Hailing from Milwaukee which is largely on aNot silly at all. It's related to the two major transportation arteries at the time: the river and Hennepin Ave.There is one...the University area. It's just kind of silly in why they did it.There's a southwest Minneapolis (according to the city's map) so shouldn't there be a southeast Minneapolis?
Also, remember that Northeast/Southeast was originally a separate city so the naming reflects that as well. Hence Main Street is on the "wrong" side of the river, avenues suddenly switch from E-W to N-S and other oddities.
Burnham-like rigid Chicago grid, Minneapolis is confusing as h3ll.
When I came up here for school, I once had to go somewhere and it was at the intersection of 11th St and 11th Avenue which blew my mind that a numbered street would intersect with ANOTHER numbered street but then I got there only to find out it was the WRONG intersection of 11th St and 11th Ave. I'll never forget that day.
In Milwaukee, the streets are numbered and run north and south. 1st St. is (basically) at Lake Michigan, the numbers get larger as you go west. Wisconsin Avenue divides the city north and south. You can IMMEDIATELY know where somebody is based on an address. 2017 S. 46th Street would be 20 blocks south of Wisconsin Avenue on 46th Street.
I've lived here for 20 years and I still don't really know the streets and avenues. I navigate the city based on landmarks.