Going north from downtown Phoenix    Going south from downtown Phoenix

This web page gives the background to the names of the streets in Phoenix, Arizona that we use every day. If you've ever wondered who "Bell Road" was named after, or what the "Bethany Home" was, you've come to the right place!

The early layout of Phoenix was a simple grid. The major streets running east-west were named for the U.S. Presidents, with Washington in the middle.

Subsequent presidents gave their names to alternating streets first to the north, then the south in order of office. Adams became the first street to the north of Washington, Jefferson the first south, and so on. Things get a little out of order, especially when they came to John Quicy Adams (they already had an Adams street) so they skipped him and went directly to Andrew Jackson.

Indian tribe names were used for north-south streets: Montezuma, Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, Arivapai, Tonto, Apache, Cortez, Mojave, Papago, Yuma, Cocopah, Hualpai, and Yavapai.

Central Avenue, originally called Center, is a north-south avenue which was at the center of the original 14 block by 14 block townsite of Phoenix, Arizona Territory. It separates the "Streets" to the east and the "Avenues" to the West. The original townsite was from Van Buren (northern edge) to Harrison Street to the south (seven blocks wide by seven blocks deep).

Here is the 1885 plat map of the townsite of Phoenix, Arizona Territory.

The road "out of Phoenix" is Grand Avenue, which begins on the original "edge of town" - 7th Avenue and Van Buren, and goes North by Northwest at a 45-degree angle.

The major streets in Phoenix are one mile apart and are indicated on the list.

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No copyrights reserved! Feel free to use, copy, and share all of this information. For corrections and comments please contact Brad. Thank you to everyone who is helping me with this site! This page was updated on May 19, 2013

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This page is done just for fun.

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The city of Phoenix has always had growing pains. The areas that were developed, subdivided, and annexed to the city were called "additions", usually named after the person who was financing the venture. Anything north of Van Buren, west of 7th Avenue, south of Harrison (which became the Southern-Pacific railroad tracks), and east of 7th Street was considered an addition, and had to be approved by a meeting of the Common Council of Phoenix. Because of this, many street names were changed to help the growing city keep the names logical, and that logic works to this day to make Phoenix an easy city to navigate. The most important change occured on February 3rd, 1910, when Mayor Lloyd B. Christy, City Recorder Frank Thomas, and City Engineer Omar A. Turney, met with The Common Council of Phoenix to change the Indian tribe names which had been used for north-south streets to the Streets and Avenues that we know today.

Apache Street became 7th Street
Arizona Avenue became 9th Street
Brill Avenue became 10th Street (because they were going to use Brill elsewhere)
California Avenue became 11th Street

The original document from 1910 is here

Just to keep the record straight, here are the rest of the names

Centre Street became Central Avenue
Montezuma Street became 1st Street
Maricopa Street became 2nd Street
Pima Street became 3rd Street
Pinal Street became 4th Street
Arivapai Street became 5th Street
(actually, this is a misspelling, the actual Indian tribe is Aravapi)
Tonto Street became 6th Street
Apache Street became 7th Street
Oregon Street became 8th Street
California Street became 9th Street
Nevada Street became 10th Street
Arizona Street became 11th Street
Chicago Avenue became 44th Street
Delano Avenue became 48th Street

Cortez Street became 1st Avenue
Mojave Street became 2nd Avenue
Papago Street became 3rd Avenue
Yuma Street became 4th Avenue
Cocopah Street became 5th Avenue
Hualpai Street became 6th Avenue
Yavapai Street became 7th Avenue
Lateral 14 became 27th Avenue

By the way, Cactus Way was between Central and 1st Street, and Wall Street was between 1st Avenue and Central. Not shown on any maps, but businesses sometimes used these names to indicate their location.

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I have the complete 1892 City of Phoenix Directory, which includes Tempe and Mesa, so if you would like to see a particular page (there are 184!), or have me look up someone for you, or if you want a high-resolution scan, please contact me. Sorry, it's not for sale. I'm pretty sure that you can buy a copy on ebay or Amazon.

By the way, the Maricopa County Recorder has Plat Maps available to view online.

