# What is the name of the grassy strip between the sidewalk and the street? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 23, 2007, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-the-grassy-strip-between-the-sidewalk-and-the-street/409070 "2007-06-23T00:40:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2007, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-the-grassy-strip-between-the-sidewalk-and-the-street/409070/41 "2007-06-23T15:38:16Z")
I’ve always called it the parking strip. From the American Heritage Dictionary definition of parking: > [@](#): > > 1. Upper Midwest & Western U.S. The grass strip, often planted with shade trees, between a sidewalk and a street. Also called ..boulevard strip,…grassplot, …neutral ground,… **parking strip** ,…parkway,…terrace,…tree belt,…tree lawn. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2007, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-the-grassy-strip-between-the-sidewalk-and-the-street/409070/42 "2007-06-23T15:51:57Z")
I’d never heard it called anything in particular, growing up, but here in Cleveland it’s called a treelawn (one word). My understanding is that although you’re responsible for mowing and maintaining it, the city can do whatever it wants with it during work on the adjoining road. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2007, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-the-grassy-strip-between-the-sidewalk-and-the-street/409070/43 "2007-06-23T16:27:40Z")
There is the ROW (Right of Way) and the driven way. When a new subdivision is developed the roads (ROW) are deeded to the County or City (or other jurisdiction). The driven way is the pavement or gravel road. The ROW extends past this and is owned by the municipality in control. If you where to look at a plat (the recorded deed of your subdivision) you will likely see that the width reserved for roads are wider than they actually measure. By about 5-10 feet on each side. And then there are easements. Usually fronting a property’s ROW for utilites and such. And also down the side lot lines and rear. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2007, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-the-grassy-strip-between-the-sidewalk-and-the-street/409070/44 "2007-06-23T23:10:36Z")
[QUOTE=panache45] It’s the tree lawn. All the other words mean something different. [/QUOTE] No, everyone is correct. It’s whatever you call it in your location. And, as others have contirbuted, there are more than a few terms. At the dopefest in Cleveland last month, we talked about the “unusual” name here in Akron. Many of you know it is called the “devil strip” or the “devil’s strip.” But even 30 miles North, in Cleveland, it is usuall called the “treelawn.” I’ll try to post a bit more on this after I get some chores done. ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2007, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-the-grassy-strip-between-the-sidewalk-and-the-street/409070/45 "2007-06-23T23:19:16Z")
[QUOTE=samclem] No, everyone is correct. It’s whatever you call it in your location. And, as others have contirbuted, there are more than a few terms. At the dopefest in Cleveland last month, we talked about the “unusual” name here in Akron. Many of you know it is called the “devil strip” or the “devil’s strip.” But even 30 miles North, in Cleveland, it is usuall called the “treelawn.” I’ll try to post a bit more on this after I get some chores done. [/QUOTE] Devel strip rings a bell. I went to H.S. in Cuyahoga Falls and I recall that term now that you mention it. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2007, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-the-grassy-strip-between-the-sidewalk-and-the-street/409070/46 "2007-06-24T00:58:08Z")
[QUOTE=samclem] No, everyone is correct. It’s whatever you call it in your location. And, as others have contirbuted, there are more than a few terms. At the dopefest in Cleveland last month, we talked about the “unusual” name here in Akron. Many of you know it is called the “devil strip” or the “devil’s strip.” But even 30 miles North, in Cleveland, it is usuall called the “treelawn.” I’ll try to post a bit more on this after I get some chores done. [/QUOTE] What I meant was that in some locations more than one of the terms is used, but not synonymously. We’ve always called it a tree lawn, but only if there’s a sidewalk. If it’s merely the side of the road (and usually a major road), with or without a sidewalk, that’s a berm. And a tree lawn would usually have a curb, but a berm wouldn’t. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2007, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-the-grassy-strip-between-the-sidewalk-and-the-street/409070/47 "2007-06-24T01:09:23Z")
I’ve always called it the verge. It’s illegal to park there where I live but that doesn’t stop most people. ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2007, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-the-grassy-strip-between-the-sidewalk-and-the-street/409070/48 "2007-06-24T01:10:06Z")
So it appears that I’m the only one who calls it the mow strip? As in, the city owns it, but I have to mow it. And I’m lucky because I don’t have one. The sidewalk comes right up to the street. ---
**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:** [June 24, 2007, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-the-grassy-strip-between-the-sidewalk-and-the-street/409070/49 "2007-06-24T01:12:27Z")
Verge. Or “the fucking easement.” Or right-of-way. Or setback. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2007, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-the-grassy-strip-between-the-sidewalk-and-the-street/409070/50 "2007-06-24T01:14:00Z")
