Arlington County, Virginia, street-naming system
Encyclopedia
This article details the street-naming system of Arlington County
, Virginia
in the United States
.
Although the streets of Arlington County are not laid out on a grid plan
, its local streets follow sequential
numbered or alphabetic patterns that are both rational
and provide address numbering
information.
type development which is more common in the outer Washington, DC suburbs). Originally, the various communities in the county had independent street-naming conventions. However, when county officials asked the United States Postal Service
to place the entire county in a single "Arlington, Virginia" postal area, the USPS refused to do so until the county had a unified addressing system
, which the county developed in 1932. For that reason, and also because Arlington contains a number of locations that interrupt the road grid network (including military facilities, parks, golf courses, and limited-access highways), it is common for streets to terminate and continue later on in another location. Arlington now has a policy of adding to the street grid when feasible as part of new development -- for example, connections for Quinn Street and Troy Street were recently added to the Master Transportation Plan between Wilson and Clarendon Boulevards.
(U.S. Route 50
) bisects Arlington County into northern and southern sections, except for a few streets between Fort Myer Military Reservation
and Arlington Boulevard, which are designated north even though they are south of Arlington Boulevard.
East-west streets are designated by an ordinal number followed by a north or south designation. The numbers begin on either side of Arlington Boulevard and increase moving away from it. Therefore, 1st Street North is immediately north of Arlington Boulevard and 1st Street South is immediately south of it.
North-south streets are named and alphabetized (through first letter only) starting at the Potomac River
in the east. Progressing westward, the alphabetizing sequence is:
North and south designations precede named streets and also denote their position relative to Arlington Boulevard. For example, North Stuart Street.
Arlington's local numbered and named streets are not through streets and thus each number or name can appear multiple times at multiple locations in the county but always according to the grid. For example, there are several 12th Streets South or North Kensington Streets in various areas of the county. In cases where more names are needed to avoid confusion in areas of denser street construction, numbered (east-west) streets are first designated "street", then "road," then "place." For example, 37th Street North, 37th Road North, and 37th Place North are all in the same general area. Named (north-south) local streets follow rules regarding initial letter and syllable number but there can be multiple street names with the same initial letter number of syllables, almost all ending with "street.". For example, North Kenilworth Street, North Kensington Street, and North Kentucky Street are all in the same area.
Notable exceptions include:
Addresses on the south and west (left) sides of the streets are even-numbered. Below is a complete list of named (north-south) streets within the system.
Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The land that became Arlington was originally donated by Virginia to the United States government to form part of the new federal capital district. On February 27, 1801, the United States Congress organized the area as a subdivision of...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Although the streets of Arlington County are not laid out on a grid plan
Grid plan
The grid plan, grid street plan or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid...
, its local streets follow sequential
Sequence
In mathematics, a sequence is an ordered list of objects . Like a set, it contains members , and the number of terms is called the length of the sequence. Unlike a set, order matters, and exactly the same elements can appear multiple times at different positions in the sequence...
numbered or alphabetic patterns that are both rational
Rationality
In philosophy, rationality is the exercise of reason. It is the manner in which people derive conclusions when considering things deliberately. It also refers to the conformity of one's beliefs with one's reasons for belief, or with one's actions with one's reasons for action...
and provide address numbering
Address (geography)
An address is a collection of information, presented in a mostly fixed format, used for describing the location of a building, apartment, or other structure or a plot of land, generally using political boundaries and street names as references, along with other identifiers such as house or...
information.
History of the system
A numbered and alphabetical street-naming scheme suggests that Arlington is or once was laid out on a continuous rectilinear grid plan, which in many parts of the County it is not (although very few parts of the County are laid out using the cul-de-sacCul-de-sac
A cul-de-sac is a word of French origin referring to a dead end, close, no through road or court meaning dead-end street with only one inlet/outlet...
type development which is more common in the outer Washington, DC suburbs). Originally, the various communities in the county had independent street-naming conventions. However, when county officials asked the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
to place the entire county in a single "Arlington, Virginia" postal area, the USPS refused to do so until the county had a unified addressing system
Address (geography)
An address is a collection of information, presented in a mostly fixed format, used for describing the location of a building, apartment, or other structure or a plot of land, generally using political boundaries and street names as references, along with other identifiers such as house or...
, which the county developed in 1932. For that reason, and also because Arlington contains a number of locations that interrupt the road grid network (including military facilities, parks, golf courses, and limited-access highways), it is common for streets to terminate and continue later on in another location. Arlington now has a policy of adding to the street grid when feasible as part of new development -- for example, connections for Quinn Street and Troy Street were recently added to the Master Transportation Plan between Wilson and Clarendon Boulevards.
Specifics of the system
Arlington BoulevardArlington Boulevard
Arlington Boulevard is a major arterial road in Arlington County, Fairfax County, and the independent City of Fairfax in Northern Virginia in metropolitan Washington, DC, United States. It is designated U.S...
