Printable View
Six Mile Road is also called McNichols Road. Two Mile Road is Joy Road [[I think). Can someone give me a list of the names for the others?
Is one road chosen/designated [[and renamed) as a 'Mile Road' roughly every mile as you head [[north?) out of Downtown?
I've never heard of anything other than Joy Rd. The only ones I know of are:
Five Mile Rd outside the city and Fenkell inside.
Six Mile Rd outside and McNichols/E. McNichols inside.
Seven Mile Rd until it changes to Moross on the eastside.
Eight Mile has a few names including Baseline Rd., but I can't recall the others.
I seem to recall that Nine and Ten Mile have other names, but only for short distances.
And no, there is no relation to downtown that I know of.
Main article: Roads and freeways in metropolitan Detroit
- Ford Road [[equivalent of 0 Mile Road, western city, suburbs)
- Warren Ave [[equivalent of 1 Mile Road, western city, suburbs)
- Joy Road [[equivalent of 2 Mile Road, western city, suburbs)
- Plymouth Road [[equivalent of 3 Mile Road, western city, suburbs)
- Schoolcraft Road [[equivalent of 4 Mile Road, western city, suburbs)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mile_R...tem_[[Michigan)
Maple is 15 mile right? Big Beaver is.........?
Big Beaver AND Metro Parkway is 16 mile.
Is Long Lake 17 mile rd?
I've noticed over the past 10 years with speaking in person to people under 30 and from various YouTube videos from Detroit, most Detroiters under 30 are calling McNichols 6 mile rd and Fenkell 5 mile rd. Not sure why young Detroiters are switching over....
8 Mile is also Vernier going east
6 Mile is also Seymour
And:
"When Detroit was settled, Campus Martius was deemed the center of town because it was where all of these main roads came together. It was the location of the first train station, city hall, and was deemed the starting point for the state's mile road system. http://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net..._to_8_mile.jpgThe distance between the north end of Campus Martius Park.
CREDIT GOOGLE
Because Campus Martius is on an angle, and Woodward Avenue is too, the mile roads are counted directly north from the park, and the roads run east and west. That makes Michigan Avenue "zero mile," and of course 8 Mile Road is eight miles away."
http://www.michiganradio.org/post/8-...ht-miles-where
I've never known there to be an actual 16 Mile Road. In Macomb County it's known as Metro Parkway and in Oakland County it's called Big Beaver until it's west of Telegraph its name is changed to Quarton Road! Similarly, 18 Mile Road changes to Long Lake Road when entering Oakland County, 17 Mile is called Wattles Road, and 19 Mile Road is renamed Square Lake Road. Further north, 24 Mile, 25 Mile, 31-34 Mile Roads all change onece into Oakland County.Quote:
Originally Posted by Malcove Magnesia
There is a feeble argument for Cherry Hill Rd. to be Zero Mile because that forms the line where the addresses count up or down even though, if one on counts down from 8 Mile, its Minus One Mile Rd.Quote:
Originally Posted by clubboss
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zacha341
Big Beaver and Metro Parkway are both 16 Mile Roads. Their names change in different 'burbs.
I live near Big Beaver, and everyone around here just calls it 16 mile 'cause it's easier than saying Metro Parkway or Big Beaver or Quarton. Heck, technically Walnut Lake Road becomes 16 mile for a bit.Quote:
Originally Posted by Honky Tonk
Fun fact - 15 mile has the longest uninterrupted run out west [[next to 8 mile) - all the way to Milford road. This was handy to know when I was trying to get to Brighton one morning and I-96 was closed due to a jackknifed semi.
In the Bloomfield area, all the mile roads from 15 to 20 are renamed.
Maple, Quarton, Lone Pine, Long Lake, Square Lake, and South Blvd., in order.
Also, 14 is a dirt road in parts and barely exists.
12 Mile through Royal Oak used to be called Oakwood Avenue.
I'm a millennial, Oakland County native. It's usually 15 Mile and not Maple but Big Beaver, Wattles, Long Lake, Square Lake, Auburn, South, and Tienken beyond that. But when speaking for Macomb County it's the mile name.
