# Naming Streets



## Finnien (Nov 30, 2006)

I have the unique oppertunity to name a street or two in a subdivision I'm developing, and I can't let an oppertunity like this pass by.  So, I'm thinking of naming one street as a tribute to Heinlein, and would love some suggestions along that line.  It has to be something that sounds like a street people would live on... i.e. Starship Troopers Road is a no-go.  All names are subject to county approval, and anything that stands out too much will get shot down. =)  I'm also open to suggestions of other names, if I happen to have more than one street I can play with.

Any ideas? =)


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## j d worthington (Nov 30, 2006)

Finnien said:


> I have the unique oppertunity to name a street or two in a subdivision I'm developing, and I can't let an oppertunity like this pass by. So, I'm thinking of naming one street as a tribute to Heinlein, and would love some suggestions along that line. It has to be something that sounds like a street people would live on... i.e. Starship Troopers Road is a no-go. All names are subject to county approval, and anything that stands out too much will get shot down. =) I'm also open to suggestions of other names, if I happen to have more than one street I can play with.
> 
> Any ideas? =)


 
Depends on what you're looking for. As far as character names that wouldn't stand out, but could still be from Heinlein: Long (as in Lazarus) Street; Eunice (from I Will Fear No Evil), etc.... Tons of possibilities there. Titular street names ... that's a problem, as not many of Heinlein's titles lend themselves well to that sort of adaptation; aliens? Willis (the Martian roundhead) is about the only one I can think of that they'd probably not balk at. Perhaps if you gave an indication of which direction you were thinking of going with this (character name, titles, alien names, species, ships' names?) 

One that might fly, and that is unusual : Podkayne -- by no means his best book, but I've not seen that name elsewhere, I must admit.

And then there's just the simple: Heinlein St., just as I've seen Hawthorne, Dickinson, Stevenson, Cooper, etc. Street(s).....


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## Urien (Dec 1, 2006)

I so want to live on Starship Trooper Street. What about "Harsh Mistress Boulevard"?


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## Finnien (Dec 1, 2006)

My first instinct is Heinlein St., just because it's a clear tribute and something not too unusual-sounding.  However, I have no experience naming streets, so I figured I'd ask for input. =)  Anything that a fan would recognize as tribute to an author (Valentine St., for example, wouldn't do what I'd like), but wouldn't be something people wouldn't want to live on.  I don't think anyone would raise a family on Number of the Beast Drive.

We're also looking at naming one after the Liaden books... Liaden Drive, Solcintra Rd. and Korval St. were a few suggestions from Steve Miller, so that may give you an idea of the direction we're headed.

Plus, I may be able to finangle a third street, if anyone comes up with another name that deserves outstanding recognition and I can slide by the county.  All of these are subject to city approval, so we'll see what we can get. =)


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## Paige Turner (Dec 1, 2006)

andrew.v.spencer said:


> What about "Harsh Mistress Boulevard"?



If they name it that, I'm stealing the sign to put up in my cubicle.


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## Pyan (Dec 1, 2006)

How about "Pantheistic Solipsism Avenue"? Or "Waldo Road"? Or even "Roads Most Roll Road"?

Seriously though, if you _can_ get three to name, I like the idea of "Heinlein Road", "Clarke Street", and "Asimov Avenue", especially the last one.


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## j d worthington (Dec 1, 2006)

pyanfaruk said:


> How about "Pantheistic Solipsism Avenue"? Or "Waldo Road"? Or even "Roads Most Roll Road"?
> 
> Seriously though, if you _can_ get three to name, I like the idea of "Heinlein Road", "Clarke Street", and "Asimov Avenue", especially the last one.


 
Hmmm. Can't do anything about Heinlein for this, but you could do "Clarke Court" and "Asimov Avenue".....


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## Delvo (Dec 1, 2006)

I think "Lazarus" makes a better name from "Lazarus Long" than "Long" does.

"Harsh Mistress" obviously wouldn't go, but what about "Harsh Moon"?


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## j d worthington (Dec 1, 2006)

Delvo said:


> I think "Lazarus" makes a better name from "Lazarus Long" than "Long" does.
> 
> "Harsh Mistress" obviously wouldn't go, but what about "Harsh Moon"?


 
I would have chosen Lazarus except for the fact that (especially these days) it could cause a ruckus because of the religious connection. No sense putting up a street name you're only going to have to change soon after.....


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## Urien (Dec 1, 2006)

Harsh Moon Street... eek. A street with that name will inevitably be built on an ancient Indian burial ground. The house will have windows like eyes, the previous family will have disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and the cellar is best never visited. Then daddy will begin acting strangely...


