The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-06-12
CONTRA COSTA ROADS.
The Ten-Bl0ck System for Num-
bering Country Houses.

For two months meetings have been held
in the school districts of Contra Costa
County for the purpose of considering
names for the roads of the county, estab-
fishing the numbering of country houses,
and securing the erection of guide boards
at the crossings and functions of roads.
On Tuesday evening the people of Contra
Costa who spend the greater part of each
week in or near San Francisco held a meet
ing at 81 Kearny street to consider these
questions, in connection with the movement
within the county. An earnest interest and
considerable enthusiasm were manifested
at this meeting.
Resolutions were passed requesting the
Board of Supervisors of the county to act
officially in order to establish these pro-
greSsive features Of rural life; also favor
ing the formation of a County Improve
ment Society, with working representatives
in each school district.
In the Textbook system. Contra Costa
County claims to have solved the problem
of simple, practicable and very useful
and convenient method OF numbering
country houses, which has been greatly
needed ever since roads have existed, and
the country has been generally occupied
with country homes.
The plan is to divide each mile into ten
equal parts or imaginary blocks, assigning
two numbers to each, one on each side OF
the road. A house located in given block
has the number of that block, additional
houses in the same block also have the same
number. bit followed by the letters a e.
etc.
By this system new houses can be built
and numbered at any time and to any eX-
tent without interfering with the existing
numbers. The numbers always Indicate
the distance from the starting point, which
can be calculated almost instantly. AS
there are two numbers for each block the
number of the house divided by two will
give the number of the blocks from the
starting point.
As there are ten blocks in mile, divide
the result obtained by ten, or point off the
decimal and the result is the distance in
miles and tenths. Take house. for eX-
ample. numbered 156; divide by and it
gives rs, point off the decimal and you have
rs miles from the Joint of commencement,
this system securing several other adyan-
tages not here enumerated.
The following are some of the names
recommended Tor roads:
Contra Costa highway, for the road running
from The county seat south, completely through
the county.
Alhambra way, for tile road through Alnambra
Valley and ON south.
Rio VISTA, for The road along The bluff, over the
river, west from MARTINEZ.
Mountain drive, for the road going to the sum-
nit of Mount Diabo.
Canine DiaDlo, for The road around the foot OF
the mountain
Via Concordia, for a road near the town OF
Concord.
Concord lateral, for road extending out from
Concord, like the lateral branch of a tree.
Tice Valley local. for a local road running n
short distance up the valley of that name, and
having no outlet.
Golden Gate way, for the road from Walnut
Creek, west TO the county line on the ridge over
looking Berkeley ana The Golden Gate.
Other names are: Walnut way, Syca-
more Valley road, Granville way, Ignacio
vista, Willow Pass road, Starr King way,
White Oak road Stanley road, Sunol drive,
+ Kit Carson road, Via Dante, Kent road,
Canine Canada, Esperanto drive, Hancock
road, Excelsior road, Angle eOnnex, Mel
rose way, Via Roma, etc