Quintessential roads (per state)

[dgolub]

CT: The Merritt Parkway (CT-15) is probably your best bet with either US 1, 5, 6 or 7 the honorable mentions.

Agreed, assuming you're including the full length of CT 15 and not just Merritt Parkway in Fairfield County.  It covers the New York suburbs, New Haven, and Hartford, and I can't think of anything else that does.

Another honorable mention in my opinion would be CT 10.

[WNYroadgeek]

NY: NY 22. No one route can really represent all of a three-pronged state. With its original routing, NY 22 started in Manhattan along Park Avenue, heading toward suburban Westchester County. Picking up the current route, it gets urban again on a small scale in White Plains, then heads on up through forests, mountains, and farms, before the big one, the Adirondacks. There's an impressive variety of urban, rural, flat, and mountainous for something that stays east of the Hudson the entire time.

Agreed.  Another possibility would be NY 5, which does east/west through upstate.

One could make an argument for US 20 and NY 17, too.

[empirestate]

NY: NY 22. No one route can really represent all of a three-pronged state. With its original routing, NY 22 started in Manhattan along Park Avenue, heading toward suburban Westchester County. Picking up the current route, it gets urban again on a small scale in White Plains, then heads on up through forests, mountains, and farms, before the big one, the Adirondacks. There's an impressive variety of urban, rural, flat, and mountainous for something that stays east of the Hudson the entire time.

Agreed.  Another possibility would be NY 5, which does east/west through upstate.

One could make an argument for US 20 and NY 17, too.

I can't think of a better choice than NY 22 (I'm discounting US 9 because it's not a NY route, even though that's not strictly a criterion), but it does seem an oversight to pick a route that doesn't encounter the Erie Canal. Still, NY 22 does interact with the Champlain Canal, and nothing that excludes NYC would be any more appropriate either. I wouldn't consider NY 17, fond though I am of it, because it is too rural and remote, overall, to represent the state well.

NY 5 is the only serious contender to NY 22; if we could allow it, the two combined would be about as quintessential as any route in any state nationwide.

(Weirdly, if we do allow US routes, I'd take NY 5 over US 20 because 5 is more urban, but I'd take NY 22 over US 9 because 22 is less so. Hmm...)

[dgolub]

(Weirdly, if we do allow US routes, I'd take NY 5 over US 20 because 5 is more urban, but I'd take NY 22 over US 9 because 22 is less so. Hmm...)

Why is that?  I think I'm inclined toward US 9 over NY 22 at this point because NY 22 doesn't hit any major cities at all, other than I suppose White Plains if that counts.  Also, US 9 goes through Washington Heights and Inwood in Manhattan and Riverdale in the Bronx, so you get some of New York City, where as NY 22 ends just over the Bronx-Westchester border.

[NWI_Irish96]

Unless someone chimes in with a better route, I think Indiana's most quintessential highway has yet to be built, it'd be I-69. Starting with a crossing over the Ohio River over what I presume would be a nice-looking bridge the highway passes near the third largest city in Evansville and goes through the rolling plains of the southwestern part of the state before crossing into the hills of Greene and Monroe Counties, connecting with a major state university and continuing north to the state capital in Indianapolis. From there it passes through the till plains of the central part of the state and connects with the second largest city in Fort Wayne before traveling north into the natural lakes part of the state giving a preview of what lies ahead in Michigan. It will be the longest highway and is certainly the most talked about in the state. The only thing it doesn't do is touch NW Indiana (a region all its own) and Downtown Indianapolis.

If I'm not restricted to a route that carries a single number, I would choose the original routing of the Michigan Road.  It runs from the Ohio River to Lake Michigan.  You get the historic, Southern Indiana small town in Madison, the big city in Indianapolis, and also the state's most well-known university in South Bend.

[empirestate]

(Weirdly, if we do allow US routes, I'd take NY 5 over US 20 because 5 is more urban, but I'd take NY 22 over US 9 because 22 is less so. Hmm...)

Why is that?  I think I'm inclined toward US 9 over NY 22 at this point because NY 22 doesn't hit any major cities at all, other than I suppose White Plains if that counts.  Also, US 9 goes through Washington Heights and Inwood in Manhattan and Riverdale in the Bronx, so you get some of New York City, where as NY 22 ends just over the Bronx-Westchester border.

Not sure. Perhaps I'm making an excuse to discount US routes, or perhaps it's because I have written about NY 22 (but then I've also written about US 20).

[theline]

Unless someone chimes in with a better route, I think Indiana's most quintessential highway has yet to be built, it'd be I-69. Starting with a crossing over the Ohio River over what I presume would be a nice-looking bridge the highway passes near the third largest city in Evansville and goes through the rolling plains of the southwestern part of the state before crossing into the hills of Greene and Monroe Counties, connecting with a major state university and continuing north to the state capital in Indianapolis. From there it passes through the till plains of the central part of the state and connects with the second largest city in Fort Wayne before traveling north into the natural lakes part of the state giving a preview of what lies ahead in Michigan. It will be the longest highway and is certainly the most talked about in the state. The only thing it doesn't do is touch NW Indiana (a region all its own) and Downtown Indianapolis.