Easier for them to spell/text.
Technically, 7 Mile splits of from Moross and terminates at Kelly.Quote:
Originally Posted by Meddle
Also, McNichiols become Seymour east of Gratiot.
8 mile is similar to 7 Mile, in that it splits off and terminates just east of Harper.Quote:
Originally Posted by jcole
Quote:
Originally Posted by Former_Detroiter
The first settlers were really forward thinkers.
Like others, I agree this is debatable. Some consider Vernier another name for 8 Mile, some say it's a different road, on a different angle, and that 8 Mile has been eliminated in places but still exists in vestiges East of Vernier along its due East-West route. I fall into the latter category, but we can both be right. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by jcole
Growing up the the 80s I'd heard Davison through Highland Park referred to as 4 Mile.
The way McNichols turns NE at Gunston, I'd say it's no longer 6 Mile, and Seymour is closer to being 6 1/2 Mile, but Spring Garden is closer to the true 6 1/2 Mile.
Houston Whittier is the true 6 Mile on the east side, and it even continues the same directional pattern as Moross and Vernier, although its name changes to Whittier.
But even though they are each a mile apart, Whittier, Moross and Vernier, while extensions of Mile Roads, really are not. As has been pointed out, 7 Mile and 8 Mile both continue on east past where Moross and Vernier start.
And I have no idea how 3 Mile Drive got its name.
A lot of the mile roads had local names in the past. 11 Mile was First St. in Royal Oak. Nine Mile was Sycamore Ave. in Ferndale [[and Urban Rest, the old resort town at Hilton north of 9 Mile). 11 Mile was Town Hall Rd. in Roseville [[the Erin Twp. Town Hall was at the corner of Gratiot). Many other such local namings can be found on old maps.Quote:
Originally Posted by dtowncitylover
But eventually it seems to have been generally agreed upon that mile roads from 7 to 14 would be known as "X Mile Rd." From there north though, there remains a plethora of local namings, although mostly in Oakland County. In Macomb the numbers seem to be mostly used, out to, what, 37 Mile?
Here can be found a somewhat erroneous and incomplete list of alternate names for the mile roads, old and current:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mile_R...tem_[[Michigan)
That road, east of where most Eight Mile traffic swings onto Vernier, is locally called "Old Eight Mile".Quote:
Originally Posted by bust
Ford Rd is basically on the same alignment as Michigan Ave. coming from Campus Martius downtown [[before Michigan swings southwesterly to head off into Dearborn and beyond). Which is why, when driving eastbound on Ford Rd. near Wyoming on a clear day, you can see downtown straight in front of you.Quote:
Originally Posted by clubboss
That's funny, when I lived on the East Side half the people I knew interchanged Vernier with 8-Mile, and the other half insisted they were different roads.Quote:
Originally Posted by bust
I wish planners would keep the name for the same road. Really, when 8-Mile curves into Vernier, you have to get off of 8-Mile/Vernier to get to East/Old 8-Mile. This is just confusing, especially if you aren't from the area. Highways I can see an argument for, but surface roads should have one name wherever possible.
Growing up at 7 and Kelly and going to high school at 8 and Kelly, we always just called them 7 and 8 Mile respectively all the way to at least Mack. So did the Mack and 7 shopping center. But technically, you are probably correct.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bust
Springgarden dead ended behind Assumption Grotto, so taking Seymour from Denby area took you straight through to Gratiot without having to job over and you ended up on McNichols by the Ben Franklin Library; probably why we considered it the same road
Quote:
Originally Posted by middetres
Quote:
Originally Posted by bust
I can't wait for the internet to come out so we can resolve some of these issues.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/M-...!4d-83.1189215
They might be the equivalent of the numbered mile road, but in my 55 years, I've never heard of these referred to anything other than their name. Must be a Wikipedia thing.Quote:
Originally Posted by clubboss
On the contrary, I’ve never heard of anyone from Oakland County refer to it as 15 Mile instead of Maple.Quote:
Originally Posted by dtowncitylover
It's The Real Slim Shady's fault!Quote:
Originally Posted by Colombian Dan
This is likely due to the contrast in the size & capacity of the thoroughfares. When 7 & 8 Mile split off into Moross & Vernier, respectively, the vast majority of traffic flow follows the latter. Since the former taper off into residential side-streets, they would rarely be used when giving directions or identifying a neighbourhood within the context of the entire metro area.Quote:
Originally Posted by jcole
My experience with residents of the Pointes is that they refer to them almost exclusively as "Moross" and "Vernier" which is understandable, since both become increasingly low capacity, residential streets as they approach the lake. The Vernier near Eastland becomes unrecognizable just a few miles east at Jefferson.
