U.S. Highway List | Home
|
|
U.S. Highway List | Home |
| The U.S. highway numbering system was formally introduced in 1927.
But the planning for it had gone on for several years earlier. Many maps
from 1925 and 1926 showed early versions of this system, and included some
preliminary routings that never saw the light of day. Even the putative
first atlas to show the "final" system, the 1927 Clason's Touring Atlas,
shows some route numberings that were either obviously typos or didn't
last more than a year or two, if they existed at all.
A more accurate assesment of the early U.S. system comes from inspecting maps later in the decade. The table below, compiled from the 1929 Rand McNally road atlas, lists the routings of all North Carolina's U.S. highways shown at that time. Routes are listed in order of their "parent" 1- or 2-digit route. Text in white indicates routings that remain unchanged today. Yellow text indicates changes between 1929 and now. For example, in the U.S. 501 entry, "Started in" is yellow because 501 doesn't start in Durham anymore. But the "Durham" is white because the road is still located in Durham. The only concern here is the general course of the roads. Any minor widening, bypassing or straightening out since 1929 has been ignored. As always, roads are listed south to north, or west to east. |
| U.S. 1 | Entered the state from Cheraw, S.C.
Ran through Rockingham, Southern Pines, Sanford, Raleigh, Franklinton, Henderson and Norlina. Entered Virginia and headed toward Lacrosse, Virginia. Route essentially unchanged. |
| U.S. 501 | Started in Durham.
Ran through Roxboro. Entered Virginia and headed north toward South Boston. |
| U.S. 311 | Started in West End (near Pinehurst).
Ran through Biscoe, Asheboro, Randleman, High Point, Winston-Salem, Walnut Cove and Madison. Entered Virginia and headed north toward Martinsville. |
| U.S. 15 | Began in Rockingham.
Ran through Jackson Springs, Pinehurst, Carthage, Sanford, Chapel Hill, Durham and Oxford. Entered Virginia and headed toward Clarksville. |
| U.S. 17 | Entered the state from Florence, S.C. Headed
due east from Florence.
Ran through Chadbourn, Lake Waccamaw, Wilmington, Jacksonville, New Bern, Washington, Windsor and Elizabeth City. Entered Virginia and headed toward Portsmouth. |
| U.S. 17-1 | Started in Wilmington.
Ran through Kenansville, Warsaw, Goldsboro, Wilson, Rocky Mount, Weldon and Pleasant Hill. Entered Virginia and headed north toward Emporia. |
| U.S. 117 | Started in Norlina.
Ran through Warrenton, Roanoake Rapids, Weldon and Murfeesboro. Entered Virginia and headed north toward Franklin. |
| U.S. 217 | Entered the state from Dillon, S.C.
Ran through Rowland, Lumberton, Fayetteville and Smithfield. Ended in Wilson. |
| U.S. 19 | Entered the state from Blairsville, Georgia.
Ran through Murphy, Andrews, Almond, Dillsboro, Sylva, Waynesville, Canton, Asheville, Cane River, Spruce Pine, Ingallis and Cranberry. Entered Tennessee and headed west toward Elizabethton. (From Cane River to Tennessee, this is today's U.S. 19E.) |
| U.S. 21 | Entered the state from Fort Mill, S.C.
Ran through Charlotte, Davidson, Statesville, Elkin and Sparta. Entered Virginia and headed north toward Independence. Route essentially unchanged. |
| U.S. 121 | Started in Winston-Salem.
Ran through town of Pilot Mountain and Mount Airy. Entered Virginia and headed north toward Hillsville. |
| U.S. 25 | Entered the state from Travelers Rest, S.C.
Ran through Tuxedo, Hendersonville and Asheville. Was probably multiplexed with U.S. 70 north and west of Asheville. No U.S. 25 is shown north of Asheville, but it is shown in Tennessee. |
| U.S. 29 | Entered the state from Gaffney, S.C.
Ran through Grover. Ended near Bessemer City. (between Kings Mountain and Gastonia). Didn't go any further north. |
| U.S. 70 | Entered the state from Newport, Tennessee.
Ran through Hot Springs, Mars Hill, Asheville, Marion, Hickory, Statesville, Salisbury, High Point, Greensboro, Graham, Durham, Raleigh, Kinston and New Bern. Ended in Morehead City. |
| U.S. 170 | Started in Charlotte.
Ran through Concord, Kannapolis and Salisbury. May have been multiplexed with U.S. 70 between Salisbury and Greensboro. Ran from Greensboro to Reidsville. Entered Virginia and ran toward Danville. |
| U.S. 74 | Started in Asheville.
Ran through Bat Cave, Rutherfordton, Shelby, Gastonia, Charlotte, Monroe, Rockingham, Lumberton and Boardman. Ended in Chadbourn. (From Asheville to Rutherfordton, this is today's U.S. 74A.) |
| U.S. 176 | Entered the state from Spartanburg, S.C.
Ran through Tryon and Saluda. Ended in Hendersonville. Route essentially unchanged. |