I’ve only called it the verge when the edges of the road are unpaved. A country road might have a verge, but a suburban street with guttering and a footpath won’t. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2007, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-the-grassy-strip-between-the-sidewalk-and-the-street/409070/51 "2007-06-24T01:16:27Z")
Here it’s the tree lawn or the curb strip. To me, a berm is the same thing as a shoulder on a road. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2007, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-the-grassy-strip-between-the-sidewalk-and-the-street/409070/52 "2007-06-24T15:21:41Z")
We use verge but I imagine if you did a poll lots of people wouldn’t know what it was called. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-the-grassy-strip-between-the-sidewalk-and-the-street/409070/53 "2007-06-25T00:33:05Z")
The grassy knoll. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![MrFloppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@MrFloppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFloppy)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-the-grassy-strip-between-the-sidewalk-and-the-street/409070/54 "2007-06-25T11:24:58Z")
[QUOTE=Rayne Man] In the UK it’s usually called the **Verge** [/QUOTE] Agreed. Mine is a Verge because there is a Union Jack hanging off my front porch. 🙂 Always called it a verge. ---
**Author:** ![cantara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6f9a4e/32.png) [@cantara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cantara)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-the-grassy-strip-between-the-sidewalk-and-the-street/409070/55 "2007-06-25T13:55:35Z")
My terminology matches Sunspace, more than likely because we are just down the road. The grass strip is the boulevard. This should not be confused with the boulevard type of street which is a wide street separated by a (typically grass or treed) median and has a boulevard at the curbs. I would call the street that has the median but no boulevard strips an Avenue. A few years ago a Hamilton resident was given a parking ticket for parking on the boulevard. He was not impeding traffic in any way. When questioned, the city responded that it was city property and the parking regulations were clear. The resident sent a bill for maintenance (mowing) of the boulevard for the last x years. The city recinded the ticket. I can’t find a cite for it though… ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-the-grassy-strip-between-the-sidewalk-and-the-street/409070/56 "2007-06-25T14:22:44Z")
I’ve always called it the “sidewalk strip”. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-the-grassy-strip-between-the-sidewalk-and-the-street/409070/57 "2007-06-25T14:30:54Z")
I was raised in a house on a Boulevard. My family, and all the neighbors referred to this as the “parking”. Suburb of Denver, if it is a regional thing. By the naming conventions of that town, the existence of these on a non-divided street made for a Boulevard, and the street was so named. If there was also a wide grassy median, then you had yourself a Parkway. They **were** a pain in the butt for the homeowners. Ours never seemed to take water worth a darn. 40 years or so after it was built, the city finally Xeriscaped them, and they stopped looking like hell. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-the-grassy-strip-between-the-sidewalk-and-the-street/409070/58 "2007-06-25T14:48:50Z")
[QUOTE=casdave] I wonder is you folks use or understand the term verge in other contexts? Verge is the word used in the UK for this, but its also used to describe other things that are a bit ‘close to the edge’ such as something that is almost but not quite dangerous is known as being ‘on the verge of disaster’, or perhaps you have used the term for near absurdity as ‘verging on the ridiculous’. [/QUOTE] It seem to me that in common American speech, the word “verge,” when used, is almost always metaphorical, as in “I am on the verge of losing my shit.” I think “verge” used literally would probably be understood, but it’s not common. ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-the-grassy-strip-between-the-sidewalk-and-the-street/409070/59 "2007-06-25T14:54:19Z")
Where I grew up in Western Mass, it was called the “treebelt.” ---
**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:** [June 25, 2007, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-the-grassy-strip-between-the-sidewalk-and-the-street/409070/60 "2007-06-25T19:13:09Z")
Huh, and all this time I thought that the British usage of “verge” referred specifically to a hedgeline or other shrubbery growing right up next to the road, possibly with a stone wall right behind it. I guess it’s more general than that. Meanwhile, I suspect that the Akron usage of “devil strip” must be the smallest-area regionalism found in any U. S. dialect. As **samclem** and **elmwood** alluded to, that term is essentially unheard-of in Cleveland (where I agree the standard term is “tree lawn”). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-the-grassy-strip-between-the-sidewalk-and-the-street/409070.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-the-grassy-strip-between-the-sidewalk-and-the-street/409070.md?page=4)