How does a town with no house numbers receive the mail?
Having just got back from Carmel, California I had to share a most interesting discovery I made while there. This is a town where the buildings and homes have no street numbers.
I am directionally challenged at the best of times, just imagine me trying to navigate in a town with no street numbers!
Homes and buildings have names instead
The town, founded in 1902, is one where the businesses and houses have names instead of numbers. It is said that the early artists who were the first builders of the homes in the town, named their houses, rather than having numerical addresses.
It was on a food and wine tour in the town that my guide shared this information. She explained the format used for geographical addressing lists the street, cross street, and the number of houses from the intersection. For example, “Monte Verde 4SW of 8th”, the address translates to a building on the West side Monte Verde Street four properties south of the 8th Ave intersection.
Key-less post boxes
Of course my first question was “how do people receive their mail?”
She pointed me to the Post Office and said everyone has a post box and physically has to go to the Post Office and pick up their mail.
Next stop on my own self-guided tour? The Post Office. There was a big line-up when I arrived and long hallways of these beautiful post boxes. Notice that they have key-less locks in the the form of combination dials.
Do you pick up your mail at a post box or do you have mail delivery to your door?
p.s. Fun fact about Carmel for you – Clint Eastwood was Mayor. He still lives there and we walked past some properties he owns in the town. I wonder how he feels no building numbers?
I love those post boxes so much! When I was growing up in tiny Erie, Colorado, everyone got their mail at the post office. Residents of the town still have to have post boxes even though the population is growing. New housing developments get “gang” mailboxes. When the post office moved to a new building and the old boxes were eliminated, they were repurposed to new uses. I bought one at a craft show that was labeled with my childhood box #. The little post box door had been attached to a wood box to form a bank. I love that thing. It brings back many of the memories of growing up in a small, rural town.
Melanie, how cool that you were able to buy the old post boxes…AND that is was the # from your childhood! I just love this. Should you feel so inclined, I would love to see a photo. Thanks for sharing this.
I was so challenged every year in school when lockers and combination locks changed…
We have TSA approved locks for travel and they are all the same combo. I’m still challenged. I could never live there!
Elaine, I completely relate to this. In fact, a few years ago, I got rid of my combination lock for the gym (as I was always forgetting the code) and opted for a key lock. Glad I’m not alone in this 😉
I worked in a little village here in England and there were no street names or house numbers. Well, whats the use of a house number if there are no street names? Anyway, all the houses were named and, because he knew them all so well, we had to retain the same postal worker or else there was chaos! When he went on leave every year, the Post Office Clerk had to arrange to get the mail out to the residents.
You make a good point, Stefan, doesn’t make much sense for house numbers if no street names. Talk about a great way to have job security for that lucky postal worker! 🙂 Sound like a charming place to live though, another one to add my list. Thanks for sharing.
What beautiful post boxes! I have all our bills sent to our weekday mailing address (so its delivered to a room of boxes in our urban apartment building) but have magazines, small packages and personal mail sent to our weekend PO box so it’s always fun to see what special things are waiting for me! The rural post office is inside a not-very-attractive building (actually a trailer) in a small rural town. Not too long ago a “For Sale” sign went up in front of the building. I’m dying to buy it and fix it up, maybe put in a little self-serve coffee machine and a table or two for folks to sit and chat or write notes! Would decorate it with photos of cool mail boxes like the ones you post. But probably not the best investment my husband says. When we win the lottery….
Ann, you have a dream with pursuing! I can see it now, this rural post office trailer with the coffee machine and spot to write a letter. Sounds perfect. If I find a money tree first, I’ll be in touch. 🙂 I like your idea of dividing up the ‘fun’ mail vs ‘bills.’