Why do people in KC call highway names weirdly? (St. Louis: transplants, universities)

[mdwstgrl]

Originally Posted by RjRobb2

State highway signs dont have the word highway on them. None of the 50 states do. They are generally outlined with black with the shape of the state they are for and the number of the highway written in black in the middle.

Yes, but at intersections they are also marked with a green sign that has words &/or numbers on them. That's what I was referring to. See attached....

[KCMike]

How about New Yorkers or maybe all Eastcoasters calling a step a stoop. In KC a stoop is somebody that doesn't know a step from a stoop. haha

[KCRichard]

In KC we say "in line" when waiting to get into a movie,etc., but folks from the East Coast say "on line." I used to reply, "Show me the line, and I might stand on it, until then be quiet and get in line."

[aragx6]

Wait you don't say stoop in KC? I think we say stoop in St. Louis. I mean I'm not sure I ever took note of anyone saying it, but I know I say it and I don't have much close family on the East Coast, so I figure I got it from St. Louis.

Anyone from St. Louis want to weigh in on this one?

[RichMonk]

"stoop
n. Chiefly Northeastern U.S.
A small porch, platform, or staircase leading to the entrance of a house or building."

Huh...I've always known what a stoop was...but come to think of it, I don't really remember using it over something like front steps. Growing up in the 'burbs no one really uses a front porch...so the whole hanging out on the front stoop thing was kind of foreign to me until I visited the city.

[TabulaRasa]

Front porch (and/or stoop) culture pretty much dried up in the era when air conditioning became a staple for most. People used to congregate outdoors on summer evenings for the comparatively cooler air. You still see it a lot in parts of cities with apartments that don't have AC/don't allow for efficient window unit cooling.

[RichMonk]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

Front porch (and/or stoop) culture pretty much dried up in the era when air conditioning became a staple for most. People used to congregate outdoors on summer evenings for the comparatively cooler air. You still see it a lot in parts of cities with apartments that don't have AC/don't allow for efficient window unit cooling.

While this is true for the most part there are many neighborhoods near where I live today in Chicago where hipsters (and wannabes :P ) congregate on their stoops to drink beer during the warmer months. I also see it a lot in poorer neighborhoods. Newer condos, however, typically don't have stoops in favor of a street-level or garage access. On those buildings a lot of the units will have private balconies.

These days I think it has a lot more to do with the willingness of neighbors to be, well, casually neighborly (instead of the whole dinner next door thing or neighborhood BBQs). Block parties are a great way to get people to fall back in love with hanging out on the front porch and talking to the neighbors. However, I doubt anyone would be relaxing on the porch when it is 95 degrees out when they could relax comfortably inside. I would just like to see people take advantage of their porches when the weather is beautiful...it just adds to the vibrancy of an area.

[BostonToKC]

Originally Posted by KCRichard

In KC we say "in line" when waiting to get into a movie,etc., but folks from the East Coast say "on line." I used to reply, "Show me the line, and I might stand on it, until then be quiet and get in line."

Really? I guess it depends where exactly on the East Coast. They say "in line" in Mass/Conn/NY/NJ, AFAIK.

[luzianne]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

Front porch (and/or stoop) culture pretty much dried up in the era when air conditioning became a staple for most. People used to congregate outdoors on summer evenings for the comparatively cooler air. You still see it a lot in parts of cities with apartments that don't have AC/don't allow for efficient window unit cooling.

There was a big section in the KC Star several years ago about how life used to be in KC and they had pictures from long ago that were in the KC Star. There was one that showed people lying in Swope Park and it said on summer nights people would sleep at Swope Park because it was cooler to be outside at the park than in their houses. Also showed the big buildings downtown and said that there was no air conditioning and the windows would all be open, but that posed a problem if it was windy because of course there were no computers and there was PAPER everywhere that would blow around. It said when it got hot the businesses closed down because it was impossibleto work in the heat. Also had pictures of the Ruskin Heights tornado in 1957. I sure wish I had kept that paper. It was so interesting.

[Nu2pomona]

Here in the Ozarks, folks do say CC Highway, 14 Highway, ZZ Highway. Back in Wisconsin we would have called it Double C, Hwy 14, Double Z. Interstates were always I-XX, such as I-94, I-43, etc. Don't know if that is the case here.

I think the difference in word usage is one of many things that keeps life interesting. Variety/Spice as the old saying goes. Moving from one area to another, it is amazing how quickly we pick up on the colloquialisms.