20 mile x 20 mile city would be expected to have twice the number of state highways, but four times the population, of a 10 mile x 10 mile city.

An interesting comparison would be (miles of state highway)**2 / (square miles of land), however that would be getting to be a lot like work to figure out...

[ztonyg]

I'd say Phoenix has a small number of State Routes for a city its size:

If we're going by state routes only, it has:

AZ 51
AZ 74
Loop 101
AZ 143
Loop 202
Loop 303

Adding US routes adds:

US 60

Adding interstates adds:

I-17
I-10

And that's it.  A maximum of 9. 

[jp the roadgeek]

Hartford only has 4 signed state routes, CT 2 (barely, as a bridge approach), CT 15 (skirts it as an expressway), CT 187, and CT 189.  There are 3 US routes (5,6,44), and 2 interstates (84 + 91). CT 99, CT 159, and CT 176 all end at the city line.

[ftballfan]

Detroit has few that run in the city itself: M-1, M-3, M-5, M-8, M-10, M-39, M-53, M-85, M-97 (nine). M-102 runs along the city's north edge and M-153 ends at the western city limit. Also, M-3 and M-85 should have the same number, but that's a different topic.

[oscar]

Anchorage (population over 300,000) has only one state route with route number markers, AK 1 (which includes, within city limits, parts of unsigned Interstates A-1 and A-3). However, many other roads within municipal limits are state-maintained but have no posted route numbers.

[JCinSummerfield]

Other Michigan cities have low counts as well:  Lansing and Kalamazoo each have 2 (both including M-43).  Ann Arbor and Jackson (ok, that's pushing it for major) only have 1 each.

Jackson, MI has two that I know of: M-50 & M-106.

[silverback1065]

Detroit has few that run in the city itself: M-1, M-3, M-5, M-8, M-10, M-39, M-53, M-85, M-97 (nine). M-102 runs along the city's north edge and M-153 ends at the western city limit. Also, M-3 and M-85 should have the same number, but that's a different topic.

Why does M-97 even exist at all? it's a complete clone of m-3 in the area

[FightingIrish]

Minneapolis is now down to three - 47,55 and 65 (there's also the tiny stub freeway 121 that ends at the city limits.

In recent years, all state routes through downtown were turned back to the city or county, with 55 being rerouted via I-94 and 65 getting a gap.

[GaryV]

Other Michigan cities have low counts as well:  Lansing and Kalamazoo each have 2 (both including M-43).  Ann Arbor and Jackson (ok, that's pushing it for major) only have 1 each.

Jackson, MI has two that I know of: M-50 & M-106.

You're right, I shouldn't rely on Google Maps for my research.  Google doesn't show M-106 south of I-94, whereas it really does continue to downtown.

[odditude]

While Philadelphia has a bunch of unsigned state roads that run through it, there's only a total of 9 signed routes and three of which are US Routes.

US 1
US 13
US 30
PA 3
PA 63
PA 73
PA 232
PA 532
PA 611

as well as...
PA 291
PA 309
I-76
I-95
I-676

[DeaconG]

While Philadelphia has a bunch of unsigned state roads that run through it, there's only a total of 9 signed routes and three of which are US Routes.

US 1
US 13
US 30
PA 3
PA 63
PA 73
PA 232
PA 532
PA 611

as well as...
PA 291
PA 309
I-76
I-95
I-676

You got in with Philly before I did...PA 23 would have been on this list before it got truncated to Lower Merion township with City Avenue (originally it extended down Belmont Avenue through Fairmount Park and ended at Lancaster Avenue).