Are Street Names Random?

How Street Names are Decided

Developers often choose names they want people to associate with the area. Sometimes streets are named after loved ones. New names should be different from anything in use and easy to say and spell.

Street names like 125th Street or West Side Highway express location. North-south streets are numbered, west-east ones use letters. Name is followed by direction specifying a quadrant of the city.

The most popular UK street name is High Street with over 16,000 uses. Second most popular is Station Road. In the US, Second Street occurs almost 11,000 times.

Naming Guidelines

Individuals must have provided extraordinary public service and be associated with the community where the highway is located to have a street named after them.

City and local councils allocate house numbers and name new roads and streets in the UK.

Landmarks and monuments start with capital letters. Street names are always capitalized too.

Street Naming Rules

Addresses should be clear, unambiguous, and logical. A new name should be different from anything in use and easy to say and spell. Developers often choose names they want people to associate with the area. Sometimes streets are named after loved ones.

Street Name Selection in America

Many cities have historic local names and those honoring people like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Streets were typically named after landmarks, topographic features, or location.

Out of over 2 million street names in the UK, High Street is the most popular with over 16,000 occurrences. Second most popular is Station Road followed by Main Street. In the US, Second Street is the most common street name with almost 11,000 entries.

Street Address Assignment

Streets may be numbered based on distances, so a house number is based on the formula according to distance from the start of the system. Thus, a property numbered 1447 may be 1.5 miles from the beginning point.

Naming Streets after Individuals

Individuals must have provided extraordinary public service and be associated with the community where the highway is located. The designee must be deceased or an elected official no longer in office.

Street Naming in the UK

City, borough, and district councils allocate numbers to houses and name new roads and streets.

Street names like 125th Street or West Side Highway express geographical location. Landmarks and monuments also start with capital letters, like Empire State Building and Golden Gate Bridge. Street names are always capitalized too.

North-south streets are numbered, west-east ones use letters. Name is followed by directional suffix specifying a quadrant of the city. Quadrants meet at the US Capitol.

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