Ranking the 50 State Welcome Signs
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- Опубликовано: 1 июн 2024
- Overview of the welcome signs that drivers see as they enter the state along the interstate highways. I am looking at the design of the sign, not the quality of the actual physical sign (some are faded, bent, vandalized etc.) This is something that states can improve without much cost at all and is a nice way to give a first impression.
Album displayed: Cream "Disraeli Gears", 1967
“Welcome to colorful Colorado”
*has a brown and white welcome sign*
At least they refrained from bragging about the Rocky mountains....
Okay, I feel compelled to defend my state's sign. The understated appearance of the sign actually is perfect for Colorado. You are not coming to see the sign, you come for the natural spectrum of color that Colorado offers. The wooden sign with the slogan reminds you to notice the beauty of my beloved state. A flashy, busy multi-colored sign is completely unnecessary and gaudy. Frankly, it would come off as disingenuous. The most likely reaction would be, " If it's so colorful, why do you need a sign of such... theatrical composition ?" No lipstick on a pig here.The sign tells you what Colorado is, and the plain tones of that sign and its motto are an invitation for you to take notice, because there is so much to take in. And when you come to visit and see the color of the natural landscape, you will understand why the welcome sign is the first awesome thing you see. It tells you that you are about to experience something special. I personally, while biased in opinion, find it perfect.
@@krisgray8085 As a former three-time Coloradan, I thoroughly agree! Now please stop vandalizing the signs for my current state to say “Land of Entrapment”!!!! 🤣🤣🤣
@@krisgray8085 I'm gonna steal one
Lol they’re tryna harken back to the mining era with it. Not only was the landscape colorful, like the Colorado Paint Mines (which you should look up, they’re rad), not only was the sky incredibly colorful almost every morning and evening (rarely a gray day here except in winter), but the underground was colorful too with tons of gold. Since they were so proud of the gold in the mtns, they styled the sign to look like it belongs in a mining town.
"Welcome to Hawaii. How'd you get here by car?"
by keeping the windows rolled up during the drive from California XD
@Caspar Smith no you obviously fly it.
@Caspar Smith bro it's a joke. Relax a little and dont take everything serious. It helps in life
@Caspar Smith you really need to learn how to relax if life. Jeez
I appreciate the Whose line reference
I kinda like Washington's. Road trips and nostalgia aren't a bad match.
Yeah. And the one I pass by when I go from Washington to Idaho is a little bit different, it looks better than what was shown on here
I agree.
Me “ hmm wonder what my state will rank”
“Dead last New York” 😭
Ikr. Those small TASTE NY signs are dumb too. They're all over highways for no reason. Give visitors restaurant names, don't just tell them to eat and not tell them where
@@qwertyuiopasdfghjkl6134 lmao
"Dead Last New York"... I think you're onto something for the next slogan!
sorry bro your sign just sucks, if it makes you feel good I envy you guys' pizza
New York doesn’t need to try
At 7:08, that’s Lincoln’s face not the Illinois River.
Wow I totally missed that. The Illinois River follows a similar path and I didn't even see the facial image. Major dum dum on my part.
@@GeographyKing Well, I'm a dummy too. I kept looking at it and thinking .... how is that an "i"?
I, too, had never noticed that the line was Lincoln's profile until I stared at it for a while in this photo (before I read the comments). It's not something that would be obvious at 70 MPH. I think that the state map makes a terrible "I."
@@GeographyKing the Illinois River actually flows more east to west, south of and parallel to Interstate 80 from Joliet to Princeton before turning south towards Peoria and then continuing largely on a south to southwesterly course until reaching its mouth in Grafton
exactly
“What are you going to find, herpes?” Had me cracking up as an Ohioan. Our new sign sucks.
"Find it here? Like What, Herpes?" Is the best line I've heard in a long long time
Utah has different signs that show different scenes, based on proximity to where you’re entering from.
Michigan sign: "pure"
Also in Michigan: A town with no clean water
more like pure lead
*screams in michigan*
More like, a once economically booming industrial capital of the Western world that now awaits in impending death.
:| you're not wrong
Shut up NY scum bag
You’re making videos I didn’t even know I wanted lol.