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## Pyan (Dec 1, 2006)

Mmm... " The Mistress is a Harsh Moon" I like it! I _like_ it!! And think of the possibilities. "The Wall that walks through Cats". "Troopship Starters". "Have Suit - Will Travel Space". There's a whole new thread here!


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## Cloud (Dec 1, 2006)

andrew.v.spencer said:


> What about "Harsh Mistress Boulevard"?


 
oh, me too!

Grok Avenue? 

Farnham's Freehold isn't bad. It's even place-name sounding. 

Seriously, though, the best tribute probably is Robert Heinlein Drive; everyone gets it, no ambiguity. We have a whole section of my city that's named after sports stars, first and last names


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## Delvo (Dec 1, 2006)

How about Tanstaafl Lane?

I'm not personally very familiar with his stuff, but I went to an online list of his novels, short works, and characters, and here's what I got... (I arbitrarily picked "Road" to add to them, but it could have been "Street" or such of course...)

NOVELS:
Galileo Road
Starman Road
Glory Road ("Road" is bult in, so you can't call it "Glory Boulevard"!)
Podkayne Road

SHORT FICTION:
Friday Road
Sunset Road or Sunset Sail Road ("To Sail Beyond the Sunset")
Life-Line Road
Rolling Road ("The Roads Must Roll")
Green Hills Road
Long Watch Road
Strange Land Road (OK, not really...)
Conventry Road
Black Pit(s) Road (People will wonder for years what black pit used to be there!)
Delilah Road
Magic Road
Waldo Road
Pied Piper Road
Freemen Road
Vesuvius Road
Sky Lift Road (if it's on a hill, especialy a tall or steep one)
Tenderfoot Road

CHARACTERS:
Pallas Athene...
Pallas...
Athene...
Major Ardmore...
Caxton...
Dodson...
Harriman...
(Jubal) Harshaw...
Minerva...
Novak...
Elihu...
Nivens...
Hugo...
Maureen Smith...
Sperling...
Star...
Pollux (Stone)...
Thorby...
Colonel Towers...


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## j d worthington (Dec 1, 2006)

Cloud said:


> oh, me too!
> 
> Grok Avenue?
> 
> ...


 
Hey, Cloud, I like that. Much better than "Heinlein Street". Farnham's Freehold would make a great name, too; I think the only concern would be some people objecting to some of the things in the book (assuming they ever read the thing!) But Robert Heinlein Drive ... that's a very good play on words, too. Definitely worth thinking about....


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## Cloud (Dec 1, 2006)

(smacks head) Glory Road. of course! 

But--we have one in El Paso, and it refers to the events in the movie, Glory Road, about the basketball thing.  So now it has another connotation, and people would be thinking Don Haskins, not Heinlein.  

so--Robert Heinlein Drive.  er . . . what play on words?


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## j d worthington (Dec 1, 2006)

Cloud said:


> so--Robert Heinlein Drive. er . . . what play on words?


 
Thinking of his versions of the FTL drive, etc.

Delvo: That's a nice list. However, you might shift categories on a couple of things, as To Sail Beyond the Sunset, Stranger in a Strange Land, and Friday are all novels.....


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## Cloud (Dec 1, 2006)

oh! der . . . 

Strange Land is a pretty cool name for a street. Hey! I'm a stranger . . . yuk yuk yuk!


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## SpaceShip (Dec 1, 2006)

Nothing to do with anything like Heinlein but I do love

LETSBY AVENUE


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## Finnien (Dec 3, 2006)

It turns out that two things have changed.

First, I get to name every street in the subdivision... ten to twelve, total.  One or two will have to be dedicated to the mayor or town fathers, but the rest are going to be sci-fi tribute names.

Second, I can submit a list to the approval agency (which turns out to be 911, they get to choose what's acceptable, pronounceable, and appropriate, apparently) with as many potential names as  I want.  They'll cross out the inappropriate or overly difficult ones, and the rest I can pick from for my streets.

So I'll take all the suggestions I can get. =)  I'd especially like to dedicate one to Jim Baen, if anyone has suggestions in that regard.


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## Cloud (Dec 3, 2006)

Baen Boulevard.


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## Locksmith (Dec 3, 2006)

Slightly off-topic here, but I used to live on Churchill Road, which was both patriotic and was the road which led up to a church on top of a hill (although it was spelt like the cigar chuffing PM).


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## Pyan (Dec 3, 2006)

How about *Robert Jordan Road* - very long, and difficult to see any end.


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## Cloud (Dec 3, 2006)

LOL @ Pyanfaruk.

Privet Drive. Smallville Lane.


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