List of streets named after Martin Luther King, Jr.

Streets named after Martin Luther King, Jr. can be found in many cities of the United States and in nearly every major metropolis in America. There are also a number of other countries that have honored King, including no fewer than ten cities in Italy. The number of streets named after King is increasing every year, and about 70% of these streets are in Southern states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Texas. King's home state of Georgia had the most, with 75 streets as of 2001;^[1] this had increased to 105 as of 2006.^[2]

As of 2003, there were over 600 American cities that had named a street after King.^[1] By 2004, this number had grown to 650, according to NPR.^[3] In 2006, Derek Alderman, a cultural geographer at East Carolina University, reported the number had increased to 730, with only 11 states in the country without a street named after King.^[2]

Prominent examples

Allentown, Pennsylvania

Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive begins at W. Union Street and continues along Little Lehigh Creek. It ends at S. 24th Street. It serves as a small bypass of Downtown Allentown.

Atlanta, Georgia

The Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in King's hometown is a major landmark for tourism. It borders the Atlanta University Center, a conglomerate of historically black colleges and universities that includes King's alma mater Morehouse College.

Austin, Texas

Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard (formerly 19th Street) is a major east-west roadway leading to the University of Texas.

Baltimore, Maryland

Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard begins at an exit on Interstate 395 and continues to Chase Street at Park Avenue.
The original name of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard was Harbor City Boulevard. It was renamed in honor of King shortly after it opened. The boulevard separates the predominantly black neighborhoods of West Baltimore from the downtown central business district. It was mentioned as the dividing line of West Baltimore and Downtown in a Homicide: Life on the Street episode titled "Scene of The Crime."

Camden, New Jersey

Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard center Camden, runs east to west, connections to 676 (camden). view of Philadelphia skyline.

Charlotte, North Carolina

In 2006, Second Street in Uptown was renamed to Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. It runs through what was once the predominantly Black neighborhood of Brooklyn, which was demolished in the 1960s to make way for expansion of the central business district.

Chicago, Illinois

In 1968, Chicago became the first city in the country to name a street after King.^[2] Today, Martin Luther King Jr. Drive (formerly South Park Way, originally Grand Boulevard) features a Tribute to the Great Northern Migration (a statue honoring the thousands of African Americans who migrated north to Chicago) and a Victory Monument for the Eighth Regiment (featuring a statue of a WWI African American soldier).

Cincinnati, Ohio

Martin Luther King Drive is a major crosstown artery in Cincinnati. It connects the west side of the city to the east, running through several historic uptown neighborhoods .^[4]

Cleveland, Ohio

In 1981,^[5] Begins at an interchange with I-90, weaving south through the city to Harvard Avenue.
Cleveland renamed Liberty Boulevard, which had been named to commemorate Cleveland area soldiers who had been killed in World War I,^[6] to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, to commemorate King. The largest span of the road is enclosed by Rockefeller Park. During the 1980s Martin Luther King Jr. Drive was very dark at night, which is when most of the criminal activity took place. Currently, there are street lights every 10–20 feet along the parkway, as well as spotlights surrounding the nearby recreational areas. The road is known for its old, beautiful overpasses.

Denver, Aurora, Colorado

Bisects Stapleton area of Denver/Aurora, Colorado. It runs from Downing Streer, Denver, in the west; to Havana Streer, Aurora, in the east and is approximately 4.5 miles in length.

Durham, North Carolina

Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway is a four-lane divided road that runs 5.4 miles from U.S. 15-501 to NC 55 across the southern portion of the city.

Fayetteville, Arkansas

Fayetteville City Council voted in January 2008 to officially rename Sixth Street, which passes through the city's historically black neighborhood as well as the southern boundary of the University of Arkansas campus, to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Wal-Mart headed a petition of 71 businesses opposed to the renaming. Part of the road is designated as Arkansas Highway 180.

Fayetteville, North Carolina

The Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway, also known as the Central Business District Loop (CBD Loop), is a freeway in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and the adjacent Gray's Creek Township. It is designated in part as U.S. Highway 401 and North Carolina Highway 87.

Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Martin Luther King Blvd (formerly named Freedom Way) runs north to south, extending from Beal Pkwy to Hollywood Blvd

Galveston, Texas

The entire section of 29th Street is known as Martin Luther King Street from Seawall Boulevard to Harborside Drive. It is one of two streets in Galveston named after prominent African Americans - another street (41st Street) is named for former heavyweight champion Jack Johnson.

