What Every North Dakota Road Suffix Means

Next time you're wandering around Bismarck, Minot, or even Fargo, North Dakota, take a look at the street signs. We pass them every day, but do we actually know what they mean? After a little research I found out that the suffixes describe the road's type, size, or layout. Take a look at how LifeHacker.com breaks it down.

Road: A road is the broadest, most general term. It's essentially anything that can be connected by two points. This is the most common street suffix.

Street: This is a public way that has buildings on both sides of it. They run perpendicular to avenues.

Avenue: This is also a public way that has buildings or trees on either side of it. They also run perpendicular to streets.

Example: You can actually see this in action in downtown Bismarck; Main Avenue runs one direction, and numbered streets cross it.

Lane: A lane is a narrow road, often found in rural areas, which is pretty fitting for North Dakota--we have tons of smaller country roads outside of town. A lane is often seen as the opposite of a boulevard.

Drive: These roads often follow natural views like oceans, and hills, or more common to North Dakota: lakes and parks.

Now, these next ones aren't common, but they're worth knowing, especially if you ever get turned around.

Terrace: This is a street that follows the top of a slop.

Place: The source says this is a road or street that has no throughway, or leads to a dead end.

Court: A road or street that ends in a circle or loop. People often mix up place and court.

Way: This is a small side street off of a road.

Crescent: This is a curved road where both ends connect to some point. - Picture a C-shape. If you've driven in a newer Bismarck subdivision, you've probably been in one without even realizing it.

Alley: This is a street between or behind a building.

Next time you're driving around your North Dakota city and you spot one of these suffixes, you will know exactly what it means. Did we miss one you've always wondered about? Drop a comment!