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Another thing that interests me about Phoenix is that while it is surrounded by other cities, such as Glendale, Scottsdale, etc., there are many named areas that pre-date the growth of Phoenix and still try to hang on to their old identity. Many of these communities hold to their identity because of a school, such as Sunnyslope. Most are forgotten. But I have found quite a few in my "cyber-travels", so I thought that it would be fun to would start a list here. If you know of some more, please contact me

Communities of Phoenix that aren't separate cities:

• Sunnyslope - Central Avenue and Dunlap. Visit Sunnyslope in the 1950s here. And in case you are wondering, the Sunnyslope area was annexed to the city of Phoenix in April of 1959.

• Weedville (actually part of Peoria) - 73rd Avenue just north of Thunderbird Road. Named after Ora B. Weed, who is buried in the cemetery, which is still there, on Cemetery Road.

• One Acre City - Where the Phoenix airport (Sky Harbor) is now.

• Deer Valley - Deer Valley Road. A lot of areas claim to be Deer Valley, I think it just meant "way up north" when the term was first used in Phoenix. I wonder if there ever were any deer there?

• Ingleside - Where the Arizona Country Club (originally called The Ingleside County Club) is now, just south of Indian School Road, between 48th Street and 64th Street.

• Nadaburg (not actually part of Phoenix, still too far away) - Platted in the 1920s, it's still there. Grand Avenue and Dove Valley Road.

• Maryvale, over on the west side, was named after Mary P. Long, the wife of John F. Long, who developed it. Maryvale was constructed to provide affordable housing for WWII veterans. John F. Long (1920-2008) was Arizona's largest homebuilder and among the top ten in the nation. Born in Phoenix on May 17, 1920, Mr. Long worked on the family farm during his youth, graduated from high school in 1939, served four years in the Army Air Corps during World War II, and engaged in two short disappointing ventures in business before finally hitting his stride. With money he was able to save after his second failed venture in business in 1946 along with a GI Loan, he bought a lot on North 23rd Avenue in Phoenix and purchased options on two adjoining lots. On May 1947 he married his wife, Mary, and decided to build a home. Together the newlyweds constructed their home at a materials cost of $4,200.00. However, a surprise opportunity to sell for $8,500.00 launched him on his fabulous homebuilding career. Indeed, his six-month $4,300.00 profit appealed to him more than working for someone. He thought he would build a few houses on the adjoining lots then get out of the business But succeeding homes sold easily and by 1949 he had hired six men to help him. When prospects approached he would put down his tools, brush a hand at his clothes to wipe away the dust, and lean over a pickup truck's fender to transact business. Between 1951 and 1954 he built nearly 1,600 homes in West Phoenix. Here is an ad for John F. Long homes from 1970.

• Bumstead - Founded by Dale Bumstead, who owned the Tal' wi-wi ranch, along with his wife Eva, at what is now Peoria and Litchfield Roads. Actually, it's part of Peoria now.

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Go to> Phoenix historical images

Go to> Phoenix Historic Preservation List

Phoenix, Arizona Quarter Section map (pdf)

Go to> Transcriptions of historic Phoenix newspapers

Go to> Sunnyslope and Cactus Business Directory from the 1950s

Go to> The history of street names in Los Angeles, California

Go to > Santa Barbara photos from old postcards

Go to> Ford Mustang 5.0

Go to> Saab Sonett III

Go to> My brother Roger Hall's wildlife drawings in vector format

Go to > Brad Hall's professional blog

Contact Brad directly

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Pioneers' Cemetery Association Dedicated to Preserving Historic Cemeteries in Arizona

 

The history of the street names in Phoenix, Arizona

More historic Phoenix images being posted daily here

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Phoenix, Arizona Territory, 1885

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Phoenix street names going north from downtown

Washington Street (0) - named after the first president of the United States, George Washington.

Adams Street (100 North) - named after our second president, John Adams.

Melinda's Alley - You won't find this on any maps, but it was lined with houses and businesses during the early years of Phoenix. A trace of it remains, as of this writing, as simply a back alley at Central Avenue between Monroe and Adams. In 1902, Charles Poston lived, and died, on Melinda's alley.

