# What is the deal with street names in Miami? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 5, 2024, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-street-names-in-miami/1001163 "2024-05-05T19:12:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-street-names-in-miami/1001163/21 "2024-05-05T22:31:54Z")
Primarily inner SE Portland. We lived in Sellwood, but Eastmoreland and Westmoreland were just as bad. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-street-names-in-miami/1001163/22 "2024-05-05T22:33:21Z")
St. Louis has Airport, Chambers, and Hereford (all the same road), Florissant, Old Florissant, and West Florissant (which turns into Florissant Avenue) - each a different road - with West Florissant being east of Florissant and Old Florissant; Old Halls Ferry and New Halls Ferry (consecutive exits on the highway), and Lindbergh-Kirkwood-Lindbergh again. To name (and rename) but a few. On top of that, St. Louisans have the quaint custom of referring to streets by their _old_ names, rather than what the street signs actually say. So while you might be able to find Highway 40 (aka I-64), you won’t be able to get from there to 12th Street (Tucker Blvd.) without a guide. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-street-names-in-miami/1001163/23 "2024-05-05T22:38:51Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Same in Seattle. It makes navigating a breeze, until you run into a street with a regular name. Also, whether the directional is a suffix or prefix indicates whether it’s street or avenue (NE 50th St, but 50th Ave NE. If you ever find yourself in downtown Seattle, you can place yourself by remembering that, from south to north, the east-west streets are named in matching pairs beginning with these letters, in order; JCMSUP, for which there exists the mnemonic “Jesus Christ Made Seattle Under Protest”. 🙂 ---
**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 5, 2024, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-street-names-in-miami/1001163/24 "2024-05-05T22:55:38Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > with West Florissant being east of Florissant and Old Florissant; Not too far from here, there’s an intersection of Clifton Boulevard and Clifton Road. One block east of that intersection is West Clifton. One block south of that is North Clifton. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-street-names-in-miami/1001163/25 "2024-05-05T23:13:24Z")
Des Moines has numbered streets progressing east and west from downtown. W. 48th St. Is 48 blocks west of downtown. Simple enough. Except that West Des Moines started a similar system, with its streets starting from 0 and moving westward. And all was well until other Des Moines suburbs kept the Des Moines system as they spread west and north over and around West Des Moines – which also continues to grow westward. So now 73rd St. in Windsor Heights becomes 8th St. as it runs south into West Des Moines. 86th St. becomes 22nd, etc. (And no, there isn’t a constant difference, because reasons.) And each system now runs into triple digits. And streets form both systems cross the same highways, so you have the bizarre experience of seeing the street numbers rise … and suddenly drop … and rise again … as you head west on 235. As with most of these bizzarro situations, the locals have internalized the weirdness but it’s baffling to visitors. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-street-names-in-miami/1001163/26 "2024-05-05T23:16:42Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > If you ever find yourself in downtown Seattle, you can place yourself by remembering Lol! If that’s intended for me, that was about the first thing I learned wen I moved here in 1979. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-street-names-in-miami/1001163/27 "2024-05-05T23:28:26Z")
So the race is out west now. Special built track at Shula Stadium aka HR. Are the road signs stacked with all the street names? Makes sense to do that since the local municipalities do blend into a major metro area now. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2024, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-street-names-in-miami/1001163/28 "2024-05-06T02:45:25Z")
Albuquerque has to be the hands-down winner for street confusion. Check out this ssubdivision. https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=35.1015786,-106.672132&z=19&output=embed&dg=ntvb&q=Southeast%2BCir%2BNW,%2BAlbuquerque,%2BNM%2B87104 ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2024, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-street-names-in-miami/1001163/29 "2024-05-06T13:45:23Z")
Breckenridge CO has an Airport RD. No airport though. The story is that developers bought the land next to it as it was about the only flat piece of ground, intending to put in an airport. The FAA said “ummm… no”. It was still deemed too dangerous for approach and departure. The road name stuck though. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2024, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-street-names-in-miami/1001163/30 "2024-05-06T18:58:10Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > And ha ha, our county does not get mail delivery, just trying to stay ahead of the curve. We’ll get delivery some day I suppose. The postal system bypasses your entire county? I can’t even make sense of those words. Maybe what you’re trying to say is that that none of the mail gets delivered to homes or businesses, so everyone has to go to the Post Office to pick it up? ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2024, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-street-names-in-miami/1001163/31 "2024-05-06T19:10:01Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The most confusing thing with Cleveland is that the city is divided in half by the Cuyahoga River, and those avenues that cross the river all change their name when they do so (like “Detroit” on the west side becoming “Superior” on the east), but the “center line” that everything is numbered from is Ontario Boulevard, a dozen-ish blocks east of the river. If we didn’t give the West Side a little bit of downtown they’d never stop complaining. ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Igor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2024, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-street-names-in-miami/1001163/32 "2024-05-06T23:19:12Z")
