Famous Streets, Roads and Byways, H – O

(Go to “Streets A – G” or to “Streets P – Z” or to “Listing by Locale”)

ery often street and road names describe more than geography—they convey meanings and images far from any location. They become a shorthand for a history or situation or way of life. (Read about street names at “Saks Fawn Creek Chase”)

Here are, on three pages, 135 such byways. (Bridges, railways and canals are not included with the exception of The Grand Canal of Venice.) A concise list of these streets, roads and byways sorted by locale is available at Listing by Locale.

The bias for American byways in this list must be forgiven since the compiler is more familiar with American name usage. If you know of any other roads in other countries which are considered famous or important, email me with the information.

Famous Street Names, H – O
Street Name	Image	Reknown	Notes
Haight-Ashbury		Origin of 1960s American counterculture	A district of San Francisco, California, named for the intersection of Haight and Ashbury streets.
Henry Street		A song in the musical Funny Girl; (Also a famous street in Manhattan, New York and Dublin, Ireland)	In the late 1893, nurses Lillian Wald and Mary Maud Brewster founded the Henry Street Settlement in New York City, New York.
Hester Street		Historically a center for Ashkenazi Jewish immigrant culture in New York City (also a movie)	More recently, it has been absorbed by Chinatown, although some kosher and Jewish-owned stores can be found.
High Street		Like “Main Street” in America, the generic name of the primary business street of towns in Britian	Usually a focal point for shops and retailers in city centres there are 5,410 High Streets in the United Kingdom.
Highway 1		A network of highways that circumnavigate the entire Australian continent	At a length of more than 15,000 miles, it is one of the longest national highways in the world.
Ho Chi Minh trail (Truong Son Road)		During the Viet Nam War, used by enemy infiltrators from the north	A complex maze of roads and paths for truck, bicycle and foot traffic, as well as river transportation ran mostly through Laos.
Hollywood & Vine		Iconic label for movie production	Became famous in the 1920s for its concentration of radio and movie-related businesses.
J street		An advocacy group named for the missing road between I and K Streets in the Washington grid	The organisation promotes American leadership to end the Arab-Israeli and Palestinian-Israel conflicts peacefully and diplomatically.
K street		A common metonym for Washington's lobbying industry	This major thoroughfare in Washington, D.C. is known as the address of many lobbyists and advocacy groups that try to influence the government. Also a 2003 HBO series.
Karakoram Highway		The highest paved international road in the world	It connects China and Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain range, through the Khunjerab Pass, at an altitude of 4,693 meters (15,397 ft.)
King’s Highway		A important trade route to the ancient Middle East	During the Roman period, the Highway was rebuilt by Trajan and called the Via Traiana Nova.
Krakowskie Przedmiescie		A most impressive and prestigious street in Warsaw, Poland	Established in the 1400s as a roa to Krakow, it is one of the oldest avenues in Warsaw and the first part of the Royal Route.
Lærdal Tunnel		The longest automobile tunnel in the world	Completed in 2000, the auto tunnel is a part of the E16 main route between Oslo and Bergen, Norway.
Las Vegas Boulevard		Known as the Las Vegas Strip	In Las Vegas, California, many of the largest hotel, casino and resort properties in the world are located on this boulevard.
Lincoln Highway		The first road across the United States of America	Dedicated October 31, 1913, the Highway was the first national memorial to President Abraham Lincoln.
Lombard Street		Crookedest street in the world	In San Francisco, California, it is famous for having a steep, one-block section of tight hairpin turns.
Lover’s Lane		Poetic term for a romantic location	Not necessarily a street, any secluded area where people kiss or make out.
Lunalilo Freeway (Interstate H-1)		Hawaii’s first and busiest freeway	It is the westernmost and southernmost Interstate Highway in the United States.
Madison Avenue		Synonymous with American advertising	The avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, New York where many advertising agencies were located.
Main Street		Emblematic of middle America	The primary or central street of many American towns typically in place of First Street.
Makkah Road (Road to Makkah) (Road to Mecca)		One of the main roads leading to the holy city Makkah (Mecca)	Also Road to Makkah, a book by Muhammad Asad; Road to Mecca, a play by South Africa's Athol Fugard, later a film
Market Street		A major street in many cities	An important street in San Francisco, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Cambridge, England; Manchester, England; Oxford, England; Melbourne, Australia; among others.
Melrose Place		TV program	A fictional street in a posh part of Los Angeles, California in a TV drama first appearing in 1992.
Michigan Avenue		The major downtown street in Chicago, Illinois	Sites include the Chicago Water Tower, the Art Institute of Chicago, Millennium Park, and the Magnificent Mile.
Mohawk Trail		A Native American trade route in upstate New York	Today the Trail is part of Massachusetts Rte 2, which was created as one of the first scenic highways in the U.S.
Mulholland Drive		A winding road along the ridge of the Santa Monica Mountains and the Hollywood Hills in southern California	Also a 2001 neo-noir movie.
Nanjing Road		The main shopping street of Shanghai, China, and is one of the world's busiest	The entire length of Nanjing Road has been a center of commerce in Shanghai for more than a century.
Natchez Trace		An historical path that extended roughly 440 miles from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee, linking the Cumberland, Tennessee and Mississippi rivers.	It was a traditional Native American trail and was later also used by early European explorers as both a trade and transit route in the late 1700s and early 1800s.
Nathan Road		Known in the post-World War II years as The Golden Mile	This main thoroughfare in Kowloon, Hong Kong is lined with shops, restaurants and tourists.
National Old Trails Road		Coast to coast United States highway established in 1912	Also known as the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway, it follows the old National Road and the Santa Fe Trail.
National Road (Cumberland Road)		First major highway in the United States	Begun in 1811, the highway connects Vandalia, Illinois to Cumberland, Maryland.
Nevsky Prospekt		The major and oldest avenue in St. Petersburg, Russia	Planned by Peter the Great, the road has been immortalized by such Russian authors Gogol and Pushkin .
Newbury Street		Emblematic of high style	Located in the Back Bay area of Boston, Massachusetts, home to many expensive stores.
North Yungas Road		Road of Death in Bolivia	Known as the world’s most dangerous road, with an estimate of 200-300 killed yearly along the road.
Ocean Drive		Known for its Art Deco hotels	The street is the center of Miami, Florida’s Art Deco District, home to about 800 preserved buildings.
O’Connell Street		Historic and main thoroughfare in Dublin, Ireland	One of Europe's widest streets. Site of The Spire of Dublin.
Old Pali Road		An old Hawaiian road on O’ahu, the settings for many ghost stories	Hawaii Route 61 replaced the old road, but portions still exist, although closed to traffic.
Old Plank Road		Historic road in California built in 1915	Once connecting San Diego, California with Yuma, Arizona, only fragments remain today.
Orchard Road		Popular place for shopping and entertainment in Singapore	Begun in the 1830s, the road was named for the orchards that formerly lined the road.
Oregon Trail		19th century route to the American Northwest Territory	Travellers journeyed 4-6 months by land and river routes to reach the Oregon Territory.
Overseas Highway		The part of U.S. Route 1 through the Florida Keys	Large parts of 127.5 mile long road were built on the former Overseas Railroad, the Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railway.
Oxford Street		Europe’s busiest shopping district	A major thoroughfare in London, England with over 300 shops and stores.
(Go to streets A – G or to streets P – Z) (Go to listing by locale)

Interested in college team names? How about pro team names? Or how about famous ship names?

Or maybe famous dog names? There is also a list of the names of masked heroes, and one for U.S. Presidents.