DENVER (KDVR) — Driving in the Mile High City can be confusing. Streets end suddenly, hundreds are one-way streets , street directions are inconsistent and street names may seem to have no rhyme or reason .
The roads even confused people in Denver long before cars were in the picture. There is an explanation though, and it dates back hundreds of years.
Knowing these Denver street name patterns may save you from getting lost
If you’ve ever wondered why the streets downtown are twisted at a different angle from the rest of the city, look no further. FOX31 gathered documents and information from History Colorado to make it all make sense.
Denver roads were confusing in the 1800’s
According to “Grids of Chaos,” a 1994 Colorado Heritage article by the Colorado Historical Society, Denverites have been getting lost on roads in Denver since the 19th century.
At the time, some streets had several names or several spellings, and in some cases, multiple different streets would have the same name. Plus, there were disconcerting zig-zags, streets didn’t meet correctly and inconsistent house numbers.