The Little-Known Differences Between Streets, Roads, Avenues and More

Do you ever wonder why roadways have the names they do, and why the names seem so random? The route to town from my home in the mountains includes a “lane,” two “grades” to get down the mountain, a pair of “roads,” a two-lane “highway” and a “drive.” Sometimes I end up on “Redwood Circle,” which, as far as I can tell, is a perfectly straight roadway. Other roadways in my town are designated “avenue,” “boulevard,” and “crescent,” and let’s not forget the “freeway” that runs through the middle of the county.

“This is a great topic,” says Reetie Lubana, who works closely with architects, engineers and infrastructure teams on urban projects. “Road naming is something people see every day but rarely question.” Maybe you’ve never thought about road names before, or maybe you have. Either way, Lubana and British transport consultant Michael Okubajo are here to explain the history and rationale behind road names, also known as odonyms.

Historical Origins of Road Naming Conventions

The history of road names in North America countries reflects the fact that they were once colonies. “Road naming conventions largely come from older European planning traditions, especially in cities like Paris and London,” explains Lubana. “Originally, the terms actually meant something quite specific — ‘streets’ were paved urban routes, ‘avenues’ were more formal, often tree-lined approaches, and ‘boulevards’ were built on former city walls and designed to be wide and prominent.”

Road names can also have geographical and local cultural significance. Roads in Spanish-speaking regions, for example, may be designated “calle,” which is Spanish for “street,” “camino,” which means “path,” or “paseo,” which is a small walking lane. In French-speaking Quebec, “camino” becomes “chemin,” and an urban road running along mountainous terrain is not a grade but a “côte.”

Common Types of Roadways

If you browse through a list of odonyms for any North American city, you’ll be amazed at the variety of designations. There are too many to list, but here are a few common ones that you’ll find in almost any city:

• Road – This is a default term that can apply to any paved thoroughfare. A road can be anything from a small residential thoroughfare to a large urban artery.
• Street – According to Lubana, a “street” is a type of urban road that’s usually pedestrian-focused and tied to buildings. Main Street is an obvious example.
• Avenue – “An ‘avenue’ tends to carry more traffic or be designed with scale and visual presence in mind,” says Lubana. Think 7th Avenue in New York. Confusingly, one of Toronto, Ontario’s main thoroughfares is called Avenue Road. Does that make it an avenue, or a road? No one knows.
• Boulevard – A “boulevard” is similar to an avenue in scope and purpose, but the main difference between them is that a boulevard has a dividing median, often landscaped, while an avenue does not. Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles is true to this distinction in some parts, such as West Hollywood and Hollywood, but not in others.
• Drive – A “drive” is typically a roadway that meanders along natural terrain. Seventeen-Mile Drive on the Monterey Peninsula is a famous and scenic example.
• Lane – The term “lane” typically refers to a small residential roadway with light traffic. I happen to live on a “Lane.” It’s a tiny one-lane thoroughfare with a 15 mph speed limit. Similar terms would be “way,” “crescent,” and yes…” circle”.
• Highway/Freeway – A “highway” is a main artery that connects different cities (or different parts of a large city) to each other. That’s also true of a “freeway,” but freeways have several more lanes than highways, are never interrupted by intersections (you have to use on- and off-ramps) and have higher speed limits.

Do These Terms Always Mean What They Should?

Not really. According to Okubajo, roadway terms historically described how a route was used, but in modern planning, those distinctions have largely broken down.

“I’ve worked on schemes where a road designed to carry significant traffic is still called a ‘lane’ simply to make it feel more residential, or where ‘boulevard’ is used to signal a higher-quality, place-led environment, even if the underlying road geometry isn’t very different from a standard distributor road,” says Okubajo. “In that sense, naming has become a subtle tool of place-making and perception management.”

Lubana says simply: “A lot … comes down to legacy naming, developer choices, or even branding decisions rather than strict planning standards.”

Do These Terms Always Mean The Same Thing?

In historic and technical terms, perhaps yes, but in practice, not necessarily. Okubajo explains that planners and engineers classify roads based on function — things like traffic flow, capacity, and connectivity within the wider network. “The public-facing name rarely reflects that,” he says. “This is why you can have a ‘High Street’ that carries very little traffic, or a ‘Road’ that functions more like a local access street.”

Road Naming in Urban Planning

Road naming happens at the municipal level, says Lubana, and urban planners have a lot to consider, including zoning, historical context, and practical needs like clarity for emergency responders. “There’s also often a community or cultural element involved,” she says, “especially when cities want names to reflect local identity.”

FAQ

Why do road names matter?

One reason is that road names can affect home values, according to an article in the New York Times. Buyers often consider a home on a “lane,” “way,” or “place” more desirable than one on a “street” or “boulevard,” because the former designations connote small, family-friendly neighborhoods, while the latter connote heavy business activity and traffic.

What is a highway or parkway?

Both parkways and highways are thoroughfares designed to move lots of traffic quickly. The difference between them is mostly one of purpose, says Lubana. “Highways are built for efficiency and volume, while parkways are typically designed to be more scenic and may limit heavy vehicles.”

About the Experts

• Reetie Lubana is the marketing director at Tejjy Inc., an architectural engineering firm based in Washington, D.C.
• Michael Okubajo is a consultant with Captial Transport Planning. He has over a decade of experience working on infrastructure and development projects across the UK.

Sources

• YourDictionary: Odonym Definition; (2026)
• The New York Times: The Secret of Street Names and Home Values; (2015)

The post The Little-Known Differences Between Streets, Roads, Avenues and More appeared first on Family Handyman.

Article source here: The Little-Known Differences Between Streets, Roads, Avenues and More