Terry Pinnell wrote:
I gather the numbers are in groups, often based on the distance from some
base, or on the number of blocks. So I can just about see how that
accounts for such large numbers. But can anyone please explain why the
gaps between adjacent houses are not simply 2, instead of 4, 6, 8 or 10 -
not to mention 34? I can't detect any logical pattern at all!

Aha, I see that you are from the UK, where house numbers always increase
by 2 for every house.

In North American cities, it widely varies. In Vancouver, which is laid
out in a grid pattern, each city block advances by 100, and it is
standardized throughout the city. So if an address of a house on any
east-west avenue in the city is West 1450, you know the house is a half
a block east of Granville street.

So, how come the house numbers of adjacent houses vary by such
significant amounts? Perhaps becuase the houses on the block were built
at different times, and the developer estimated the address. As more
houses were built between them over time, their developers just picked a
number between the house on the left and the house on the right.

Maybe there was to be a townhouse complex on the street, and so a large
group of numbers was set aside. But then the complex was never built;
accounting for the big gap in numbering.

It might also be that a developer wanted a specific number as an
address, because he considered it lucky, or whatever. Again, in
Vancouver, redeveloped properties are often renumbered to included an 8
in the address. I watched 930 W. 67th avenue being torn down, and
replaced with a side-by-side duplex, with the left half numbered
928 and the right half numbered 938. This was to appeal to Chinese
buyers, many of whom believe the number 8 to be lucky, and whom will pay
a premium to have an address with an 8 in it.

Many, many reasons for unusual numbering.

--
K.

Lang may your lum reek.