So far I’ve come up with Key West (population circa 25,000).
The only way to drive to it is to use US route 1.
Any other candidates?
I take it you mean that the road has to terminate there, eliminating places with 1 numbered road running through them?
Well, it needn’t terminate there, but it does need to be the only way in or out of the community to access most of the rest of the continent.
Say like Hancock, Michigan. US 41 doesn’t terminate there, but the only road leading to Hancock from everywhere but the stub of land north of Hancock is US 41.
So for folks visiting, the only way to get back home is out the same road they came in on. They can’t go out the other side, then back along some other route.
Or some other large city serviced by the Alaska highway.
I think there’s only that one road leading to that neck of the continent
He said “lower 48”
Galveston, Texas (population 57,000) - Technically there is another road out of Galveston, but it’s 2-lane and takes something like 25 miles to get back to the mainland
Not a single city, but the eastern part of Cape Cod, Mass. (espeically north of Wellifleet Harbor) is only accessible by U.S. 6.
There are a lot of towns in mountain regions accessible by only one road, but I don’t know of any off the top of my head as large as 25,000.
We’ve only got one road (except by jeep in the summertime), but the population is also only about 2500.
That’s why I didn’t include Galveston. it’s got more than one road leading to it.
Looks like US 6 is the only way once you’re north of North Eastham. But the towns are rather small.
Telluride colorado is in what amounts to a box canyon. There are three access roads, but ImaJean pass, and the Black Bear road really stretch the definition of “road”. For passenger cars, there is only one way in or out.
I thought I had something with Montauk, NY. But it’s only 3,800.
Yeah, Telluride would fit my definition of only one road accessing it, all right.
I nominate Hilton Head, South Carolina.
At 33,000 people, it’s the leading candidate now.
Doesn’t make it on population (Wiki sez 1,308), but I nominate Point Roberts, Washington, Point Roberts, Washington - Wikipedia, as a special case because, well, just because.
Not quite fitting the rules of the OP, but Staten Island, NY has a population of over 477,000 and there are only two roads that access it (Route 278 and Route 440) - although admittedly each road has two accesses to the city and technically Staten Island is a borough of New York City and not a city itself.
Depends. Can you access it from 67 street too, or only via 56 street?
I want to visit there someday.
Brigantine, New Jersey
Definently not more populated then Key West though.
If you are taking populations of whole islands, rather than incorporated cities, perhaps you might consider Whidbey Island, connected to the rest of Washington only by route 20.
Also connected by a couple Ferries, but I’m presuming those don’t count. Population 58,000 - none of the towns on the Island are as big as Key West. It does occur to me, however, that we should then consider the entire set of Florida Keys, starting with Key Largo, rather than just Key West.
I just checked it out with Google Maps, wanted to make sure it corresponded with my recollections from 10 years ago when I visited. The map isn’t crystal clear, but I’m pretty sure that the only way in is from 56 street. There’s a border crossing, ya’ know - a small shack with a U.S. border guard who asked a few standard questions, then let me through. On return a couple hours later, the Canadian border guard across the median was nicer. But of course - Canadians are famous for it.
It wasn’t as interesting as I’d hoped it would be. Pretty much residential, probably vacation homes. The marina is nice and, well, a marina. Still, just sort of a curious place.
Special, but not unique.