All language on your envelopes should be written out completely, not abridged. Fill up the blanks with street names, post office boxes, apartment numbers, and states. The exceptions include titles of names such as Mr. and Mrs. , Dr. , Jr., and Sr., and Washington, DC, which can be written as DC rather than District of Columbia. Do not use abbreviations for cities, states, or countries. Cities and towns in America are usually named for a person or group who had something to do with its founding. Sometimes there is no clear origin; many cities were founded before anyone knew why they were being formed! Before naming places, find out what role they played in establishing their current-day nation. For example, Baltimore was founded in 1688 by William Baltemore for his new trading post; Boston was founded in 1630 by John Endecott for his church; and Chicago was founded in 1803 by Walter Cook who came here to trade with the Indians. All city streets in America have two parts: a number indicating the location within the city limits and a name that identifies the street. The number is typically assigned during construction of new neighborhoods or suburbs, with numbers running consecutively through each block. Streets are also numbered in some cities where there are multiple streets sharing one address, such as Manhattan Island where all buildings face onto Broadway Avenue but each building has a unique address. In general, avoid using numbers as street names because they are difficult to recognize from a distance.