Quintessential roads (per state)

[DSS5]

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.

What about this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmLA5TqbIY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM

As someone who is originally from Cleveland, I'm not easily offended.

[wphiii]

Most Clevelanders I know find the "tourism videos" hilarious.

[cpzilliacus]

I'm nominating US 60 for Virginia, because it goes through all types of terrain and population levels. I could also make a case for US 58, but 60 is historically more important.

I realize U.S. 1 does not come close to the mountains of Virginia, but it does run through the most-populous part of the Commonwealth, which U.S. 58, U.S. 60 and U.S. 460 do not.

[cpzilliacus]

MD: US 40, since it goes through everything from mountains to rural areas to cities like Frederick and Baltimore, and still manages a nice jog beside the Bay.

Maryland is tough, because "obvious" choices like U.S. 1, I-95 and U.S. 301 do not come close to the mountainous parts of the state. 

U.S. 50 runs through the D.C. suburbs and past Annapolis (but does not come close to Baltimore City) and a long run across the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay to the Atlantic Ocean, and thanks to its discontinuous section in southern Garrett County, also covers the mountainous part of the state (indeed, I believe the highest  point on the Maryland numbered highway network is U.S. 50 crossing the crest of Backbone Mountain and the Eastern Continental Divide). 

[kj3400]

MD: US 40, since it goes through everything from mountains to rural areas to cities like Frederick and Baltimore, and still manages a nice jog beside the Bay.

Maryland is tough, because "obvious" choices like U.S. 1, I-95 and U.S. 301 do not come close to the mountainous parts of the state. 

U.S. 50 runs through the D.C. suburbs and past Annapolis (but does not come close to Baltimore City) and a long run across the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay to the Atlantic Ocean, and thanks to its discontinuous section in southern Garrett County, also covers the mountainous part of the state (indeed, I believe the highest  point on the Maryland numbered highway network is U.S. 50 crossing the crest of Backbone Mountain and the Eastern Continental Divide). 

I suppose there's always US 50 too, that was my second choice.

[kkt]

In all honesty, I-90 represents a lot of Washington.

I can't disagree, but since none of the examples in the original post were freeways, I'll nominate US 2. Has more or less everything you'll find on I-90 with the exception of Lake Washington, and of the good noon-freeway candidates, it's the only one to serve the Puget Sound metro area. (If this were pre-1969, US 410 might have been a good candidate.)

These are reasonable choices, however I would choose WA 20.  Semi-desert, fields, and mountains, like US 2.  Smaller cities.  Salt water, ferryboat.  Dams, our water and power.  A short stretch of expressway.

[wphiii]

MD: US 40, since it goes through everything from mountains to rural areas to cities like Frederick and Baltimore, and still manages a nice jog beside the Bay.

Maryland is tough, because "obvious" choices like U.S. 1, I-95 and U.S. 301 do not come close to the mountainous parts of the state. 

U.S. 50 runs through the D.C. suburbs and past Annapolis (but does not come close to Baltimore City) and a long run across the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay to the Atlantic Ocean, and thanks to its discontinuous section in southern Garrett County, also covers the mountainous part of the state (indeed, I believe the highest  point on the Maryland numbered highway network is U.S. 50 crossing the crest of Backbone Mountain and the Eastern Continental Divide).

What was wrong with U.S. 40, in your view?

[Kacie Jane]

In all honesty, I-90 represents a lot of Washington.

I can't disagree, but since none of the examples in the original post were freeways, I'll nominate US 2. Has more or less everything you'll find on I-90 with the exception of Lake Washington, and of the good noon-freeway candidates, it's the only one to serve the Puget Sound metro area. (If this were pre-1969, US 410 might have been a good candidate.)

These are reasonable choices, however I would choose WA 20.  Semi-desert, fields, and mountains, like US 2.  Smaller cities.  Salt water, ferryboat.  Dams, our water and power.  A short stretch of expressway.

I don't know... Personally, I'd require any answer to this question to serve at least one of the state's major cities.  Not necessarily the most major, but as much as I love SR 20, none of the towns along that route would make the grade for me.

