Calling a highway (The) 101 for example, does anyone other than Californians do that? Just curious.

[doc03]

[ashling]

1. I knew a British person who called

State Highway 123 " The One Two Three'

[cilla4progress]

2. Too funny!

Our Washington (the state ) family took a trip to LA a few years ago. We TOTALLY noticed this. I've never heard it anywhere else!

[politicat]

3. I think it's a western states urban area thing.

I mostly grew up in Arizona, where it's the 10, the 60, the 101 and the 202. I've been in Colorado for 20 years, and the biggies are 25, 287, 36, and E470.

But I've driven in Chicago and on the east coast, and they tend to use names for roads. It may have to do with those roads existing or predating the Interstate highway system, or those roads being hooked into the system during development, while western states urban areas developed in tandem with the state and interstate highway systems.

[frazzled]

4. I've often wondered that

I've lived in five states, and in none of them was a numbered highway preceded with the definite article "the." In California, though, you have to do it (maybe in other states, too, I dunno).

Here, in the Chicago area, highways have both numbers and expressway names. So it's I-90, or "the Kennedy"; or I-90–94, "the Dan Ryan"; or I-94, "the Edens"; or 290, "the Eisenhower" (also, the "Ike&quot ; or 55, or "the Stevenson." But you would never say "the 90."

[3catwoman3]

36. For those of us who did not grow up in the greater...

...Chicago area, and do not spend much time on the tollways, the traffic reports are very confusing. The radio and television reporters always use the names, but the green-and-white highway signs and the maps use the numbers.

[tirebiter]

5. There's no"the"

101 is 101. Claro?

[left-of-center2012]

7. Having lived in CA 20 years of my life ...

Californians do call it "THE 101",
"THE 10",
"THE 5", etc.

[doc03]

8. I was listening to Phlash Phelps on XM this morning and he called 101 (The 101) . In Ohio it is

I 70, I 77, 250, 40 never heard anyone but Californians say (The 101).

[dixiegrrrrl]

25. In the South interstates are called "the 4 lane"

even if it is 6 lanes.
and highways major roads are "the 2 lane"
so directions would be..." ya git on the 4 lane to Montgomery" accompanied with a wave of the hand/arm in a vague direction.

But, I have also heard "I-10" ( which is major southern freeway from coast to coast)
and rarely heard "I-65" (which is only N/S freeway.)

[citood]

27. I remember calling I-65 "The Interstate"

I-20 Was called "I-20"

I-459 was "459"

Highway 280 was "280"

Sometimes the olf timers called the interstates "gray slab"

[dixiegrrrrl]

32. Now that you mention it...the Interstate" I have heard that a few times

grey slab is marvelously appropriate.

different groups of people here in the South have different descriptive words, which is interesting.

[3catwoman3]

37. Is that comparable to the regional...

...habit of calling all soft drinks "a coke," regardless of flavor or brand?

[Codeine]

17. No. It's the 101, at least in Southern California. nt

[underpants]

6. Yes. In Richmond and most of Va you just say "64" "95" or "81"

[Floyd R. Turbo]

9. Yes!

[PearliePoo2]

10. I've always just referred to it as 101, not necessarily 'The 101'. (I live in Washington btw)

Last edited Sun Jul 9, 2017, 06:20 PM - Edit history (1)

It's my favorite road of all time. EVER.
I know it like the back of my hand and I've camped/fished every accessible spot in Washington along the way.
Its most North Western point is at Port Townsend, WA., then it heads either South down Hood Canal or West around the Olympic Peninsula, (through the rain forest) and then South down the Pacific Ocean Coast.
101 on the Oregon Coast is spectacular beyond words (and Northern California too). Damn, I wish I was there right now.

[dixiegrrrrl]

33. Pssst....I hear you!

My home state, and marvelously easy to travel around in for many many years. 101 is ...or was...little known highway, at least before or after tourist season.

[awesomerwb1]

11. I miss SoCal

Yes, I used THE for all the freeways. THE 405, 134, 101, 10, 5, 2.

[Thirties Child]

12. In Atlanta it's the Perimeter or 285. Also 75, 85, 20, 400.

[brush]

13. In Vegas we have The 215, but also 93, 95 and 115

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

14. and the 515 :)

As both a Las Vegas resident and Bay Area resident living halfway between San Francisco and San Jose, I do call it 'the 101'

[femmocrat]

15. I have heard "I" before interstates in PA.

I-80, I-70, etc. Other roads are called "Route" as in Route 220.

This is western PA, not sure about central and eastern.

[Freddie]

30. Eastern PA

Philly and Lehigh Valley it's just 95, 78, 22, 309, etc. PA turnpike is "The Turnpike". Then there's the Blue Route (476 connecting many Philly burbs) so-called because it took literally decades for the road to finally be opened due to many NIMBY issues in the many communities it passed through. It was the blue road on the maps with no number or name.

[Drifter]

16. Buffalo, NY

Doesn't take long in a traffic report to realize this.
To me it just doesn't sound right.

Cheers
Drifter

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

18. Not here (Minneapolis-St. Paul).

There's 94, 494, 694, 35E, 35W. The only "the" road is Highway 62, usually called The Crosstown.