Houston, Texas

Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (formerly South Park Boulevard until 1976) runs from the University of Houston South to Orem Drive through the predominantly Black neighborhoods of Old Spanish Trail, South Park, Sunnyside, and South Acres. The boulevard is proposed to be extended further southward to Houston's Beltway 8.

Indianapolis, Indiana

Northwestern Avenue was renamed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street in 1985. There have been recent proposals to extend the name much further, replacing Michigan Road.^[7] Robert F. Kennedy gave a speech in Indianapolis after learning of King's assassination.

Ithaca, New York

Martin Luther King, Jr. Street (also called State Street)^[8]

Jackson, Mississippi

Whitfield Mills Street, located in a predominantly African-American neighborhood, was changed to Martin Luther King Street in the 1980s. This street, which intersects with Medgar Evers Boulevard at a Jackson landmark called Freedom Corner, is the site of one of the largest Martin Luther King Day parades in the Nation.

Jersey City, New Jersey

Martin Luther King made two speeches in the city.^[9] Martin Luther King Drive was named in his honor. In 2000, a station of the Hudson Bergen Light Rail was opened with memorial and other public art related his life and the civil rights movement.

Lansing, Michigan

The state capital of Michigan^[10] and also the childhood home of Malcolm X.^[11] A portion of the road is designated as M-99 or the Capitol Loop.^[10] Formerly called Logan Street (until 1994), Martin Luther King Blvd runs north-south along the western side of Lansing.

Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, Nevada

The section of Highland Drive north of Oakey Boulevard was renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in the 1990s. The roadway connects the western edge of Downtown Las Vegas to the newer and more affluent parts of North Las Vegas. Via ramps to the road at the "Spaghetti Bowl" (I-15/US 93/US 95) freeway interchange near downtown, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard provides the most direct connection between the north-central Las Vegas Valley and the Las Vegas Strip. The road also passes through historic "West Las Vegas", an older and predominantly Black neighborhood. The city identifies the road as "Martin L. King Blvd.", omitting the Jr. and using L in place of Luther. Most residents in the Las Vegas Valley use the term MLK.

Little Rock, Arkansas

In 1992, High Street was renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The street, which begins next to the Arkansas State Capitol building, is home to parades and community events. Martin Luther King Jr. Interdistrict Magnet Elementary School is located on the street.

Los Angeles, California

In 1983, Santa Barbara Boulevard in South Los Angeles was renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, three years before President Ronald Reagan signed a law declaring King's birthday a national holiday. That event was celebrated by the first Kingdom Day Parade, now an annual tradition, held on the street between Crenshaw Boulevard and Western Avenue.[1] Due to the length of the name, the roadway is often abbreviated as King Blvd. on its traffic signs. Another Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (formerly Century Boulevard) exists in nearby Lynwood, California.

Louisville, Kentucky

Interstate 65 in Louisville is named the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Expressway.

Miami and Hialeah, Florida

North 62nd Street (East 9th Street in Hialeah) is called Martin Luther King Boulevard since he gave speeches all across the South, including the city of Miami. Ironically, he gave one of his speeches at a church near the intersection of East 8th Street and LeJeune Road. It is unknown when the road got this name. But some Hialeah residents say it was in the middle of the 1970s.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

On the northwest side of downtown Milwaukee, N. 3rd Street (from W. McKinley Avenue to N. Green Bay Avenue), was renamed N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, although residents and street signs sometimes refer to it as King Drive. The renamed portion is a two-mile stretch through the Harambee, Brewers Hill, and Halyard Park neighborhoods, which in the 19th century were originally populated by German immigrants but are now predominantly African-American. A branch of the Milwaukee Public Library located on this road is also named the Martin Luther King Library.

Modesto, California

Start out as Elm Ave. on a dead end (west to east), turns into N Martin Luther King Dr. (north to south), turns into Suter Ave. (north to south), turns into Robertson Rd (east to west) were the road deads end.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Most of Melpomene Avenue was renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Several murals of King are painted along the boulevard. The boulevard is also near a King statue and memorial on Claiborne Avenue, and the boulevard is part of the route of New Orleans' annual Martin Luther King Day parade. The boulevard is located in Central City, which is historically the city's largest African American commercial district and a major hub for the Uptown African American community. The renamed section starts at its intersection with St. Charles Ave where many Mardi Gras parades pass and ends at a 3-way intersection with Earhart Boulevard and S. Jefferson Davis Parkway. Melpomene Avenue between the Mississippi River and St. Charles Avenue retains its original name.

