Massachusetts Avenue
Massachusetts Avenue is the name shared by several prominent streets in the United States. Each Massachusetts Avenue is commonly called "Mass. Ave." by the residents of its hometown.
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Boston, Massachusetts
Massachusetts Avenue runs southeast-northwest through Boston, paralleling Interstate 93 for a short distance and then interchanging with the Massachusetts Turnpike (Interstate 90). It crosses the Charles River into Cambridge, Massachusetts, where it bisects the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and curves around two sides of Harvard Yard. It continues through Cambridge, Arlington, and Lexington.
The road, by the same name, continues northwest and west, through many different cities. It largely parallels or joins Route 2 and Route 2A, all the way into central Massachusetts, with a few gaps at towns that have different names for the central road.
On the night of April 18-19, 1775, Paul Revere rode his horse down this road on his "Midnight Ride."
On April 18-19, 1775, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott also rode on Massachusetts Avenue on their way to Concord.
Indianapolis, Indiana
- See main article Indianapolis,_Indiana#Massachusetts_Avenue.
Located just a few blocks northeast of Monument Circle, Massachusetts Avenue was designed in 1821 as one of the four original diagonal streets of downtown Indianapolis. Today it lies at the heart of the city's arts district, which includes four theaters as well as a number of shops, galleries, and eateries.
Lawrence, Kansas
Massachusetts Avenue is the main street of downtown Lawrence, Kansas. It takes its name from the Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Company, which founded Lawrence to populate the Kansas territory with free-state (i.e., anti-slavery) advocates.
Lemon Grove, California
Massachusetts Avenue connects University Avenue and Lemon Grove Avenue in the San Diego, California suburb of Lemon Grove. The Massachusetts Avenue Station on the Orange Line of the San Diego Trolley is located at the latter intersection.
Washington, D.C.
- See main article Massachusetts Avenue (Washington, DC).
Massachusetts Avenue is a diagonal avenue which traverses the city from Southern Avenue, Southeast to Western Avenue, Northwest in the District of Columbia, and continuing through Bethesda, Maryland signed as Maryland State Highway 396 to its terminal intersection with to Goldsboro Road.
It is one of Washington's primary crosstown thoroughfares, as designed to be in Pierre L'Enfant's original plan for the city. It runs roughly in parallel to Pennsylvania Avenue which lies to the south. It is the longest street in Washington but its path is interrupted by the Anacostia River as there is no bridge crossing there. Numerous Washington landmarks are situated on Massachusetts Avenue, and the section running between Dupont Circle and Ward Circle is known as Embassy Row for the large numbers of foreign embassies located there.