Monroe Street (200 North) - named after our fifth president, James Monroe.

Van Buren Street (300 North) - Major street. Named after our eighth president Martin Van Buren. It was also known as Tempe Road. As it curves southward near The Phoenix Municipal Stadium, it becomes Mill Avenue.

Grand Avenue - In 1887 developers from Fresno, California were inspired to create a quick, easy route cutting diagonally from downtown Phoenix to lure settlers to the west side. This avenue runs at a 45 degree angle north by northwest beginning at Van Buren and 7th Avenue, which was known as Yavapai Street at that time. Original Grand Avenue Addition document from 1887 is here. Some tricks on navigating the Grand Avenue overpasses is here. And, no, it's not The Grand Avenue, it's Grand Avenue, like Grand Canyon, or Grand Canal. They liked the word Grand in those days!

Polk Street (400 North) - named after our eleventh president, James Polk.

Taylor Street (500 North) - named after our 12th president, Zachary Taylor.

Fillmore Street (600 North) - named after our 13th president, Millard Fillmore.

Pierce Street (700 North) - named after our 14th president, Franklin Pierce.

McKinley Street (800 North) - named after our 25th president, William McKinley.

Garfield Street (900 North) - named after our 20th president, James A. Garfield.

Roosevelt Street (1000 North) - Half-mile street. Named after our 26th president, Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt.

Diamond Street - Named after the Diamond Heights addition platted in 1909 by E.J. and Emma R. Bennitt. Original Diamond Heights document is here

Portland Street

Latham Street - Named after H.I. Latham who owned the H.I. Latham Company, a real estate and investments firm and was a prominent booster of Phoenix. He owned 40 acres with his wife Henrietta at the northwest corner of Central and McDowell at the turn of the century.

Moreland Street - This street was originally called Westmoreland, but the West had to be removed to avoid confusion. Otherwise, it would have been East Westmoreland Street, or West Westmoreland Street. Can you blame them? See the original Westmoreland Street here.

Culver Street

Willetta Street

Lynwood Street

McDowell Road (1600 North) - Major Street. Named after Civil War General Irvin McDowell (1818-1885).  A graduate of West Point, McDowell was in command of Union troops when they were routed at the Battle of Bull Run.  His career survived and he was twice appointed to command of the department of the Pacific.  He reportedly never visited Arizona, and is interred in the National Cemetery on the Presidio Military Reservation, San Francisco.

Palmcroft - The Palmcroft subdivision was platted in 1927 by Dwight B. Heard and William G. Hartranft on land purchased from J. W. and Sallie G. Dorris. It's still an amazing neighborhood to walk around in today.

Almeria Road

Coronado Road

Granada Road

Granada Road

Palm Lane

Hubbell Street -

Holly Street

Monte Vista Road - This is Spanish for "Mountain View" or "View of the Mountain". Monte Vista was a subdivision platted on December 4th, 1908 by Dwight B. Heard, president of the Suburban Realty Company.

Cypress Street

Oak Street

Harvard Street - An Ivy League School, like Yale and Princetown whose names were used in the 1924 subdivision Greenfield Acres created by T.H. and Elsie Greenfield at 16th Street just south of Thomas. Princeton Street appears to be gone now.

Sheridan Street -

Yale Street - See Harvard Street above

Encanto Boulevard - Half-mile street."Enchantment" in Spanish.

Hoover Street

Vernon Avenue

Lewis Avenue

Ashland Avenue

Wilshire Drive - named after Henry Gaylord Wilshire (1861 - 1927), who was known by his contemporaries by his middle name, Gaylord, and was a land developer for whom Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles was also named.

Woodward Drive

Virginia Avenue (2600 North) -

Cambridge Avenue

Windsor Avenue -

Edgemont Avenue -

Greenfield Road - From the Greenfield Gardens subdivision platted by T.H., Elsie, Max, and Bonnie Greenfield in 1928. This street runs at an angle parallel to Grand Canal. Look for it as you pass the Creighton Christian Church at 22nd Street, just south of Thomas.

