By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
Have you ever wondered why Guthrie County roads have names such as Pecan, Koala, Ute, Amarillo and Jaguar? Those names do not seem to have a clear connection to Iowa. But, if you think the roads throughout Guthrie County are named in a haphazard manner, think again. There is definitely a system, and it is more planful than most people realize.
Although each county can devise its own system for naming roads, many follow a similar pattern. In Guthrie County, roads names tend to be short and easy to spell. Short road names mean the road signs can be shorter, which also means less expensive. Also, shorter signs are less likely to be damaged in high winds.
The specific naming of rural roads in Guthrie County follows a pattern that is helpful to know. There are six types of road names (highway, road, avenue, street, trail and lane). Highway is the name for any federal or state highway. Road is the name for a paved county roadway. Avenues are generally north/south gravel roads. Streets are generally east/west gravel roadways. Trails are long and often winding gravel roads. Lanes are short gravel roads, usually dead ends.
Avenues have names, starting alphabetically at the western edge of the county. So, if you were looking for Apple Avenue, it would likely be very close to the western border of the county, while Dogwood Avenue would be about three miles further east.
Streets have numbers, generally starting with 100th Street at or near the northern border of the county, and street names increase by ten for each mile. In other words, 140th Street is most likely one mile south of 130th Street.
However, the general rules above do have exceptions for a variety of reasons. But, knowing these general rules can help drivers make sense of what initially seems random, and it can ease drivers in navigating to a certain destination.