# How are houses numbered in US residential streets? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 11, 2023, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-houses-numbered-in-us-residential-streets/983911 "2023-05-11T21:19:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2023, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-houses-numbered-in-us-residential-streets/983911/81 "2023-05-12T20:44:30Z")
We noticed. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2023, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-houses-numbered-in-us-residential-streets/983911/82 "2023-05-12T23:15:52Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > As a kid I used my own mnemonic that Indiana is odd (no offense, Indianians) and Indiana is SE of us, so those were the odd sides of the street. None taken. We _are_ a bit odd at times. Some examples: Michael Jackson. Kurt Vonnegut. Jamie Hyneman. BTW - the proper demonyn for someone from Indiana is not, as you would expect, “Indianians” or similar. It’s [Hoosier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoosier). Again, as you noted, we are a bit odd. > [@Cugel](#): > > After eyes unglaze from wall of text… what is a block? A square area of a city bounded by roads. In the US they are usually, but not always square or rectangular. They vary somewhat in size, but that’s not as important as the concept of them being a basic unit of organization for a city. > [@enipla](#): > > I don’t even like to think about another very large development that the county let the developers address themselves (way before we had any regulations. The first floor of a condominium may be addressed 100-200. The second floor 1000-2000 and so on. Not unit numbers, that’s the street address. That’s a REAL mess. I used to live in a building like that. It had been built early in the 20th Century in an “unincorporated” part of the county (meaning it wasn’t part of a town or city, just county land). It was a five-unit apartment building and despite it being all one building each apartment had a separate street address: 4440, 4438, 4436, 4434, and 4432. The numbers 4438 and 4436 were on the first floor and 4440, 4434, and 4432 were all on the second. The post office just lined up five boxes along the road and numbered them sequentially rather than delivering to the actual doors. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2023, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-houses-numbered-in-us-residential-streets/983911/83 "2023-05-12T23:28:19Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > It’s [Hoosier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoosier). Again, as you noted, we are a bit odd. Oh, huh. I’m obviously familiar with that term, but I always thought it was just a warm fuzzy nickname for you guys. (Apparently, only became official under the US GPO (Government Publishing Office) until 2016, so I have a good enough excuse. Formerly, it was Indianan, so I added an extra “i” there. “Indianian” is listed as “archaic.”) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-houses-numbered-in-us-residential-streets/983911/84 "2023-05-13T00:01:35Z")
A couple of things I’ll mention: 1: A “block” can be a measure of area or of linear distance. It’s common, when giving someone directions, to say things like “go two blocks on Elmwood Street, then turn right”. Not all blocks are the same length, but it doesn’t matter: Whatever the blocks are on that street, that’s the distance you go. 2: When you cross a city or county line, the numbering often restarts, but not always. Sometimes suburbs will use the same numbering grid as their metropolis. One of my childhood friends lived on “East 365th Street”, which was (at least nominally) 365 blocks east of Public Square, even though that suburb didn’t even border Cleveland. In the suburb I live in now, streets all have names, not numbers, but the addresses still follow the pattern as if they were numbered, and most locals know that, for instance, if you refer to “West 150th”, you mean Warren (and the houses just west of Warren on the east-west streets will be numbered “150xx”). 3: In most US cities, there’s mostly a regular grid (exceptions in some older Eastern cities like Boston). Usually, in any given city, “streets” will run in one direction, and “avenues” in the other (for instance, in Cleveland, “streets” run north-south, and “avenues” run east-west, though other cities might go the other way). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-houses-numbered-in-us-residential-streets/983911/85 "2023-05-13T01:24:20Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Usually, in any given city, “streets” will run in one direction, and “avenues” in the other (for instance, in Cleveland, “streets” run north-south, and “avenues” run east-west, though other cities might go the other way). That one doesn’t work in Chicago. Avenues and streets are can both be north-south or east-west. Numbered streets are all on the south side, though, and those run east-west. There is also one numbered avenue that I could think of, on the West Side, “5th Ave”, and that runs diagonally. (I’m not counting 1st Ave and the rest as you head west into the burbs, as that’s not in Chicago. But those do run NS). ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-houses-numbered-in-us-residential-streets/983911/86 "2023-05-13T02:29:25Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > 3: In most US cities, there’s mostly a regular grid (exceptions in some older Eastern cities like Boston). Usually, in any given city, “streets” will run in one direction, and “avenues” in the other (for instance, in Cleveland, “streets” run north-south, and “avenues” run east-west, though other cities might go the other way). New York in fact goes the other way. Not sure how common either pattern is. Seattle sorta has it but like Cleveland its grid is bent and interrupted. Houston is full of east-west streets but north-south can be named almost anything. Maybe locals will chime in on this. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-houses-numbered-in-us-residential-streets/983911/87 "2023-05-13T15:25:20Z")
