A surprising number of major Dallas streets, such as Preston Road, tell you where they used to go. Greenville Avenue was the road to Greenville. McKinney Avenue went to McKinney. Ft Worth Avenue and Denton Drive are the easy and obvious ones. Scyene Road went to the community of Scyene, where the outlaw Belle Star was born. Audelia Road went to a pioneer community by the same name, a settlement with its own post office. Click here to access information about Audelia.
The one that sneaks up on people is Preston Road. It is still a highway, although that fact isn't very obvious until you are half-way through Denton County. Historically the road ran from the Trinity River to the Red River, 
terminating at the Town of Preston. That is why it was called Preston Road! The town of Preston was inundated when Lake Texoma was created.
The remarkable thing about the original Preston Road was that you could drive cattle north without having to cross any creek or river until you got to The Red. That was approximately 100 miles. When you are moving a large group of animals, not having to cross a body of water was a good thing. Herding anything is hard work. Getting the herd safely across running water was really hard work!
Preston Road continues to be a remarkably good way to travel through the area if you are going North and South. I will use Preston rather than the highway during rush hour(s). I get there about as fast as I would have if I had taken the Tollway or Central or I-35. It is common for me to find myself in Denton or Frisco or McKinney between 4 and 6, needing to get home. I'll drive Preston Road, thereby avoiding the stress of traffic. Besides, the scenery is better!
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If you are looking to buy or sell a house in Dallas, call me. Obviously, I know these streets!
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