Thomas Road (2900 North) - Major street. Named after William E. Thomas, Arizona territorial deputy county recorder at the turn of the century. Thomas owned an 85-acre ranch one and a half miles north of the city limits (the city limit was Van Buren at the time). Page showing William E. Thomas in the Phoenix 1892 City Directory. Original document of the biography of William E. Thomas from the 1901 Portrait and Biographical Record of Arizona . The complete transcript of the book is here. Original document of the biography of William E. Thomas from the 1896 Historical and Biographical Record of the Territory of Arizona. Article from the 1908 Arizona Republican Newspaper is here.

Thomas Road was also known as West Oleander Avenue.

Country Club Drive - Goes around the Phoenix Country Club, a private golf course, which remains outside of the city limits to this day.

Merrell Street

Verde Lane

Catalina Drive

Avalon Drive

Pinchot Avenue

Earll Drive

Flower Street

Cheery Lynn

Monterey Way

Campus Drive - Goes around Phoenix College.

Mulberry Drive

Osborn Road (3400 North) - Half-mile street. This road ran by the south edge of the Osborn family farm, near Central, and had been homesteaded by John Preston Osborn, originally from Tennessee, and his wife Paulina Elizabeth (Swetnan), of Kentucky, in the late 1870's.  The street became known as Osborn Road around the time of John's death in 1900 at the age of 84. John's son Neri became the City of Phoenix County Recorder. Neri F. Osborn was born on April 7th, 1856 and died on October 6th, 1943. Neri Osborn's wife was named Marilla and they lived at 77 W. Encanto, Phoenix. In the 1892 Phoenix City Directory, Neri was living on Franklin near Porter Avenue, neither of which exists today.

Neri's son, and John's grandson, was Sidney Osborn, the 7th governor of Arizona.

Mitchell Drive

Whitton Avenue - Named after F. E. Whitton, who platted the Whitton Tract in 1910. Original Whitton Tract document is here.

Columbus Avenue

Weldon Avenue

Clarendon Avenue

Indianola - Named by T.M. Earnhart, who platted Indianola Place at 2nd Street in 1909.

Fairmount Avenue

Piccadilly Road

Amelia Avenue

Indian School Road (4100 North) - Major street. This road was named for the Phoenix Indian School, which opened on September 30, 1891, with an enrollment of thirty-four Pima boys. The school's first permanent structure, the "girls' building," was built in 1892. Modeled after the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, the Phoenix Indian School offered Indian youth the opportunity to learn industrial skills with the aim of integrating them into white society as well-paid workers. In 1935 the Phoenix Indian School was operating as both a vocational training school and a regular junior and senior high school. Enrollment at the school reached its peak in 1961, but diminishing support for the school reflected a decline in support for off-reservation schools nationally. In 1990 the Phoenix Indian School was closed and developed as commercial real estate by the Collier Company of Florida and as a city of Phoenix park.

Monterosa Street

Devonshire Avenue

Heatherbrae Drive

Glenrosa Avenue

Montecito Avenue

Turney Avenue - Named after Omar Asa Turney, Phoenix city engineer at the turn of the century. In the 1892 Directory Phoenix City Directory, he listed as a bookkeeper and his residence was on Washington between Center and Montezuma (1st Street). Omar Turney was living at 643 N. 4th Avenue when he died on December 21st, 1929. As of this writing, it looks like his house is still there.

Original document showing Turney Avenue from 1893. Transcript of document:

This plat of lots: - Is hereby published as the complete plan and survey thereof and the street upon the recording thereof in the County Recorder's office of the Country of Maricopa, Territory of Arizona, is dedicated to the public for their use forever. The premises hereby subdivided consists of the North half (1/2) of the South-west quarter (1/4) of Section number Twenty (20), township number Two (2) North of Range number three (3), Gila and Salt River Base and Meridian, County of Maricopa, Territory of Arizona.
Witness my hand this seventh day of November, 1893, R.H. Woolf.
Recorders Office, Phoenix, Maricopa Co., A.T.
Filed and recorded request of J.N. Evans, Nov. 7th, 1893, at 2:30 P.M.
Book 2 of Maps Page, Neri Osborn, County Recorder (son of John P. Osborn), by Wm. E. Thomas, Deputy.

