Friday Question of the Day – Favorite State Named Avenue in the District?

Columns

by Prince Of Petworth May 4, 2017 at 10:22 pm 61 Comments

fqotd

When we were talking about Georgia Ave earlier in the week it got me thinking about which is the “best” or most popular State avenue in the District. I’m very curious to see how this poll turns out. So which one is your favorite? Some that cross quadrants like Florida or Pennsylvania may have an advantage but let’s see how it plays out and if possible, let us know why it’s your favorite in the comments.

new

Rhode Island gets bonus points for periodically also being a stream
- IJM
  
  They don’t call it the Ocean State for nothing.
MarkQ

Massachusetts Avenue. Just like saying it. It scans well iambically. I like that it spans nearly the entire city. Evokes grandeur on one end and a kind of specific local-ness that means something different in AU Park, DuPont, downtown, Capitol Hill and EOTR. Like that its shortened name doesn’t sound stupid (“Mass Ave.”) or like something made up for real estate ads. And the lower end of Embassy Row feels almost like no place else in the U.S. to me.
- I. Rex
  
  You put it more eloquently than I would have. +1
Northzax

Maine. It’s on the water and no one cares about it until they need seafood.
- troof
  
  hahahahaha. I’m from Maine and this made me laugh!
- PetworthGuy
  
  Lol – too funny!I grew up 15 min from the Maine border in NH and also lived in Portland for an internship while in college. Comment is spot on. Easily forgotten, but no seafood can compare.
OldinAM

At the moment Alabama is far in the lead. This puzzles me. What’s up?
- bje22201
  
  bunch of bamas, I guess.
  - Joe C
    
    bahahahaha
Rich

The only street named for a state that’s even remotely pleasant/scenic is Ohio Drive in the Tidal Basin (and it’s not the original Ohio, which was relocated because of highway construction, I believe).

Very early on, someone helpfully pointed out to me that DC Is basically a grid with its numbers and alphabets and that one should stick to the grid and avoid most of the states beyond the major thoroughfares, which tend to be traffic nightmares at peak times of the day. A number of state streets seem to be particularly unhelpful—I always know I’m in trouble if I’m on Hawaii. Nevada is short and sweet but its easy to miss Broad Branch where they meet. Missouri isn’t bad, except that it begins and ends at complicated intersections. The Carolinas are rather short but make it easy to get confused in Capitol Hill, while Virginia ends in a confusing mix of angles in Foggy Bottom.
- Go Blue
  
  Ohio is the worst state ever
- OldinAM
  
  I had to google to discover the location of Texas Avenue. I wonder if anyone has completed a mission to visit all the state-named avenues.
  - contrarian
    
    WABA sponsors an annual 50-states bike ride.
    - maxwell smart
      
      +1 – I did it last year. It’s a cool way to see the whole city. Be forewarned – it’s a tough ride!
    - slipstream9
      
      The 50 states ride is awesome, but definitely hard. There’s also a shorter 13 colonies version at the same time.
  - ET
    
    Louisiana has a prominent location but it quite short and doesn’t have many with the address so it is a bit obscure too despite it being right near the Capitol.
  - timmyp
    
    Here is a list of where they are all located. I’ve been to all except Mississippi and North Dakota I believe.
    - timmyp
      
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_state-named_roadways_in_Washington,_D.C.
eb

New Hampshire bc I live on a quiet tree lined street across from a church but steps from the buses downtown and 3 blocks from everything on 14th street!
binntp

No love for Kansas in this crowd? It’s probably my favorite residential state street. But Massachusetts comes in a close second for the reasons MarkQ stated above.
Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Happpppy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

I’m a fan of Iowa b/c my family is from there and I get a kick out of seeing a street named after it. But admit, I’ve never done much traveling down the street so I can’t say whether it’s pleasant or not.
timmyp

Gotta go New Hampshire Ave. It’s just so useful and not super congested. NH rules!!!!
Shawn