I'm here to help!
Top 5: Oregon, Alaska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Colorado. entertaining a new State on a road trip is a big thing, and I appreciate it when it’s more than just a metal sign. You can know a state takes pride itself when you see that their welcome is invested in.
Very biased, but I’ve always loved Wisconsin’s sign because it’s so homey to me personally.
Agree. Those are the five best. A state should take pride at a border crossing.
After seeing Alaska get 50th for state capitols, I’m happy to see us get 1st for welcome signs. Took away some of my bitterness. 🙂
Virginia looks like an ad for a adult shop...
I wonder how he would rank the old sign, which was a standard blue pantone with cursive welcome, but included the state bird on the state flower.
@@themedianman9712 i didnt know that that one had been done away with tbh
There was a big publicity campaign back in the late 70s early 80s for Virginia tourism. Thus the slogan "Virginia is for Lovers". It's dated for sure.
@@rhiahlMT Still love it! ❤️
@@coolbreeze2.0-mortemadfasc13 Yeah, but, they haven't been "selling" it any longer. So, it just rather hangs out there in the air.
Ranking State License Plates?
And also, personal ranking of each state capital?
I've got both of those topics in my queue for upcoming videos. Say tuned!
We have about twenty license plates available in Kentucky alone!
I would ask that you keep in mind that some states have multiple designs that can be bought for extra money. Florida has a bunch also Texas, they're big with Universities and large organizations. Thanks from a license plate nerd. Love your videos!
@@christopherdeangelis6383 I meant like the base design, not for colleges or special things like major league teams or veteran license plates
@@christopherdeangelis6383 the .sun one that you get without paying anything
The "Open For Business" part on Wisconsin's sign was added by Scott Walker, and making us look desperate pretty much sums his time in office. They were removed when Evers took over, though they went back to his other annoyance of having our governor's name on it.
For a while Joe Manchin had ours changed to Open for Business. It did not go over very well. Now we are back to Wild and Wonderful West Virginia.
@@awboat I think Scott Walker copied that from West Virgina.
I was born and raised in Kentucky. Always loved both ours and Tennessee's signs. I find the font on Tennessee's really cool. One of my favorite interstate spots is I-24 right before Chattanooga it dips into Georgia and back into Tennessee. It's the only interstate I know of to do something like that. It doesn't even go back into Georgia after Chattanooga. It just ends there at I-75.
I’m a bluegrass boy too!
Route US 460 goes into WV from VA, then VA again going West, then ends in TN. Going back East, it's vice-versa.
Ohio - "Find it here- like what? Herpes? "
LOL 🤣 Yes, I agree. The previous sign was much better. I'm an Ohio native, and see the sign when driving back for visits. I'll get a smile now every time I see this new one.
That line got me too 😂🤣
His deadpan delivery is what does it for me😂I was not expecting him to crack a joke like that
Crack*
Yeah, another native here. I wish they would just use the state's nickname, "The Buckeye State" and quit with the Chamber of Commerce slogan crap. They could make a very nice sign, with the outline of the state with say a Cardinal on a red Carnation (state bird, state flower), and it would be top 10 stuff.
The way the word "Ohio" was written, it looks like Jake Paul designed it lol
OMG i love Idaho quote 😍😍 "ENTERING PACIFIC STANDARD TIME ZONE"
Makes me want to go to Idaho.. pacific standard time represents Idahoes so well😩😩
He chose a sign from the PT area of Idaho. Most of Idaho is in MT, although it should be in PT.
@Andres Vega Hey I once met a guy from Idaho. His name was Jackson. Like the city in Mississippi, except he had nothing to do with Mississippi
I didn't realize Idaho was PST. I could have swore my state (Nevada) was the only inland state on Pacific Time zone. Although it kind of makes sense since they are the same amount of West we are.
@@jimmym3352 Most of the state is in MS/DT. It's just a northern section in PS/DT
From Missouri but the Tennessee makes me smile the most. Tennessee is my favorite state. So pretty. Nashville it's such an awesome city. It has it all
Washington's is actually my favorite, like it's so natural and simplistic.. It just captures the beauty of the state
I went through the Oklahoma panhandle once.