New York, New York

All of 125th Street, which runs through Harlem, is designated Doctor Martin L. King, Jr. Boulevard. The street features Apollo Theater, a famous center for African American music. NY 440 from the Bayonne Bridge to the Staten Island Expressway/I 278 is named Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. Expressway.

Newark, New Jersey

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard traces the western edge of downtown Newark, separating the academic buildings of Rutgers and NJIT. MLK Boulevard extends from Bloomfield Avenue in the north to Clinton Avenue in the south. It was traditionally named High Street.

Oakland and Berkeley, California

Grove Street, which stretched for several miles north from Downtown Oakland into North Berkeley, was renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Way in 1984. The street had once represented the dividing line between neighborhoods where minorities could and could not live or buy property.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

The Northern section of Eastern Avenue, from E. Reno Avenue north to N. 63rd Street, was renamed "Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard" in honor of his impact on the Oklahoma City and the nation. The boulevard is the principal north-south avenue in Oklahoma City's Eastside section, home to the state's largest African American community. Prominent landmarks along the boulevard include many of Oklahoma City's top attractions, such as the Oklahoma City Zoological Park, Remington Park, and Omniplex Science Museum. Other institutions of note include Mabel Bassett Correctional Center, Ralph Waldo Ellison Public Library, the recently rebuilt campus of Frederick Augustus Douglass High School, and the YWCA Branch. It is legend that King interviewed to become pastor of the historic Calvary Baptist Church in today's Deep Deuce Historic neighborhood, but church officials turned him down due to his youthful age.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Martin Luther King Drive on the west side of the Schuylkill River in Fairmount Park (formerly West River Drive). (The former East River Drive is named in honor of John B. Kelly, Jr.)

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway, a bus rapid transit line, runs 9 miles from Downtown Pittsburgh to Rankin via Shadyside, East Liberty, Homewood, Edgewood, and Wilkinsburg. It is used by an average of 25,000 people each weekday. [2]

Portland, Oregon

Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, (originally named Union Ave) features a large statue of King in front of the Oregon Convention Center.

Prince Georges County, Maryland

Martin Luther King JR HWY Begins at the DC Maryland border at 63rd St in the District running from Seat Pleasent, Md thru Glenarden, MD also known as the 704.

Raleigh, North Carolina

Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard features the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Gardens with a life-size statue of King.

Reno, Nevada

Some signs designate the U.S. 395 freeway in Reno as the Martin Luther King, Jr. Freeway, although the highway is rarely referred to by this name.

Sacramento, California

Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard travels from Broadway Street south to Franklin Boulevard. It is crossed by SR 99.

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard runs by the state capitol. It features beautiful trees and well paved sidewalks.

San Antonio, Texas

Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard starts out as a neighborhood street at Alps Drive and ends at Palmetto Street which it merges into Pittman-Sullivan Park. Then, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard runs from New Braunfels Avenue to W.W. White Road. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard is located on San Antonio's east side, which is one of two perdominately African American area of San Antonio, the other being north east San Antonio. St. Phillips College, a community college originally founded as a HBCU is also located on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. It is crossed by I-10, where it meets Martin Luther King Park, which holds one of the largest Martin Luther King Day parades in the United States.

San Diego, California

Market Street was renamed Martin Luther King, Jr. Way for a few years in the 1980s and 1990s before SR-94, a freeway running east from downtown, was renamed the Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway

San Francisco, California

Martin Luther King Drive is one of two roads that run virtually the entire length of San Francisco's famous Golden Gate Park -- the other is John F. Kennedy Drive.

Savannah, Georgia

Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard features the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum.

Seattle, Washington

In 1983, an eight-mile stretch of State Route 900 between Seattle and Renton was renamed from Empire Way to Martin Luther King Jr. Way. At the time the area was roughly 70 percent black.^[12]

Selma, Alabama

In 1976, Sylvan Street was renamed Martin Luther King Street. King spent many days along Sylvan Street working for civil rights in the 1960s, especially by speaking at First Baptist Church and Brown Chapel. Brown Chapel is the background in a famous Time magazine photograph of King in the 1960s. Today, there is a monument honoring King in front of Brown Chapel. Brown Chapel was also the beginning of the route of the infamous Bloody Sunday march led by King. Ironically, the street crosses Jefferson Davis Avenue, named after the president of the Confederacy.

