We’ve all seen lists created from Google’s unusual auto-search recommendations. I noticed a few entertaining results as I looked for Streets Named After… well, I forget what I was searching for exactly because I was so enthralled by the false positives. Some were mundane. I expected streets named after celebrities, trees, birds, presidents and such, and of course I found all those suggestions. Others seemed downright odd.
I’m not sure what Google thinks of me due to the wide variety of subject matter I pour into its maw as I research articles for Twelve Mile Circle. Maybe my results were atypical although I have no way of knowing that for certain. It might be interesting to run this same experiment again in a different physical location. Or maybe I should try it several months from now and see if anything changes.
Streets Named After Harry Potter
I’m guessing lots of people searched for streets named after Harry Potter. Maybe that’s why it came up as one of the top suggestions. I can’t recall focusing an inordinate amount of attention on Harry Potter in 12MC so I don’t think my search habits resulted in the hit. It led me to a BuzzFeed article, There’s A City In Montana With A Neighborhood Full Of Harry Potter-Themed Street Names. Sure enough someone could live at the intersection of Muggle Lane and Potter Park Loop in Missoula, Montana if one found that notion appealing.
Streets Named After Obama
It somehow seemed more natural to have streets named after Barack Obama and indeed I found quite a nice list. The most far-flung instance occurred in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. President Obama visited several African nations including Tanzania in July 2013 to meet with business leaders. There he wanted to “demonstrate the U.S. interest in trade and investment”. As a result the government of Tanzania renamed one of its primary streets, the road leading to its State House no less, to Barack Obama Drive. Imagine changing Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House to Jakaya Kikwete Drive!
Google Maps accurately reflected the name change. However, OpenStreet Map still recognized the previous name — Ocean Road — at the time of publication (November 2014).
Streets Named After Packers
On the other hand, I had no clue why Google thought I’d want to search for streets named after Packers, as in the Green Bay Packers of American Football fame. It did lead to a Wall Street Journal article, “More Legends Than Streets: Green Bay Is Running Out of Roads to Name After Packer Legends.” That seemed to be quite a conundrum in a “first world problem” sort of way. Green Bay wasn’t a large place. Barely a hundred thousand people lived there, making it the smallest U.S. city with a National Football League team. There were only a handful of suitably grand streets for residents to name for their gridiron stars.
Green Bay football quarterback legend Brett Favre garnered only one short block. Granted it was practically next door to Lambeau Field and it led directly to the eponymous Brett Favre’s Steakhouse (3.5 stars on Yelp) so that counted for something. The name of the street? Brett Favre Pass. That created a certain poetic sense because Favre currently holds the record for most career passing yards in the National Football League (71,838).
Streets Named After Rizal
Streets named after Rizal was a fascinating suggestion. José Rizal was a 19th Century nationalist and intellectual in the Philippines. He hoped to achieve a peaceful end to Spanish colonial rule and create an independent nation. In return, Spain sentenced him to death and executed him by firing squad in 1896. He became a Filipino national hero and many regarded him as an early powerful force in the independence movement. His body now rests in the Rizal Monument in Manila, complete with an honor guard offering symbolic protection around the clock.
I believe this came up because his 150th birthday celebration happened a couple of years ago. One site offered A José Rizal @150 Tribute [link no longer works] and included a list places named for him.
I expected numerous honors and commemorations in the Philippines. It was a little more unusual to see a park in Seattle, Washington (map). Apparently Seattle had a large, active Filipino community. Also there was a José-Rizal-Straße in Wilhelmsfeld, Germany (map). It turned out Rizal lived nearby while he attended medical training in Heidelberg.
Streets Named After Lord of the Rings
If Harry Potter can have streets, so can Lord of the Rings. A housing development in Geldrop, The Netherlands borrowed that theme. Then I noticed that many of the streets followed Woonerf design principles. I’ve been wanting to use my newfound favorite word Woonerf again in context, and I finally found my chance.
Streets Named After Countries
Apparently fourteen streets in Glasgow, Scotland have country names. I’m not sure why anyone would want or need to know that, and none of the streets seemed all that remarkable. Nonetheless, it came up on the list and who am I to judge?
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