Like many of my fellow bookworms, one of my favorite topics of conversation is etymology: the study of the origin of words. Often in my journeys across Gwinnett, I find my attention drawn to the names of places around the county, and I wonder how those names came to be. Cities, restaurants, neighborhoods and these categories of place all have their own traditions for naming, but no type of location name has more extreme variety than the road name. We’ve all seen Main Streets and the numerous road titles incorporating “Peachtree” but the wormhole goes so much deeper. My friends here at the DiG denied my request to focus the entire issue on this subject, so here I will endeavor to highlight my favorite unique street names in Gwinnett.
This first group of street names I enjoy seeing are the more predictable ones. One can see where these road names came from, but if you’re new to the area, the name itself is a special treat to grab your attention as you drive along. Grizzly Parkway connects the students, or grizzlies, of Georgia Gwinnett College to the vibrant square of downtown Lawrenceville but my first read of the sign made my mind run wild with visions of Grizzly Park, a local bear sanctuary. Netherworld Way implies a road deep into a twisted horror dimension, and…actually, that one isn’t too far off! The street sign prepares Netherworld visitors for the exciting thrills within. Buford’s Powerhouse Road runs up to the wildlife overlook on the south side of Buford Dam, which contains a powerhouse for Georgia Power.
Not all street names are that descriptive. In Sugar Hill, visitors can find Magical Way, the inlet to a neighborhood that I was saddened to learn had no wizards in residence. Similarly, Mimosa Drive has homes a short walk from Buford’s city hall, but not a single brunch spot sits along the street. Swamp Cabbage Drive doesn’t have a single palm tree on its residential stretch despite being named after the edible heart of the Sabal Palm tree: “swamp cabbage.”
My favorite category has to be the truly iconic names, where someone has chosen to make a grand statement in the naming of this path of travel. Many streets in this category are commentaries on roads themselves, like Suwanee’s Delay Lane and Collins Hill High School’s GetOutaMy Way. Others are playful twists on our preconceived notions of a place, like Honest Alley in Lawrenceville.
The best name, however, tells a story. A Cherokee man named Beaver Toter lived long ago near a creek and one tragic day the creek flooded. The flash flood wrecked Beaver’s home, leaving it in ruin, and the creek was named Beaver Ruin Creek to honor this story. When the nearby road in Norcross was built, it adopted the name Beaver Ruin Road, honoring the creek, the home, and of course, the man named Beaver.
So much life can be stored within a single name. Next time you’re inching along the road and spot an odd street name, let your mind wander down that road and maybe you’ll learn something new.