(U.S. Route 50
U.S. Route 50 in Virginia
U.S. Route 50 is a transcontinental highway which stretches from Ocean City, Maryland to Sacramento, California. In the U.S. state of Virginia, US 50 extends from the border with Washington DC at a Potomac River crossing at Rosslyn in Arlington County to the West Virginia state line near Gore in...
) bisects Arlington County into northern and southern sections, except for a few streets between Fort Myer Military Reservation
Fort Myer
Fort Myer is a U.S. Army post adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. It is a small post by U.S...
and Arlington Boulevard, which are designated north even though they are south of Arlington Boulevard.
East-west streets are designated by an ordinal number followed by a north or south designation. The numbers begin on either side of Arlington Boulevard and increase moving away from it. Therefore, 1st Street North is immediately north of Arlington Boulevard and 1st Street South is immediately south of it.
North-south streets are named and alphabetized (through first letter only) starting at the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
in the east. Progressing westward, the alphabetizing sequence is:
- One-syllable names (Ball Street to Wayne Street)
- Two-syllable names (Adams to Woodrow)
- Three-syllable names (Abingdon to Yucatan)
- Four-syllable names (Arizona is the only street in this sequence)
North and south designations precede named streets and also denote their position relative to Arlington Boulevard. For example, North Stuart Street.
Arlington's local numbered and named streets are not through streets and thus each number or name can appear multiple times at multiple locations in the county but always according to the grid. For example, there are several 12th Streets South or North Kensington Streets in various areas of the county. In cases where more names are needed to avoid confusion in areas of denser street construction, numbered (east-west) streets are first designated "street", then "road," then "place." For example, 37th Street North, 37th Road North, and 37th Place North are all in the same general area. Named (north-south) local streets follow rules regarding initial letter and syllable number but there can be multiple street names with the same initial letter number of syllables, almost all ending with "street.". For example, North Kenilworth Street, North Kensington Street, and North Kentucky Street are all in the same area.
Exceptions to the system
Major arteries or historical roads are exempt from the naming and numbering system. Named streets with the designation "road," "pike," or "highway" instead of "street" usually predate the system and follow early winding routes. "Boulevards" and "drives" are generally are major diagonal thoroughfares with historic names. Boulevards usually run east-west and drives, which were constructed on former trolley lines, run north-south but are designated as north and south only when they appear on both sides of Arlington Boulevard.Notable exceptions include:
- Arlington Ridge Road
- Army Navy Drive
- CampbellElizabeth CampbellElizabeth Pfohl Campbell was one of the first and most prominent public television pioneers in the United States...
Avenue - Columbia Pike
- Nelly CustisEleanor Parke Custis LewisEleanor Parke Custis Lewis , known as Nelly, was the granddaughter of Martha Washington and the step-granddaughter of George Washington.-Childhood:Nelly was the daughter of John Parke Custis and Eleanor Calvert Custis...
Drive - Jefferson DavisJefferson DavisJefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
Highway - Patrick HenryPatrick HenryPatrick Henry was an orator and politician who led the movement for independence in Virginia in the 1770s. A Founding Father, he served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia from 1776 to 1779 and subsequently, from 1784 to 1786...
Drive - George MasonGeorge MasonGeorge Mason IV was an American Patriot, statesman and a delegate from Virginia to the U.S. Constitutional Convention...
Drive - Fort MyerFort MyerFort Myer is a U.S. Army post adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. It is a small post by U.S...
Drive - GlebeGlebeGlebe Glebe Glebe (also known as Church furlong or parson's closes is an area of land within a manor and parish used to support a parish priest.-Medieval origins:...
Road - LeeRobert E. LeeRobert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
Highway - MilitaryArlington LineThe Arlington Line was a series of fortifications erected in present-day Arlington County, Virginia, to protect the City of Washington during the American Civil War....
Road - PershingJohn J. PershingJohn Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, GCB , was a general officer in the United States Army who led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I...
Road - Quaker LaneVirginia State Route 402State Route 402, also known as part of Quaker Lane, is a primary state highway in Alexandria, Virginia, United States. It runs from State Route 420 north to Shirlington Circle, an interchange with Interstate 395...
- Walter ReedWalter ReedMajor Walter Reed, M.D., was a U.S. Army physician who in 1900 led the team that postulated and confirmed the theory that yellow fever is transmitted by a particular mosquito species, rather than by direct contact...