Didn't even realize it until I got to Texas.
Ba da boom
Thats oklahoma 100s of miles of plains and pastures
Oh and one big city
Took me two weeks to get through Texas. Finally finding Oklahoma was more than just okay for me.
And that's why they call the panhandle noman's land
@@timekeeper2738 you obviously are not an okie. We have all six different geographic areas that make up america. And two late cities, tulsa and oklahoma city.
I love seeing the Utah sign coming in from Idaho as it features the Salt Lake City skyline and the Wasatch mountains that dominate the background of the city.
what's smart with their signs is they change the sign's image for the area of the state you're entering in, the southern areas show the canyons and arches as the northern show slc, and the one entering from wyoming shows snowy mountains with a skiier
Maybe they changed it or it’s on interstate 84 (I entered through Interstate 15) because the sign I saw was a mountain in the background and two trains in the foreground.
@@alfredoangel2359---ummm, I-84 is in Pennsylvania to Mass.. I-80 is in Utah it goes east to west. Starts in Cal. and goes eastwards to New Jersey.
Always enjoyed the Alaska road signs. They have changed over the years but each one a masterpiece. After driving through Canada several times going home from college, seeing the welcome to Alaska means i was home.
I absolutely LOVE the props you gave to Mississippi. For once, they're not in the bottom of a good list and the top of a bad.
The Michigan sign looks like a budget water bottle brand
_Ironic._
@HelpMe Mmmm...That's PureFlint.
Well Michigan does have a lake named after it
@@dexdorrey9834 water clear not clean difference
@@brianstabile165 Actually no,the state is named after the lake,from Ojibwe Mishigami
The curved letters for West Virginia represent the arch of the New River Gorge Bridge.
As a West Virginian, I never knew this
Did you catch the negative comment he made about WV? Tired of disparaging comments about my home.
@@knaveskitten8112 he’s from WV so it’s okay
I think the background picture is of the New River Gorge Bridge
@@josephmartinez3109 me too and I never even have seen the west virginia sign either and I'm west virginian
Great video! Lots of fun. Personally, I love the old-timey vibe of Washington's sign. Wisconsin is great but I would simplify it by leaving off the words on the poles. My favorite is Rhode Island. Unique!
Just found your channel yesterday. Great stuff!
Welcome to the channel!
One thing you may not know about Utah's welcome signs is that they have different ones for each region's entrance. For example, Southwestern UT is Zion NP, Western UT is SLC, Eastern UT is Arches, Northeastern UT is Dinosaurs for Dinosaur National Monument. They also have one for the Mountains and skiing. I'm glad you put UT at #2, but It really should be number 1 with their creativity for each region.
Edit: It also appears that Lake Powell is one of them as well for that entrance to the state... Super creative and one of the many reasons I love living here! There may even be more I'm unaware of, but I take a lot of road trips and have enjoyed seeing all of them over the years.
I like how the Alaska sign already has beautiful scenery behind it, so it doesn't even have to exaggerate.
Minnesota is just awesome
Monnesota and Alaska are the best. The wooden signs all look cool, also Oregon and Wisconsin
I remember seeing the sign while coming across the bridge from Superior, WI
I think top three are 1. Minnesota, 2. Oregon, 3. Alaska with an honorable mention for Wisconsin.
@@craigcarter400 after spending the night drinking cheap shots in Soup Town? lol
Yup. I love my state
Did you notice the small "n" and "h" blended into the picture of the mountain in the welcome sign for New Hampshire. Makes it a little cooler.
David Buning, someone with an eagle eye like me! 👍🏻
I thought those looked like letters but I couldn't tell for sure 😂
Yay! My state just squeaked into the top ten! I’ve always loved Arizona’s symbol with the star and the red and yellow stripes. So cool.
8:12 I like how Iowa's sign is hinged. If they don't want to welcome you they can fold the sign down!
