Street vs Avenue: Difference and Comparison

Streets and avenues may seem to have the same meaning. However, they are quite different from each other.

They both are pathways that take us from one point to another. We can easily find streets and avenues in towns and cities.

We mention our street or avenue while telling our location to friends, families, delivery people, etc. They basically make our work easier.

Key Takeaways

1. Streets run east to west, while avenues run north to south.
2. Avenues are wider and have medians or boulevards, while streets are narrower and may need more features.
3. Street addresses are commonly based on a city’s grid system, while avenue addresses can vary depending on city planning.

Street vs Avenue

The difference between a street and an avenue is that a street is smaller in an area compared to an avenue. An avenue is broader than a street. A street has residential buildings and apartments in its sideways. An avenue has trees and commercial buildings located on its sides. An avenue is the junction of roads.

A street is a pathway or small road that helps us reach different destinations. We find locations and addresses of different sites and buildings with the help of the street name.

Every street is numbered on maps, and these numbers make our work much easier. One can see people walking, cars running, and traffic on the streets.

An avenue is a broad and long road or pathway. It can have several roads crossing one another.

An avenue is mostly referred to as a junction. It represents more of a commercial area.

It is either surrounded by trees or by big commercial malls, luxurious showrooms, and big company offices. An avenue is a road near a busy and crowded area.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Street	Avenue
Definition	It is a road or path across houses and apartments.	It is a path or road across commercial buildings or trees.
Area	It is a road in a residential area.	It is a path in commercial areas.
Size	It is narrower than an avenue.	It is broader than a street.
Parking	Its parking has small cars and bikes.	It’s parking has luxurious cars.
Direction	It runs from east to west.	It runs from north to south. This makes it perpendicular to the streets.

What is Street?

Street refers to the road or pathway. It is public property and is accessible to all the citizens of the country.

A Street is a very common term we use in our daily life. The street connects one destination to another.

It is a way of transportation like that of sea and air.

The street name is commonly used in reference to location. Streets can be both narrow and broad. We see broad streets in towns whereas narrow streets in villages.

The street is a way with residential houses and apartment buildings on its sideway. There is a footpath built on the side of a street in order for people to walk.

The responsibility for the maintenance of streets belongs to the government. Streets are either dusty and rocky or well-paved and cemented.

Streets have shortcuts which can save us from traffic jams. The roads in residential areas are called streets.

Streets are narrower than highways and main roads.

In many countries, streets have a different name which is given by the government. Streets are also numbered, which makes it easier for people to find a particular street on the map.

We can notice people walking and cars, buses, and trucks running on the streets.

What is Avenue?

An avenue is a broad and big road. It can connect several roads from one destination to another. Avenues have trees in their sideways.

One can notice several trees along an avenue. However, instead of trees nowadays, one can notice commercial buildings, malls, and large organization buildings along an avenue.

An avenue is basically a road that is present in a commercial and busy area. There are several luxurious cars parked beside avenues.

An avenue has high-standard buildings located near it. Avenues are a junction of traffic.

One can notice the traffic in avenues.

An avenue runs from North to South. They run perpendicular to the streets.

Avenues have people walking across cars and buses and busy vendors. Avenue is always bigger than a street.

Avenues are popular areas due to the presence of malls and commercial buildings.

One can easily find an avenue than a street due to its popularity. Avenues are busier during weekends as many people come to popular areas to shop, eat and have a good time.

Avenues may have big posters and holdings of celebrities promoting products or services.

Main Differences Between Streets and Avenue

1. Streets are narrower than avenues. An avenue can be many times broader than a street.
2. Streets have residential buildings and houses along with them, whereas avenues have big trees along with them. An avenue may also have commercial buildings and malls along its side.
3. A Street mostly runs from east to west, whereas avenues run from north to south. This means streets are perpendicular to avenues.
4. Streets are located in the residential area, whereas avenues are located in commercial areas with large buildings and supermarkets.
5. Streets may or may not have traffic, whereas avenues may be the main junction of traffic. Traffic starts from avenues.
6. A Street may have small, inexpensive cars and bikes parked along its side, whereas avenues mostly have luxurious cars parked along its side. However, this fact may differ from one country to another.

References

1. https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/55680
2. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/adma.200701164

Last Updated : 04 August, 2023