Why is my place a Road, Street, Lane or Close?

[Velvetee]

We all live in places with street names, i.e Acacia Avenue, Avondale Road, Orchard Close, Wells Street, Chapel Lane or Rowan Gardens. So, what is the difference between a street, road, avenue, gardens, lane or a close?

Would I be right in thinking a close is like a cul de sac (dead end) and a lane is a long, narrow windy road? But how does an Avenue, Road, Street and Gardens differ?

[Sir Alec]

A street is lined with buildings, an avenue is lined with trees. Road is Old English from Saxon from Norse for ride. A lane is usually just a well used track, that has become a "road". Not sure what a close is, will have to look that one up.

[Velvetee]

Thanks, I thought an avenue was tree lined, mind you, the one I live on isn't.

[frankofile]

Why do local councils think anyone would want to live somewhere called after a local councillor, eg Reg Blooggs Cresent, would put me right off

[Velvetee]

So what is a Crescent then?

[Velvetee]

Does a crescent loop around onto itself?

[frankofile]

Technically just a curve, like the famous one in Bath

[dispenser]

The only Crescents I know are a continual loop, i.e you can enter one entrance and leave by the other - or vice-versa.

[Velvetee]

It's a bit like the Circle line then.

[sammy snake]

The way I see it, avenues and gardens are where posh people live. streets and roads are where the common people live.

I'm not a snob honest, you must know what I mean though. In towns and cities where there are great areas of terraced housing and suchlike, you will never (or very rarely) find an avenue or gardens or even a crescent (apart from Bath in the example above, where they are all posh anyway...). In the nice leafy suburbs on the outskirts you will usually never find streets. You do get roads but they are normally the main road that runs from one town/city to the next.

I know what I'm waffling about, hopefully someone else will :-)