The World’s Steepest Street Is Not in San Francisco

June 30, 2016 10:00 am
(Paul Kennedy/Lonely Planet Images/Getty Images)
(Paul Kennedy/Lonely Planet Images/Getty Images)
(John Elk/Lonely Planet Images/Getty Images)

 

No, these houses aren’t crooked. That’s just how many of them look on Baldwin Street, the world’s steepest street, in Dunedin, New Zealand. Many other streets around the world, such as Filbert in San Francisco, are often associated with this title. However, with a grade of 35 percent, Baldwin Street won the title from the Guinness Book of World Records. However, an oddball record was never the goal: City planners from London laid out the street in a grid format without any consideration for the local topography—and Dunedin’s construction went ahead as planned. These days, Baldwin Street is used for many charity events, and has also become a tourist attraction.

(Jill Ferry/Getty Imges) (Paul Kennedy/Lonely Planet Images/Getty Images) (Creative RF/Getty Images) (Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images)

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