How did NYC's iconic Wall Street get its name?

A long-gone wall
A long-gone wall

Which is the craziest street name you remember?

Which are the strangest street names in America?

"Maple" is a good name for a street, yes. But we already have many of those. Streets with names that stand out are easier to remember, and the ten examples provided in this list are memorable, to say the least. From a street named Pig’s Eye Lake to a road named Psycho Path, America displays its creativity and humor at every corner. Did you know any of these?

Image: Albert Stoynov

Frying Pan Road

As we discuss our first entry on the list, we must prepare you for the incoming spoonful of roads and streets named after various things, starting with the namesake one. There is a suburb in Hendon, Virginia with a community named Fryin Pan that dates back to at least the 1700s. However, in the 1890s, they changed the name to Floris. The original name has remained as a road.

Image: Ashwini Chaudhary(Monty)

Chicken Dinner Road

Believe it or not, there is a road in Idaho called Chicken Dinner. According to the main story, the origin of the name lies with a resident who lobbied the governor to improve the road outside her house. Laura Lamb was known for her chicken, and when a couple of vandals painted the words "Lamb's Chicken Dinner Avenue" on the freshly oiled road, they inadvertently christened the street with the name that is known today.

Image: Karyna Panchenko

Bad Route Road

While the name doesn’t sound very enticing, a trip down this residential Montana street may not be as bad an idea as it sounds. This street possibly received its unfortunate name from Bad Route Creek, an offshoot of the Yellowstone River. The creek's name itself may have originated from the difficult conditions and the challenges faced by early explorers and settlers in the region.

Image: Markus Spiske

Psycho Path

It was voted as the nation’s wackiest street name, and for good reason. Psycho Path is a small private road in Traverse City, Michigan. Owners of private roads can register whatever name they choose with the local authorities. We prefer to think that the owner of this road is not a particularly dangerous person but rather someone with a sense of humor.

Image: Jorge Salvador

Alcohol Mary Road

A memorable street named, indeed—Alcohol Mary Road in Greenwood, Maine, is named after a local woman who was known for producing alcohol during the Prohibition years. To the residents, it symbolizes the town's spirit of independence.

The Hertell family, who lives on the road and has a family matriarch named Mary, has grown tired of fielding questions about whether their beloved grandmother was an outlaw.

Image: Timothé Durand

Zzyzx Road

Sounds like "Six Six," but it’s not spelled in the same way. Not only is there a town in Southern California named Zzyzx, but there is also a street that leads to the town.

According to the story, Curtis Howe Springer created the name Zzyzx and gave it to the area in 1944, claiming it to be the last word in the English language.

Image: Diego Jimenez

Five Forks Trickum Road

There is a road in Gwinnett County, Georgia, named Five Forks Trickum Road, which has only four forks. The reason for this is simple: in decades past, it once had a five-fork intersection.

As for the "Trickum" part, local lore suggests that this comes from a shop owner who once lived there, and often swindled customers out of their money.

Image: Prayag Tejwani

Liquid Laughter Lane

A poetic image if we ever heard one, Liquid Laughter Lane is a real street in Columbia, Maryland. When the local community was planned, names for the streets were needed and the team in charge of coming up with these names resorted to statistics, demographics, and geographical locations, among common elements. But they also took inspiration from things like literature and poetry, which helped them come up with beautiful names like Liquid Laughter Lane.

Image: Surface

Pig’s Eye Lake Road

Pig’s Eye Lake Road is a nod to an actual person named Pierre "Pig’s Eye" Parrent (nicknamed as such because he had only one eye), who played an important role in the history of St. Paul and Minnesota. He established a tavern that served as a meeting place for traders and settlers, making it a focal point in the community.

Today, Pig's Eye Lake Road continues to serve as a reminder of the area's history and the colorful characters who contributed to its development.

Image: Fabian Blank

Ninth and a Half Street

Since the second part of an address is typically a number, it is advisable to name the first part with a word rather than another number; however, there are exceptions. Ninth and a Half Street runs along the north-south boundary between what used to be Old Nebraska City and South Nebraska City (which now make up Nebraska City).

If you are wondering where this name came from, it has to do with the fact that the city was formed from three preexisting cities, and when they went to rename the streets of the newly formed city, the numbers didn’t quite line up.

Image: Nick Hillier