|
Austin:
The terrazzo star under the dome of the Texas State
Capitol is the zero milestone for Austin.
Downtown Austin streets running north and south (skipping Congress
Avenue) are named for Texas rivers: Sabine, Red River, Neches,
Trinity, San Jacinto, Brazos, Colorado, Lavaca, Guadalupe, San Antonio,
Nueces, and Rio Grande. |
Fredericksburg:
The first letters of streets intersecting Main Street
heading southeast from the center of town spell "ALL WELCOME".
(Adams, Llano, Lincoln, Washington, Elk, Lee, Columbus, Olive,
Mesquite, and Eagle)
The first letters of streets intersecting Main Street heading northwest
from the center of town spell "COME BACK".
(Crockett, Orange, Milam, Edison, Bowie, Acorn, Cherry, and Kay)
|
McAllen:
A set of McAllen avenues are named alphabetically for
trees:
Ash, Beech, Cedar, Date Palm, Ebony, Fir, Gumwood, Hackberry, Ivy,
Jasmine, Kendlewood, Laurel, Maple, Nyssa, Orange, Pecan, Quince,
Redwood, Sycamore, Tamarack, Upas, Vine, and Walnut.
After skipping a few avenues, they go at it again with flowers:
Camellia, Daffodil, Esperanza, Fern, Gardenia, Hibiscus, Iris,
Jonquil, Kerria, Larkspur, Mangold, Nolana, Orchid, Primrose, Quamasia,
Redbud, Shasta, Tulip, Ulex, Violet, Wisteria, Xanthisma, Yucca, (passing
Y-Z avenue of all things), Zinnia.
Finally, I see a set of birds, (roughly in same area of town, not
as neatly placed, but generally in order):
Avocet (tough to find), Bluebird, Cardinal, Dove, Eagle, Falcon,
Flamingo, Goldcrest, Hawk, Heron, Jay, Kiwi, Lark, Martin, Mynah,
Nightingale, Oriole, Pelican, Robin, Sandpiper, Swallow, Thunderbird,
Toucan, Umar, Umbrellabird, Verdin, Warbler, Xenops, Yellowhammer,
and Zenaida.
Whitewing is between the trees and flowers for some reason.
(Subject: Addition to "Street Name Trivia" for McAllen
Please add the following to "Street Name Trivia" for McAllen by Joe
Foster.
McAllen is one of the easiest towns to navigate. The town plat was
based on the railroad and the canal. Old Business 83 paralleled the
East/West railroad... more) |
Weslaco:
A set of avenues in Weslaco were named for mostly NORTHERN states
on the north or both sides of town, and a few southern states on the
southern side. They run north to south, with a few other Texas nationalistic
terms thrown in:
BORDER, Colorado, REPUBLIC STREET/CALLE DE LA REPUBLICA, Oklahoma,
Ohio, Georgia, Louisiana, Indiana, Nebraska, Missouri, TEXAS BOULEVARD,
Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, Tennessee, Florida (next to ORANGE Ave.),
Michigan, Oregon, Utah, and Nevada.
© Joe Foster, Austin, Texas
"They shoe horses, don't
they?" June
23, 2005 Column |
|
|
HOME
