Shields for Hillsborough County Route 581 in Tampa, Florida.

Current county highway shield in most states

A county highway (also county road or county route; usually abbreviated CH or CR) is a road in the United States and in the Canadian province of Ontario that is designated and/or maintained by the county highway department. Route numbering can be determined by each county alone, by mutual agreement among counties, or by a statewide pattern. County highway shields are usually a yellow-on-blue pentagon (the MUTCD standard pattern), a black-on-white rectangle, or black text on a white rectangle (largely older signs). The majority of states have county highways, as they have unincorporated areas that are not part of any municipality. Some states, like Virginia and North Carolina, have no county highways in most of their counties; the state government maintains all roads in unincorporated areas. Others, like Connecticut, have no county routes because there is no government at the county level. Alaska does not have counties; Louisiana's county equivalents are parishes, and, accordingly, have parish routes. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 336 × 598 pixel Image in higher resolution (738 × 1314 pixel, file size: 189 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) CR 582A west at CR 581 in northeastern Tampa. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 336 × 598 pixel Image in higher resolution (738 × 1314 pixel, file size: 189 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) CR 582A west at CR 581 in northeastern Tampa. ... Nickname: Cigar City, The Big Guava Location in Hillsborough County and the state of Florida. ... Image File history File links Baldwin_County_Route_64_AL.svg Summary Baldwin County Route 64 shield in Alabama. ... Image File history File links Baldwin_County_Route_64_AL.svg Summary Baldwin County Route 64 shield in Alabama. ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Official languages English (de facto) Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Lieutenant-Governor James K. Bartleman Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Parliamentary representation  - House seats  - Senate seats 106 24 Area Total  - Land  - Water  (% of total)  Ranked 4th 1,076... A county is generally a sub-unit of regional self-government within a sovereign jurisdiction. ... The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, or MUTCD, is a document issued by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) of the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) to specify the standards by which traffic signs, road markings (see lane), and signals are designed and installed. ... In United States law, a region of land is unincorporated if it is not a part of any municipality. ... A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly referring to a city, town, or village, or a small grouping of them. ... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq mi (110,862 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 7. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (901 km)  - % water 9. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles. ... The U.S. state of Louisiana is divided into 64 parishes in the same way that 48 of the other states of the United States are divided into counties (Alaska is divided into boroughs and census areas). ...

In addition, any county-maintained road, whether or not it is given a signed number, can be called a county road. Depending on the state and county, these roads can be named after local geographic features, communities, or people and/or be assigned a name determined be a standardized grid reference; for example: “East 2000 Road” would be a north-south road running 20 blocks/miles/km east of the designated zero point. Many other systems are also used; some counties rather arbitrarily assign numbers to all maintained roads, but do not sign them at all or only sign them on standard street sign blades. A simple grid plan road map (Windermere, Florida). ...

County roads and highways vary greatly in design standards, funding and regularity of maintenance. Some county highways in urban areas are freeways or expressways. County roads that link communities or serve residential areas are often indistinguishable from state highways or residential streets. In rural areas, many county roads carry very little traffic; these roads are maintained less frequently. They may be in poor condition (if they are paved) or not paved at all. In remote areas, county roads are made of sand, gravel, or graded earth, seeing only occasional foot, equestrian, and four wheel drive traffic. Some states, such as Wisconsin, use county highways in great numbers, linking major highways and cities or towns to each other. Interstate 80 (Eastshore Freeway) in Berkeley, a typical American freeway (MUTCD definition) A freeway is a type of highway that is designed for safer high-speed operation of motor vehicles through the elimination of at-grade intersections. ... A typical expressway in Santa Clara County. ... Four wheel drive or 4x4, is a type of four wheeled vehicle drivetrain configuration that enables all four wheels to receive power from the engine simultaneously in order to provide maximum traction. ...

Another standard style of county highway shield used in some US states.