Very long ago, when my county was far less populated than now, no property had an actual address number until a house was built. And even then, numbers weren’t used – everyone knew we lived on Rural Route 3. The property owner would drop by the town chairman, probably on his horse, and ask the chairman for a new house number. All that was required was that it fit between any other houses nearby. This worked fine for horse-n-buggy days, but when the county installed a full-time addressing specialist, it was found that some properties had numbers too close together. Not wanting to use 1/2, they forced some neighbors to alter their numbers to allow for the expansion. And the addressing specialist got upset when long, curvy roads used a sequential numbering system from end to end. This clashed with the N/S/E/W convention if the road curved enough to change direction, and also became confusing when new cross-roads were built, so some residents had a completely different numbering and even road naming system imposed. The addressing specialist wasn’t very popular, and the job no longer exists, so maybe we have returned to horse-n-buggy days, but with GPS. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-houses-numbered-in-us-residential-streets/983911/88 "2023-05-13T17:36:26Z")
Where I grew up, in a rural area some distance from Philadelphia, houses did not have numbers. Roads were not consistently named, either. The road we lived on was called one thing by residents and street signs, and another thing in official references like police reports and newspaper articles. We didn’t have mail delivery, we went to the post office for it. You would find our house using landmarks and distances. Of course this was before GPS or WWW or consumer software for navigation. You could have mailed me at Napier, Town, State. When zip codes came along, you could have simplified that to Napier, Zip. Since I left, they numbered houses, and declared our driveway to be a road unto itself, and moved a town border past our house, so that the only element of our address that didn’t change was the state. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-houses-numbered-in-us-residential-streets/983911/89 "2023-05-13T17:58:19Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Very long ago, when my county was far less populated than now, no property had an actual address number until a house was built. That’s the way we do it. No structure, no address. Mostly due to where the driveway gets put in. And if it’s on a corner, it may be accessed from a different road depending on the driveway. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-houses-numbered-in-us-residential-streets/983911/90 "2023-05-13T18:06:35Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > And if it’s on a corner, it may be accessed from a different road depending on the driveway. I’ve been told that in this county, houses on corners get assigned to its street by which one has the long dimension of the house. I asked that of a landowner when I noticed that the door of a house, which I thought was the deciding factor, faced the other street. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-houses-numbered-in-us-residential-streets/983911/91 "2023-05-13T19:10:21Z")
Empty corner lots must drive them crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-houses-numbered-in-us-residential-streets/983911/92 "2023-05-13T19:45:59Z")
Also, perfectly square houses. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-houses-numbered-in-us-residential-streets/983911/93 "2023-05-13T19:58:33Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > I’ve been told that in this county, houses on corners get assigned to its street by which one has the long dimension of the house. We wait for the driveway/access to go in. That’s where emergency service need to go, regardless of the length of the lot line. Addresses don’t get assigned until we get the proposed and approved improvement plan for the property. That goes through planning and GIS. We also have to approve proposed development/subdivision and road names within the development. We are a ski resort/mountain community. You can guess how many Mountain View Subdivisions we have turned down. We already have way too many. A small lot that has no choice but access from a certain road is different. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-houses-numbered-in-us-residential-streets/983911/94 "2023-05-13T20:02:47Z")