Drive
Address numbers in the system
Address numbers can be determined from the numbers or names of intersecting streets. Addresses on north-south routes, including exceptions from the numbering and naming system, follow the numbers of intersecting (or implied intersections of) numbered streets. For example, 2005 South Glebe Road would lie just beyond the intersection of South Glebe Road and 20th Street South. Addresses on east-west, including exceptions from the numbering and naming system, are based on the intersecting (or implied intersections of) named streets with each letter/syllable combination representing 100 address numbers. The chart below shows the block numbers on east-west streets.Block numbers on east-west streets
| Block Number | Street Name | Block Number | Street Name | Block Number | Street Name | Block Number | Street Name | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 | Ball | 2000 | Taft | 4000 | Quincy | 6000 | Nottingham | |||
| 300 | Clark | 2100 | Uhle | 4100 | Randolph | 6100 | Ohio | |||
| 400 | (Dale) | 2200 | Veitch | 4200 | Stafford | 6200 | Powhatan | |||
| 500 | Eads | 2300 | Wayne | 4300 | Taylor | 6300 | Quantico | |||
| 600 | Fern | 2400 | Adams | 4400 | Utah | 6400 | Roosevelt | |||
| 700 | Grant | 2500 | Barton | 4500 | Vermont | 6500 | Sycamore | |||
| 800 | Hayes | 2600 | Cleveland | 4600 | Wakefield | 6600 | Tuckahoe | |||
| 900 | Ives | 2700 | Danville | 4700 | Abingdon | 6700 | Underwood | |||
| 1000 | Joyce | 2800 | Edgewood | 4800 | Buchanan | 6800 | Van Buren | |||
| 1100 | Kent | 2900 | Fillmore | 4900 | Columbus | 6900 | Westmoreland | |||
| 1200 | Lynn | 3000 | Garfield | 5000 | Dinwiddie | 7000 | Arizona | |||
| 1300 | Meade | 3100 | Highland | 5100 | Edison | |||||
| 1400 | Nash | 3200 | Irving | 5200 | Frederick | |||||
| 1500 | Oak | 3300 | Jackson | 5300 | Greenbrier | |||||
| 1600 | Pierce | 3400 | Kenmore | 5400 | Harrison | |||||
| 1700 | Queen | 3500 | Lincoln | 5500 | Illinois | |||||
| 1800 | Rolfe | 3600 | Monroe | 5600 | Jefferson | |||||
| 1900 | Scott | 3700 | Nelson | 5700 | Kensington | |||||
| 3800 | Oakland | 5800 | Lexington | |||||||
| 3900 | Pollard | 5900 | Madison |
Addresses on the south and west (left) sides of the streets are even-numbered. Below is a complete list of named (north-south) streets within the system.
List of named (north-south) streets within the system
| One Syllable | Two Syllable | Three Syllable | Four Syllable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ball | Adams | Aberdeen | Arizona |
| Clark | Barton | Abingdon | |
| (Dale) | Bedford | Albemarle | |
| Eads | Brookside | Brandywine | |
| Fern | Bryan | Buchanan | |
| Fox | Calvert | Burlington | |
| Grant | Cleveland | Columbus | |
| Grove | Daniel | Culpeper | |
| Hayes | Danville | Delaware | |
| High | Edgewood | Dickerson | |
| Hill | Fenwick | Dinwiddie | |
| Inge | Fillmore | Edison | |
| Ives | Garfield | Emerson | |
| Ivy | Hancock | Evergreen | |
| Joyce | Hartford | Florida | |
| June | Harvard | Frederick | |
| Kent | Herndon | Galveston | |
| Knoll | Highland | Granada | |
| Lynn | Hudson | Greenbrier | |
| Meade | Irving | Greencastle | |
| Moore | Jackson | Harrison | |
| Nash | Johnson | Hollister | |
| Oak | Kansas | Huntington | |
| Ode | Kenmore | Illinois | |
| Orme | Kenwood | Inglewood | |
| Pierce | Langley | Ivanhoe | |
| Poe | Lincoln | Jefferson | |
| Quinn | Lorton | Kenilworth | |
| Queen | Lowell | Kennebec | |
| Rhodes | Monroe | Kennesaw | |
| Rolfe | Nelson | Kensington | |
| Scott | Norwood | Kentucky | |
| Taft | Oakland | Lancaster | |
| Troy | Oxford | Larrimore | |
| Uhle | Peary | Lebanon | |
| Vance | Piedmont | Lexington | |
| Veitch | Pollard | Liberty | |
| Wayne | Quebec | Littleton | |
| Quincy | Livingston | ||
| Radford | Lombardy | ||
| Randolph | Longfellow | ||
| Richmond | Madison | ||
| Stafford | Manchester | ||
| Stuart | McKinley | ||
| Taylor | Montague | ||
| Tazewell | Montana | ||
| Thomas | Nicholas | ||
| Trenton | Nottingham | ||
| Upland | Ohio | ||
| Upshur | Ottawa | ||
| Utah | Pocomoke | ||
| Vermont | Potomac | ||
| Vernon | Powhatan | ||
| Valley | Quantico | ||
| Venice | Quesada | ||
| Wakefield | Quintana | ||
| Woodrow | Rockingham | ||
| Woodstock | Roosevelt | ||
| Somerset | |||
| Sycamore | |||
| Tacoma | |||
| Trinidad | |||
| Tuckahoe | |||
| Underwood | |||
| Van Buren | |||
| Vanderpool | |||
| Veneble | |||
| Westmoreland | |||
| Winchester | |||
| Wyoming | |||
| Yucatan |