[SD Mapman]

I-90 for South Dakota. You see the Hills, the barren nothingness of central West River, and the flatlands. (a case could be made for SD 44 too)

[froggie]

I kinda like US 14 as a "quintessential option" for South Dakota.  Covers much of what I-90 does (heck, the western 112 miles are concurrent with I-90), plus goes through DeSmet (popularized by a certain author 80 years ago).

[SD Mapman]

Forgot about that! More ideas could be SD 34 and SD 20...

[kkt]

CA 1: It goes through SoCal surf towns, rugged shoreline, strawberry and lettuce fields, more rugged shoreline, San Francisco, and redwoods. Very easily one of the most beautiful (yet potentially dangerous) drives in the Golden State.

California is difficult to sum up in a single road.  CA 1 is a great road, and does cover several important aspects of the state, but it leaves out any of the alpine areas or high mountain passes, and it leaves out the desert in the southern inland part of the state.

I was thinking of I-80.  Even though it's a less pleasant road to drive, at least it has a high mountain section, does cover forestland and cropland and hills and major metropolitan areas.  It reaches salt water, and it has a great bridge.  Still no desert, though.

[agentsteel53]

I kinda like US 14 as a "quintessential option" for South Dakota.  Covers much of what I-90 does (heck, the western 112 miles are concurrent with I-90), plus goes through DeSmet (popularized by a certain author 80 years ago).

I would go with US-16.  it covers the Black Hills more accurately.  that said, it is tough to drive all of 16 - 14 is easier to follow these days, so I would agree it's a perfectly cromulent choice.

[theline]

I kinda like US 14 as a "quintessential option" for South Dakota.  Covers much of what I-90 does (heck, the western 112 miles are concurrent with I-90), plus goes through DeSmet (popularized by a certain author 80 years ago).

Mrs. theline would vote for US 14. We had to go through DeSmet when we toured SD nearly 3 decades ago, because of her lifelong devotion to that same author. Thanks for the mention of that--it brought back some good memories.

[cpzilliacus]

MD: US 40, since it goes through everything from mountains to rural areas to cities like Frederick and Baltimore, and still manages a nice jog beside the Bay.

Maryland is tough, because "obvious" choices like U.S. 1, I-95 and U.S. 301 do not come close to the mountainous parts of the state. 

U.S. 50 runs through the D.C. suburbs and past Annapolis (but does not come close to Baltimore City) and a long run across the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay to the Atlantic Ocean, and thanks to its discontinuous section in southern Garrett County, also covers the mountainous part of the state (indeed, I believe the highest  point on the Maryland numbered highway network is U.S. 50 crossing the crest of Backbone Mountain and the Eastern Continental Divide).

What was wrong with U.S. 40, in your view?

Except for Frederick County, it does not traverse the D.C. suburbs.

[DTComposer]

CA 1: It goes through SoCal surf towns, rugged shoreline, strawberry and lettuce fields, more rugged shoreline, San Francisco, and redwoods. Very easily one of the most beautiful (yet potentially dangerous) drives in the Golden State.

California is difficult to sum up in a single road.  CA 1 is a great road, and does cover several important aspects of the state, but it leaves out any of the alpine areas or high mountain passes, and it leaves out the desert in the southern inland part of the state.

I was thinking of I-80.  Even though it's a less pleasant road to drive, at least it has a high mountain section, does cover forestland and cropland and hills and major metropolitan areas.  It reaches salt water, and it has a great bridge.  Still no desert, though.

I think it would be hard for all the larger states to be summed up in one road, particularly California with the sheer diversity of topography. If I had to choose I would say the coastline figures more prominently in most peoples' minds than the desert or mountains.

That said, I would nominate U.S. 101:
-Downtown Los Angeles
-Four-Level Interchange
-Hollywood
-San Fernando Valley
-Ventura County Coast
-Santa Barbara
-Central Coast Wine Country
-Salinas Valley/Steinbeck Country
-Silicon Valley
-San Francisco
-Golden Gate Bridge
-Redwood Country

For many of the "iconic" areas US-101 misses (Central Valley, Napa Valley, Big Sur coast) there are good substitutes (Salinas Valley, Central Coast, Ventura and Humboldt coasts). It has historical merit as the primary path of El Camino Real. Plus, the road itself gives you everything from rural two-lane highway to major urban freeway. No deserts or alpine terrain, but other than that I think it covers quite a bit.

