Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
DC doesn't quite have the density to compete, and its two most obvious corridors (Connecticut and Wisconsin) were zoned from the start to preclude continuous commercial. Instead, commercial was focused into nodes with (often high-rise) residential in between.
Atlanta and Baltimore might do surprisingly well on this; they're both essentially "high street" linear settlements, along Peachtree and Charles streets, respectively.
I actually find Georgia Ave./7th Street to be the most commercial focused corridor in DC and adjacent Montgomery County, MD. From south to north, it starts at the Wharf near the Arena Stage, before passing over the business district near L'Efant Plaza, and then crosses the Mall with museums flanking both sides of the street, then heads through the heart of Penn Quarter, past Chinatown, the Convention Center, serves as Shaw's main commercial thoroughfare, then as it changes its name to Georgia Ave as it cross Florida Ave near some big nightclubs, it passes through Howard University, and then Park View, Petworth, Brightwood Park, Brightwood, the western edge of Takoma, Shepherd Park, and finally into Maryland through the heart of downtown Silver Spring, over eight miles from where it began as 7th St. SW. It's not quite continuous as there are a couple short sections where there's residential for a few blocks (especially between Brightwood and Shepherd Park), but its by no means unwalkable. I also find that the retail tends to be a lot more diverse in its nature compared to ultra white collar Wisconsin Ave.
Historically, 7th Street was designed as Washington's main north/south commercial strip; running from where the old City Market (now the National Archives) up through around where the Convention Center now stands. Many of those 19th century storefronts have since been demolished, but a few remain.
For Baltimore, I'd say York Road from Hunt Valley to Waverly has the biggest "wall of commercial activity" overall. Like GA Ave in DC, there are also a few short residential gaps, but it's a good 12 miles or so of commercial-dominated activity, from WMAR-TV to Towson University to the Senator Theater to the MD Fairgrounds to Hunt Valley Towne Centre at its northern end. IMO Charles street's commercial activity ends around JHU, and I really see St. Paul St., a block east to be more commercially vibrant in Charles Village. Yes, the development is obviously suburban in nature north of Towson, but once you're inside the Beltaway (I-695), it's a pretty quick walk from one business to the next, and that's still a good five miles of pretty intensive commercial development there.
San Francisco has a ton of these. Probably the most high profile is the 3.5 mile stretch of Market St. between the Embarcadero and Castro, but there are many more. SF has to be among the very best for these types of corridors in the country.
For Seattle, I'd split it between the urban core and outer areas. It's probably not the best city for these types of corridors due to interruptions from water and hills and a chaotic street grid with all kinds of random turns, but there are some good examples.
For the urban core, 1st Ave. between the stadiums and Roy St. is about 2.5 miles and very urban throughout. (It remains 1st Ave. throughout although there are a couple of places where the road pivots at about a 45 degree angle.) Madison between 1st and 32nd is about 3 miles continuous throughout - although the caveat there is that it has some pretty steep inclines. Pike (between 1st and 14th Ave) and Queen Anne Ave. (Between Denny and McGraw) have 1.5 miles stretches that also very pedestrian-oriented and high-density.
Outside of the urban core but within city limits, California Ave. SW between Hill St. and Fauntleroy is 3 miles and Greenwood/Phinney is a bit over 2 miles between 50th and 87th. There are several others as well.
Boston's an interesting example, since many of its longer streets predate the grid. Its tiny size precludes any mileage records, but they're certainly interesting along the way. Boylston St., Beacon St., and Tremont St. come to mind.
But do those fit the bill of what the OP is describing? There are large swaths of those roads that are clearly not pedestrian-friendly and which lack accessible amenities.
For example, do you consider something like this to be pedestrian-oriented, with a lot of amenities?
But do those fit the bill of what the OP is describing? There are large swaths of those roads that are clearly not pedestrian-friendly and which lack accessible amenities.
For example, do you consider something like this to be pedestrian-oriented, with a lot of amenities?
Based on the various examples the OP gave it certainly would fit the bill, those had some small gaps too. Some stretches lack amenities but for the most part the entire stretch is pedestrian-oriented except for the VA Hospital/405 area and LA Country Club.
https://goo.gl/maps/YJ3Pn8s5CcswMovP9 Salt lake would probably be 2nd south from the Gateway up to the University of Utah, it continues to gain more and more density, walkability, and is a very bike friendly street, 3 miles.
https://goo.gl/maps/EjV69jcpAn3co44TA The other walkable corridor is on Main Street from the Capitol to The Grand America hotel on Main Street. This street includes temple square, city creek mall, dozens of restaurants/bars, and has a light rails right down the middle of it. 1.3 miles
Salt Lake is definitely not comparable to these major cities continuous walkable districts and streets but is continuing to improve.
Based on the various examples the OP gave it certainly would fit the bill, those had some small gaps too. Some stretches lack amenities but for the most part the entire stretch is pedestrian-oriented except for the VA Hospital/405 area and LA Country Club.
Well, I didn't Google Walk through the full route the OP posted, but they gave this description: "...where basically every block has some degree of urban form and is semi-appealing from someone walking around it from an urban sense."
I think it's fair to say the full extent of Wilshire and Santa Monica come nowhere close to meeting that criteria. There are stretches of a 2-3 miles that might fit the bill, but there are huge gaps along the extents you describe.
The corridors I was talking about do fit that criteria. That said, I guess this is a subjective exercise and maybe the threshold I was using is higher than what most other people are.
Well, I didn't Google Walk through the full route the OP posted, but they gave this description: "...where basically every block has some degree of urban form and is semi-appealing from someone walking around it from an urban sense."
I think it's fair to say the full extent of Wilshire and Santa Monica come nowhere close to meeting that criteria. There are stretches of a 2-3 miles that might fit the bill, but there are huge gaps along the extents you describe.
The corridors I was talking about do fit that criteria. That said, I guess this is a subjective exercise and maybe the threshold I was using is higher than what most other people are.
Except for the area around the VA and LA Country Club (those aren't really large stretches imo) I think pretty much the entire stretch of Wilshire "has some degree of urban form and is semi-appealing from someone walking around it from an urban sense." Some larger stretches lack amenities such as where you linked to but 98% of the length "some degree of semi-appealing urban form" is there. I've actually walked most of the length of Wilshire (it was for a project).
I believe that one of the longest continuous stretches of this variety in the south, maybe the entire United States, starts in the Marigny (I believe?) and carries all the way through the French Quarter as Decatur Street, where once it crosses Canal, the road name changes, and it becomes Magazine Street, where it works it's way through the Warehouse/Garden Districts all the way to within a block of beautiful Audubon Park at it's western end. There may be a block or two of interruptions. But as far as walking, and staying on a single street, I think you'll be hard pressed to do any better, anywhere in the Southern US, as far as business/street activity goes.
this would be 6.1 miles, for reference.
The immediate one in Chicago that comes to mind is Clark Street. That street would go from Northwestern University to downtown Chicago, and is 13.9 miles long.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
