Getting A Utah Street Named For You Isn’t Easy

Street Names Are Hard to Change 

It would be pretty cool to have one of the streets in your neighborhood named after you. Especially if you lived on that street. I would be sending out letters all the time from Dave Hiatt on 1525 E Dave Hiatt Dr. Unfortunately, it isn’t easy to rename a road. 

When I was a kid in Provo, they wanted to rename the street in front of Timpview High School as Timpview Drive. They sent around petitions and after a lot of work, the city agreed but only if the signs were paid for by those interested. They held a fundraiser and got it done. 

The original street number, 650 East, was included on the new signs and many people still use that instead of the name. You can see that no matter where you live, it isn’t easy getting a street name changed. City councils and the people who live there don’t want the streets changed at a whim. 

It Helps If You Pass on and Leave a Legacy 

The most common reason for a street being renamed is to honor a person who has died. It is hard to enjoy a street being named after you when you aren’t around to see it. You might as well go big and try to get an airport or stadium named for you. 

The other way is to become a developer or get really close to one. When a new housing development begins, they submit possible street names to the city. They are usually approved if they aren’t already in use or not too weird. 

Read More: What Is The Law In Utah About Being Buried In Your Yard?

Speaking of which. There are some really bad street names out there. How would you like to live on Hairy Man Rd in Texas, or Booger Hollow Rd in Alabama. The worst may be Farfrompoopen Rd in Arkansas. You might be able to convince these cities to go for a name change.