I saw people joking online that Lexington has used up all the good street names, and now we're stuck with things like Autumn Mist Circle and Whispering Meadow Drive. But seriously, how does the city actually decide what to call new roads in all these subdivisions?

Well, the short answer is that most residential roads have been named by developers these days. When a developer submits their subdivision plans to the Planning Commission, the street names are part of that package. There's an approval process through the city, but the creativity, good or bad, usually starts with whoever's building the neighborhood.

So it's not like there's some city committee sitting around going through a big book of approved street names?

Not exactly. The Planning Commission approves subdivision plats and development plans, and that includes signing off on the street names. But historically, you're right that we've had much more colorful naming. Street names typically signified landmarks, people, or topography – think Limestone Street, which was named because it led to what's now Maysville, or High Street for obvious reasons.

What about some of the more creative ones we have around town?

Oh, there are some great stories. Retrac Road was developed during the Carter administration, and they honored the president by using his name backwards. And Jingle Bell Lane got its name because American Tree and Wreath produced seven hundred thousand artificial Christmas trees annually at its plant there. My personal favorite is Florida Street, which was supposed to be called Mill Street Continued, but itinerant painters had a different idea and repainted the sign to read Florida, and the name stuck.

That's fantastic. So we went from streets with actual stories to Whispering Meadow Drive?

Pretty much. The development boom means we're getting a lot more subdivisions, and developers tend to go for names that sound peaceful and upscale. Though to be fair, some developers still put thought into it – developer Ted Osborne named streets like Gladman Way and Weber Way after past Kiwanis International leaders because of his involvement with Bluegrass Kiwanis.

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