If I'm not restricted to a route that carries a single number, I would choose the original routing of the Michigan Road.  It runs from the Ohio River to Lake Michigan.  You get the historic, Southern Indiana small town in Madison, the big city in Indianapolis, and also the state's most well-known university in South Bend.

I was under the impression that Michigan Road in northern Indiana largely followed the route of current US 421, from Indianapolis to Michigan City. Did it really make a detour to South Bend? Is there any chance you confusing it with Dixie Highway?

[Urban Prairie Schooner]

Might be interesting to see how many pre-1926 state highway 1s are decent contenders.

Quick map of these:

The pre-1955 LA 1 is probably closer to the "quintessential" highway than current LA 1, as it served New Orleans and followed the river road for a good distance, while also traversing the far southern, central and northern portions of the state, including the swamps, the sugarcane corridor, and the upland pine hills region. Still, as an earlier post noted, current LA 1 is a good candidate for the quintessential Louisiana roadway.

[NE2]

I was under the impression that Michigan Road in northern Indiana largely followed the route of current US 421, from Indianapolis to Michigan City. Did it really make a detour to South Bend? Is there any chance you confusing it with Dixie Highway?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_Road
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hystericalmark/4873264360

[NWI_Irish96]

Unless someone chimes in with a better route, I think Indiana's most quintessential highway has yet to be built, it'd be I-69. Starting with a crossing over the Ohio River over what I presume would be a nice-looking bridge the highway passes near the third largest city in Evansville and goes through the rolling plains of the southwestern part of the state before crossing into the hills of Greene and Monroe Counties, connecting with a major state university and continuing north to the state capital in Indianapolis. From there it passes through the till plains of the central part of the state and connects with the second largest city in Fort Wayne before traveling north into the natural lakes part of the state giving a preview of what lies ahead in Michigan. It will be the longest highway and is certainly the most talked about in the state. The only thing it doesn't do is touch NW Indiana (a region all its own) and Downtown Indianapolis.

If I'm not restricted to a route that carries a single number, I would choose the original routing of the Michigan Road.  It runs from the Ohio River to Lake Michigan.  You get the historic, Southern Indiana small town in Madison, the big city in Indianapolis, and also the state's most well-known university in South Bend.

I was under the impression that Michigan Road in northern Indiana largely followed the route of current US 421, from Indianapolis to Michigan City. Did it really make a detour to South Bend? Is there any chance you confusing it with Dixie Highway?

No, from Indy the Michigan road ran up to Logansport on what is now US 421 and SR 29, and then to Rochester on what is now SR 25, and then to South Bend on what was the original alignment of US 31.  Then from South Bend it went to Michigan City.  The Dixie Highway came later and used the US 31 portion of the Michigan Road.

[theline]

Thanks to both NE2 and cabiness for the education. By "original route" I had no idea we were talking about the 1830s. The Wikipedia article provides the reason for the detour through South Bend, to avoid the Kankakee River swamp. Good stuff.

[vtk]

Someone suggested US 50 for Ohio.  I disagree, because it completely misses the flat and coastal parts in the north of the state.  My original thought was I-70 or US 40, (or original OH 1), but they don't come much closer to the Erie Coast.  The second OH 1 (early 60's) gets coastal Clevelandland, but I'm not sure the flatness between Springfield and Columbus is enough to represent the epic flatness of north central and northwestern Ohio.  OH 4 definitely covers plenty of flat terrain, but still gets some hills as well as city and densely settled "rural" territory in southwestern Ohio, plus it meets both the Ohio River and Lake Erie.  I think OH 4 slightly edges out either OH 1 for the title of "quintessential" Ohio road.

[hbelkins]

Someone suggested US 50 for Ohio.  I disagree, because it completely misses the flat and coastal parts in the north of the state.  My original thought was I-70 or US 40, (or original OH 1), but they don't come much closer to the Erie Coast.  The second OH 1 (early 60's) gets coastal Clevelandland, but I'm not sure the flatness between Springfield and Columbus is enough to represent the epic flatness of north central and northwestern Ohio.  OH 4 definitely covers plenty of flat terrain, but still gets some hills as well as city and densely settled "rural" territory in southwestern Ohio, plus it meets both the Ohio River and Lake Erie.  I think OH 4 slightly edges out either OH 1 for the title of "quintessential" Ohio road.

Why wouldn't US 23 work?

