Great Streets of America

Oct. 4, 2012— -- The American Planning Association (APA) has announced 2012's Top 10 Great Streets. From frontier town charm to super posh and gorgeous to debaucherous this year's list has a little something for everyone. The streets are not ranked, ABC News has listed them alphabetically by city.

Main Street, Bozeman, Mont.

APA singled out Main Street, it said, for its frontier-town charm, concentration of late 19- and early 20th-century buildings, adaptive reuse of historic structures, and diversity of uses. Most of this nine-block stretch, which runs from North Broadway Avenue on the east to North Third Avenue on the west, is part of a 1987 national historic district.

Broad Street, Charleston, S.C.

Charleston's Broad Street was envisioned as the center of government and commerce when Charleston was planned in 1680. Today, "Broad Street today is that and much more," said APA Chief Executive Officer Paul Farmer, FAICP. "This is one of the most historically and architecturally significant streets in the country, a street that embraces the past while living in the present and planning for the future."

Ward Parkway, Kansas City, Mo. APA singled out Ward Parkway, one of Kansas City's most prestigious street addresses, they said, for its picturesque scenery, striking ornamentation, magnificent houses and variety of uses. The boulevard was designed by renowned landscape architect George Kessler and ambles along a "gently undulating landscape, at times paralleling Bush Creek and the Missouri-Kansas border."

Duval Street, Key West, Fla.

It may be synonymous with Jimmy Buffet and good times, but six of Duval Street's 14 blocks run through Old Town, the city's original neighborhood, which was added to the National Register in 1971. That district was expanded a dozen years later to include the remaining blocks of Duval closest to the Atlantic Ocean.

Gay Street, Knoxville, Tenn.

APA chose 10 blocks of Gay Street for their "well-preserved commercial architecture and contributions to Knoxville's economic livelihood and lively cultural scene." The organization said their orientation and amenities lure pedestrians to what was once a desolate stretch of road running from the southern end of the Gay Street Bridge to West Jackson Avenue.