[TCN7JM]

I would go with US-16.  it covers the Black Hills more accurately.  that said, it is tough to drive all of 16 - 14 is easier to follow these days, so I would agree it's a perfectly cromulent choice.

It can't be US 16, that highway doesn't go anywhere east of Rapid City. My vote for South Dakota would have to be Interstate 90. Despite it not getting as much of the Black Hills as US 16 does, it covers both them and the flatter terrain of East River, as well as hitting the state's two largest cities, something US 14 doesn't do (you have to know that Sioux Falls is absolutely nothing like the rest of South Dakota for this to make sense).

In North Dakota, there isn't much of a discrepancy in terrain anywhere except a few small, low mountain ranges here and there, and the one highway that captures all of the terrain is Interstate 94, which also passes by the state's largest city, and the capital, as well as what is arguably North Dakota's most popular tourist destination, Medora. This would make it my vote for the quintessential highway of North Dakota

In Minnesota, I have to agree with MN 23, although I have to wonder whether or not that counts because, remember, it passes through Wisconsin.

[SD Mapman]

I would go with US-16.  it covers the Black Hills more accurately.  that said, it is tough to drive all of 16 - 14 is easier to follow these days, so I would agree it's a perfectly cromulent choice.

It can't be US 16, that highway doesn't go anywhere east of Rapid City. My vote for South Dakota would have to be Interstate 90. Despite it not getting as much of the Black Hills as US 16 does, it covers both them and the flatter terrain of East River, as well as hitting the state's two largest cities, something US 14 doesn't do (you have to know that Sioux Falls is absolutely nothing like the rest of South Dakota for this to make sense).

In North Dakota, there isn't much of a discrepancy in terrain anywhere except a few small, low mountain ranges here and there, and the one highway that captures all of the terrain is Interstate 94, which also passes by the state's largest city, and the capital, as well as what is arguably North Dakota's most popular tourist destination, Medora. This would make it my vote for the quintessential highway of North Dakota

In Minnesota, I have to agree with MN 23, although I have to wonder whether or not that counts because, remember, it passes through Wisconsin.

For the sake of discussion, US 14 goes through the state's largest university. I agree with everything else. How is it hard to drive 16?

[TCN7JM]

For the sake of discussion, US 14 goes through the state's largest university.

I did consider that, but then I realized the highway doesn't actually touch the campus, and it really just passes by a bunch of fast food restaurants (conveniently, I was up there earlier today).

[SD Mapman]

For the sake of discussion, US 14 goes through the state's largest university. I agree with everything else. How is it hard to drive 16?

I did consider that, but then I realized the highway doesn't actually touch the campus, and it really just passes by a bunch of fast food restaurants (conveniently, I was up there earlier today).

It's two blocks south...

Must have been USD and SD 50 Business that I'm thinking of.

[roadfro]

For Nevada, I would pick US 50, as I think it is one of the more diverse highways in the state.

It hits one of the major cities (Carson City, state capital). It has significant 2-lane sections like most of the state's routes, but also 4-lane sections and a short freeway section overlap also. It is part of two separate sections of state scenic byways, with traversing mountains and valleys with forested sections and arid deserts. US 50 has historical significance as a major section of the Lincoln Highway across the state, later comprising much of one of Nevada's first state highways (old SR 2). It may be "the Loneliest Road in America", but it has it's share of heavily traveled sections and desolation.