[vtk]

Someone suggested US 50 for Ohio.  I disagree, because it completely misses the flat and coastal parts in the north of the state.  My original thought was I-70 or US 40, (or original OH 1), but they don't come much closer to the Erie Coast.  The second OH 1 (early 60's) gets coastal Clevelandland, but I'm not sure the flatness between Springfield and Columbus is enough to represent the epic flatness of north central and northwestern Ohio.  OH 4 definitely covers plenty of flat terrain, but still gets some hills as well as city and densely settled "rural" territory in southwestern Ohio, plus it meets both the Ohio River and Lake Erie.  I think OH 4 slightly edges out either OH 1 for the title of "quintessential" Ohio road.

Why wouldn't US 23 work?

It almost does.  But I'd say it doesn't come close enough to Lake Erie.

[wphiii]

Someone suggested US 50 for Ohio.  I disagree, because it completely misses the flat and coastal parts in the north of the state.  My original thought was I-70 or US 40, (or original OH 1), but they don't come much closer to the Erie Coast.  The second OH 1 (early 60's) gets coastal Clevelandland, but I'm not sure the flatness between Springfield and Columbus is enough to represent the epic flatness of north central and northwestern Ohio.  OH 4 definitely covers plenty of flat terrain, but still gets some hills as well as city and densely settled "rural" territory in southwestern Ohio, plus it meets both the Ohio River and Lake Erie.  I think OH 4 slightly edges out either OH 1 for the title of "quintessential" Ohio road.

Why wouldn't US 23 work?

It almost does.  But I'd say it doesn't come close enough to Lake Erie.

OH 4 is a good shout, but what about U.S. 42? Seems to get all of the geographic and urban scale of environments, and I like that it also gets Cleveland.

[theline]

OH 4 is a good shout, but what about U.S. 42? Seems to get all of the geographic and urban scale of environments, and I like that it also gets Cleveland.

US 42 is the winner in my book. You get the big river and the big lake, two of the biggest three cities, and varied geography.

[NE2]

Why US 42 rather than SR 3?

[hotdogPi]

Maine: US 1. If it had to be a state route, ME 11.
Rhode Island: Maybe 114.

Mexican states:

Chihuahua: 45, since it connects Ciudad Juárez with Chihuahua.
Baja California: 1.

[wphiii]

Why US 42 rather than SR 3?

Because I didn't realize OH 3 ran all the way to Cincinnati until about 2 minutes ago.

Upon further review I do like it more because it actually goes right through Columbus.

[theline]

Ah, but Ohio 3 doesn't (quite) make it to Cleveland. It ends in Parma, according to Ohio Highway Ends. As a admirer of all things Cleveland, that offends me.

[vtk]

Ah, but Ohio 3 doesn't (quite) make it to Cleveland. It ends in Parma, according to Ohio Highway Ends. As a admirer of all things Cleveland, that offends me.

I seem to recall a story in recent years, in which someone discovered that OH 3 officially runs all the way to the "square" where a bunch of routes converge downtown, but the signs didn't indicate this.  After a newspaper brought publicity to the discrepancy, ODOT actually changed the signs to show OH 3 all the way up.  It's possible the Ohio Highway Ends site is out of date on the matter.

[hbelkins]

As a admirer of all things Cleveland, that offends me.

Then this will really offend you.

http://www.gq.com/entertainment/sports/201310/worst-sports-franchises-teams-of-all-time

[wphiii]

Ah, but Ohio 3 doesn't (quite) make it to Cleveland. It ends in Parma, according to Ohio Highway Ends. As a admirer of all things Cleveland, that offends me.

I seem to recall a story in recent years, in which someone discovered that OH 3 officially runs all the way to the "square" where a bunch of routes converge downtown, but the signs didn't indicate this.  After a newspaper brought publicity to the discrepancy, ODOT actually changed the signs to show OH 3 all the way up.  It's possible the Ohio Highway Ends site is out of date on the matter.

This would make sense, as both Wiki and Google Maps seem to indicate that it ends at Public Square.

State Route 3 ends in Cleveland at Public Square, with the last several miles multiplexed with U.S. Route 42 from Parma.

[theline]

As a admirer of all things Cleveland, that offends me.

Then this will really offend you.

http://www.gq.com/entertainment/sports/201310/worst-sports-franchises-teams-of-all-time

Fortunately, I don't consider GQ as an authority on sports. Otherwise, I would be offended.

[Mark68]

CO: I-70 does a good job of covering the whole cross-section of the state, from plains to Denver Metro to mountains to Glenwood Canyon to Grand Junction and the desert west of there. For a non-Interstate alternative, I submit US 50, which runs parallel to, but well south of I-70 for most of its length, from the Arkansas River Valley to Pueblo, past the Royal Gorge, over Monarch Pass, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison to join I-70 in Grand Jct.

US 285 would be a good north-south route, from Denver southwest into the foothills, South Park, and the San Luis Valley into New Mexico (would be a good candidate for NM, as well, as it alternates between valley, mountain, and canyon from the CO border, past Taos, to Santa Fe).