There’s never been a better time to take a road trip across the United States! Even if you don’t go all the way across the country, why not explore the states near yours?
The United States Census Bureau divides the USA into four regions and nine divisions
- The Northeast, which includes New England and the Mid-Atlantic states like New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
- The Midwest, which is subdivided into the states around the great lakes and the more westerly states.
- The South, which includes the southern states along the Atlantic Ocean, the more eastern landlocked states, and states further west like Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana.
- And the West, split between “Mountain” states like Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada and “Pacific” states like Alaska, Hawaii, and California.
Welcome Signs from the 50 States infographicWelcome Signs From the 50 States
A Tour Through the Star-Spangled Borders of America
| State and Location of Sign |
| Alabama Border of Giles County, TN and Lauderdale County, AL |
| Alaska Yukon Highway |
| Arizona Arizona/Nevada border, I-15 |
| Arkansas Interstate 30 entering Texarkana, Arkansas from Texarkana, Texas |
| California Mono County, State Route 266 |
| Colorado Interstate 70, entering from Utah |
| Connecticut Entering from Hope Valley, RI |
| Delaware I-95 Northbound |
| Florida State Route 97, entering Escambia County, FL from Atmore, Alabama |
| Georgia Southbound I-95 Welcome Center |
| Hawaii Honolulu International Airport |
| Idaho
I-90 entering from Montana |
| Illinois Eastbound Interstate 80 in Hampton Township, IL |
| Indiana Mauckport, Indiana |
| Iowa Entering Iowa from Minnesota |
| Kansas Rural Kansas, entering from Colorado |
| Kentucky Interstate 65 |
| Louisiana Southbound I-49 entering Caddo Parish, LA from Miller County, Arkansas |
| Maine Route 4, outside the Links at Outlook Golf Course |
| Maryland Woodrow Wilson Bridge |
| Massachusetts I-90, West Stockbridge, MA |
| Michigan Highway 8, Dickinson County |
| Minnesota Taylor Falls, entering from Wisconsin |
| Mississippi US 61 |
| Missouri I-155 near Caruthersville, MO |
| Montana I-90, entering from Wyoming |
| Nebraska Entering from Colorado |
| Nevada Southbound I-95 entering Clark County, NV from San Bernardino County, CA |
| New Hampshire Colebrook, NH |
| New Jersey Ewing, NJ |
| New Mexico I-40 entering McKinley County, NM from Apache County, AZ |
| New York I-287 entering Hillburn, NY from Mahwah, NJ |
| North Carolina I-77 |
| North Dakota Entering from McLaughlin, SD |
| Ohio Route 30, entering from Indiana |
| Oklahoma West edge of Oklahoma panhandle |
| Oregon Entering from California |
| Pennsylvania McKean County |
| Rhode Island Pachaug Trail, Hope Valley, RI |
| South Carolina Northbound I-85 entering Oconee County, SC from Hart County, GA |
| South Dakota Entering from Nebraska |
| Tennessee I-55 |
| Texas Entering El Paso, TX from Las Cruces, NM |
| Utah Route 163, entering from Arizona |
| Vermont Entering from Woodville, NH |
| Virginia Southbound I-495 entering McLean, VA |
| Washington Port Kelley, WA |
| West Virginia Westbound Route 48 |
| Wisconsin I-94, entering from Illinois |
| Wyoming Gleason, WY |
Sources:
wikipedia.org
flickr.com/photos/mpd01605/3648682565
flickr.com/photos/donkeyhotey/6767979825
flickr.com/photos/danramarch/14826754509
flickr.com/photos/diversey/28269804891
flickr.com/photos/kenlund/69164577
flickr.com/photos/rustejunk/6333545262
kansaspublicradio.org
americanbar.org
nhpr.org
blog.sfgate.com
Exploring even one of those regions or divisions would make a worthwhile trip – and you’d find new surprises all along the way! Part of the reason why Route 66 is so famous is because it crosses 4 of the 9 divisions of the United States. It offers a view of the many different ways of life in this beautiful and diverse country.
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!
In this infographic, we’ve collected some photographs of the many welcome signs at state borders across the United States. We thought they’d make nice postcards to remember a journey by! Perhaps, on your next American road trip, you can take photographs and make your own postcards just like this.