Grammar

Question

whats the differences between street and avenue

Mr Wordy · Accepted Answer

See:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avenue

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/street

Philip · Answer

Mr WordySee:

Those are great references for a definition. Use could well be different.

In my college town in Colorado, all roads in the main part of town are numbered: avenues go north and south, streets go east and west. It is confusing at first, but after learning the system, one can figure exactly how far away any intersection is.

Where I live now, again avenues run north and south while streets run east and west. Avenues and streets can have names or numbers. In both cities, it is possible to have a numbered street cross an avenue with the same number.

Mr Wordy · Answer

In the UK, "Avenue" is used in some street names -- especially residential street names -- as an alternative to "Street", but for no apparent particularly good reason (just, I've always assumed, because it sounds pleasant, and makes one think of a wide, tree-lined street, even though many of these "Avenues" aren't). "Acacia Avenue" is a stereotypical example of a middle class residential address (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacia_Avenue ).

I'm not aware of any UK towns that have streets and avenues laid out in the American pattern. Most towns and cities over here grew higgledy-piggledy over hundreds of years -- apart from a few "New Towns", they weren't laid out in a plan like in the US.

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