[Charles2]

A previous post suggested U.S. 431 for Alabama, and while that's a good choice, there are two that I think might be as good, if not better.  U.S. 11 enters the state from Mississippi east of Meridian, and gives travelers the opportunity to see the northern edges of the state's historic Black Belt as well as Birmingham and two of larger mid-tier cities in the state: Tuscaloosa and Gadsden.  NE of Gadsden/Attalla, U.S. 11 travels through the foothills of the Appalachians through some very scenic vistas.  And while in Tuscaloosa, one can see the campus of the University of Alabama, visit the Paul Bryant Museum (spoken by an Auburn fan, BTW) and sample some of the best ribs you'll find anywhere at Dreamland.   While in Birmingham, one can visit the world-famous Civil Rights Institute.  Don't forget that in the pre-Interstate days, U.S. 11 was an important route nationally, as it extends from near New Orleans to border between New York and Quebec.  Of course U.S. 11 in Alabama has long-since been supplanted by I-59.

The quintessential main street of Alabama, though, is U.S. 31.  Its historic terminus was west of downtown Mobile, but today it begins about 15 miles east of downtown Mobile in Spanish Fort.  Today, U.S. 31 passes through both Montgomery (the first capital of the Confederacy, as well as the home of Rosa Parks and the historic Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King once pastored) and Birmingham, and comes within 20 miles of Huntsville.  Again, U.S. 31 offers a wide-ranging variety views along its 370 miles in the state.  While I-65 cuts a significant amount of distance and time off of one's travels, taking U.S. 31 is truly a trip through yesteryear. 

[DBR96A]

For Pennsylvania, it's U.S. 30 easily.

U.S. 30 starts in the west not far from the Ohio River, and passes near Pittsburgh International Airport before merging with U.S. 22. Those two highways both merge with I-376 soon thereafter, and all three pass through the Fort Pitt Tunnel and over the Fort Pitt Bridge for a spectacular entrance into downtown Pittsburgh.

East of Pittsburgh, U.S. 30 breaks away from I-376 and U.S. 22, and passes near the downtrodden Monongahela River Valley and what's left of the industry there. After that, it passes by Greensburg, the county seat of Westmoreland County, and Latrobe, where Rolling Rock used to be brewed, and where the Pittsburgh Steelers still have their training camp every summer at St. Vincent College.

After Latrobe, U.S. 30 enters the Laurel Highlands, passing by Idlewild Park and the small town of Ligonier before traversing much more difficult terrain, and entering a much more thinly-populated area of the state. It passes very close to the Flight 93 National Memorial, and also functions as an alternative to the Pennsylvania Turnpike between Bedford and Breezewood.

After passing through the infamous Breezewood, it traverses several ridges and valleys, and passes through McConnellsburg and Chambersburg en route to Gettysburg, home of the most visited, and arguably the most significant, Civil War battlefield in the United States.

Past Gettysburg, U.S. 30 enters York and passes by Harley-Davidson's busiest plant. Soon thereafter, it crosses the Susquehanna River and passes through Lancaster, the epicenter of Pennsylvania Dutch country. The towns of Strasburg and Intercourse are nearby as well.

As it leaves Pennsylvania Dutch country, U.S. 30 enters Chester County, which has the highest median household income of any county in Pennsylvania, and one of the 20 highest median household incomes of any county in the United States. It passes through or near nouveau riche enclaves like Downingtown, Glenmoore, Exton and West Chester, and then becomes the main route through the filthy rich "Main Line" suburbs before entering the city of Philadelphia.

Once it crosses the city limits, U.S. 30 suddenly enters the ghettos of West Philadelphia before briefly merging with I-76, and then I-676 through Center City. At that point it passes just south of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and just north of Philadelphia's "Chinatown" and the Pennsylvania Convention Center before arriving at historic Franklin Square. U.S. 30 then ends in the east by crossing the Delaware River on the Ben Franklin Bridge into New Jersey.

Along the way, U.S. 30 passes through the following county seats: Pittsburgh (Allegheny), Greensburg (Westmoreland), Bedford (Bedford), McConnellsburg (Fulton), Chambersburg (Franklin), Gettysburg (Adams), York (York), Lancaster (Lancaster), West Chester (Chester) and Philadelphia (Philadelphia).

[Mr_Northside]

I think US-30 would get my vote for PA as well. 

[Alps]

I think US-30 would get my vote for PA as well. 

And yet US 30 is the least drivable road, end to end, in the state. US 6 isn't as representative, but I'd rather drive the original US 22 (much of which is a separate road now).