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Here in the South (NC), the word "level" appears in many street and town names; e.g., Green Level, White Level, Squirrel Level Rd., etc. I don't see an obvious correlation to the topography of the area. Is there a meaning to the word that I don't know?
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veteran
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veteran
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Hey, pretty good question IrishEd. Here in Alabama we have the town of Red Level which might or might not be flat. I'll check the topo and then ask the folks there if no one here gives an answer that satisfies the southern code of place nomenclature didactic. 
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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I've never heard of that use of "level", but "Squirrel Level Road" sounds like an avenue of road kill. It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "Rocky Road".
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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That is a good question. In Carrboro, NC there is a Smith Level Road, and it's not very level at all. Quite hilly, in fact.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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I found this at Wikipedia: Quote:
In mining, "levels" are horizontal passageways through the mine which generally follow the lode or provide transit facilities through the mine (cf. shaft); a level with access to the outside world is an adit
sorta related, kinda maybe? are talking mining country?
formerly known as etaoin...
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stranger
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stranger
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Since moving to NC, I have been obsessed by this use of "level." Not only is there no readily available explanation, it's almost impossible to make one up that is even remotely plausible. I can only imagine (lacking anything like, say, facts) that "level" is actually another word altogether, much as asparagus is, in some places, called "sparrow grass." But if it is true, then what is that other word, or words? Or what if, as in Colorado Springs, there were the intention to create an impression contrary to fact, for real-estate reasons?
But enough conjecture. Time to get sleuthing.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Quote:
, it's almost impossible to make one up that is even remotely plausible.
is mine (pun intended) not remotely plausible?
welcome to the Board, Bernard! 
formerly known as etaoin...
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Some roads are named for the place they go (or used to go) rather than their own "properties". Perhaps Squirrel Level Road used to go to/through/past a (small) flat spot called Squirrel Level (which may no longer exist). It might have been near Squirrel Flats/Hollow/Dale/Valley/Mountain/etc. (^_^)
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addict
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addict
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Quote:
In mining, "levels" are horizontal passageways through the mine which generally follow the lode or provide transit facilities through the mine (cf. shaft); a level with access to the outside world is an adit
I wonder if calling a road a "level" might indicate that it follows the lay of the land, rather than having had a bed blasted or excavated for it, as a mining level follows the lode.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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AHA! Here is the answer, brought to you from the web site for the town of Red Level, AL:
The community was named evolved from Read's Level, for tract of land owned by James Read.
So it stands to reason that there were tracts of land with names like White's Level, Smith's Level, etc., and the roads to these tracts had names that evolved into White Level, Squirrel Level, etc.
TEd
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