Mwahaha it’s our secret :)
Damn that must have been what happened when I accidentally drove all the way to Iowa on my way back from Minneapolis once lol
You pull up on the interstate just as a civil servant is folding down the sign. "Ohhh, sorry champ, not today."
claps for New Jersey, we didn't screw this one up
I am an Aussie and New Jersey has always been my fave. It is constant throughout the state and so recognisable. Hope they never change it. I have my photo with 39 of these so far!
I really like the Washington sign. It reminds of the signs marking the entrance and exit of national parks. Both have that 50s/60s font that feels comforting
Hard agree
We just found your yt channel and are loving your content! FYI, May 18, 2023, Indiana announced their new sign.
This is the RUclips channel I didnt know i needed
I’m not from Maryland and I think their flag is really cool!!!
Thank you. I find it really strange if people actually dislike it. It's very unique, and I like that Maryland owns that... Maybe what people don't like is that Maryland rubs how awesome their flag is in everyone's face? I don't think that's the intention; other states also have their flag on the welcome sign.
@@j.s.7335 unique indeed, especially when most other state flags are blue! I love it, I’d definitely flaunt it if I were from Maryland lol. Though I’ve heard your license plate design described as looking like a crime scene at first glance & I have to agree 🤣🤣🤣
I am and I agree 😆
Same here
Flag is the best. But we put in everywhere. From college teams to license plates to govt. websites to any piece of clothing you can think of wearing to any art piece you want to display. Its too much sometimes.
I came to Alaska by plane so I missed seeing the beautiful Welcome sign. The City welcome signs are equally beautiful too. The Valdez Welcome sign, in particular is very well done. I am honored to be in the state you chose to have the most beautiful Welcome sign.
interesting that he ranked Alaska's sign first and CT's sign 49th. In the ranking state capitols video it was almost exactly the opposite.
love this channel.
As someone who lives in CT, I can safely say that the 49th here was well-deserved. Honestly, we should have been in last.
This was a fun video! I love seeing the welcome signs when driving into a new state. I agree with you about the ones that say who their governor is. Who cares?
Hi Beth!
Hey Kyle!
Well regarding the governors. ..I care. I think they should have the governor and the lieutenant governors name on ALL state welcome signs.
When it comes to the governor, I think it’s just a little welcome from them on their behalf.
drop the websites too
Maryland's sign looks like those "smoking kills" warnings on a pack of cigarettes.
I enjoyed watching this & seeing all of the different state welcome signs. Great video! Thank you for sharing.
Just discovered your channel. I’m really enjoying it. Thank you.
I like the retro look of Washington’s
i love the colour and retro look of the washington and vermont sign
The algorithm has blessed your channel. Love learning about stuff like this so it's great someone like you showed up in my feed! Also I'm from Huntsville so it's great to see somewhat local youtubers!
Thank you! Before the pandemic and before Chattanooga had a good pinball bar I'd drive to Huntsville just to go to Straight to Ale to play pinball. Oh and the beer's good too.
Was not expecting the SAVAGERY lmao. You tore some of these to shreds, it was hilarious!
I have so many fond memories of taking photos in front of all the state welcome signs I passed during my Summer '18 roadtrip through Western US. I wish we had signs like these for our counties in the UK.
My wife takes a picture every time we enter a new state. These are so fun! State signs should be a work of art. I like Lincoln's profile in the river on the Illinois sign and the subtle "nh" on the New Hampshire sign (agreed, best state motto). I'm not a fan of photography on signs because it's usually less striking and probably won't age well. Graphic shapes and colors with good typography will always be a better solution IMHO. Great list!
Just found your channel and i am obsessed. Such interesting content and your videos are so calming lol.
You know you make good videos when you got people like me watching it even tho im living in Germany and never been too the US.
Keep up the great work
I love Utah. Such a beautiful place.
I found your channel a few days ago, subscribed, and can't stop watching!
Thank you! I'm glad you found the channel and like the videos!
I like the vibes of the Washington one
Wisconsin here: They did remove the "Open for Business" part, and replaced it with the governors name recently
Again, no one gives a crap who your governor is.
