Expressing the 'Top-Flex Identity!
Within the State of West Virginia, State Route 2 refers to a highway paralleling the Ohio River from the Northern Panhandle and the community of Chester to near Kenova, downstream from Huntington and approaching the Big Sandy River of Kentucky. Every community along the route is of cultural and historical significance, most notably the communities of Parkersburg along the Little Kanawha River and Point Pleasant along the Kanawha River.
While article 95E intends to refer to Route 224 as a whole, the Ohio portion of the highway contains particular interests that may not necessarily apply to Indiana or Pennsylvania. The vast majority of the highway is located within the State of Ohio, effectively separating the northern fifth of the state from the southern four-fifths. Most of the highway is north of the Route 30 freeway, which the route is concurrent with around the City of Van Wert in the northwestern portion of the state.
Many of the smaller communities associated with rural life in the State of Ohio are located along Route 224. However, the highway also covers the Greater Akron area further east, in which the highway route becomes concurrent with the Interstate Highway System and must temporarily become a freeway as a result.
Immediately after crossing the state line from Indiana and thus leaving Adams County, the first county covered by Route 224 within the State of Ohio is Van Wert County. Only west of Van Wert is the highway positioned south of Route 30, while approaching the city, the route joins Route 30 temporarily before exiting the freeway onto a more northerly route. At first, the communities are fairly nearby between the two highways; however, the distance between Routes 30 and 224 becomes more evident as Route 30 approaches East Liverpool and clips West Virginia while Route 224 approaches the north side of Youngstown before reaching New Castle, Pennsylvania.
East of the City of Van Wert, the next communities covered by the routes in question include Ottoville, Kalida, Glandorf, and Ottawa within Putnam County. Beyond the City of Ottawa, the Village of Gilboa is notable for the Gilboa Bull, also known as the Big Beef Cow.
Now in Hancock County, the highway notably intersects Route 235, providing access to the Village of McComb to the north. Further east, the City of Findlay is directly covered by the highway, including access to Interstate 75 within. Though the highway remains south of Fostoria, the next notable community covered is the City of Tiffin in Seneca County, Ohio. So far, the highway has served the county seats of Van Wert, Putnam, Hancock, and Seneca Counties.
Continuing east beyond the City of Tiffin, Route 224 is often a slower highway, with the potential presence of Amish communities relatively nearby to Route 4 in Attica and in the vicinity of Willard, also along Routes 99 and 103. The communities of New Haven, Greenwich, and Ruggles are also served by the state highway, with each community connecting relatively smaller populations than many communities elsewhere within the State. Interestingly, even the significant intersections with Routes 13, 250, and 60 are relatively rural within the region. East of Ruggles, the communities of Nova, Sullivan, and Homerville are also of significance along the route, prior to reaching the larger community of Lodi and a larger highway in the form of Route 42. After leaving Route 42, the highway remains a freeway until becoming forced to be a freeway with Interstate 76. After leaving the interstate, and especially after leaving the exurban community of Suffield, the highway again returns to two lanes, serving the Portage County communities of Randolph, Atwater, and Deerfield followed by the Mahoning County communities of Berlin and Ellsworth.
East of the community of Ellsworth, the highway returns to urbanization, including the communities of Canfield, Boardman, and Poland, each north of the inner City of Youngstown within Mahoning County.
Associated with the east side of Cincinnati, though continuing for a particularly longer distance, is the current version of Route 125. A highway formerly known as Route 125 refers to the modern Route 63 and covers Monroe to Lebanon, while the modern Route 125 is largely determined by the eastern Cincinnati area south of Route 32, the James A. Rhodes Appalachian Highway.
Loosely paralleling the Ohio River, though further into the State of Ohio than Route 52, is Route 125, largely serving communities between the traditional Linwood neighborhood of Cincinnati to the west and the City of Portsmouth to the east. Known as “Ohio Pike” for much of the region between Cincinnati and the recently-disincorporated community of Amelia, the highway is notable for serving the communities south of Route 32 and connecting such communities of Appalachian Ohio with Cincinnati.
Communities served by Route 125 also include Bethel in Clermont County, Georgetown and Russellville in Brown County, West Union in Adams County, and the unincorporated community of Friendship in Scioto County, home to Ohio’s largest buckeye tree, ending the state route and providing access to Portsmouth via Route 52.
