Locating Intersections Near a Given Address
Finding an address that sits off the main drag in a residential neighborhood can be challenging, and the same goes for rural route addresses in smaller communities or apartment complexes in large urban centers. In New York City, taxi drivers rely on a simple mathematical method to determine the closest avenue for a given street or the reverse. Beyond the Big Apple, a reliable county highway map or a thorough atlas might be the preferred tool. Numerous no-cost online mapping platforms also let users identify a specific address and then look at adjacent streets.
By Parker Green3 steps
Not every cross street is marked with medians, greens and crosswalks.
Trying to locate an address in a residential neighborhood can be difficult when it is not situated close to a major road. Rural route addresses in small towns, as well as apartment buildings in very large cities, may also prove hard to find. In New York City, cab drivers have a straightforward mathematical formula they use to figure out the nearest avenue to a street, or the other way around. Outside of New York City, though, a solid county highway map or a detailed atlas could be the best approach. A number of free online mapping tools also exist that let users identify an address and then broaden their search to surrounding streets.
Step 1
Obtain the most detailed map you can find. For an address located in a rural area, a county highway map might be the best choice. You can get these at your local county office building. For an area that is more urban or suburban, you might locate an atlas containing a page map for each community. Look up the street name of the address you are researching in the index, and once you locate it on the map, take note of the cross streets close to it.
Step 2
Go to online mapping platforms such as Mapquest, Google Maps or Yahoo Maps. Type in the name of the community and/or road you are looking for, then find it on the map displayed on the page. When you zoom in on a location, the map shows more detail and the names of side streets and residential roads start to appear. A few sites offer aerial views, so if you are familiar with the address, you can observe what the cross street areas look like.
Step 3
Reach out to your county's tax mapping or real property office by phone or other means. If reading digital or printed maps gives you difficulty, a staff member there can give you a list of cross streets when you provide them with an exact address.
