# Which major American city has the best street names? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 5, 2012, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-major-american-city-has-the-best-street-names/639902 "2012-11-05T00:20:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-major-american-city-has-the-best-street-names/639902/21 "2012-11-05T03:24:30Z")
> [@Desert\_Nomad](#): > > In Nashville, down by the river, there is a stoplight that has a sign that looks like: > > \<- Church St. Gay St. -\> LOL! So you gotta choose one or the other? _“Church or Gay, Church or Gay; GAH - I just can’t decide!”_ ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-major-american-city-has-the-best-street-names/639902/22 "2012-11-05T03:25:55Z")
San Francisco has some great street names: Divisadero, Balboa, Taraval, Embaracero, Donner, Pacheco, Leidesdorff, Qintara, Judah, Turk…It brings to mind a colorful, diverse, rough and ready place on the edge of civilization. Conversely, Santa Cruz, California has some of the most boring names imaginable: High, Broad, Front, Center; Market, Mission, Church, School; Beach, Pacific, Ocean, River, Riverside, Seaside; East Cliff, West Cliff, Meadow, Rocky, Pasture… It’s like they weren’t even trying. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-major-american-city-has-the-best-street-names/639902/23 "2012-11-05T03:48:02Z")
I draw street maps, so I see all kinds of weirdness. The Dallas subdivision with streets named for cigarette brands. The Long Island town where you can drive Tinker to Evers to Chance. Various brands of tennis shoes in suburban Columbus, Ohio. Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of rock band names on country lanes in New Mexico. Best for wayfinding: the aforementioned but clinical Lyman system of Salt Lake City. Not far behind, souvenirs of Progressive Era rationalism: the alphabetic schemes, perhaps best developed in Washington and Tulsa. Most charming and romantic, though . . . New Orleans. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-major-american-city-has-the-best-street-names/639902/24 "2012-11-05T03:56:42Z")
I’ve always loved cities like Anchorage that have grid layouts: 5th & B or 3rd and H, not Intersection of Random Person I’d Never Heard Of Road & Arbitrary Word Avenue. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-major-american-city-has-the-best-street-names/639902/25 "2012-11-05T04:00:43Z")
> [@Mr\_Downtown](#): > > I draw street maps, so I see all kinds of weirdness. The Dallas subdivision with streets named for cigarette brands. The Long Island town where you can drive Tinker to Evers to Chance. Various brands of tennis shoes in suburban Columbus, Ohio. Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of rock band names on country lanes in New Mexico. > > Best for wayfinding: the aforementioned but clinical Lyman system of Salt Lake City. Not far behind, souvenirs of Progressive Era rationalism: the alphabetic schemes, perhaps best developed in Washington and Tulsa. Most charming and romantic, though . . . New Orleans. What are the streets in Col. With shoe names? ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-major-american-city-has-the-best-street-names/639902/26 "2012-11-05T04:12:09Z")
Portland’s streets are named after Simpsons characters which is kind of cool ;). ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-major-american-city-has-the-best-street-names/639902/27 "2012-11-05T04:31:17Z")
New Orleans. And Atlanta, if you like varietions on the word “peachtree”. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-major-american-city-has-the-best-street-names/639902/28 "2012-11-05T08:01:51Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Portland’s streets are named after Simpsons characters which is kind of cool ;). Uh, that would be the other way around. Many streets in downtown San Jose are named after surviving members of the Donner Party, who settled there. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-major-american-city-has-the-best-street-names/639902/29 "2012-11-05T09:17:43Z")
> [@tomcar](#): > > What are the streets in Col. With shoe names? I think there’s a Reebok Drive and an Adidas Court somewhere on the west side. I think the neighborhood on the south side with “Legislate Drive,” “Representation Terrace,” and “Nomination Lane” is even weirder. It’s more interesting than the endless variations involving game birds, trees, and small waterways, though. (I was searching for an intersection of two of those streets in the Columbus area once, and the same street names actually existed in two different areas. :smack: The intersection of Turkey Oak Drive and Pheasant Run Place or whatever they were existed somewhere in Columbus and also somewhere in Delaware County.) ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-major-american-city-has-the-best-street-names/639902/30 "2012-11-05T09:34:05Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > New Orleans by a mile. . . New Orleans not only has great street names, but great pronunciations. “Calliope” is one of my favorites - they pronounce it “CAL-ee-ope.” “Burgundy” is pronounced “bur-GUN-dee.” “Esplanade” is pronounced “ESS-pla-nayd.” Someone once told me that New Orleanians pronounce “Clio” as “see el ten,” but I’m not sure I believe that one. ---