Territory of Arizona, County of Maricopa
Before me, O.A. Turney, a Notary Public, in and for said county of Maricopa, on this day personally appeared R. H. Woolf known to me to be the person whose name is subscribed to the foregoing instrument and acknowledge to me that he executed the same for the purpose and consideration therein expressed.
Given under my hand and seal of office this 7th day of November, 1893
O.A. Turney, Notary Public

Roma Avenue

Sells Drive

Campbell Avenue - Half-mile street.

Minnezona Avenue - Named by contractor Porter (P. W.) Womack, for a favorite Aunt MINNiE and combined it with AriZONA.

Grand Canal - I know, it's not a street, but many times in old maps it's a good reference. I'm putting it here in this list because this is where is crosses Central, although it crosses different streets elsewhere. And yes, it's Grand Canal, as in Grand Canyon, not The Grand Canal. Built in 1878, they must have thought pretty highly of it, to compare it to Grand Canyon!

Meadowbrook Avenue

Hazelwood Street

Coolidge Street

Highland Avenue

Elm Street

Pierson Street - named by Eugene M. and Lena Pierson, who platted Pierson Place in 1926 at 7th Avenue, just south of Camelback Road.

Mariposa Street

Camelback Road (5000 North) - Major street. Named after Camelback Mountain, which is so named because it looks like a camel lying down.

Reade Avenue - named after Dave Reade, who worked as a salesman for John F. Long.

Pasadena Avenue

Medlock Drive - Named after Floyd W. Medlock, who platted Medlock Place at Central Avenue in 1926.

Orange Drive

Colter Street

Oregon Avenue

Georgia Avenue

Vermont Avenue

Missouri Avenue - Half-mile street.

Marshall Avenue

San Juan Avenue

San Miguel Avenue

Montebello Avenue

Solano Drive

Rancho Drive

Palo Verde Drive - The palo verde tree is Arizona's state tree.

Bethany Home Road (6000 North) - Major street. Led to the Bethany Home, way outside the city, near what is now 15th Avenue.  The "home" was a tuberculosis sanitorium operated by a religious organization in the early 1900's.  The namesake of the home is an ancient town near Jerusalem.

Solicito Lane

Rovey Avenue

Berridge Lane

Keim Drive

Rose Lane

Claremont Street

Marlette Avenue

Stella Lane

Maryland Avenue - Half-mile street

Sierra Vista Drive

McLellan Boulevard - Named after George W. McLellan, who platted the Washington Homesites in 1925. The map says it was at Alhambra Road. Not sure where this was, do you know? 39th Avenue? Where the Kindergarten is now?

Tuckey Lane

Ocotillo Road - A type of cactus that is native to the Sonoran Desert.

Lawrence Road

Lamar Road

Flynn Lane

Glendale Avenue (7000 North) - Major street. The road to Glendale, Arizona. Glendale Avenue becomes Lincoln Drive when you pass 22nd Street going east, entering the city of Scottsdale. The city of Glendale started as a temperance colony in the 1800s, and in spite of an excellent and active historical society, no one really knows why the city was named Glendale. Maybe it just sounded good. Glendale Avenue, in the city of Glendale itself , was originally Washington Street.

Lincoln Drive - named after John C. Lincoln, a self-made millionaire, who came to Arizona in 1931 when his wife, Helen, was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He founded the Desert Mission in Sunnyslope, which became John C. Lincoln Hospital. He also helped establish a resort in Paradise Valley called The Camelback Inn.

Cactus Wren - The state bird of Arizona.

Glenn Drive

Palmaire Avenue

Myrtle Avenue

Northview Avenue - The name comes from Northview Acres, a subdivision that was created in 1946.

State Avenue

Gardenia Drive

Orangewood Avenue - Half-mile street. Named after The Orangewood Nursery Company, which was managed by Burle J. Jones in 1912.

