Get Answers: What's in a street name?

Posted at: 10/16/2009 7:12 PM | Updated at: 10/17/2009 1:18 PM
By: Jeremy Jojola, Eyewitness News 4; Charlie Pabst, KOB.com

It may be a passing thought, but an Albuquerque viewer wants to know how the city's streets get their names.

Diane writes, "Who determines how streets, roads, avenues, and boulevards are named?"

In the City of Albuquerque alone, there are more than 4,000 miles of roads, boulevards, streets, and avenues—each one with a different name.

One of the most mysterious of those names is Juan Tabo—who is he?

It's never been confirmed, but legend has it Juan Tabo may have been a sheep herder who lived in Tijeras Canyon long ago.

While that's an example of street names pulled from the past, today most streets serve new developments— and that means the naming rights go to developers.

They can pick whatever street name they want, just as long as it's approved by city planners and doesn't cause confusion.

"Basically, if it's a new development, developers get to pick the new names, and then it's reviewed by the city engineer in planning and the city surveyor," said Mark Motsko with the city municipal development office.

So what is designated a road, a street, a boulevard?

According to the city's street ordinance, it depends on the direction and size of the thoroughfare.

Roads and Avenues run east and west—like Central Avenue.

Drives and Streets run north and south.

Big roads—major arteries—are called Boulevards.

It turns out, there's a lot in a name, both past and present.

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