"zero Point" Address

[SamHouston]

I was going to ask the folks at KeyMaps this question about street numbering, but was wondering if anyone could give some insight:

Does anyone know what streets, landmarks, etc. mark where north/south streets switch (i.e. 1 N Main St. to 1 S Main St.). A good example is the intersection of Madison & State in Chicago.

Here are some follow up questions:

1) Is the north/south delineation a street, the bayou or some latitude? Same for east/west.

2) Just me or do the numbers switch sides (odds & evens) on this "mystery line" with evens on the west side of streets with an "South" designation and on the east side of "North" streets?

3) Also, I've realized the numbering is standard outside Houston proper in towns such as West U., Katy, etc. as a continuation of the numbering system inside the city limits. My question is, where does this numbering end?

4) Finally, given the "zero point" does anyone know the historical significance? Like Allen's Landing or something similar?

Any help would be appreciated, even wild guesses. Thanks.

[dbigtex56]

Welcome to HAIF, SamHouston.

Click here to see a 1913 map of Houston - it's fascinating, and may answer some of your questions.

The 'zero' point you asked about would appear to be at Buffalo Bayou and Main Street (Allen's Landing) - the birthplace of Houston.

edit: Now that I think about it, the University of Houston's downtown campus is listed as 1 Main Street, and it's on the north bank of Buffalo Bayou.

[RedScare]

Man, that's a great question. The important thing to remember is that these numbered addresses are given out by the US Postal Service. Generally, the numbers continue sequentially to the edge of a city's ETJ. Where it butts up against another city's ETJ, the numbers will reflect that city's numbering system. A good example of this is I-45, in the Woodlands. The numbers are Houston numbers up to the point that Conroe's ETJ takes over. Then the numbers decline until you get to Conroe.

As for Houston, in the Heights, the numbers go east and west of Heights Boulvard and north of Washington. Heights used to be it's own town. Downtown, they appear to go east and west of Houston Avenue. The north and south numbers are on either side of Commerce Street. As bigtex said, UHD is at 1 Main Street. It is the first building north of Commerce. 49 San Jacinto is at the corner of San Jacinto and Commerce, even though it is directly south of the bayou.

The zero point would appear to be the corner of Houston and Washington. The only problem with that is that outside of downtown, the numbering changes. The block to the east of Houston at Washington is 1400. Furthermore, the north-south numbering appears to drop further south than Washington, more to Buffalo Bayou. Bayou Bend Condos is at 1 Westcott, on the north bank of the bayou.

Because downtown is numbered different than the rest of the city, there may well not be a zero point. I'll keep looking, though. You've piqued my curiosity.

[gnu]

and the west (NW-SE) zero point appears to be the extreme left edge of the downtown grid..or the imaginary end of it...since the grid doesnt go over that far except at about genesse and sutton in the 4th ward.

if you connect the imaginary lines it would put the zero point at the end of Dart..where old Jeff Davis is. but it doesnt look like they number that way except on the original grid.

To me, I might have numbered off the ward division line intersection at main and congress...if you wanted an exact zero point.

Doesnt look like there is one in Houston - like in Chicago. I know it does help getting around in Chicago..at least in the loop.

Another bit of info that I know....in the mid-60's, some areas southeast of town that were not on Houston's numbering system - but were in Houston City Limits by that time (mostly annexed in 1950) were renumbered.

Not sure who initialized the change but I could see the post office wanting it or the fire department. Anyway it was not wholesale as I have noticed a few streets that are still not on it...these seem to be small isolated streets, not incorporated into a large subdivision. I guess they were forgotten.

[HeightsGuy]

You guys are trying to find order in chaos, good luck!

[dbigtex56]

The Westmoreland subdivision has to have the most strangely numbered streets in the city.

Three streets (Emerson, Westmoreland and Marshall) begin at their eastern edge in the 400 block. The next block west is the 200 block. There is no 300 block, even though the blocks are contiguous. And unlike every other street numbering system west of Main St., the numbers get lower rather than higher as you go west.

This has been confusing people at least since 1913, perhaps earlier.