Tampa, Florida

In 1989, the entire stretch of Buffalo Avenue from Drew Park to Plant City was renamed "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard",^[13][14] also designated as Florida State Road 574. Notable attractions include Raymond James Stadium.

Washington, D.C.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, (formerly Nichols Avenue, SE) is the main commercial street in the part of Southeast Washington east of the Anacostia River. It intersects Malcolm X Avenue, SE (formerly Portland Street, SE) near Bolling Air Force Base and St. Elizabeths Hospital. Also very near the street is the home of Frederick Douglass, the famous abolitionist, for whom a major city bridge along South Capitol Street is named. Other streets and bridges streets named for prominent civil rights figures are Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, NE and the Whitney Young Bridge along East Capitol Street.

White Plains, New York

Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, from Post Road to Water Street

Wichita Falls, Texas

In 2006, the city renamed Eastside Drive to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from Burkburnett Road to East Scott Avenue. Many businesses along the road have the name Eastside in reference to their location by the street's previous name.

Wilmington, Delaware

Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard connects Lancaster Avenue to Front Street, running from I-95 to the Wilmington Amtrak Station at U.S. Route 13. It provides a gateway for the New Castle County suburbs to Wilmington's waterfront, downtown, and the transit hubs from interstate 95. Eastbound (inbound) lanes connect with Lancaster Avenue, and are therefore able to draw from both exit 6 off of interstate 95, and the surrounding urban neighborhoods of Wilmington that lie west of downtown. Westbound (outbound) lanes of MLK Jr. Boulevard terminate at, and merge directly with interstate 95, providing a direct link between city and highway only. Wilmington Boulevard was renamed Martin Luther King Boulevard in 1989.^[15]

Worcester, Massachusetts

In 2009, Worcester renamed East Central Street, the primary road connecting I-290 to the central business district, "MLK Jr. Boulevard." The highway signs for what had been the E. Central Street exit were replaced with MLK Jr. Boulevard signs on January 19, 2009, which was that year's observance of Martin Luther King Day.

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} "Martin Luther King Jr. Streets in Georgia". The New Georgia Encyclopedia. http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-802. Retrieved 1 December 2006. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "King's Way: Snapshots of life along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive". Winston-Salem Journal. http://extras.journalnow.com/flash/mlk/. Retrieved 2009-08-04. 
3. ^ "Along Martin Luther King". NPR.org. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1602178. Retrieved 2006-12-01. 
4. ^ Address for Dreams: Martin Luther King Drive. The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved on 19 May 2008
5. ^ Case Western Reserve University History Department, Liberty Row, in The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History
6. ^ Case Western Reserve University History Department, Monuments, in The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History
7. ^ "Driving the Dream: Part One". WTHR.com. http://www.wthr.com/story/6156690/driving-the-dream-part-one. Retrieved 2011-01-24. 
8. ^ Google Maps
9. ^ Martin Luther King, Jr. speeches in Jersey City
10. ^ ^{a b} Michigan Department of Transportation (2010). Official Department of Transportation Map (Map). 1 in:3.5 mi/1 cm:2 km. Lansing inset. 
11. ^ Natambu, Kofi (2002). The Life and Work of Malcolm X. Indianapolis: Alpha Books. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-02-864218-5. 
12. ^ de Leon, Ferdinand M.. "Seattle: Martin Luther King Way is growing into its name". Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/mlk/perspectives/roadways/seattle.html. Retrieved 1 December 2006. 
13. ^ Untiring activist; his whirl of cuisine
14. ^ Are the streets fit for King?
15. ^ Delaware Highways AA roads, Retrieved 6 August 2011

Paducah, Kentucky 42001 Clay Street changed to Dr. Martin Luther KIng Jr. Dr.

Riviera Beach, FL Runs Northwest From just over the congress bridge to the Bee Line Hwy

Further reading

• Tilove, Jonathan; Michael Falco (2003). Along Martin Luther King: travels on Black America's main street‎. Random House. ISBN 140006080X. 

External links

• Roadways Across America. The Seattle Times, 1998.