# Exotic street names **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 19, 2014, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-street-names/686494 "2014-04-19T17:37:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2014, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-street-names/686494/61 "2014-04-20T22:10:35Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > Chicagoans have been baffled by Goethe Street for generations. And we have three streets that rhyme with “vagina.” You have to understand it is pronounced go-eeth-ee. Speaking of which, the first syllable of Houston St. in NYC rhymes with house. And Arkansas Ave. in Atlantic City is pronounced ar-kans-uhs. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2014, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-street-names/686494/62 "2014-04-20T22:57:41Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > But “butt” does mean a water or wine cask, and the sense originated at about the same time as the archery one. It seems to me that in towns water butts would be much more common than places to practice archery. In any case, your link itself says that the word may refer to yet a third sense: St Mary has two [butts](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary's_Butts) not far from where I live. And an [axe](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mary_Axe) in London. Actually, the City of London has lots of odd street names, not ending in anything sensible like Street or Road or Avenue. Off the top of my head, there’s Crutched Friars, Petty France (not actually in the City, that one), Little Britain, Aldermanbury, Bevis Marks and the rather evocative Undershaft. ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2014, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-street-names/686494/63 "2014-04-20T23:36:41Z")
> [@percypercy](#): > > Memphis has a bunch of streets with the beginning being a name or part of a name, and the end Wood. The two that come to me are Johnwood (where I used to babysit) and Shirlwood. My Niece and Nephew live on Johnwood Street in Memphis ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-street-names/686494/64 "2014-04-21T00:59:19Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Nothing particularly “exotic”. But a lot of people, visitors in particular, can’t decide how to pronounce it. Guff? Goff? Gow? > > Lots of streets in Hawaii have Hawaiian names (duh), some of them lengthy. It’s always fun listening to the malihinis (newcomers) trying to pronounce them. Two major roads in or near Honolulu are Keeaumoku St. and Kalanianaole Highway. Hawaiian names are a hoot. I particularly like the state fish: humuhumunukunukuapua’a, the apostrophe being a glottal stop. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-street-names/686494/65 "2014-04-21T01:36:45Z")
> [@](#): > > My favorite in this respect is the New England Butt Company It used to be that if you took 195 off 95 N in Providence, then the Wickenden St. exit, you’d see a sign across the street at the bottom of the ramp for the New England Butt Company, rear entrance. The older neighborhoods in Columbia, Maryland have mostly literary-themed neighborhoods and streets. Thus, the villages of Running Brook (Robert Frost: \*“Fred, where is North?” “North? North is there, my love. The brook runs west.” “West-running Brook then call it” West-running Brook men call it to this day) \* and Hobbit’s Glen (with street names like Oakenshield Court). ---
**Author:** ![Lightlystarched](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Lightlystarched](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightlystarched)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-street-names/686494/66 "2014-04-21T01:38:25Z")
Phoenix has an interesting run of street names that includes Captain Dreyfus Avenue, Emile Zola Avenue, Victor Hugo Avenue, Joan de Arc Avenue, and Voltaire Avenue. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-street-names/686494/67 "2014-04-21T02:41:19Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Hawaiian names are a hoot. I particularly like the state fish: humuhumunukunukuapua’a, the apostrophe being a glottal stop. For exotic Hawaiian names, you should see the stage names that Hawaiian singers take. Just when you thought you could pronounce “[Don Ho](http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/15/arts/music/15ho.html?_r=0)”, there’s [Boyce Kaihiihikapuokalani and Nina Kealiiwahamana](http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=ntt_srch_drd_B00GYDRFN2/278-4981124-9457237?ie=UTF8&field-keywords=Boyce%20Kaihiihikapuokalani%2C%20Nina%20Kealiiwahamana%27s%20Chorus&index=digital-music&search-type=ss). Actually, Nina’s other name might have really been one of her given or ancestral names. OTOH, I believe Boyce’s real last name was Martinez. And Ho is a Chinese name, but I don’t think that was his real name either. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-street-names/686494/68 "2014-04-21T02:49:04Z")
(Missed edit window.) I stand corrected. Don Ho’s name really was Don Ho. From the article cited above: > [@](#): > > Born Donald Tai Loy Ho . . . ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-street-names/686494/69 "2014-04-21T02:59:35Z")
Roseville, California has a street named Chignahuapan Way. I guess it’s named for a town in Mexico, though I don’t know why. Sacramento has streets named after inventors - Fulton, Watt, Howe, Edison, Marconi. There is a shopping area where Arden Boulevard crosses Howe that’s called Howe 'Bout Arden. ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-street-names/686494/70 "2014-04-21T04:09:15Z")
