Survey: Addressing Envelopes

[c9]

Here's a quick survey for you. It's a cheap poor-Cam's version, you have to actually comment. Therefore I expect all sorts of witticisms.

You see this address on an envelope:

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
860 - 50 Queen St N
Kitchener ON
N2H 6P4

Please identify the street number(s) and/or suite number(s), as you see them.

I will comment with the truth, and why I'm asking. But if I type it right here, you'll all read it and then your answers will be biased already knowing the setup.

Update: So apparently Americans are insane. This confirms my previous beliefs. :)*

Upperdate: halimattfax points me to a page that shows that I'm correct**. Those pages are my favourite! http://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/manual/b03-e.asp

* some, anyway.

** at least within Canada.

Comments

[c9.livejournal.com]

Suite 860, Street number 50.

Why is this an issue? I ordered some hardware and the shipment was delayed because they couldn't figure that out. Am I crazy? I thought that would be easy to figure out, I see it all the time. A coworker got lost trying to visit the Winnipeg office last year because of the same issue. Crazy.

I just got new business cards, and the address writeup I used was that style too. I hope this doesn't mean months of frustration.

[thespos]

The street number would be 860, and the suite number is 50, altho it is unusual for suite numbers to be below 100.

[thespos]

Why not just do

50 Queen St N, Suite 860

just to avoid confusion?

I have already commented below - because this is the convention I have always seen, if the suite or apartment number is not separated out.

I lived at 4640-101 Broad Street at one point; the building was 4640, and the apartment number was 101.

Maybe it's a difference between Canada and the U.S. in handling these things.

[lifein2x3.livejournal.com]

I would say the address is 86050 Queen St, Suite N.

To write it properly, I'd say:
50 N. Queen St, #860
Yadda yadda.

[bonoboboy.livejournal.com]

This is something that isn't done in the States, so I think it was one of the first things I noticed/learned after moving up here:

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
860 - 50 Queen St N
Kitchener ON
N2H 6P4

Address is 50 Queen St N
And the Suite/Apt. # is 860

At least, I'm pretty sure I got it down! :D

[jdhorner.livejournal.com]

that's what you'd THINK.

but in canada they have some weird hyphenation thing going on.

my address is 4650 street name apt #15

but i can also write it 15-4650 street name.

screwed up, i know!

if anything, it shoudl be 4650-15 (street first, then apt number)

but i like tommy's way best below.

[msvu20.livejournal.com]

Street # is 50
Suite is 860 correct?

[msvu20.livejournal.com]

OK, anyone who can't figure that out is a fucking retard and shouldn't be allowed to send mail in the first place.

[c9.livejournal.com]

Exactly, it's a regional thing. Obviously the longer method is more clear, but I was curious about the different approaches.

[c9.livejournal.com]

Obviously the longer method is clearer. Interesting to see the responses.

[c9.livejournal.com]

Correct! Far more common here than elsewhere, it seems.

[rebelprince26.livejournal.com]

i'm really not sure what you are asking for, but i would assume that the street number is 860, and the suite is 50. but it could be the other way around now that i think about it. do you like with kareen abdul jabbar?

[rebelprince26.livejournal.com]

oy, things are strange in canadia

[mightycodking.livejournal.com]

This is exactly what I used to use;

302-4728 Arbor Drive

They always got stuff to me but I did get asked not to do it anymore once.

[mightycodking.livejournal.com]

To clarify, this meant Apartment 302 of 4728 Arbor Drive.

[primary-suspect.livejournal.com]

Yeah I saw that as Suite 860 and Street #50. But as some other people said, for the address impaired, it might just be easier to write it long-form.

[halimattfax.livejournal.com]

I'm late but I thought you might be interested in the guide - it's nice to have something to back up that you're always right eh?

http://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/manual/b03-e.asp

[senhor.livejournal.com]

I can never get it right. I always want to say 4650-15 street name. So, I just write 4650 street name 15.

[jamincan.livejournal.com]

I'd say 860 should be the suite number and 50 the street number. To eliminate any confusion I always right the suite or unit number on a separate line.

[jamincan.livejournal.com]

It seems to me that it would be illogical to separate the street number and the street name.

[c9.livejournal.com]

Rock on! Thanks Matt!

[gueny.livejournal.com]

I've worked with addressing in counties for tax mapping and e911 all over the US, and I don't ever recall seeing this convention. Although, I've seen some real good ones so I don't doubt that they exist. One of the things I do in my job is consult on the "proper" way to assign addresses. Things like multiple addresses per house, range directionality conflicts, and even and odd number conflicts are common... (I know... now you wish you were me)

When you stop and think about it, I think the 'American' way makes more sense, because you first need to know the street address before you can find the unit number... but unfortunately Canada is lost for my talents :P

[yellowtangfish.livejournal.com]

well, i also lived on queen st for a while, so i guess it's apt 860

[skeezix1000.livejournal.com]

I don't know. Maybe I'm too Canadian, but I can't even wrap my mind around reading that address as anything but street number 50, suite 860. To read it otherwise would be comparable to asking: is Kitchener the province, and ON the town?

[miket61.livejournal.com]

My brother-in-law and his ex-partner lived at 195-9 XXth Street. Next door was 195-10, and the next townhouse was 197-1.

I guess they wanted to number them that way because they were so damn narrow that they had ten of them on a lot for a proper house.

When I first moved to Atlanta, I had the exchange name as part of the phone number on my checks. It confused the heck out of people to see TR3-4499, unless they were over 65.

[thespos]

That was how I did my address in VA... of course, my apt had a letter in it:

1584 Wesleyan Dr B193

[zedinbed.livejournal.com]

Hello. Kareem.

You. Are. Awesome.

Love.
Your. Other. Brown. Friend.