@@jasonmcdaniel345 He was giving an update on the sign
That’s not any better 😂
It says Tony Evers- Governor- can confirm
Huh, that's a great metaphor for coronavirus lockdowns lol
Illinois. The line going down the “Illinois I” is Abe Lincoln’s profile guy. Not a river
I know, but it coincidentally comes rather close to the real-life paths of the Rock and Illinois Rivers.
i live on the illinois river, and i can attest that i am nowhere near lincoln's forehead
@@Engelbird And I live on the Rock and it looks nothing like that.
As a lifelong Alaskan my grin got bigger and bigger with a hunch the further I watched, but I was born in Utah and wasn't expecting that to be second!
Another interesting ranking. I can comfortably hit the "like" button even before I watch the video on this channel. Lol. I hope you do more state vs state videos or even city vs city.
New Hampshire: Makes me see it as a death threat if I don't live free.
Well you better! Live free, that is.
we are a big fan of freedom up here 🤷♂️
Laugh Out Loud 4 Real! “Don’t make me come over there and kill you because you are abridging my unalienable rights, Whoever’s Still Listening!” HA!
if you cant be free, might as well be dead.
@@chukzombi Freedom... different things to different people.
The West Virginia state sign has its letters curved to represent the New River Gorge Bridge. It is the same shape as the bridge as its a single arch steel spanning bridge. With that detail i hope it bumps wv up a spot lol.
Alaska came out on top for once on a list like this 😭🤧 I love our welcome sign, I passed it when I road tripped to college down in the lower 48
We've travelled to the states from Scotland for the past 20 or so years and have managed to get 32 state sign photo's, my personal favourite is the Idaho sign from about 2002, it's red, white and blue. Maine and Massachusetts are my least favourite, wish they would make more effort, nothing beats a great sign 🏴🇺🇸
My father was a geography teacher for about 35 years. Obviously my love for the science was enthralled into me since the beginning. I thank you for such informative videos. Us nerds need to stick together 😊
Thanks! And yes we do need to stick together.
i absolutely love the colorado sign, wooden signs with tree-themed supports hit a soft spot in me because it makes me nostalgic for boy scout camp
As a Missourian who often visits Colorado, CO’s welcome sign is iconic after the hours spent driving across Kansas
Another amazing video! Thanks for sharing, Kyle!
I miss Utah's "Greatest Snow on Earth" sign.
we still have a license plate for that
Illinois has Lincoln's face, and New Hampshire also has nh in lowercase cursive in the mountains.
California’s state colors are blue and gold. It’s the best sign, the #1 sign, the superior sign, the sane sign, the smartest sign, the most handsome sign, the biggest sign, the most humble sign, the kindest sign, the most generous sign, the most heroic sign, the tallest sign, the oldest sign, the most expensive sign, the mostest perfect sign. It invented signs.
Thank you for another great video, geography king! I just can't get enough of your videos and have subscribed to your channel. :-)
The Oklahoma sign you've got here was retired earlier this year, with every example of it (and the larger alternative blue sign at most Interstate entrances) having been replaced with a similarly white but much more 'modern' looking sign. The stone signs (which I've always preferred anyway) along I-35, US 75, and a few other choice locations were always my personal favorites though. Also Utah has a different graphic depending on where you enter the state from, with I think nearly a dozen different designs.
Thanks. that's good to know about OK. I've seen a couple other ones for Utah as well. I think it's a ski scene if you enter on I-80 from Wyoming.
As a huge geography nerd, I really enjoy your channel! I’m surprised you’re only at 21k though. You deserve way more subscribers!
Thank you!
Wisconsin's style of sign would also work nicely for the western side of Oregon and/or Washington State.
This is a really cool presentation, Geography King, thanks!
Keep it up man! You’re killing it!
Thank you! I'll try to keep it up.
I just watched a lot of your videos and I like it, you’ve got a got vibe around you and your videos. Also I just noticed that you just hit 10k and now are about to hit 11k so congratulations
Thanks! I'm glad you like the videos.
I'm from Vermont and have spent my whole life infuriated that the "To" is capitalised, and finally I have found a safe place to vent this.
Also, sometimes coming from Québec there is a "Bienvenue" slapped on... Underneath... as an afterthought. Which also happens with New York and Maine. I appreciate that New Hampshire actually looks like they meant to say "Bienvenue," and that they say it entering from all directions, knowing people are driving through *back* to Québec, too.