Florida Ave. But only that one gorgeous block of it, between 14th and 15th NW. One of my favorite parts of this city.
OiWithThePoodles

New Hampshire!! Glorious to walk up on a sunny, not-to-hot afternoon.
- Prince Of Petworth
  
  I can’t believe I left off New Hampshire :(
  - 20037
    
    Agreed, New Hampshire Ave. is the best! :)
    - Prince Of Petworth
      
      I have no excuse for the exclusion – I’m mortified. And North Carolina too ugh. I will do better next week!!
1301

As a Texan, I genuinely enjoy the send up of making Texas Ave all of 3 blocks long. “‘Everything’s Bigger In Texas?’ Well, you’re not in Texas anymore.”
rss

POP QUIZ! What are the two non-Avenue state streets? One of them already got a shout out in the comments.
- timmyp
  
  Ohio and Nevada?
  - timmyp
    
    Wait California St. and Ohio Drive?
- Pixie
  
  California Street!
  - Prince Of Petworth
    
    That was driving me crazy – thank you!
  - OldinAM
    
    The immediate street north of California Street is Wyoming Avenue. Both are similar in length–why is one a “street” and the other an “avenue”?
- Waitress
  
  California Street and Ohio Drive!
  - rss
    
    good job everybody! that’s one of my fav DC trivia facts :)
aknomad

What no Alaska Avenue! Where is the love!
- Pixie
  
  I like Alaska Ave, such a nice residential street.
Anon

Arkansas!
Cam

I like parts of Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Connecticut, but not the whole of any of them. Obviously, some perfectly likable but less well known and shorter state streets were left off of the list.
IDontGetIt

I think Rhode Island is a top favorite since it is such a big street for such a small state.

Least favorite are probably New Hampshire and Vermont since like the actual states, I always get the two confused.
- Bruce
  
  Ditto on confusing New Hampshire and Vermont, both the avenues and the states.
rss

POP Quiz 2: Which are the shortest and/or longest state streets?
- anonabeer
  
  Indiana has to be the shortest, Pennsylvania the longest?
  - logandude
    
    Yes on Indiana being the shortest, but Massachusetts is a couple of miles longer than Pennsylvania (it extends into NW, while Penn stops once it reaches Georgetown). See the Wikipedia article referenced above.
    .
    On another note, while the Wikipedia article notes that we have a Puerto Rico Ave, and it is apparent that Hawaii and Alaska Aves were named before they became states, what it does not mention is that we also have a Luzon Ave named after our former colonial possession in the Philippines – which apparently did not get renamed once the Philippines gained independence.
    - OldinAM
      
      We also have Bataan and Corregidor Streets
  - IDontGetIt
    
    BTW…not everything from Indiana is “short”.
PetworthGuy

New Hampshire – my homeland. Love you 603.
- timmyp
  
  But mainly Portsmouth
Wandy Rittman

Puerto Rico Ave! Showing solidarity with our disenfranchised Caribbean cousin!
- anonymouse_dianne
  
  but PRicans do not pay Federal income taxes. That is why big Pharma has set up shop there.
  - PetworthGuy
    
    Super relevant!
    - anon
      
      Super out dated info!
flieswithhoney

Oregon! I like to daydream that I live in one of the houses across from Rock Creek park.
B’Dale Res

To be fair, you did list a few commonwealths as well….
rss

for more really awesome facts about the street names in DC, check out this link from greater greater Washington (originally posted in 2009 and reposted in 2016): https://ggwash.org/view/42103/heres-why-dcs-streets-have-the-names-they-do
- timmyp
  
  Good stuff. Thanks for sharing.
MadMax

Obviously it’s North Carolina, which is oddly omitted from the voting list. Extra wide, beautiful tree cover, many impeccable homes, and relatively calm traffic compared to others.
AMDCer

California Street is my favorite since I live on it, but sticking to the “avenue” rule, I went for Connecticut. Like the comment above about Massachusetts Ave, I love the variety from one end to the other.
JohnnyReb

You forgot Utah Avenue…

Subscribe to our mailing list