Why is the little strip of lawn next to the road called the "Devil's Strip"?

Answer 1

I have never heard of that, but googling it I got the following.

The name of the strip of grass between the sidewalk (the paved strip for people to walk on) and the street (where motorized vehicles run).
Update : In Australia it's called a Nature Strip.

Usage:
He mowed the lawn but forgot to do the devil's strip.

Explanation:
Not a clue! I grew up in that town and nobody I've met has a clue!
In Australia it's called a Nature Strip


And this:

Greetings from Akron, Ohio!

When I moved to Akron in 1986, the local chamber of commerce had a "Welcome to Akron" guide. In this guide, they explain some local terms. One of the local terms that this book explained was the term "Devil Strip" to describe the section of lawn between the street and the sidewalk.

Well, I have been here for a while, and I have come to like the term. Keep in mind, when I moved here, it seemed like a pretty ridiculous expression. This strip was a "treelawn", a "curblawn" or something, but certainly not a "devil strip".

Every day, I drive past a sign which advises "No Parking on Devil Strip". These signs are throughout the city. The particular one that I drive past is near the Firestone High School baseball diamond.


In late 2000, I was driving near the park on Shatto, behind the West Market Walgreens, when I spotted a brand new no parking sign. I was alarmed - and somewhat concerned - that the sign said "No Parking on Lawn Area". What happened to the term Devil Strip? Has someone in Akron City Planning decided it is too old? Too politically incorrect? What is going on? We need to spring to action to save this term. Do whatever you think you must, before this term goes the way of the interbelt.

There is more information at the 2nd site too. Not sure where it really comes from though.

And more:

Dear Word Detective: Recently, a friend said that she parked her car on the "devil strip" and explained that this was the strip of grass between the sidewalk and the road. Can you tell me what the origin of this term is? (She's from Ohio) -- Wendy Klepfer, via the internet.

Oh, well, there's your answer. People in (and from) Ohio are just plain weird. (I'm allowed to say that because I happen to live in Ohio at the moment.) Ohio boggles the mind. Our local county sheriff just got himself indicted by a grand jury on 323 felony charges, but steadfastly refuses to stop running for re-election. And there's a good chance that he'll win. I think there's something in the water around here.

What people call that strip between the street and the sidewalk turns out to depend on where they live. When I was growing up in Connecticut, we called it the "shoulder," but other terms heard around the U.S. include "tree bank" (common in Massachusetts), " berm," "right of way," "green strip" and the logical, if unglamorous, "dog walking area."

According to The Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE), which pays close attention to such local lingo, "devil strip" is heard almost exclusively in Northeastern Ohio, up around Akron. DARE suggests that the term may arise from the strip's legal status as a sort of "no man's land" between public and private property.

"Devil" occurs in many such folk terms, applied to plants, animals, places and things, usually those considered dangerous or unattractive, and the sense of "devil" when found in place names is often "barren, unproductive and unused." DARE notes a similar term "devil's lane," first appearing around 1872, meaning the unusable strip of land between two parallel fences, often the result of neighbors being unable to agree on a common fence. And another term, "devil's footstep," dates back to around 1860 and means "a spot of barren ground." So it's not surprising that a strip of land next to the street, unusable by anyone, would be christened the "devil strip." In fact, for Ohio, it's downright logical.

Answer 2

Your point is good. You are right, every child should have the freedom to believe whatever they choose. Ask a child if they believe in God, they will say yes. Give a child that can read a bible, a book of morman, a LDS bible, and every other type of material. Do not give that child educational material, only the books that claim to have the answers to a better life. Do this without encouraging them, without manipulating them. I can guarentee you they will choose the bible, and through that bible they will find Jesus. But you will not do that, because you want your child to 'find' the faith they desire. Therefore you wait until they are how old, then tell them you believe this or that, then you tell them to believe what ever? But give them the material, before they turn to the rebellious teenager phase, God is real, and so is Jesus, that is how I know beyond a doubt that those children who my God says they always have an angel standing before the throne of God, those children will always find God and Jesus. Try it my friend, or are you worried that I might be right? And please don't come back with another question about God being so real why do so many children die. He gave you the right to choose didn't He? What, His gift is hyprocrytical, and we only have the right to choose as long as it's the right choice? No even His prophets and only child were slain by this wicked world. He doesnt' take His gift away because we abuse it, He is not like men, He is God.

Answer 3

According to The Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE), which pays close attention to such local lingo, "devil strip" is heard almost exclusively in Northeastern Ohio, up around Akron. DARE suggests that the term may arise from the strip's legal status as a sort of "no man's land" between public and private property.

"Devil" occurs in many such folk terms, applied to plants, animals, places and things, usually those considered dangerous or unattractive, and the sense of "devil" when found in place names is often "barren, unproductive and unused." DARE notes a similar term "devil's lane," first appearing around 1872, meaning the unusable strip of land between two parallel fences, often the result of neighbors being unable to agree on a common fence. And another term, "devil's footstep," dates back to around 1860 and means "a spot of barren ground." So it's not surprising that a strip of land next to the street, unusable by anyone, would be christened the "devil strip." In fact, for Ohio, it's downright logical.

Answer 4

It's called the devil strip because legally it is city property, but you are expected to maintain it.

Answer 5

AKA "Hell Strip" by lawn care workers, since it is so much harder to maintain than the lawn itself.

Answer 6

I've never heard that, but maybe it's not a U.S. thing. Here, it's just "city property" or "easement."

Answer 7

Devil Strip

Answer 8

We call it a park way.

Answer 9

i never heard it called that. is that the same as a median?