Vista Avenue

Wagon Wheel Drive

Kaler Drive

Morten Avenue

Belmont Avenue

Frier Drive (7700)

Hayward Avenue

Desert Park Lane

Augusta Avenue

Linger Lane

Northern Avenue (8000 North) - Major street. Presumably the name indicated the northernmost avenue of the city. As of this writing, it would be less than half-way to the Phoenix city limits north.

Loma Lane

Harmont Drive

Royal Palm

Griswold Road

El Camino Drive - Spanish for "The Road".

Las Palmaritas Drive

Arizona Canal. Yes, I know it's not a street, but on old maps it makes an excellent reference. I'm putting it in this list here because this is where it crosses Central Avenue, although it crosses other streets elsewhere. Built in 1878, and, like Grand Canal, there is no "the". I guess that's how people talked in those days.

El Caminito Drive - Spanish for "The Little Road".

Echo Lane

Butler Drive - Half-mile street.

Seldon Lane

Orchid Lane

Diana Avenue

Alice Avenue - named after the daughter of the founder of the community of Sunnyslope, William R. Norton.

Lawrence Lane

Golden Lane

Townley Avenue

Puget Avenue

Dunlap Avenue (9000 North) - Major street. Named after Phoenix Mayor John T. Dunlap. Original document is here and here. Dunlap becomes Olive Avenue at 43rd Avenue (entering the City of Glendale).

Caron Street - named after Frank and Lenna Caron, who platted the Caron Tract at 4th Street in 1925.

Eva Street - named after Eva Caron, the wife of Ralph D. Caron. This street was named in 1929.

Mission Lane

Sunnyslope Lane - Sunnyslope is a community that has some deep historic roots in Phoenix. You can read more about Sunnyslope here.

Hatcher Road - Named after Robert A. Hatcher, who came to Arizona in 1908 from Florida. The name of this road was changed from Wabash to Hatcher in the late 1940s when the road was paved.

Carol Drive - named by Walter and Hilda Tengen who moved to Sunnyslope from Indiana in 1926.

Vogel Avenue - Same as above.

Purdue Avenue - Same as above.

Mountain View - Half-mile street. The mountains that you can view to the west are the White Tanks, and the mountains to the east are The Phoenix Mountains.

Ironwood Drive

Cinnabar Avenue

Brown Street

Cheryl Drive

Cochise Road

North Lane

Peoria Avenue (10600 North) - Major street. The road to Peoria, Arizona. This road doesn't go all the way through east, it ends at 7th avenue, at North Mountain. The road that is its equivalent east of the Phoenix Mountains, picking up again at 24th Street, is Shea Boulevard - named after James A. Shea. James Shea and Harvey Bell (see Bell Road) organized the Paradise Verde Irrigation District in 1916. The town of Peoria, Arizona, was named after Peoria, Illinois, from whence its first settlers came. You can still see the original names of the streets on the west side of Grand Avenue, Washington Street, Jefferson Street, Madison Street, and Monroe. Yep, they are still there! However, Vine Street became 82nd Avenue, Orange Avenue became 83rd Avenue, Peach Street became 85th Avenue, and Almond Street became 86th Avenue. Market Street, east of Grand Avenue, is still there. Walnut Street became 81st Avenue.

Becker Lane

Sahuaro Drive, also spelled Saguaro Drive - The saguaro is the symbol of Arizona, the saguaro cactus blossom is the state flower.

Mercer Lane

Desert Cove Avenue

Shangri La Road

Yucca Street

Cholla Avenue - Half-mile street. Cholla is a type of cactus which is native to the Sonoran Desert.

Lupine Avenue

Sierra Street

Altadena Avenue

Sunnyside Drive

Laurel Lane

Paradise Drive

Butte Drive

Cactus Road (12200 North) Major street.

Wethersfield Road

Charter Oak

Bloomfield

Columbine Drive

Larkspur Drive

Corrine Drive

Windrose Drive

Aster Drive

Dahlia Drive

Sweetwater Avenue - Half-mile street.

