What street(s) divides your city, east/west and/or north/south?
In Toronto, Yonge St. is the city's main north-south thoroughfare divides the city east and west. However unlike in a lot of cities it doesn't really divide the city into the more affluent and more working class parts of town. Wealth in Toronto is concentrated in a "central corridor" centered on Yonge St. running north from the downtown core. Also nobody really thinks of the neighborhoods just east of Yonge or just west of Yonge as "east side" or "west side."
In Cincinnati, Vine Street is (was?) usually considered the dividing line between East Side and West Side. The Ohio River is the Mason-Dixon Line.
In Phoenix, Central Avenue serves the same purpose between east and west.
Not sure what's considered the divide between north and south in Phoenix, historically or presently? McDowell? Buckeye? Van Buren/Washington/Jefferson? Baseline?
In Cincinnati, Vine Street is (was?) usually considered the dividing line between East Side and West Side. The Ohio River is the Mason-Dixon Line.
In Phoenix, Central Avenue serves the same purpose between east and west.
Not sure what's considered the divide between north and south in Phoenix, historically or presently? McDowell? Buckeye? Van Buren/Washington/Jefferson? Baseline?
These days I think Northern Ave is a north/south divide in Phoenix, which is kind of funny.
What street(s) divides your city, east/west and/or north/south?
In Toronto, Yonge St. is the city's main north-south thoroughfare divides the city east and west. However unlike in a lot of cities it doesn't really divide the city into the more affluent and more working class parts of town. Wealth in Toronto is concentrated in a "central corridor" centered on Yonge St. running north from the downtown core. Also nobody really thinks of the neighborhoods just east of Yonge or just west of Yonge as "east side" or "west side."
Does your question also apply to freeways and other rights of way, natural features that divide the city?
These days I think Northern Ave is a north/south divide in Phoenix, which is kind of funny.
Yeah Northern is geographically centered today, even Southern Ave isn't all that southern, especially in the East Valley, it's pretty much center as well.
In Windsor it's Ouellette Avenue and in Detroit it's Woodward Avenue...they almost line up perfectly.
I never thought about that, but you're right. Wow.
Another significant street in Detroit is the infamous 8 Mile Road. At one point, "8 Mile Road" was shorthand for black and white racial segregation in Metro Detroit. As recently as the 1990s, most of the suburbs on the north side of 8 Mile Road were less than 5% black (the notable exception is Southfield, which has had a large plurality of black residents since the 1980s). Nowadays, almost all of the suburbs along Detroit's northern border are at least 10%, and some of them are majority black.
Last edited by iheartthed; May 2, 2021 at 11:23 PM.
Montreal and Vancouver have east/west splits as well, Saint Laurent and Main St. respectively (actually smaller Ontario St. 2 blocks west of Main divides Van addresses but Main is thought of as the main dividing line). Both cities are traditionally defined by an affluent west/working class east. In Montreal Saint Laurent is known as the Main, and also divided the city on linguistic lines.
n Phoenix, Central Avenue serves the same purpose between east and west.
Not sure what's considered the divide between north and south in Phoenix, historically or presently? McDowell? Buckeye? Van Buren/Washington/Jefferson? Baseline?
In Phoenix proper, I would go with North Mountain. Anything south of it is sort of Central Phoenix. Everything north of it is definitely North Phoenix.
Ahwatukee (neighborhood of Phoenix) is on the south facing slope of South Mountain and is disconnected and much farther south than South Phoenix, that's a Geographic Oddity for sure.
Here in Austin from a socio-economic perspective, it would have to be IH35. Congress Ave is the official east/west boundary street and extends both north and south from downtown, but IH 35 and Town Lake (Ladybird Lake) pretty much carve the city into recognizable quadrants.
Ok, then freeways definitely play a role here, also rivers in many cities.
But I was thinking more along the lines of what "officially" divides the city in a directional sense - but also how much of this "official" line represents in terms of a cultural and socioeconomic divide.
i dont think it's a street for la, but the mountain range does for sure.
The 405 is a divider amongst the coastal LA west siders.
Western Ave isn't all that western in LA either. That's another cool geographic oddity. Historically it must've played a roll with the street grid and old city limits.