[Laffy Kat]

19. I think it's just "The Californians"

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=snl+the+californians&&view=detail&mid=C97491980108D4CB94CCC97491980108D4CB94CC&FORM=VRDGAR

[Codeine]

20. Don't worry; eventually the rest of you

will figure it out and start saying it correctly.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

21. Saturday Night Live had a recurring skit, "The Californians."

Last edited Sat Jul 8, 2017, 02:47 PM - Edit history (2)

Fred Armisen hammered away at this tendency.

The Californians (Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Laraine Newman, Kenan Thompson, Betty White, Taylor Swift) reunite and get some surprising news about their pool boy Craig (Bradley Cooper). Plus, David Spade and Cecily Strong bring the sketch to an abrupt end.

[Donkees]

22. 'In 1964, the state simplified its highway numbering system, each freeway bearing only one route #'

Excerpt:

So how did we get from “the Hollywood Freeway” to “the 101”? Masters explains:

In 1964, the state simplified its highway numbering system, ensuring that, with few exceptions, each freeway would bear only one route number. Around the same time, a flurry of new construction added unfamiliar freeway names to the region's road maps. Drivers found it easier to learn new numbers like the 605 or the 91 rather than new names like the San Gabriel River Freeway or the Redondo Beach Freeway.

Though locals largely adopted numbers over names by the 1970s, the “the” stuck around. And plenty of the region’s old-timers can still be heard explaining their commutes along the Harbor Freeway or the Santa Monica Freeway, even though Caltrans has long stopped including those names on signage.

As for other Western states, some (Arizona and Nevada, for example) saw bursts of locally funded highway construction in the early 20th century, and similarly named their roads for local places. That shift, plus a steady migration of Californians, might be why you hear locals throughout the West who just can’t shake the “the.”

https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2015/11/why-west-coast-drivers-add-the-to-their-freeway-numbers/415527/

[doc03]

23. Many of our roads in Ohio had names like, National Road, River Road, Cadiz Pike and

Steubenville Pike before they were numbered. We call them 40, 2, 250 and 22. or maybe Route 40, 2, 250 or 22. We don't use (The).
Interesting though how different areas have local customs and accents. Like in Ohio if you go a couple miles south of I-70 people have
have a southern accent and up on the lake in Cleveland they have a different accent than the middle of the state. In this area 50 miles west of Pittsburgh PA we have Pittsburgh speak.

[Codeine]

40. I hate it when traffic reports use the old names.

Some of the reporters still insist on using terms like "The Golden State freeway" or "The Hollywood freeway"; I honestly don't have a clue what those are most of the time.

[csziggy]

24. I got confused by a Californian asking "What exit number do I get off the freeway?"

I don't know freeways - here we have I-10 as the only limited access highway.

And "exit number?" The exits are 90 East, Thomasville Road, North Monroe and 90 West. Yeah, there might be numbers on the exit, but that's not how anyone here designates them. Besides, I seldom take the interstate or even drive much on the highways so I'm not that familiar with them anyway.

[yellowdogintexas]

35. i do not like having to figure out exit numbers. I like the name of the exit

Easier to see from a distance.

[csziggy]

42. Exactly! Though in an unfamiliar area exit numbers can be handy

At least the way they are numbered around here - by the mileage number. That way it is easy to know how much farther your exit is when you are on a stretch with few signs.

But I still want to know the name for the exit.

[democratisphere]

26. New Yorkers and Canadians

[Binkie The Clown]

28. 40 years ago when I lived in SoCal

the freeways were "The San Diego Freeway", "The Golden State Freeway", "The Hollywood Freeway", "The Harbor Freeway", "The Ventura Freeway", et.c. Maybe people just hung onto the "the" used with all of those.

Here in the I5 corridor in Oregon, it's just "I5". I have, however, heard the east-west freeway through southern Eugene-Springfield referred to as "The 126", or, more often, "McKenzie Highway". The east-west freeway at the north end of town is always "The Beltline" and never "569".

[doc03]

39. Did you stop and cut off your Slawson at the Slawson cutoff? Old

Jonhy Carson joke.

[csziggy]

43. The only freeway I know is the Antelope Freeway

[Warpy]

29. On the east coast, we just used the number, no "the"

going before it, like "Are you taking 95 or 301 down to Florida?"

Here in the southwest, it's "I-25" or "I-40," again without the "the."

[DFW]

31. During rush hour, people have a name for I-195 heading into DC from Virginia

"The Parking Lot."

[doc03]

38. It's still a parking lot? I lived in Arlington from 66-68, a few times I

visited my aunt and uncle in Woodbridge. It was like a 1 1/2 to 2 hour drive stop and go after work in Arlington to get to
Woodbridge. I think they used to call I 95 Shirly Highway.

[DFW]

45. Shirley Highway!

That was a loooong time ago.

[yellowdogintexas]

34. definitely in Phoenix, probably all of Arizona.

Here, it is the Interstate; in Connecticutt any interstate or major limited access road is "the highway"

[roamer65]

41. Yeah, MI we call them 94, 23, 96 and 75.

[kwassa]

44. Traffic reports are very regional. I lived in LA ....

They number traffic lanes, from left to right. This is useful in descriptions.