Comments on: The Strange Politics of Street Renaming

By: Steve D

Steve D — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:57:08 +0000

In St. Louis, the local KKK adopted a section of I-55. When they could not be bothered to maintain the section like picking up litter and such the city named that section the Rosa Parks Highway.

By: Jen

Jen — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 17:29:57 +0000

In OKC, we have Flaming Lips Alley. It’s literally an alley.

By: James

James — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:17:28 +0000

Here in St. Louis when the River City Casino was being built and getting ready to open they petitioned hard to change the name of the road that led from I-55 to the casino from Weber Rd to River City Casino Blvd. Their argument was that patrons wouldn’t be able to find the casino without the name change. They went so far as to offer to generously compensate those whose address would change.

What ended up happening was a change of part of the road that had no houses and a sign on the Interstate that lists both roads for the exit.

By: jacquilynne

jacquilynne — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 13:34:32 +0000

I think they’ve recently renamed this something else, but the story of “OMB Folly” in Toronto is pretty amusing:

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/513835

By: Dawn

Dawn — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 08:47:53 +0000

Seaman Cumming! hehe *snort*

By: pocketdragon

pocketdragon — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:56:26 +0000

In Lubbock Texas there is Buddy Holly Blvd and Mac Davis Dr… not to mention the Marsha Sharp Freeway that seems to be continually under construction.

By: PartiallyDeflected

PartiallyDeflected — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 02:20:07 +0000

It costs the city a few hundred dollars to put up new road signs.
It can cost small businesses that much each to change their signs, stationery, etc.

By: Shasta

Shasta — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:10:48 +0000

The USPS still has the tradition of not creating stamps that feature living people, right? I’ve always thought the same should apply to streets. Cynthia McKinney Parkway near Atlanta comes to mind. What a nutjob.

By: Marty

Marty — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:30:23 +0000

We have Mark McGwire Interstate 70 here in Saint Louis. It just isn’t the same since the whole steroid thing.

By: Orange

Orange — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:25:48 +0000

Along the lines of the preteen humor of the last mention in this article–in my hometown, there is a street called Huffendick.