Artists of the Day, July 8, 2023: States Welcome signs (East of Mississippi) [#1848]

 A welcome sign (or gateway sign) is a road sign at the border of a jurisdiction or region that introduces or welcomes visitors to the state.

Every state has its own unique character. Even states that are right next to each other, like New York and Massachusetts, can be wildly different from one another. Driving along the road, you may be able to spot the differences right from your car window. As you go south from New England, for example, the trees, birds, and plants will begin to change drastically. The palm trees of Florida are quite a sight if you’ve been spending all winter in Maine, where the evergreen trees sleep covered in snow!

As you pass through towns and cities along an American road trip, you may be able to spot differences in architecture too. New England is so named because those states were originally English colonies. New York was once ruled by the Dutch, while Louisiana bears distinct French influences, and Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona still show traces of Spanish and Mexican heritage. The history of each state stretches beyond their origins, of course – immigrants from all across the world have settled in communities across the country to bring their unique food, festivals, cultures, and ways of life to us.

You’re sure to see plenty of road signs on your great American road trip, too! Every state has their own slogan and unique road sign to welcome visitors. They come in different colors, shapes, and sizes but most of them are either blue or green and rectangular. There’s a famous state welcome sign in Alaska, along the Yukon Highway, which is made of beautifully crafted wood. Hawaii’s most famous state welcome sign isn’t on any highway – it’s in Honolulu International Airport, where most new visitors step foot into the state!

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