Mile Road System (Michigan)

Several counties in the state of Michigan use a Mile Road System to name different roads and streets. The most commonly known system is that of Detroit, including 8 Mile Road, the dividing line between Detroit and its northern suburbs as well as Wayne County and Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties. The roads in the Detroit-area system are laid out in a grid and named with reference to a zero-mile "point of origin" in Campus Martius Park in downtown Detroit.^[1]

Bay County

In Bay County, roads west of the Saginaw River are numbered with the river (or, north of the river, State Street) marking the origin.

0 Mile—Saginaw River
1 Mile—Euclid Avenue
2 Mile—Two Mile Road
3 Mile—Three Mile Road
4 Mile—Four Mile Road
5 Mile—Mackinaw Road
6 Mile—Fraser Road
7 Mile—Seven Mile Road
8 Mile—Eight Mile Road
9 Mile—Nine Mile Road
10 Mile—Garfield Road
11 Mile—Eleven Mile Road
12 Mile—Carter Road
13 Mile—Flajole Road
14 Mile—Rockwell Road (Bay–Midland county line)

Calhoun County

Going east from the county line between Calhoun and Kalamazoo counties. Many of the roads are known by both their mile names and their traditional names.

0 Mile—Calhoun–Kalamazoo county line
1⁄2 Mile—1⁄2 Mile Road
1 Mile—1 Mile Road, Renton Road
1+1⁄2 Mile—1+1⁄2 Mile Road
2 Mile—Stone Jug Road
2+1⁄2 Mile—2+1⁄2 Mile Road
3 Mile—Helmer Road
3+1⁄2 Mile—3+1⁄2 Mile Road
4 Mile—Sonoma Road
4+1⁄2 Mile—4+1⁄2 Mile Road
5 Mile—Capital Avenue
6 Mile—Cotton Lake Road
6+1⁄2 Mile—6+1⁄2 Mile Road
7 Mile—7 Mile Road
7+1⁄2 Mile—Beadle Lake Road
8 Mile—Union City Road
8+1⁄2 Mile—Woodlin Road
9 Mile—9 Mile Road
9+1⁄2 Mile—9+1⁄2 Mile Road, Wattles Road
10 Mile—Cady Road
10+1⁄2 Mile—Jessup Road
11 Mile—Wheatfield Road
11+1⁄2 Mile—11+1⁄2 Mile Road
12 Mile—12 Mile Road
13 Mile—13 Mile Road
14 Mile—14 Mile Road
15 Mile—15 Mile Road
16 Mile—16 Mile Road
16+1⁄2 Mile—16+1⁄2 Mile Road, Linden Street
17 Mile—Kalamazoo Avenue, Old 27
17+1⁄2 Mile—Marshall Avenue
18 Mile—18 Mile Road
18+1⁄2 Mile—18+1⁄2 Mile Road
19 Mile—19 Mile Road
20 Mile—20 Mile Road
21 Mile—21 Mile Road
22 Mile—22 Mile Road
22+1⁄2 Mile—22+1⁄2 Mile Road
23 Mile—23 Mile Road
24 Mile—24 Mile Road
25 Mile—25 Mile Road
26 Mile—Starr Commonwealth Road
27 Mile—27 Mile Road
28 Mile—Duck Lake Road, Eaton Road
28+1⁄2 Mile—Maple Street
29 Mile—Clark Street
29+1⁄2 Mile—Newburg Road
30 Mile—Van Wert Road, Calhoun Road

