In the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
,
county route
A county highway (also county road or county route; usually abbreviated CH or CR) is a road in the United States and in the Canadian province of Ontario that is designated and/or maintained by the county highway department. Route numbering can ...
s exist in all 62
counties
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
except those in the five boroughs of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. Most are maintained locally by county highway departments. County route designations are assigned at the county level; as a result, routes often change numbers as they cross from one county to the next due to the lack of a statewide numbering system and lack of coordination between counties. Some exceptions exist, such as
County Route 36 (CR 36) in
Ontario County and
CR 36A in
Livingston County. The assignment of routes by individual counties also results in varying system density and numbering and signage practices between the state's counties.
Numbering and layout
The exact method of county route numbering varies by county. Some counties, such as
Dutchess County
Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later organ ...
, use a system in which county route numbers are assigned by town in alphabetical order while others like
Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe:
* Monroe County, Alabama
*Monroe County, Arkansas
* Monroe County, Florida
* Monroe County, Georgia
*Monroe County, Illinois
*Monroe County, Indian ...
assign numbers in a general west-to-east fashion. Still others, for instance
Livingston County, have no defined pattern. The highest-numbered posted county route and the only four-digit county route signed as such in the state,
CR 1345, resides in
Saratoga County
Saratoga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York, and is the fastest-growing county in Upstate New York. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was enumerated at 235,509, representing a 7.2% increase from the 2010 popul ...
.
Like the numbering system and the choice of signage, the complexity of the county highway system varies by county as well.
Erie County, for example, one of the most urbanized counties in
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...
, maintains a system of nearly 400 routes. In contrast, the
Southern Tier
The Southern Tier is a geographic subregion of the broader Upstate New York region of New York State, consisting of counties west of the Catskill Mountains in Delaware County and geographically situated along or very near the northern border ...
county of
Tioga manages only 29 roads.
Signage
The method that each county employs to sign its routes varies from one county to the next. The majority of counties in New York use the
MUTCD-standard blue pentagonal shield with yellow lettering. Others tweak this shield slightly, using white lettering instead of yellow (particularly in areas near the
Capital District
A capital district, capital region or capital territory is normally a specially designated administrative division where a country's seat of government is located. As such, in a federal model of government, no state or territory has any politica ...
) or using shapes similar to a pentagon. Additionally,
Orange County
Orange County most commonly refers to:
*Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Orange County may also refer to:
U.S. counties
*Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando
*Orange County, Indiana
*Orange County, New ...
employs a wide assortment of signage, ranging from the standard blue pentagonal shield to a blue diamond with white lettering. On the other hand, some counties, such as
Orleans and
Westchester counties, do not post signage along their routes. Most of New York switched to the MUTCD-standard blue pentagon shield ca. 1974. Signs that predate this transition can still be found in certain areas of the state.
List of county routes by county
References
External links
County Highways in New York State
{{DEFAULTSORT:County Routes In New York