Vernier is NOT 8 Mile. East 8 Mile shifts after Sprenger with Vernier carrying on the Boulevard style, while 8 Mile continues on past Harper and ends at Helen
When I was a kid in the 60s, my grandparents lived in the McNichols-Puritan area & I remember relatives calling McNichols, Six Mile. I recall being a little surprised to learn Six Mile actually had a name since I’d always heard otherwise.Quote:
Originally Posted by night-timer
One thing about that area is that Six Mile is only McNichols in Detroit--the Highland Park side is Six Mile. So east of Log Cabin there are [[or at least were) signs that say Six Mile.Quote:
Originally Posted by msamslex
It's happened well before 30 years ago. I've got cousins in their 40's and 50's who've always called in 6 Mile. I never called it anything other than 6 Mile, even while we all knew it had a proper name, as that's what it's signed on the freeways and such. Might be an ethnic/cultural difference. Maybe it was more often known as McNichols prior to the 60's; I just simply never heard the name used in regular conversation.Quote:
Originally Posted by Colombian Dan
6/Mc were virtually interchangeable for as long as I can remember, but Fenkell was always Fenkell, never anything else until you hit Telegraph.
I have to agree with Meddle, the names were interchangable.
I do remember in my hazy past a reference to 5 Mile Road, but I don't remember what street it was.
Eight Mile picks up again at Mack and then ends for good a block east at Goethe.
I grew up in Clawson [[14 Mile and Livernois) and I'll add the following:
14 Mile has no alternate name in Clawson.
Livernois is called "Main Street" or simply "Main" in Clawson and changes back to "Livernois" north of Maple Road.
Maple Road is very often called "15 Mile" or simply "15".
Big Beaver Road is often called "16 Mile" or simply "16".
My wife grew up in the farmlands and when we first started dating [[shortly after she moved to the city) I gave her directions such as "just north of 15 Mile" and she was COMPLETELY lost because I forgot that the road is not signed as "15 Mile".
Other oddities:
Many mile roads with alternate names [[Maple, Big Beaver, Wattles, Long Lake, Square Lake) change back to their numbered names as you drive from Oakland County into Macomb Country [[Dequindre Road).
8-Mile is [[part of the time) M-102, a state highway.
Livernois starts in Detroit at the river and ends in Ferndale, but then starts up again in Royal Oak but is named "Main Street" and then changes names back to "Livernois" north of Maple Road [[15 Mile) and continues until Dutton Road [[26 Mile).
Other oddities:
I live in Rochester Hills and I've found that most residents don't know what M-150 is, even though M-150 is Rochester Road north of M-59 and south of Teinken.
Many five digit addresses on north-south roads north of Campus Martius follow the scheme:
[[Address - 5000) / 2000 = Mile Road Equivalent
For example, the Walmart in Warren has an address of 29176 Van Dyke Ave.
29176 - 5000 = 24,176
24176 / 2000 = 12.088
So that means that the address is just north of 12 Mile Road, which it is. This is true of MANY 5-digit north-south addresses in Detroit and north of Detroit.
I hope y'all found that interesting!
There was also a movement to have "south" numbered mile roads in the Downriver but it obviously never took off.