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-major-american-city-has-the-best-street-names/639902/31 "2012-11-05T13:49:44Z")
> [@Desert\_Nomad](#): > > In Nashville, down by the river, there is a stoplight that has a sign that looks like: > > \<- Church St. Gay St. -\> You’ve probably seen [this](http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&sa=N&biw=1920&bih=955&tbm=isch&tbnid=rS_Uc6SXtp5qVM:&imgrefurl=http://stoneroads.blogspot.com/2009_03_01_archive.html&docid=bLZRrKybHUiNyM&imgurl=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RLNC6hlFxrg/Sayv6GBJToI/AAAAAAAABFk/emrrihrUwKw/s400/college-weed.jpg&w=378&h=400&ei=r8OXUIDbJsi42wWqsIGgAg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1077&vpy=172&dur=3243&hovh=231&hovw=218&tx=26&ty=101&sig=107664828130913286787&page=1&tbnh=144&tbnw=163&start=0&ndsp=47&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0,i:101) before, and they aren’t street names, but still… ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-major-american-city-has-the-best-street-names/639902/32 "2012-11-05T15:32:07Z")
Sorry, Sandwich, MA has made all of those other cities its bitch. Popple Bottom Road for the win. ---
**Author:** ![ExcitedIdiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ea5d25/32.png) [@ExcitedIdiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExcitedIdiot)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-major-american-city-has-the-best-street-names/639902/33 "2012-11-05T20:49:15Z")
Sterling Heights, MI has a subdivision with cigarette brand names too: [https://maps.google.com/maps?num=20&hl=en&safe=off&q=camel+dr+sterling+heights+mi&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Camel+Dr,+Sterling+Heights,+Macomb,+Michigan&gl=us&t=w&z=16&vpsrc=0](https://maps.google.com/maps?num=20&hl=en&safe=off&q=camel+dr+sterling+heights+mi&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Camel+Dr,+Sterling+Heights,+Macomb,+Michigan&gl=us&t=w&z=16&vpsrc=0) ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-major-american-city-has-the-best-street-names/639902/34 "2012-11-06T00:30:55Z")
Well, outside of Vegas, there’s a street named **Spindrift Foam** Avenue. We rented a house there for a week once. That name stuck in my mind. ---
**Author:** ![RadicalPi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/radicalpi/32/9806_2.png) [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-major-american-city-has-the-best-street-names/639902/35 "2012-11-06T01:24:16Z")
A bit of a hijack, but for stupidest street names, I offer Santa Barbara. There’s Carrillo, Cabrillo, and Castillo, none of which are pronounced all that intuitively, and all of which are in touristy areas, and none of which are particularly close to one another, leading to all sorts of confusion. That said, there are some street names there that I like, such as Anacapa, Chapala, Los Olivos (not to be confused with Olive), and Yanonali, but that could be because I’m stuck in Iowa and homesick. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-major-american-city-has-the-best-street-names/639902/36 "2012-11-06T01:42:43Z")
For pure practicality, Sacramento. A through Z, followed by AA, BB, etc., running one direction; First through whatevereth running the other. It’s just a map grid. ---
**Author:** ![mkecane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@mkecane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mkecane)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-major-american-city-has-the-best-street-names/639902/37 "2012-11-06T02:09:40Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Portland’s streets are named after Simpsons characters which is kind of cool ;). 😃 Atlanta with it’s 8000 variations of _peach_. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-major-american-city-has-the-best-street-names/639902/38 "2012-11-06T02:19:25Z")
St. Paul, where I have been scouting for a possible relocation, has enough interesting street names that a [book](http://books.google.com/books?id=2TJIulWZTkUC&pg=PA108&lpg=PA108&dq=st+paul+street+names&source=bl&ots=aidUz6oiHv&sig=VNbgE9krpnUBOUaWfqToXc0zTsM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=rXGYUJXnIqKC2wXmrYD4AQ&ved=0CGIQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=st%20paul%20street%20names&f=false) was written about them. (Actually, Minnesotans can be counted on to buy books about Minnesota, so…) The names sound homey and substantial and have good variety: French, German, Indian, geographic and historical, reflecting area heritage. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-major-american-city-has-the-best-street-names/639902/39 "2012-11-06T04:53:56Z")
> [@tomcar](#): > > What are the streets in Columbus with shoe names? Converse, Saucony, Nike, Reebok, Tretorn, Asics, Puma. [Out in Hilliard.](http://goo.gl/maps/jaLh5) [Our last discussion](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=541735) of this topic. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-major-american-city-has-the-best-street-names/639902/40 "2012-11-06T05:02:55Z")
They aren’t particularly busy or large streets, but I get a kick out of Houston’s 1 1/2 st, 2 1/2 st, etc. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-major-american-city-has-the-best-street-names/639902.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-major-american-city-has-the-best-street-names/639902.md?page=3)