To continue… It can be a real trick with subdivision names. Often a developer will have already badged their new subdivision with a name and spent thousands on marketing. They do this before they even plat the thing with the county and get it approved. Sorry… ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-houses-numbered-in-us-residential-streets/983911/95 "2023-05-13T20:43:58Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Empty corner lots must drive them crazy. Not really, since there’s no house to give a number to. > [@Broomstick](#): > > Also, perfectly square houses Yes, and houses that are at a 45° angle. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-houses-numbered-in-us-residential-streets/983911/96 "2023-05-13T21:24:39Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Also, perfectly square houses. > [@dtilque](#): > > Yes, and houses that are at a 45° angle. Keep in mind, these rules are implemented by humans, not by Star Trek alien computers that will go up in a puff of smoke when confronted with a logical paradox. What would actually happen would be that some government functionary would go out to the side, say “Eh, I think that side is a little bit longer”, and declare the house to officially be on one street or the other. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-houses-numbered-in-us-residential-streets/983911/97 "2023-05-13T21:39:26Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Keep in mind, these rules are implemented by humans I can refute that claim. Cite: I worked in city government for a decade. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2023, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-houses-numbered-in-us-residential-streets/983911/98 "2023-05-14T06:54:48Z")
I learned about Chicago’s numbering grid through observation. The realization came to me after living there for a year or so, and I was very pleased with myself when I finally had a look at a map and saw the 0-0 coordinates at Madison and State. I couldn’t understand (and still wonder) why this wasn’t more widely known. In the years I lived there (early to mid-1980s), I never came across any public information about the grid nor did I hear people refer to it. Once I knew about it, I asked around and found that not many people were aware of it. The absence of such useful information seemed conspicuous to me. Maybe it was a case of “everyone knows, so there’s no need to talk about it,” or maybe the information was available in one form or another and I just missed it. According to this University of Chicago publication, the city’s grid system was proposed in 1901 by Edward P. Brennan—who hasn’t been mentioned in this thread—and was adopted in 1909. > **[Chicago's Grid System](https://chicagostudies.uchicago.edu/grid)** > > Getting around Chicago is a lot easier if you understand the "grid" that underlies its system of streets and addresses. But it wasn't always this way! Getting a bit off topic, the term cadaster hasn’t been mentioned, either. I poked around online and discovered that the UK doesn’t have a cadaster (spelled cadastre in UK). Here’s a [link to a PDF](https://www.fig.net/resources/proceedings/2008/verona_am_2008_comm7/papers/12_sept/7_2_grover.pdf) with relevant information. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2023, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-houses-numbered-in-us-residential-streets/983911/99 "2023-05-14T11:21:43Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > What would actually happen would be that some government functionary would go out to the side, say “Eh, I think that side is a little bit longer”, and declare the house to officially be on one street or the other. Windshield ‘surveys’ are rarely needed. But we do make site visits sometimes. For the most part the plat or property improvement map is plenty. No actual ‘map’ if in meets and bounds, but we have to create the parcel in our system, so we do end up with a map. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2023, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-houses-numbered-in-us-residential-streets/983911/100 "2023-05-14T11:48:35Z")
> [@alovem](#): > > Maybe it was a case of “everyone knows, so there’s no need to talk about it,” or maybe the information was available in one form or another and I just missed it. It’s one of those things I’ve always known, or seemingly so, as I was born and raised here. I do remember it being mentioned in grammar school, and I’m sure my dad probably told me a million times. I find it surprising that nobody you quizzed about it knew. I would have thought it common knowledge here, like how to pronounce “Paulina” or “Devon” “puh/paw-LEYE-nuh” and "du-VON"Were they natives or transplants? Come to think of it, I don’t know where such information would be commonly displayed. If you work in the Loop at all and pay attention to your surrounding, you learn it quickly through experience, as you did. I did learn the bit about how from Madison to 31st the streets are not on an 800-addresses-to-a-mile grid through some CTA signage or pamphlet (I believe), though. That probably would have mentioned the State/Madison coordinates as well, but I don’t for the life of me remember what the signage or pamphlet was for. Just for fun Chicago trivia, there is at least one street whose numbering doesn’t slavishly follow the grid in Chicago: Archer Ave , which stretches mostly diagonally from the South Loop to the southwest suburbs. It follows mostly the NS grid, and then the EW grid on its western end in the city, but before that there is a section about a couple miles where it does not at all line up with either NS or EW coordinates. I remember trying to find a doctor’s office once and it not being at all where I expected it to be based on the address. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-houses-numbered-in-us-residential-streets/983911.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-houses-numbered-in-us-residential-streets/983911.md?page=6)