What happened to 23rd Street?
October 10, 2006 5:29 AM Subscribe
What happened to 23rd Street?
I've lived in south Minneapolis for quite some time now, and have always been bothered by the lack of 23rd St S between, obviously, 22nd and 24th. I've asked and discussed this question with many people I know, and never gotten a satisfactory answer. So, to any fellow Minneapolitans, what happened to 23rd Street?
I've lived in south Minneapolis for quite some time now, and have always been bothered by the lack of 23rd St S between, obviously, 22nd and 24th. I've asked and discussed this question with many people I know, and never gotten a satisfactory answer. So, to any fellow Minneapolitans, what happened to 23rd Street?
I am not a Minneapolitan, but was just intrigued and found this: Where is 23rd?, though I admit most of it is speculation (or jokes) - but some of it makes sense.
(damnit you people are too fast!)
posted by ClarissaWAM at 5:52 AM on October 10, 2006
(damnit you people are too fast!)
posted by ClarissaWAM at 5:52 AM on October 10, 2006
This happens a lot in cities with a numbered grid street system, where the street grid is not necessarily in sync with the numbering grid -- in other words, it's not necessarily sequential. In cities like Calgary and Edmonton, for example, you might have 86 St followed by 88 St if the block geometry demands it (for example, a double-long block) -- or, conversely, you might have 86A, 87 and 87A streets between them.
So, for example, if 137 Ave stops at 86 St and 138 Ave continues past it, it doesn't mean that 138 Ave automatically gets renumbered to 137 past 86, if you follow me. Similarly, you might have a one-block cross-street between 86 St and 87 St, so you end up with an 86A St.
This happens because streets are not always in a perfect grid.
(This is a best guess, not authoritative.)
posted by mcwetboy at 6:00 AM on October 10, 2006
So, for example, if 137 Ave stops at 86 St and 138 Ave continues past it, it doesn't mean that 138 Ave automatically gets renumbered to 137 past 86, if you follow me. Similarly, you might have a one-block cross-street between 86 St and 87 St, so you end up with an 86A St.
This happens because streets are not always in a perfect grid.
(This is a best guess, not authoritative.)
posted by mcwetboy at 6:00 AM on October 10, 2006
Just looking in Google Maps, I can see that there are two small stretches of 23rd St. It looks like right there is where the shape/layout of the city blocks changes from short/square to long/rectangular - north of 22nd are short blocks, and south of 22nd are long blocks, but there are still a couple of short blocks where there's a 23rd.
posted by SenshiNeko at 6:09 AM on October 10, 2006
posted by SenshiNeko at 6:09 AM on October 10, 2006
It gets worse. NYC has the lovely intersection of 2 supposed parallel streets (10th St and W. 4th St, to name my favorite). I like to call it non-euclidean space, but that's just me (it certainly wasn't straight space, in those days!).
posted by Goofyy at 6:40 AM on October 10, 2006
posted by Goofyy at 6:40 AM on October 10, 2006
Come up to Nordeast, and ponder the mystery of the forgotten President Stinson.
Sometimes I try to tell people that Stinson was president for a few hours after McKinley got shot.
Actually, if I remember right, Stinson was some guy who donated money and/or land in the area to the city way back when. It was big enough at the time for him to get a boulevard named after himself in an area where the other north-south streets nearby are named after presidents.
posted by gimonca at 8:14 AM on October 10, 2006 [1 favorite]
Sometimes I try to tell people that Stinson was president for a few hours after McKinley got shot.
Actually, if I remember right, Stinson was some guy who donated money and/or land in the area to the city way back when. It was big enough at the time for him to get a boulevard named after himself in an area where the other north-south streets nearby are named after presidents.
posted by gimonca at 8:14 AM on October 10, 2006 [1 favorite]
True Minnesotans refer to Stinson Boulevard as Bob Stinson Boulevard.
posted by GaelFC at 9:47 AM on October 10, 2006
posted by GaelFC at 9:47 AM on October 10, 2006
That's because J is a newer letter than DC is a city. If you don't believe me iust go to the archives.
posted by Pollomacho at 7:42 PM on October 10, 2006
posted by Pollomacho at 7:42 PM on October 10, 2006
There used to be a column in the Washington Post Magazine as a nod to the old "what happened to J Street?" question that DC n00bs always ask.
posted by wildeepdotorg at 8:03 PM on October 10, 2006
posted by wildeepdotorg at 8:03 PM on October 10, 2006
Ahem, a column called "J Street," that is.
posted by wildeepdotorg at 8:03 PM on October 10, 2006
posted by wildeepdotorg at 8:03 PM on October 10, 2006
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by TonyRobots at 5:49 AM on October 10, 2006