How does the house numbering system work in the USA?

They have addresses like:





1186 Smith Street.





Are there really nearly 1200 houses in 1 street (they'd need a postperson for each one!)How does the house numbering system work in the USA?
Depends on the city. Where I grew up, north-south streets had names, and east west were numbered. So if your house number is 1186 Smith, you live on Smith where it crosses with 11th, and your house is number 86. Businesses also have numbers, so if you're in a commercial area--higher numbers.


And if it's a shared apartment block, you run into numbers like 1186 1/2, meaning apartment 2!


Odd numbers on the left, even on the right as you go toward the centre of town.





But in some of the older cities out East they have their own rules. Boston, I hear, can be a nightmare in some areas.How does the house numbering system work in the USA?
Depends on the state, City, County, Township.





Many of them go up in 100's when they go from one block to another.





So if a street is 10 miles long, (and believe me they can be) and there are 100 side streets, you will get some pretty high numbers for houses.





Usually one side of the street has odd numbers and the other even, but that isn't always true.
I have friends in America and their addresses are similar. like 7424 Wood lane, or 2086 sheep pond lane. The second example is a long winding lane in the back of nowhere with only about 3 houses in it's entire length. In the UK it would not have a number, but a name like Johnsons farm or similar.Perhaps they don't allow house names like ';the rookery'; or ';dunromin'; in the States and all properties have to be numbered . What about South Fork in Dallas?
im guessin now, but 1186 smith street means 1186 yards away from the nearest Burger joint?