Captain Dreyfus Avenue - Only east of Cave Creek Road. Do you think it could be from the famous Captain Alfred Dreyfus affair in the late 1800s and early 1900s in France? The French writer Émile Zola supported Captain Alfred Dreyfus who had been falsely accused and imprisoned on Devils Island. The case was re-opened after Emile Zola (see below) went to the aid Captain Dreyfus.

Surrey Avenue

Pershing Avenue - named after John Joseph Pershing "Black Jack" (1860 - 1948), general of the U.S. Army who served in the Apache and Sioux Indian wars, Spanish American war in the Battle of San Juan Hill, the Philippine-American War in the Moro Rebellion, the Russo-Japanese War, the Mexican Revolution in the Pancho Villa Expedition, and World War I.

Willow Avenue

Alexandria Way

Emile Zola Avenue - Émile Zola was a French writer during the late 1800s. That explains who Émile Zola is, but it doesn't explain why the street was named after him!

Victor Hugo Avenue - Victor Hugo was a 19th century French poet.

Joan de Arc Avenue - Joan de Arc, who lived in the 15th century, was a martyr and a national heroine of France. Again, that's who she was, but it doesn't explain why the street was named after her!

Eugie Avenue

Voltaire Avenue

Sharon Avenue

Rue de Lamour Avenue - "Street of Love" in French. If you live on that street, I hope that it is true for you!

Thunderbird Road (13800 North) - Major street. Thunderbird Road ran by a U. S. Army Air Corps training field during WWII.

Greenway Road (15400 North) - Major street. Named after John Greenway, Arizona pioneer. His statue is in the Hall of Statues for Arizona, although most Arizonans have never heard of him. John Greenway's web page is here. By the way, there is another Greenway Road in south Phoenix. Yes, it's still there, you can find it on Google maps. Look for it just east of Central between Southern and Baseline, south of Vineyard. How Phoenix could have two roads with the same name, I don't know. I wonder if it confuses the Post Office! I suppose that's what zip codes are for.

Bell Road (17000 North) - Major street. Named after Harvey Bell, a local farmer. He and James Shea (see Shea Boulevard) organized the Paradise Verde Irrigation District in 1916.

Lindner Drive (in the Belair Subdivision) - Named after Carl Henry Lindner, Jr. (April 22, 1919 – October 17, 2011), a Cincinnati businessman and one of the world's richest people. According to the 2006 issue of Forbes Magazine's 400 list, Lindner was ranked 133 and was worth an estimated $2.3 billion. He was a client of Charles Keating (see below)

Keating Circle (in the Belair Subdivision) - Named after Charles Keating, who is most known for his role in the savings and loan scandal of the late 1980s.

Continental Drive (Near the Belair Golf Course) - Named after The American Continental Mortgage Company

Union Hills Drive (18600 North) -Major street. Named after the Union Hills. Not as impressive as Camelback Mountain, but hilly.

Beardsley Road (20200 North) - Major street. Named after William H. Beardsley, a farmer in the north valley. He headed up the group that raised 3.3 million dollars in 1925 to build the dam on the Agua Fria river, which was designed by Carl Pleasant.

Deer Valley Road (21800 North) -Major street.

Pinnacle Peak Road (23400 North) - Major street. Named after Pinnacle Peak, a granite summit, which is just east of Pima Road in Scottsdale.

Happy Valley Road (25000 North) - Major street.

Jomax Road

Culpepper Drive (in Anthem) - named after Detective Culpepper from the 1963 movie "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World"

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Phoenix street names going south from downtown

Jefferson Street (100 South) - named after Thomas Jefferson, our third president.

Madison Street (200 South) - named after James Madison, our fourth president.

Gold Alley - named after Yugoslavian immigrant Martin Gold. Not any any maps, it was a residential and business section between 5th and 7th Streets, mainly hispanic.

Jackson Street (300 South) - named after Andrew Jackson, our seventh president.

Harrison Street - Half-mile street. Named after our 9th president, William Henry Harrison. This is where the railroad tracks are.

Buchanan Street (500 South) - named after James Buchanan, our 15th president.

