# Union Avenue popularity. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 17, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/union-avenue-popularity/671504 "2013-10-17T17:41:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/union-avenue-popularity/671504/1 "2013-10-17T17:41:32Z")
Why is the name “Union Avenue” so popular as a street name? I’ve always assumed, without really thinking about it, that it has to do with the American Civil War. But now that I’m retired I have luxury of a lot of time so I get to really care. I do know there a lot, and there are very few named “Confederate Ave”. Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/union-avenue-popularity/671504/2 "2013-10-17T17:53:55Z")
I’ve never thought of it as a Civil War thing. I thought of it more as a verb. Union Avenue in Cleveland is a sort of large road that runs between two larger roads (it creates a union). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/union-avenue-popularity/671504/3 "2013-10-17T18:28:33Z")
Schenectady has a Union Street that was named for the college. Both predate the Civil War by many years. The college name comes from being a Union of denominations. Similarly, there are several big railroad stations named “Union Station” because they were used by multiple railroads (Wikipedia lists over 20 – though none in the South, for some reason :)). Union Avenue might just have been the street that led to the station. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/union-avenue-popularity/671504/4 "2013-10-17T20:19:19Z")
Never heard of Union Avenue in the south. But we have things like Robert E Lee Road that I would suspect you don’t have up north. 😉 ---
**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:** [October 17, 2013, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/union-avenue-popularity/671504/5 "2013-10-17T20:29:21Z")
On a related (?) note, why do schools and school districts so often have one (or more) of the words “Joint” and/or “Union” and/or “Unified” in their names? At least, here in California, they do. Is that common elsewhere too? [List of schools and school districts in California](http://www.greatschools.org/schools/districts/California/CA) ETA: P.S.: There’s a Union St. (or Ave.?) just two blocks from me. It’s a quiet residential side-street, mostly. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/union-avenue-popularity/671504/6 "2013-10-17T20:32:23Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > Never heard of Union Avenue in the south. But we have things like Robert E Lee Road that I would suspect you don’t have up north. 😉 What, y’all ain’t got no trains down there? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/union-avenue-popularity/671504/7 "2013-10-17T20:39:11Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > On a related (?) note, why do schools and school districts so often have one (or more) of the words “Joint” and/or “Union” and/or “Unified” in their names? > > At least, here in California, they do. Is that common elsewhere too? > > [List of schools and school districts in California](http://www.greatschools.org/schools/districts/California/CA) > > ETA: P.S.: There’s a Union St. (or Ave.?) just two blocks from me. It’s a quiet residential side-street, mostly. That’s the case here in Berkeley, CA > **[Best Berkeley Schools | Berkeley, CA School Ratings | Best Schools](https://www.greatschools.org/california/berkeley/)** > > Best Berkeley schools listed by Berkeley school districts. Browse best elementary, middle, and high schools private and public schools by grade level in Berkeley, California (CA). Both high and elementary schools. ---
**Author:** ![Kimble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimble/32/19185_2.png) [@Kimble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimble)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/union-avenue-popularity/671504/8 "2013-10-18T03:38:12Z")
From looking at old maps at the Library of Congress (well, [their web versions](http://rs6.loc.gov/ammem/gmdquery.html), anyway), it appears that both Nashville and Memphis had Union Streets both before and after the Civil War (although Memphis’s is now an avenue). I’d speculate that it has to do with their love of the USA back then, but I have no sources to back that up. Both of them also had Union Stations: Nashville from 1900-1979 and Memphis from 1912-1969. They weren’t all that close to the streets that shared their name. Nashville’s was eventually turned into a hotel. Memphis’s was torn down. ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/union-avenue-popularity/671504/9 "2013-10-18T03:53:31Z")
Atlanta has a Confederate Ave. Funny thing is it’s right next to Grant Park. ---
**Author:** ![runningdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@runningdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runningdude)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/union-avenue-popularity/671504/10 "2013-10-18T19:05:52Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > On a related (?) note, why do schools and school districts so often have one (or more) of the words “Joint” and/or “Union” and/or “Unified” in their names? At one time there were several small districts, possibly supervising as few as one school, or just a few schools. Then at some point they merged to cover several school and grades. In Connecticut, every town has a school district supervising its elementary schools. This dates back to the 1800’s or earlier. High schools in this early era were all regional (and also optional :eek:). As populations rose, towns began adding their own secondary schools. A few small towns are still part of a separate regional district for middle school and/or high school. Since secondary schools were added to existing districts, we don’t have very many “unified” school districts, though a few probably did form through mergers. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/union-avenue-popularity/671504/11 "2013-10-18T19:14:54Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > On a related (?) note, why do schools and school districts so often have one (or more) of the words “Joint” and/or “Union” and/or “Unified” in their names? > > At least, here in California, they do. Is that common elsewhere too? > > [List of schools and school districts in California](http://www.greatschools.org/schools/districts/California/CA) > > ETA: P.S.: There’s a Union St. (or Ave.?) just two blocks from me. It’s a quiet residential side-street, mostly. A “Unified” school district means that it includes both elementary and high schools. E.g. the Hayward Unified School District, not far from where I live, offers K-12 education. There are some districts that offer just one or the other. For example the Sunnyvale School District has only elementary and middle schools. For high schools students “move up” to the Fremont Union High School District, which only has high schools. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/union-avenue-popularity/671504/12 "2013-10-18T19:20:19Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > Never heard of Union Avenue in the south. But we have things like Robert E Lee Road that I would suspect you don’t have up north. 😉 There’s a Union Avenue in Memphis. Starts downtown, goes into Midtown and turns into Walnut Grove. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/union-avenue-popularity/671504/13 "2013-10-18T19:56:19Z")
On a related note, Union City, California was named because it combined two existing unincorporated communities: Alvarado and Decoto. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Woo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@Dr.Woo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Woo)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/union-avenue-popularity/671504/14 "2013-10-18T20:40:23Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > On a related note, Union City, California was named because it combined two existing unincorporated communities: Alvarado and Decoto. Dang, I did not know that. I guess I assumed that both Newark and Union City were named after the cities in New Jersey. For the OP, there’s a Union Avenue in Campbell and Los Gatos and I know it was named well after the end of the Civil War. Mostly since there was nothing here at that time but a Jesuit mission and a couple of adobe homes.