Weekend video: All 50 state-named avenues

Bicycling

Weekend video: All 50 state-named avenues

by David Alpert • September 24, 2011 3:14 pm

Reader Steve Goehrke biked all 50 of DC's state-named avenues. He created this video of each and the landmarks that line them.

If you're curious about these 50 avenues (actually 48 avenues, one street, and one drive), Matt Johnson created some detailed and fascinating maps showing why different state roads appear where they do.

Today, others are getting a taste of this, with WABA's annual 50 States and 13 Colonies Ride. The ride is full this year, and participants will enjoy a scenic (some say grueling) 60+ mile tour of the District.

But seeing all 50 state-named avenues doesn't mean biking them all in one day. Steve did his exploration over several days. Doing something similar would be a great way to see parts of the city you might otherwise never have visited.

12 comments

Tags: bicycling, DC, street naming, video

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David Alpert is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Greater Greater Washington and Greater Greater Education. He worked as a Product Manager for Google for six years and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He loves the area which is, in many ways, greater than those others, and wants to see it become even greater.

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Interesting choice of musical accompaniment there. I wouldn't have associated a nice Washington, D.C., bike ride with some muscular guitar pyrotechnics. But to each their own, I suppose.

by David Schultz on Sep 24, 2011 6:07 pm • link • report

Does Columbia Rd. NW count as DC's state-named street?

by Lucre on Sep 24, 2011 7:40 pm • link • report

Here are two streets named after current and former US possessions:

Puerto Rico Avenue, N.E. (Also spelled "Porto Rico")

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?ftid=0x89b7c7c2987821b1:0x644487242eac74df&q=Puerto+Rico+Avenue+Northeast,+Washington+D.C.,+DC&hl=en&ved=0CAwQ-gswAA&sa=X&ei=nI1-TqCCA6iniQKMh_XQDA

Luzon Avenue, N.W (named after the principal island of the Philippines, US territory from 1898-1946)

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?ftid=0x89b7c8f52d849f3d:0x967611136c4cc2ac&q=Luzon+Avenue+Northwest,+Washington+D.C.,+DC&hl=en&ved=0CAwQ-gswAA&sa=X&ei=UI1-TqzAMsagiAKCtcHuDA

(P.S.: The captcha for this post included a subscript numeral. This is getting ridiculous.)

by Frank IBC on Sep 24, 2011 10:15 pm • link • report

Great video, thanks!

Does anyone have any idea how / when Puerto Rico and Luzon Avenues were given there names? Why don't any of the other US territories (Guam, Virgin Islands, etc.) have streets named after them?

by Brian on Sep 24, 2011 11:29 pm • link • report

@Lucre I live on Columbia Road and when the video started I wondered "will we be there?" Alas, we are not. Of course, we are not a state, so once again we're excluded.

@Steve Goehrke At the end you wrote "Be Safe, Share the Road." That includes bicycles following traffic lights and stop signs. Tsk tsk. :-)

by Mike on Sep 25, 2011 9:45 am • link • report

@Mike: Columbia road was named after Columbian College (now GWU), not the District of Columbia.

by jimble on Sep 25, 2011 2:49 pm • link • report

As long as you're on the former possessions, don't forget Corregidor and Bataan Streets, on either side of Scott Circle. Named for places and battles in the Philippines during WW II, with the locations probably chosen because of proximity to the then-Mission, now Embassy of the Philippines Republic. PS: Great work, Steve.

by Publius Washingtoniensis on Sep 26, 2011 10:36 am • link • report

I love this kind of info--thank you for a fascinating post!

Is there a Panama St./Ave/Rd anywhere in DC?

by LuvDusty on Sep 26, 2011 1:28 pm • link • report

Two mistakes - he says that Eastern Market is on South Carolina Avenue (it is on North Carolina Avenue) and calls it Ohio Avenue (it's Ohio Drive).

by Geoffrey Hatchard on Sep 26, 2011 2:53 pm • link • report

Is the cue sheet posted anywhere?

by wr on Sep 26, 2011 6:02 pm • link • report

I like how he blew through all the red lights and has a "be safe" message at the end.

by blogo on Sep 27, 2011 5:58 pm • link • report

Totally rockin' video! You GO Steve G. This shows a great love for DC and makes me appreciate the city and it's uniqueness even more!

by LaurBatch on Sep 29, 2011 11:35 am • link • report