In Minnesota, some county roads are known as County state-aid highways. These roads are constructed and maintained by counties, but they are eligible for funding from the County State Aid Highway Fund. Differences in signage between CSAH routes and other county roads depends on the county. Some counties, such as Stearns County, delineate between the two by using the "standard" blue pentagon shield for CSAH routes and Minnesota's normal white square shield for other county routes. ^[1] Most county roads in Minnesota are designated with numbers, although a few in Dodge County utilize letters instead. It should be noted that the "County Road B, County Road C, etc etc" system used in Ramsey County is not a route system, but instead is Ramsey County's way of naming east-west section roads north of the St. Paul city limits. A few roads that cross county borders are also signed with an "Intercounty" designation and a letter, but this system is not shown on most maps.^[2] County road in Schoolcraft County, Michigan (taken Sept. ... County road in Schoolcraft County, Michigan (taken Sept. ... Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Area  Ranked 12th  - Total 87,014 sq mi (225,365 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 8. ... Ramsey County [2] is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. ...

In the United States, county highways are denoted in various ways, differing by state. In states like Wisconsin, county highways are marked with letters--in Wisconsin with 1 to 3 letter combinations (ie: C, CC, or CCC). Wisconsin's county highways are frequently and clearly marked at most intersections. In states like Illinois, county highways are marked either with a number (usually 1 or 2 digits) or with a single letter followed by a 1 or 2 digit number (ie: V-34, A-29). These highways are usually marked at the beginning of the highway and marked occasionally throughout the route, but are not majorly relied on as geographic directions the way more major highways (state or federal and interstate) are. Official language(s) None Capital Madison Largest city Milwaukee Area  Ranked 23rd  - Total 65,498 sq mi (169,790 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 310 miles (500 km)  - % water 17  - Latitude 42°30N to 47°3N  - Longitude 86°49W to 92°54W Population  Ranked... Official language(s) English Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ...

Canada

York Regional Road 8 Shield. County/Regional roads in Ontario are styled by this basic "Flowerpot" design.

Niagara Regional Road 20 shield. While Niagara generally conforms to the standard Ontario "flowerpot" design, the shields are white-on-blue rather than the more traditional black-on-white and have rounded corners.

Essex County Road 22 Shield

In Canada, numbered county roads are only found in Ontario, where they are similar to American county highways. Ontario county or regional roads are marked with trapezoid-shaped signs, usually (but not necessarily) with a white or blue background, and normally identifying the county or region responsible for the road's maintenance, sometimes with the jurisdictions coat of arms or corporate logo. Many Ontario county roads are built to provincial highway standards, as thousands of kilometres of highways were downloaded from the province to counties and regional municipalities in 1997 and 1998, and most of the downloaded highways were rolled into the county road systems. In some situations, these in turn were downloaded from the region/county to the local municipalities. See: List of Ontario County Numbered Roads. Not all jurisdictions in Ontario which maintain a county road system use the name "County Road" to designate them, however — depending on the type of census division which maintains them, they may also be designated as Regional Road, Municipal Road or City Road. See also List of Ontario census divisions. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Niagara Regional Municipality (2001 population 410,574), also known as Niagara Region, Regional Niagara, or the Regional Municipality of Niagara, is an area covering 12 municipalities, including th cities of Niagara Falls, Port Colborne, St. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Official languages English (de facto) Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Lieutenant-Governor James K. Bartleman Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Parliamentary representation  - House seats  - Senate seats 106 24 Area Total  - Land  - Water  (% of total)  Ranked 4th 1,076... A modern coat of arms is derived from the medi val practice of painting designs onto the shield and outer clothing of knights to enable them to be identified in battle, and later in tournaments. ... This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... This is a list of provincial highways in Ontario, Canada. ... A regional municipality (or region) is a type of Canadian municipal government which works much like a county; the method of government depends on how it is defined. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Outline map of Canadas Census Divisions in 2001 Note: This page refers only to subdivisions in Canada. ... In the Canadian province of Ontario, there are three different types of census divisions: single-tier municipalities, upper-tier municipalities (which can be regional municipalities or counties) and districts. ...

See also

• List of Ontario County Numbered Roads
• List of Michigan County-Designated Highways

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

County Route shields

To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Below is a list of many County-Designated Highways in Michigan. ... Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Wikimedia Commons logo by Reid Beels The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ...

References

1. ^ Froehlig, Adam. Twin Cities Highways: Definitions and Acronyms. Retrieved on 2006-03-28.
2. ^ Riner, Steve (2003). County Highways and Jurisdictional Changes. The Unofficial Minnesota Highways Page. Retrieved on 2006-08-18.