Lincoln Street (600 South) - named after Abraham Lincoln, our 16th president.

Grant Street (700 South) - Major street. Named after Ulysses S. Grant, our 18th president.

Sherman Street -

Hadley Street -

Tonto Street - named after the Tonto Apache Indian tribe. Central Park, which is on Tonto between 1st and 2nd Street, originally platted in 1910, is still there.

Buckeye Road (1200 South) - Major street. The road to Buckeye, Arizona.

Yavapai Street - named after the Yavapai Apache Indian tribe.

Yuma Street - named after the Yuma Indian tribe, today known as the Quechan.

Papago Street - named after the Papago Indian tribe.

Pima Street - named after the Pima Indian tribe.

Sonora Street - named after the province of Sonora, Mexico

Cocopah Street - named after the Cocopah (Kwapa) Indian tribe.

Mojave Street - named after the Mojave Indian tribe.

Apache Street - named after the Apache Indian tribe.

Durango Street - named after Durango, Mexico.

Hess Avenue

Hilton Avenue

Gibson Lane

Watkins Street

Lower Buckeye - Major Street

University Drive (2800 South) - Major street. The road through Arizona State University in Tempe.

Magnolia Street

Pioneer Street

Victory Street

Elwood Street

Raymond Street

Fulton Street

West Road

Illini Street

Jones Avenue

Southgate Avenue

Riverside Street

Pueblo Avenue

Broadway Road (4400 South) - Major street. Named for Noah M. Broadway, sheriff of Maricopa County from 1885 to 1886. His farm was located between 7th and 23rd Avenues on the south side of what is now Broadway Road.

Hildalgo Avenue - Named by Walter R. and Blanche F. Strong, who platted the subdivision Hildago Place in 1927.

Southern Avenue (6000 South) Major street. Presumably the name indicated the southernmost avenue of the city.

Wong Way - named after Phoenix City planner Jimmy Wong. Another example of slipping in a bit of humor by the people who name the streets!

Baseline Road(7600 South) - Major street. This is the Public Land Surveying System (PLSS) line that divides Arizona north and south, created by the Land Ordinance of 1785. The original main survey line of the valley started from a point atop a small butte east of what is now the Phoenix International Raceway.  The rest of the valley was measured from a line extending east and west of that point, called "the Salt River and Gila Baseline and Meridian."  Fortunately for sign makers, the name adopted for the road following that line was shortened to Baseline Road.

Valencia Drive - A Valencia is a type of orange

Harwell Road -

Beautiful Lane -

Gary Way -

Beverly Road -

Ian Drive -

Desert Lane -

Latona Road -

Gloria Drive -

Nagdali Lane -

Magdalena Lane -

South Mountain Avenue - Half-mile street.

Dobbins Road - Major street

Lindner Avenue - In Dobson Ranch, named after Cincinnati businessman Carl Linder.

Saratoga - In Dobson Ranch

Keating Avenue - In Dobson Ranch, named after businessman Charles Keating, who was convicted in December 1991 of 17 counts of fraud, racketeering, and conspiracy. In July 1993, Keating was given a 12½ year sentence. The judge also ordered Keating to pay restitution of $122 million to the government, but Keating said he was $10 million in debt and had no assets to sell. There is also a Keating Drive in the Bellair neighborhood of Glendale north of Bell Road at 45th Avenue.

Houston Avenue -

Guadalupe Road (9200 south) - Major street.

Grove Parkway -

Elliot Road (10800 south) - Major street.

Warner Road (12400 south) - Major street.

Ray Road (14000 south) - Major street.

Chandler Boulevard (15600 south) - Major street. Named after Dr. Alexander John Chandler, who founded the town of Chandler in 1891.

Pecos Road - Major street.

Germann Road - Major street.

Queen Creek Road - Major street.

Ocotillo Road - Major street. An ocotillo is a desert plant, native to the Sonoran Desert.

Chandler Heights Road - Major street.

East Riggs Road - Major street

Hunt Highway - Major street. Named after Arizona Governor George W.P. Hunt

More historic Phoenix images being posted daily here on Google+.

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