ELI5- Why do streets have different labels like Ave, Blvd, Rd, etc.? Are there certain qualifications for what determines them?
In: 909
And then you have Stravenues which run diagonally between and intersect a Street and an Avenue.
Only in Tucson.
There’s no hard rule for how these are used in the US. Interestingly, where I live (Irvine, CA) most residential street names don’t even include that type of label. Streets are named things like “Redbird” and “Candleglow” and “Nightmist” but have no word like Road or Drive after them.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/aUG8rS2thQGJmUhw8
I live on 37th St which is next to 37pl everytime time people come to my house for the first time they end up at the wrong 37th. Gps has made it less so but before it was constant.
Not really, each municipality had it’s own system.
Hell, Pennsylvania has an entire town called Willow Street. Don’t know whose bright idea that was.
Where I live, every roadway is referred to as a Peachtree.
Peachtree St
W Peachtree St
Peachtree Industrial Rd
Peachtree-Dunwoody Rd
Peachtree Battle Rd
New Peachtree Rd
TWA –
where I am Terrace(s), Way(s) and Avenue(s) run North and South. It’s a good thing to know in a pinch.
While there are historical origins to the names, in general (in the US) there isn’t any rhyme or reason as to which is chosen.
That said, in some cities certain street types are used only for roads that run north/south and others for east/west. I once lived in a place where streets, courts, and a couple others I can’t remember were all east/west, while avenues and places were always north/south. It could have just as easily been the other way around, though.
Where I’m at streets run north south in the county, and avenues run east west. But the adjacent town does it the opposite. I live up the hill from a road that is on the city county line, so it has a sign saying it is xxx street on one side of the road, and yyy avenue on the other.
As others have pointed out, they change depending on where you live. There are also more than 100 different possible suffixes to use.
Next, can we figure out why we drive on parkways and park in driveways?
Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond, I learned a lot!
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