Within the State of Ohio, Route 63 is specifically notable for serving the corridor between Monroe to the west and Lebanon to the east. The entire route is also known as Hamilton-Lebanon Road, with the western terminus connecting to Route 4 toward Hamilton and the eastern terminus connecting to Routes 42, 48, and 123 directly within Downtown Lebanon.
The western edge of Route 63 is relatively near the unincorporated community of LeSourdsville in the western portion of the City of Monroe, Butler County, Ohio, otherwise known as Lemon Township. To the east, the community is most notable for serving the Miami Valley Gaming casino and the Trader’s World market nearby, each prior to the highway reduction to two (2) lanes further east approaching Lebanon.
Interestingly, State Route 133 shares a northern terminus with State Route 132, centrally located within the Village of Clarksville in northwestern Clinton County, Ohio. However, the concurrency only exists in the immediate vicinity of the community, with Route 133 referring to the next crossroad after the Pansy Road crossing of Route 132, thence heading south toward the junction forming the southern end of Route 730 toward Wilmington before redirecting toward Blanchester. Beyond the Village of Blanchester, the highway must turn at the junction forming Route 727 and cross Routes 131, 50, and 32 before reaching the Village of Williamsburg in eastern Clermont County. To the south of Williamsburg, the route intersects Route 125 in the Village of Bethel and Routes 756 and 222 in Felicity before reaching Route 52 and the immediate vicinity of the Ohio River, where the highway finally terminates.
Located in the southwestern portion of the State of Ohio, and largely in the historic Virginia Military District of southwestern Ohio, is State Route 132, serving the general north-south direction and most commonly associated with Warren and Clinton Counties.
Within the State of Ohio, the northern terminus of State Route 132 is located in the Village of Clarksville, effectively along the western edge of Clinton County, Ohio. While Route 132 serves as First Street for the village, Route 350 serves as Clarksville’s Main Street in the east-west direction. To the south, much of the region is quite rural, with just a few tourist farms and agricultural sites of local tourist interest while much of the region remains actively focused on such rural amenities.
To the south of Route 123, Route 132 continues into the Villages of Butlerville and Pleasant Plain, both in Harlan Township, Warren County, followed by the larger Village of Goshen in northern Clermont County. Even further south, beyond Goshen and Route 28, are intersections with Routes 48, 131, and 50, with the latter covering much of the route through the Village of Owensville and serving the Clermont County Fairgrounds. The southernmost communities of the route include Batavia, the eastern side of the former Village of Amelia, and New Richmond.
Within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, State Route 9 refers to a major state highway associated with the corridor between Pittsfield to the west and Boston to the east. At the western terminus of Route 9 is the intersection for which United States Route 7 exists north and south and United States Route 20 exists west and south. While United States Route 20 is directed in a southerly direction, Route 9 is headed more directly eastward, with particular locations beyond Pittsfield including Dalton, Windsor, Cummington, Goshen, and Williamsburg in the rural areas between the Berkshires to the west and Pioneer Valley to the east. The next major community is the City of Northampton, home to Smith College and traditionally serving as the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts. After crossing the Connecticut River, the Town of Hadley is the next accessible community, with Mount Holyoke College located in the nearby town of South Hadley accessible via Route 47. Following the rural fringe community of Hadley, Massachusetts, is the City of Amherst, which officially prefers to be referred to as the “Town of Amherst” and is a community of three colleges: Amherst, Hampshire, and UMass Amherst. Though the campus of Amherst College is associated with Route 9, the highway actually serves the role of the northern campus boundary of the college. Belchertown and Ware are the next communities and the last within Hampshire County, with the highway routed along the southern edge of the Quabbin Reservoir effectively separating the Pioneer Valley and Worcester regions of the Commonwealth from one another.
Now in Worcester County, Route 9 is notable for serving the Central Massachusetts communities of West Brookfield, Brookfield, Spencer, and Leicester prior to reaching the Worcester city limits. Beyond Worcester, the state highway continues to serve the communities of Shrewsbury, southern Northborough, northern Westborough, Southborough, Framingham, (North) Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline, and finally, Boston.
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