Ah, don’t get me started. I lived in Columbus, IN for a couple of years, where out in the county there were still range roads. So, an address could be 1950 East 450 North, or 2500 South 250 West. 450 North ran east/west 4.5 miles north of the plat center, and 250 South ran north/south 2.5 miles west of the plat center. I would listen to the county Sheriff dispatch channel on my scanner, and even they had to audibly think about where they were or being dispatched to. ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2024, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-street-names-in-miami/1001163/33 "2024-05-07T05:17:39Z")
Oakton, Virginia has Derosnec Drive (hint: read it backwards). I haven’t been able to find the backstory, but assume there’s a dispute with the county over naming in there somewhere… ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2024, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-street-names-in-miami/1001163/34 "2024-05-07T06:48:41Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Lol! If that’s intended for me, that was about the first thing I learned wen I moved here in 1979. Not specifically - I just enjoy sharing that mnemonic every opportunity I get because it’s the most accurate description of downtown Seattle that I’ve ever heard. For those who may not know, the area that is now downtown was originally settled and platted out by two different parties, one lead by a politician named Arthur Denny who wanted the north-to-south streets to run parallel to the shoreline, and another by a merchant named David “Doc” Maynard who wanted the streets to run parallel to true north. Maynard’s plan won out in the long run, but the chunk of downtown between Yesler Way and Denny way is still laid out according to Denny’s plan, meaning there are multiple places where streets abruptly change direction or intersect at odd angles. This, combined with the fact that many of the streets are one-way, the hillside downtown is built on is very steep to the point of being unwalkable at certain points, and 3rd avenue is bus-only for most of the day, makes getting from Point A to Point B in downtown Seattle a logistical nightmare which no loving God would have willingly inflicted on the good people of Washington. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2024, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-street-names-in-miami/1001163/35 "2024-05-07T10:50:55Z")
That sounds a lot like the mess that are Detroit streets. Michigan was surveyed under the Public Land Survey System, so we have a sensible grid nearly everywhere in the state. Detroit, though, was first settled by the French, and they built all of their roads parallel to the river shore. Eventually the British defeated the French, then the new Americans defeated the British, and we were left in possession of this gem. Central planners being envious of other central planners, ol’ August Woodward decided that we should copy the Parisians and WashingtonDC-onians, and left us with a ridiculous hub and spoke system that, on its own, might be kind of neat and practical even in the 21st century (but probably wouldn’t be, because Detroit’s no longer any type of hub), but crosses all of the river-parallel and grid aligned streets at angles that make no sense. But do you know what _really_ matters? He we are, still talking about Augustus Woodward today. That’s a legacy. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2024, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-street-names-in-miami/1001163/36 "2024-05-07T14:38:34Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > The postal system bypasses your entire county? I can’t even make sense of those words. Maybe what you’re trying to say is that that none of the mail gets delivered to homes or businesses, so everyone has to go to the Post Office to pick it up? Yeah, the post office does not deliver. Everyone has a PO Box, except for a few gang boxes located in subdivisions. It gets complicated. I wouldn’t make UPS or Fed-X deliver to my house. That would be mean in the winter. So I have a USPS box, and a UPS box that I use for package deliveries. It is a little complicated, but it’s the best solution for me. Parking is easier at the UPS store, and there are no lines. ---
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2024, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-street-names-in-miami/1001163/37 "2024-05-09T00:16:10Z")
Okay. I totally missed the Avenues vs. Streets convention. That helps a bit.https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!4v1715213656326!6m8!1m7!1sSrlFd22hNWewP2Ic8mhG1A!2m2!1d25.95486603752661!2d-80.2620679536452!3f286.3567655806352!4f10.796790922681595!5f2.682100769663832 But it’s street signs like this that I just don’t get. What is the name of this cross street??? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2024, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-street-names-in-miami/1001163/38 "2024-05-09T00:26:14Z")
I would interpret that sign as “This is the 37th avenue in sequence in the NW quadrant of the city, which is also known as Douglas Road; Louis Maxwell, Junior, Avenue is accessed from somewhere to the right.” I’ve never been anywhere near Miami (barring its airport), though, so I have no idea whether this guess is close or not. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2024, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-street-names-in-miami/1001163/39 "2024-05-09T00:31:02Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Are we supposed to be noticing something there? Just the large number of streets with Hawaiian names? Agreed, I’m not seeing the problem, except for the fact that the Hawaiian words used to name streets tend to be longish, and a lot of them start with Ke or Ka. I guess if you are unused to reading them, they might all look the same. I do have one complaint about place names in the Hawaiian Islands, though, which is that multiple islands can have places with the same name. I am not sure how many areas are called Waimea or Kona, but I know that while I associate those with Big Island locations, those same names are used elsewhere. (I don’t know what “mea” means, but Wai is water. “Kona” just means something like “leeward.” So you can see how places on different islands would end up with the same name.) It’s frustrating if I turn on HPR in the middle of a broadcast and they are saying something like “residents of Waimea expressed concern over the tree cutting.” Yeah, which Waimea - “my” Waimea, or one on Oahu? ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2024, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-street-names-in-miami/1001163/40 "2024-05-09T00:35:52Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > Albuquerque has to be the hands-down winner for street confusion. That map makes me want to cry. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-street-names-in-miami/1001163.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-street-names-in-miami/1001163.md?page=3)