Wow, AK #1. Didn’t expect that. When you mentioned HI and the “cheat” with the airport sign I was expecting the same for AK not remembering that I actually drove out AK to the lower 48 myself 🤦🏽♀️
As we got closer and closer to the end I was like wait, did he mention AK already, surely we’re not number one
“Find it here”. “What Herpes?” 🤣😂😘
the two s’ in missouri could also represent the missouri and the mississippi river which are both also in the state
love your sign but hate your license plate with the renewal sticker right in the middle.
Thanks for ranking West Virginia #5. I do agree it's an attractive welcome sign. The illustration you have is the smaller version you see at the first rest stop (welcome center) when you cross into WV and at some of the smaller border crossings. The large signs you see from the Interstate do mention the Governor's name.
You will be pleased to know that "Wild Wonderful" did replace "Open for Business" a few years ago. The change was applauded.
Beautiful signs! Thanks for sharing ❤
I thought Alabama's welcome sign said "If you can read this, we gon' git you."
Since you’re into stereotypes are you going to do any racial humor for us?
Steve Sutcliffe Someone dislikes inbred jokes I ser
@@stevesutcliffe4004 I have plenty of that in my repertoire but none of it is really relevant here.
@@angfranson I see you "ser"
no that's Georgia for some reason
The Colorado sign has looked like that for at least 50 years!
I kinda wish they would use the iconic "C" for a sign. I like the old looking style but it would be cool to see a different sign someday
It's a classic-- like the license plates.
Let's keep it that way.
@@MrVuckFiacom I am good with that!
It definitely deserves a spot in the top ten in my opinion.
I’m an admin in a freeway oriented group on FB (Freewayjim) and everyone is mentioning how much they enjoy your channel. Though I may not necessarily agree all the time, I think it’s very well done and it’s fun to watch.
Born, raised, worked and retired in California. But the best day in my life was seeing “Welcome to California” in my rear view mirror. Never been back!
Great overview of the state signs - - I'm rather partial to the Arizona sign, myself, which is based on the state flag. The copper star in the middle represents their claim to being the Copper State, due to their enormous copper production in the early days.
I like the retro look to washington's
I love this!!!!!!!! Binging your videos.
Love the content, really dig dudes shirts!
As a native Minnesotan I was looking forward to seeing the sign at least in the top 10 and it just missed it at 11 😔 great video though
Same I’m always disappointed seeing the welcome signs get once leaving ha
The audacity of michigan to call itself "pure michigan" when Flint exists is too much.
uH! The audicity! The Pure Michigan brand has been in use for 12 years. Secondly.. it's interesting how people don't want to hold the city of Flint itself accountable for any of its ills. I chalk that up to partisanship and intellectual laziness.
I think the pure michigan slogan is supposed to represent the great lakes, or lake michigan at least. LM has really clean water
Ikr
@@Nick-lx4fo Lake Michigan is not that clean especially compared to Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula.
Dude, You made trivia really interesting.
That was a lot of fun to watch. I agree with your assessments on most of the signs. The best Indiana sign is the one they put on I-80/94 crossing from Illinois. They put it on an arched sign holder over the interstate. It’s very striking and it doesn’t (or didn’t) have that extra stuff about Lincoln’s boyhood home. He was only there for about six minutes lol. The other thing is the Illinois sign has the profile of Abraham Lincoln, not the Illinois River. I really enjoy your channel. I’m learning a lot of cool stuff!🌸
I miss the old Nevada sign that just said, "Welcome to Nevada, the Silver State."
I know NY’s sign is “meh” but when you’re leaving Brooklyn is says “Fuhgeddaboudit”. That’s worth an honorable mention lol
Kyle, may I suggest as a topic, "humorous place names." Many cities and towns have odd names and this would make a funny video. Here in MN we have, "Nimrod" as a contender. Pahrump, NV is another humorous name.
You have some valid points. It gave me different perspectives I hadn’t considered before.
I sort of miss the old signs when driving into Maryland.
WELCOME TO MARYLAND Please drive gently.
Um, ok.