Jim Valentine on Real Estate
Driving around Carson Valley you will encounter roads that seem to change names along the way. It isn’t a figment of your imagination, they really transition from one name to another. You are experiencing one of the wonderful quirks about the Carson Valley. Other roads have multiple names for the same stretch of road.
One such road is U.S. Highway 395 going through Minden and Gardnerville. It is also called Main Street. The same thing happens to Foothill Road as it goes through Genoa and is called Main Street. Other roads meander for a long ways changing names along the way.
Here’s a dandy example: Tilman Lane goes to Heritage Lane which turns into Mudlake Road, then to Dressler Lane which becomes Fairview. Fairview fades into Foothill Road which goes north of Genoa where it becomes Jacks Valley Road. Jacks Valley Road ultimately crosses U.S. 395 and becomes North Sunridge. All those names are on one continuous road. Point to remember, it starts at Dressler Lane, not Dressler Road which is miles northeast of there.
Pinenut Road heading west becomes Riverview Drive which turns to Dressler Road and then into Centerville at the four-way stop. It’s really quite fun, isn’t it? How about Waterloo Lane turning into Toler Lane which then becomes Fish Springs Road and ultimately becomes Jacobsen Lane? These road names make giving directions a delight. Good thing we have virtual navigators these days.
Waterloo Lane goes from Centerville to Highway 88 where it turns into Mottsville. Those type of valley intersections are fun – going south on Highway 88, it’s left to Waterloo, right to Mottsville. You also see that in Minden, going north on Main Street (U.S. 395) where it is left to 6th street and right to Buckeye. Oh, and Buckeye becomes Benton.
There are a few state highways that can also confuse things. State Route 756 is also Centerville Lane. Kingsbury Grade is also known as State Route 207. A wonderful subdivision on the west side has the horseshoe road of Beverly Way which, across Foothill, becomes two road names, Aspen Hill Court and Taylor Creek Road.
Be sure in your travels to pay close attention to the road names in their entirety. There are roads ending with lane, road, boulevard, court, drive, trail, etc., many of which share the same “first name” with a roadway with a different surname.
If you are ordering pizza or an ambulance, be very clear where you are in the valley. There are some confusing roads, i.e., Cathy and Kathy. They are many miles apart but verbally sound identical. If you are on Waterloo, are you on the Waterloo west of Centerville or east of Centerville Lane? If you aren’t specific your pizza will be cold when they find you. Give them enough details to find you easily. If you are on a road that changes names, let them know about the name changes so they don’t panic seeing another name on the road sign and turn around.
Most of the road names reflect Carson Valley history, and shouldn’t be changed. If the names are confusing to you then get a road map and get oriented – the historic evolution of road names in Carson Valley is part of its allure.
When it comes to choosing professionals to assist you with your Real Estate needs… Experience is Priceless! Jim Valentine, License No. BS-03481, RE/MAX Gold Carson Valley 775-781-3704. dpwtigers@hotmail.com.