That Yorktown/E 8 Mile / Overlake road spot is one of the strangest tangle of roads in the area. It's like the developer was drunk.Quote:
Originally Posted by eastland
I think it's the invisible county line between Wayne and Macomb that's causing the drunkenness.Quote:
Originally Posted by JBMcB
Speaking of which, one of these roads, Northline Road, is referred by many Wyandotte residents as that name, and is even signed as such on both sides of Fort Street and at one corner of Biddle Avenue, yet all other street signs on this road in Wyandotte call it Ford Avenue and it's even referred to as such on virtually any map.Quote:
Originally Posted by eastland
Moross is technically not 7 Mile Road, and Vernier is technically not 8 Mile, though they run the same way and are a continuation of the Mile roads. Why they did that is beyond me.
Because they are NOT a continuation of the mile roads. Vernier and Moross were built westward from the shoreline into the swampy wilderness that was the east side. 7 and 8 Mile were extended eastward from Woodward. Eventually they ran into each other but they retained their names, as they are different roads.Quote:
Originally Posted by kathy2trips
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeM
I guess no one bothered looking @ the map link I posted.
McNichols was known as Six Mile Rd. until Detroit renamed it in the 1930s for Father John McNichols, who guided the move of U of D from downtown to Six Mile & Livernois. So old-timers always called it Six Mile when I was younger.Quote:
Originally Posted by Meddle
Fenkell in the city was believe it or not named as a continuation of 12th St. [[look at really old maps of Rosedale Park), before being renamed in the 1920s for George H. Fenkell, pioneering Superintendent of the Detroit water system and Commissioner of Public Works who was responsible for the building of the city's first sewerage treatment plant and for extending the water system outwards towards the developable hinterlands. I don't think it was ever named Five Mile within the City of Detroit.
I know MikeM knows this, but most of this east side confusion has to do with Detroit's overall fractured layout. With streets nearer to the river and Lake St. Clair oriented and aligned towards the shorelines of those bodies of water, as a heritage of the French ribbon farm system, and areas further out [[and indeed pretty much the entire rest of the upper midwest) oriented on the cardinal direction grid of the U.S. Public Land Survey system brought to us by the Northwest Ordinance.Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeM
But then the far east side street grid is not for the faint of heart or the easily confused, with its suddenly angling [[non-) mile roads, its east-west thoroughfares that become north-south thoroughfares at some mysterious [[grosse) point, and its 2 different major streets named Mack.
In recent years, people in their 60s and 70s have referred to McNichols as six mile to me at least. Interesting how the under 30 crowd has switched back.
Detroit streets are laid out to three different grid systems. Downtown aligns on ribbon farms oriented on the Detroit River. The east side aligns on ribbon farms oriented on Lake St Clair. Later annexations align with the Northwest Ordinance Survey grid.Quote:
Originally Posted by EastsideAl
Thank you, EastsideAl. Great information!Quote:
Originally Posted by EastsideAl
Campus Martius has a medallion marking the starting point, I am not sure if anyone mentioned this.
The Boynton and most of the Oakwood Heights neighborhoods are aligned on a fourth grid, this one more ribbon farms oriented on the Detroit River, just a different angle to keep the orientation to the river. This grid system extends east into River Rouge and Ecorse, south into the northern halves of Lincoln Park and Allen Park and west into Melvindale, south central Dearborn and a single street in Dearborn Heights.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hermod
Yes, the survey marker in Campus Martius is a former survey monument. It was used for surveying a portion of the platted land in Detroit.Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Hojnacki
However, it is not a survey monument that was put in place for the US Public Land Survey System that established the 'Mile Roads' around here.
But, that's not to say the two are unrelated. When the surveyors established the baseline for the Michigan survey, they wanted it to be north Detroit. Of course, Detroit was just a village on the Detroit River at the time.
Two web sites that goes over how the grid system was established in Michigan:
http://detroiturbanism.blogspot.com/...-michigan.html
http://detroiturbanism.blogspot.com/...o-detroit.html
C. Albert White compiled the notes of the surveyors in his book 'Initial Points of the Rectangular Survey System', https://www.amazon.com/Initial-point.../dp/B0006QL97G.