Ever wondered where some of Asheville’s street names originate? Sure, some are a little obvious (it doesn’t take a historian to deduce that Tunnel St. is named after, well, a tunnel). Others, though, aren’t so straightforward.

To make sure your knowledge of these WNC street names isn’t as jumbled as your GPS device’s pronunciation of them, we’ve put together a quick guide to what’s in a street name.

Patton Ave. is named after James Washington Patton who wanted an east-west thoroughfare to increase commerce. This became Patton Ave.

Merrimon Ave. is named after Augustus S. Merrimon. Merrimon was an attorney, a U.S. Senator + a Chief Justice of North Carolina’s Supreme Court.

Broadway was changed in 1914 from North Main Street. The name came from the Morgan N. Smith shop promising to be a “Broadway style shop. Fun fact: Broadway Street is actually just Broadway. City planners wanted every street to have a suffix to avoid confusion so Broadway was given street to avoid people thinking it is “Broad Way.”

The name Chicken Alley comes from the chickens that use to populate the alley during Asheville’s early days. Now, it’s known for the chicken mural, created by Molly Must. There is a legend that the alley is haunted by Dr. Jamie Smith, who was stabbed during a bar fight at Broadway's Tavern. People claim to see a man that looks like Dr. Smith at night with his trademark long coat and wide-brimmed fedora.

Battery Park is named after the Battery Park Hotel. This is where George Vanderbilt supposedly looked out and saw the landscapes of Asheville and decided to purchase land.

And of course, Tunnel Rd., which passes through Beaucatcher Mountain and was built in 1927.

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