# Why is "street" treated differently? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 23, 2018, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-street-treated-differently/826576 "2018-12-23T17:50:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-street-treated-differently/826576/41 "2018-12-29T16:23:24Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > In Indianapolis there’s a street named Boulevard. At least it’s not named Boulevard Boulevard; it’s Boulevard Place. Still, I think Boulevard is a dumb name for a street. What’s next, “Street”? Or maybe “Street Road”? There’s a town in Somerset, England, called Street. Sadly it doesn’t have a street called Street Street, the closest being Street Drove, with drove being a local name for a road. It does have several Streets in it though, including a High Street as the main thoroughfare. It’s a bit of a database nightmare… ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-street-treated-differently/826576/42 "2018-12-29T16:30:57Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > In Indianapolis there’s a street named Boulevard. At least it’s not named Boulevard Boulevard; it’s Boulevard Place. Still, I think Boulevard is a dumb name for a street. What’s next, “Street”? Or maybe “Street Road”? In Colonial Heights, VA, the main road through town is “Boulevard.” Not “Boulevard Place,” “The Boulevard,” or “Boulevard Boulevard.” The last time I was there, the street signs said simply, “Boulevard.” Most people spoke of it as “The Boulevard,” just like people in LA talk about “The 405.” (It is also US-1.) ---
**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:** [December 29, 2018, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-street-treated-differently/826576/43 "2018-12-29T18:58:27Z")
In the US, there is often logic to what descriptor a street gets, but it varies from city to city. In Cleveland, for instance, “avenues” run east-west and have names, and “streets” run north-south and have numbers. But even there, of course, there are exceptions. In general, “avenues” and/or “streets” are usually in a city, and “roads” usually span between cities. “Boulevards” are usually fancy but sometimes just pretentious. A “parkway” usually has a landscaped median between the directions, but the best-known “parkway” in Cleveland is called that because it runs through the middle of parkland. Around here, at least, a “place” or “court” is usually just an alleyway, providing access to the garages of houses that have their front door on a more appealing street (with the alley usually bearing the same name as that street). A “drive” is usually scenic, and might lead to a specific place. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-street-treated-differently/826576/44 "2018-12-29T21:30:50Z")
> [@Wallaby](#): > > Interesting. When we refer to ‘the streets’, or ‘on the street’, or ‘streetwise’, ‘the street where you live’ etc, we are referring to the street as being a place - where we live, or play, or work. It’s an identifiable area. > > When we refer to a road in a colloquialism, we are usually inferring the we are using the road to move - either to or from somewhere. _Street_ is conceptually a three-dimensional trough-shaped space in which people and culture live, move, and have their being, a space where the human drama is played out. _Road_ is conceptually a two-dimensional line connecting point A with point B. Such different conceptualizations for what is essentially the exact same physical object. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-street-treated-differently/826576/45 "2018-12-29T23:57:08Z")
> [@I.Dunno](#): > > I wouldn’t say it’s unique. Broadway in St. Louis is handled the same. It’s unique in Chicago. Every other city street is a Avenue, Street, Place, Blvd, etc. ---
**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:** [December 29, 2018, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-street-treated-differently/826576/46 "2018-12-29T23:58:58Z")
Huh, I never thought of it that way before, but I think you’re right. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2018, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-street-treated-differently/826576/47 "2018-12-30T03:19:17Z")
As the exception that proves the rule, England’s name for Watling Street sounds weird because it’s a thoroughfare between cities, which normally is always a road, never a street. To the philologist this oddity serves as a reminder that \*road \*is a Germanic word related to “ride,” while \*street \* originated from Latin _strata_, ‘spread out’ i.e. paved, commemorating Watling Street’s origin as a Roman road. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2018, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-street-treated-differently/826576/48 "2018-12-30T13:23:44Z")
> [@jebert](#): > > So “Elm ROAD” follows the rules, but “ELM Street” does not. Elm AVenue, Elm LANE, Elm BOULevard, Elm DRIVE and so on all follow the rule, so why is “street” different Another thing about all these street names is that the listener might think the last past was part of the first . So you say “ELM road”, they hear “Elmrod”. I don’t think there’s any rules about increasing stress… probably don’t trail off the “road” ,“avenue” part… meanwhile, “street” is the default, and also its a bit lispy if you stress it. SSS-tWeeet,so its lucky its the default hey ? If we had to say it stressed, it might be a Treet by now, due to S going missing… Lots of words have different pronunciations in UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, as compared to USA or Canada. But this thing about saying streets types (road, avenue,etc), thats probably universal. Its just natural to seperate the type part a bit more. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2018, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-street-treated-differently/826576/49 "2018-12-30T13:57:16Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > …commemorating Watling Street’s origin as a Roman road. You’re making my head hurt. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2018, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-street-treated-differently/826576/50 "2018-12-30T15:06:23Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > You’re making my head hurt. Why? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-street-treated-differently/826576.md?page=2)