A suburb near me, scroll down to street names > **[Giralang (ACT 2617) Suburb Information | Allhomes](https://www.allhomes.com.au/research/giralang-act-2617)** > > Explore Giralang ACT suburb profile on Allhomes and get real estate market trends, property sales data, demographic information, and median property prices. ---
**Author:** ![yearofglad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b782af/32.png) [@yearofglad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yearofglad)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-street-names/686494/71 "2014-04-21T05:17:06Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Portland has Couch St., pronounced “cooch”. The street was named after General Darius Couch. Couch Street was named after John H. Couch, a pioneer and sea captain known for navigating the Columbia River. But I’ve covered this already. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-street-names/686494/72 "2014-04-21T12:35:01Z")
[An area of streets in Britain named after Apollo astronauts.](https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.5693973,0.6713778,18z?hl=en) Poor Anders got a bit unlucky, though. The street that largely encircles the campus of [California State University, Los Angeles](https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/California+State+University+Los+Angeles/@34.0667862,-118.1682964,16z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x80c2c5a285c456e3:0x2afcd137f76a39d6?hl=en) is called _Paseo Rancho Castilla_, which always struck me as a bit odd. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-street-names/686494/73 "2014-04-21T14:37:42Z")
A deliberate joke, but: there are street signs on the walkways in Disney World’s Port Orleans resort. One of the streets is “Rue d’ Baga”. Albuquerque has a number of streets named after things you mine: Lead, Coal, Gold. You probably saw a few of them on **Breaking Bad**. And here’s a real one in New Jersey: [Shades of Death Road](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shades_Of_Death_Road). ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-street-names/686494/74 "2014-04-21T14:39:23Z")
I’m not even sure if this should count, but a lot of roads around here that are basically zoned commercial/industrial have odd names, like Chemical Road, Computer Drive and Applied Card Way. (Applied Card Way is near War Admiral Lane, which is named after a racehorse.) ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-street-names/686494/75 "2014-04-21T15:18:04Z")
A well-known one from my neck of the woods: Big Beaver Rd. Bonus: It’s exit 69 off the local freeway. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-street-names/686494/76 "2014-04-21T15:18:11Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > For exotic Hawaiian names, you should see the stage names that Hawaiian singers take. Just when you thought you could pronounce “[Don Ho](http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/15/arts/music/15ho.html?_r=0)”, there’s [Boyce Kaihiihikapuokalani and Nina Kealiiwahamana](http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=ntt_srch_drd_B00GYDRFN2/278-4981124-9457237?ie=UTF8&field-keywords=Boyce%20Kaihiihikapuokalani%2C%20Nina%20Kealiiwahamana%27s%20Chorus&index=digital-music&search-type=ss). > > Actually, Nina’s other name might have really been one of her given or ancestral names. OTOH, I believe Boyce’s real last name was Martinez. And Ho is a Chinese name, but I don’t think that was his real name either. And let’s not forget the late, great Israel Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole (his real name). As for Don Ho, that was his real name. His full name was [Donald Tai Loy Ho](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_ho), and he was of Hawaiian and Chinese ancestry. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-street-names/686494/77 "2014-04-21T15:20:46Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > As for Don Ho, that was his real name. His full name was [Donald Tai Loy Ho](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_ho), and he was of Hawaiian and Chinese ancestry. A tangent, but that must be one of the shortest real first+last name combinations of any well-known figure. Can anyone think of any four- or three-letter celebrity names - real name or a variation, first+last? Or even other five-letter ones? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-street-names/686494/78 "2014-04-21T15:23:26Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > A tangent, but that must be one of the shortest real first+last name combinations of any well-known figure. > > Can anyone think of any four- or three-letter celebrity names - real name or a variation, first+last? Or even other five-letter ones? Cher. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-street-names/686494/79 "2014-04-21T15:32:17Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > A tangent, but that must be one of the shortest real first+last name combinations of any well-known figure. > > Can anyone think of any four- or three-letter celebrity names - real name or a variation, first+last? Or even other five-letter ones? > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Cher. Cher probably doesn’t count since that’s just a single name. But how about Stan Lee? ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-street-names/686494/80 "2014-04-21T15:37:45Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > There’s a Chili Avenue in Rochester. Which is not too unusual a spelling but it’s pronounced so it rhymes with sky high. That’s typical or Rochester, where [so many other place names aren’t pronounced as they seem](http://rocwiki.org/Local_Pronunciations). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-street-names/686494.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exotic-street-names/686494.md?page=5)