Chocolate Avenue

Chocolate Avenue

Looking southwest down Chocolate Avenue, 1976.
Other name(s) U.S. Route 422
East end Pennsylvania Route 3017
West end Hersheypark Drive
North Hersheypark Drive
South East Governor Road

Chocolate Avenue is a street in Hershey, Pennsylvania, that runs past the original Hershey's Chocolate Factory, and is considered to be the main street of the town.[1] It runs from Hersheypark Drive to the intersection of Pennsylvania Route 3017, at which the road continues as Main Street. Most of Chocolate Avenue is a segment of U.S. Route 422.

History

A wrapped Hershey's Kiss lamp post on Chocolate Avenue.

Chocolate Avenue was one of the first two streets built in the town of Hershey by Milton Hershey when he built up the town for his chocolate empire; the other was Cocoa Avenue.[2]

The name of the street was picked by Milton Hershey himself. He picked names for many streets in the town that related to chocolate.[3]

Chocolate Avenue is known for its street lamps that are shaped like Hershey's Kisses.[4][5] These unique lamps were first erected in 1963.[6] Some of the kisses are shown as being wrapped, and some as unwrapped, alternating between these two designs.[7][8] These lamps can also be found on Park Avenue. In 1990, the need to replace the wrappers for the lamps became noticeable.[9]

The street has been known for traffic congestion during the summer months due to tourists visiting Hersheypark and other local attractions.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Reichblum, Charles (June 2004). Dr. Knowledge Presents Strange & Fascinating Facts About Famous Brands. Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. p. 1833. ISBN 978-1-57912-356-7. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  2. ↑ Larson, Gale K. (1999). Shaw and History. Penn State Press. p. 49. ISBN 978-0-271-01918-5. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  3. ↑ Sutcliffe, Jane (1 September 2003). Milton Hershey. Lerner Publications. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-8225-0247-0. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  4. ↑ Denenberg, Dennis; Roscoe, Lorraine (2001). 50 American Heroes Every Kid Should Meet. Millbrook Press. p. 54. ISBN 978-0-7613-1612-1. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  5. ↑ Shaffer, Gwen; Root, Douglas L.; Tiger, Caroline (18 November 2008). Pennsylvania. Fodor's Travel Publications. p. 144. ISBN 978-1-4000-0739-4. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  6. ↑ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mD0jAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xJsFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4124,5784877&dq=chocolate-avenue+kisses+lamps&hl=en
  7. ↑ http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-1570508/The-company-town-built-on.html
  8. ↑ Richman, Irwin (2004). The Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Arcadia Publishing. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-7385-2458-0. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  9. ↑ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SocyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kOYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4794,2364905&dq=chocolate-avenue+kisses+lamps&hl=en
  10. ↑ Houts, Mary Davidoff; Whitenack, Pamela; Whitenack, Pamela Cassidy (2000). Hershey. Arcadia Publishing. p. 110. ISBN 978-0-7385-0436-0. Retrieved 19 November 2013.