Metropolitan Detroit

Ford Road (equivalent of 0 Mile Road, western city, suburbs)
Warren Ave (equivalent of 1 Mile Road, western city, suburbs)
Joy Road (equivalent of 2 Mile Road in Washtenaw and Wayne counties)
Plymouth Road (equivalent of 3 Mile Road, western city, suburbs)
Schoolcraft Road (equivalent of 4 Mile Road, western city, suburbs)
5 Mile Road—Fenkell Avenue (in Detroit)
6 Mile Road—McNichols Avenue (in Detroit)
7 Mile Road—No other name (Ends at the curve west of Kelly Rd. Moross Avenue in Grosse Pointe is not a mile road)
7+1⁄2 Mile Road—State Fair St. (Outer Drive E in Eastbound direction starting at Dequindre St. Returns to E State Fair Avenue at Conner St.)
8 Mile Road—Baseline Road (old name), (Ends at Helen St. east of Harper in Grosse Pointe Woods, with a 1-block stretch running east from Greater Mack. Vernier Road is not a mile road as 8 Mile Road continues east from point where Vernier branches off)
8+1⁄2 Mile Road—Toepfer (By alignment only. 1/2 mile road designation not used)
9 Mile Road—School Road (old name)
9+1⁄2 Mile Road—Stephens Rd (By alignment only. 1/2 mile road designation not used)
10 Mile Road—Kern Road (old name), Labadie Road (old name, St. Clair Shores)
10+1⁄2 Mile Road—Frazho (By alignment only. 1/2 mile road designation not used)
11 Mile Road—Townhall Road (old name)
11+1⁄2 Mile Road—Catalpa Drive (West of N. Main Street) Gardenia Ave (East of N. Main Street) (By alignment only. 1/2 mile road designation not used)
12 Mile Road—Champagne Road (old name)
12+1⁄2 Mile Road—Common Rd. (By alignment only. 1/2 mile road designation not used)
13 Mile Road—Chicago Road (old name) Canfield Road in Roseville, Couchez Road in St. Clair Shores (old names)
13+1⁄2 Mile Road—Masonic Blvd. (By alignment only. 1/2 mile road designation not used)
14 Mile Road—Townline Road (old name)
14+1⁄2 Mile Road—Quinn Rd. (By alignment only. 1/2 mile road designation not used)
15 Mile Road—Wolf Road (old name, Macomb County), Maple Road (Oakland County)
16 Mile Road—Metropolitan Parkway (Macomb County), Big Beaver Road, Quarton Road, Walnut Lake Road (Oakland County) Nunneley Road in Clinton Township (old name)
16+1⁄2 Mile Road—(In Sterling Heights) Lone Pine Road (Oakland County)
17 Mile Road—Wattles Road (Oakland County)
18 Mile Road—Long Lake Road (Oakland County)
18+1⁄2 Mile Road—(In Sterling Heights)
19 Mile Road—Square Lake Road (Oakland County)
19+1⁄2 Mile Road—(In Sterling Heights)
20 Mile Road—Hall Road (Macomb County), South Boulevard (Oakland County)
21 Mile Road—Shoemaker Road (old name, Macomb County), Auburn Road (Oakland County)
22 Mile Road—Waldenburg Road (old name, Macomb County), Hamlin Road, Featherstone Road (Oakland County)
23 Mile Road—Telegraph Road, Old Telegraph Road, Whiskey Road, Coldwater Road, New Baltimore Highway, Yates Road (old names, Macomb County), Avon Road (Oakland County)
24 Mile Road—Cemetery Road, French Road (old names, Macomb County), Disco Road (old name, Oakland County), Parkdale Road, Walton Boulevard (Oakland County)
25 Mile Road—Arnold Road, Runyon Road (old names, Macomb County), Runyon Road, Tienken Road (Oakland County)
26 Mile Road—Town Line Road, Marine City Highway (old names, Macomb County), Mead Road, Dutton Road, Brown Road (Oakland County)
27 Mile Road—Davis Road (old name, Macomb County), Silverbell Road (Oakland County)
28 Mile Road—Gass Road (old name, Macomb County), Gunn Road, Waldon Road (Oakland County)
29 Mile Road—Knight Road (old name, Macomb County), Buell Road (Oakland County)
30 Mile Road—Sikes Road (old name, Macomb County), Parks Road, Stoney Creek Road, Clarkston Road (Oakland County)
31 Mile Road—Hart Road (old name, Macomb County), Predmore Road (Oakland County)
32 Mile Road—Division Road in Richmond; Fred Moore Highway, east of Richmond, Macomb County, Romeo Road (Oakland County)
33 Mile Road—Schooley Road (old name, Macomb County), Brewer Road, Drahner Road (Oakland County)
34 Mile Road—Woodbeck Road (old name, Macomb County), Mack Road, Lakeville Road (Oakland County)
35 Mile Road—School Road (old name, Macomb County), Frick Road (Oakland County)
36 Mile Road—Dewey Road (old name, Macomb County), Noble Road (Oakland County)
37 Mile Road—315th Street (old name, Macomb County), Gerst Road, Oakwood Road (Oakland County)
38 Mile Road-Bordman Street (old name, Macomb County), Davidson Lake Road (Oakland County)

