The Logic of Street Name Suffixes in Visalia California
An article in the local paper speaks to how many maps are wrong as “roads” change to “streets” in the California city. I for one find it interesting to learn the “why” of the changes:
As the city has grown westward, rural routes known as “roads” have morphed into “streets.”
As a “general rule of thumb,” [Visalia’s street safety director Eric] Bons said, the city attempts to call east-west roads “Avenues” and north-south roads “streets.” That correlates with a long-standing Tulare County practice that makes it easier for emergency vehicles to find rural locations, Bons said.
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Winding roads that have no discernably north-south or east-west direction are often called “drives,” Bons said.
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Derrick Lord, Visalia’s Geographical Information Systems director, has digitized maps of Visalia — one with suffixes and one without.
Gee I hope he digitized once and labeled twice!
I’m surprised when locals are not aware of such organizational principles. I learned early in life that in and around Boston roads are named for “where they go.” So, Lexington Street in Waltham goes to Lexington. The same street is called Waltham Steet in Lexington. Yes, it can get confusing, but it’s also helpful - if you know the trick!
