They weren’t always numbered. Up north, there are still people who refer to Highway 40 as Lincoln Highway.
I’ve heard a couple of LA natives say that’s an explanation for SoCal’s affinity for calling them “the 5”: they switched from “the Santa Ana”.
I’ve heard a couple of LA natives say that’s an explanation for SoCal’s affinity for calling them “the 5”: they switched from “the Santa Ana”.
This is interesting to me because here in Iowa, the Lincoln Highway is "old Highway 30". In the 60s they rerouted Hwy30 about a mile south of the existing Lincoln Way so they could make it 4 lane and avoid towns.
The part I thought was interesting is I assumed it would have the same number designation across the entire nation, but that doesn't appear to be the case.