Grand Traverse County

In Grand Traverse County, the mile roads are numbered from the location of the Boardman River and the ghost town of Keystone, named after its location at an important point on the river.

0 Mile—Keystone Road, Boardman River
1 Mile—Garfield Avenue, Garfield Road
2 Mile—Town Line Road (former name)
3 Mile—Three Mile Road
4 Mile—Four Mile Road
5 Mile—Five Mile Road, High Lake Road
6 Mile—Six Mile Road, Haaland Road
7 Mile—Lautner Road
8 Mile—Bates Road
9 Mile
10 Mile—Williamsburg Road

Kent County

Fulton Street is the north–south dividing line of the city of Grand Rapids. But since Fulton Street is on a half-section line, Michigan Street is the baseline in Kent County, not Fulton Street.

0 Mile—Michigan Street
1 Mile—Leonard Street
2 Mile—Knapp Street (a separate 2 Mile Road exists east of the Grand River, where Knapp curves north to what would theoretically be 2+1⁄2 Mile Road)
3–21 Mile—3–21 Mile roads
22 Mile—22 Mile Road (Kent–Montcalm and Kent–Newaygo county lines)

Manistee County

In Manistee County, roads are numbered north from the village of Eastlake

0 Mile—M-55
1 Mile—Pine Creek Road
2 Mile—Guenthardt Road
3 Mile—Becker Road, River Road
4 Mile
5 Mile—River Road
6 Mile—Coates Highway
7 Mile—Kerry Road
8 Mile—8 Mile Road
9 Mile—9 Mile Road
10 Mile—Maidens Road
11 Mile—11 Mile Road
12 Mile—Potter Road
13 Mile—13 Mile Road
14 Mile
15 Mile—Alkire Road
16 Mile—Lumley Road
17 Mile—Glovers Lake Road
18 Mile—Manke Road, Kernberger Road)
19 Mile—County Line Road (Manistee-Benzie County Line)

Midland County

0 Mile—Downtown Midland, marked by the line formed by Eastman Avenue and Poseyville Road—located exactly four miles west of Rockwell Road
1 Mile—Patterson Road
2 Mile—Vance Road
3 Mile—Sandow Road
4 Mile—Homer Road
5 Mile—Five Mile Road
6 Mile—Meridian Road
7 Mile—Seven Mile Road
8 Mile—Eight Mile Road
9 Mile—Nine Mile Road
10 Mile—Ten Mile Road
11 Mile—Eleven Mile Road
12 Mile—Castor Road
13 Mile—Magrudder Road
14 Mile—Alamando Road
15 Mile—Geneva Road
16 Mile—Lewis Road
17 Mile—Coleman Road
18 Mile—County Line Road (Midland–Isabella county line)

References

^ Batcheller, Pat (10 Aug 2023). "CuriosiD: What's the story behind metro Detroit's mile roads?". WDET.org. Wayne State University. Retrieved 20 Nov 2024.

External links

[1] Batcheller, Pat (10 Aug 2023). "CuriosiD: What's the story behind metro Detroit's mile roads?". WDET.org. Wayne State University. Retrieved 20 Nov 2024.

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