Americans who live near state borders,how do you notice you've crossed the border?
-
I'm up in Canada and we have provinces here ... I live in Ontario and in the year 2000 me and a friend took a motorcycle ride across Canada to the west coast. Great trip.
But for motorcycle riders in Ontario, especially northern Ontario, its famous for rain during the summer, especially when you want to go riding. Sure enough in the first week of July that we started our trip, trying to make sure to catch the best weather for riding, we rode through rain for about three days as we drove through northern Ontario.
The funniest thing was ... as soon as we crossed the Ontario/Manitoba border, the skies parted and I could literally see dark clouds over Ontario and bright clear summer skies to the west .... right at the border of the two provinces.
We had great weather the rest of the trip! ... and sure enough when we did the return trip, we were rained on again in northern Ontario!
I pray for my suspension every time I go from Ontario to Quebec.
-
Besides the obvious "welcome to [state name]" sign. Is there a significant change in architecture, infrastructure, agriculture, store brands, maybe even culture?
wrote last edited by [email protected]I travel a lot throughout the US, and sometimes the changes are obvious while other times I can be driving and not entirely sure which state I'm in just from looking around on the highway. As others have said while driving on a major highway a clue can be a huge store full of items like fireworks just across the border from a state they aren't legal in.
The geography and environment can certainly be a big clue. Driving through West Virginia there are tunnels through large mountains, Pennsylvania around the Pittsburgh area has steel bridges, Louisiana has highways raised up from the muck, there are mountains that the highways wind around in North Carolina that give way to pretty flat highways as you go south. Kentucky has long depressing stretches of straight boring road. I've noticed even traffic patterns can say things as Georgia highways always have a higher number of semitrucks than anywhere else for example. Nevada is flat and open but as you go into Utah it gets windy and rocky, and cell signal usually goes out for a bit.
Staying in different states I notice alcohol sales rules are different. In some states you basically don't see any alcohol outside of designated stores for it including no beer at gas stations, in other states you see beer for sale widely but hard liquor only at designated stores, and in other states hard liquor at WalMart is perfectly normal.
I've found on the whole that people are actually nicer than average in Utah. While coffee shops exist I have noticed in offices there is often a lack of a central coffee machine.
Louisiana everyone I deal with from there has a tendency to be much more relaxed than average about showing up exactly on time for things. Louisiana itself also has a cultural divide between the northern part which is more generic US south, and the southern part which has the more creole and tourist heavy atmosphere.
I honestly don't mind Ohio. I know it's an internet meme to hate it, but aside from their obsession with dumping chili on unrelated foods it's decent. Has a strong blue collar streak kind of like Pennsylvania culture.
Texas has a big cowboy influence and they don't let you not know it. The roads tend to big big and wide which is great, except the freeways especially in Dallas can become confusing multilevel nightmares.
California has lots of Spanish signs, lots of first generation Mexicans who bring culture with them. Lots of for example Mexican super markets. Californians have a culture of going FAST on freeways if there isn't gridlock traffic, in some cases going 100mph just barely keeps you up with traffic.
-
you know, most roads will tell you. The change in asphalt for sure will tell you exactly
plus for me at least, Idaho is different than Washington
the roadside advertisements is instantly different
the highways are laid out in much different ways
the people are absolutely different almost to an extreme
Where I come from the asphalt change was how I knew I was in the next County
-
Besides the obvious "welcome to [state name]" sign. Is there a significant change in architecture, infrastructure, agriculture, store brands, maybe even culture?
wrote last edited by [email protected]In NJ all the gas stations are full service only. If you try to start pumping your own gas the attendant will start yelling at you telling you to stop
-
Besides the obvious "welcome to [state name]" sign. Is there a significant change in architecture, infrastructure, agriculture, store brands, maybe even culture?
Most major roads have a sign. If I'm using Google Maps, it will yell at me: "WELCOME TO [STATE NAME]".
-
My state has piss poor roads.
Every time I leave my state the roads are noticeably smoother and less noisy.
It’s very distinct and almost comical.
Let me guess, South Carolina? Been through there twice, and the change was jarring and immediately noticeable crossing into Georgia or NC.
-
My state disallows billboard advertising, which I forget until I cross into another state and have to suffer through Jesus and injury lawyer ads.
Vermont? I remember that that's a thing there.
-
California still maintains agricultural inspection stations. Based on the FAQ, I think the legal workaround they're using is that they can deny entry to a vehicle until it is inspected even though they cannot, strictly speaking deny entry to people.
The inspection station I pass by is still there, but it's been literal years since I've actually been stopped or even seen it manned. I don't make the trip regularly and have always been in a sedan, so maybe I've just been lucky. Though my guess is that funding cuts have hit them badly.
-
It’s illegal to own one in Virginia. If you’re from another state where they are legal you’re supposed to take it off your windshield or at the very least turn it off if you have a more built-in kind. I remember they used to be relatively common in the ’90s and early ’00s but I really don’t see them very often anymore, so I don’t know if that’s as much of an issue nowadays.
wrote last edited by [email protected]Do those detectors even work against LIDAR? A lot of police use that now anyway.
-
California has done searchs for ‘bugs’ before but don’t know if the still do.
I guess that is not "Bugs" as in butterfly?
It is stated to be literally for bugs, as in insects, for agricultural protection reasons. It’s in quotes though, because typically the real purpose of such inspections is to “accidentally” find other contraband “in plain sight” during the thorough inspection for “bugs”.
-
Besides the obvious "welcome to [state name]" sign. Is there a significant change in architecture, infrastructure, agriculture, store brands, maybe even culture?
Well, there's a big fucking river—so that helps.
-
My state disallows billboard advertising, which I forget until I cross into another state and have to suffer through Jesus and injury lawyer ads.
In CA there's this injury lawyer who has billboards all over highway 101 from San Francisco to San Diego. Hundreds of billboards. His name on the billboards is Sweet James and he has a pony tail. Sweet James. I don't know how a lawyer could become so seemingly popular while using that name.
-
Besides the obvious "welcome to [state name]" sign. Is there a significant change in architecture, infrastructure, agriculture, store brands, maybe even culture?
Highways go from being free to costing money (Illinois
) -
I still like to imagine fighter jets or attack helicopters swooping in to blow up speeders, or in more modern times drone strikes
This is perfect, because I vaguely remember the Virginia signs reading, “ speed enforced by aircraft.”
-
Besides the obvious "welcome to [state name]" sign. Is there a significant change in architecture, infrastructure, agriculture, store brands, maybe even culture?
West Coast perspective:
- Siskiyou Pass is both the biggest change in elevation and steepest grade on I-5
- the grass is literally greener on the OR side. CA is known for its golden grass that is much dryer (hence the Golden Gate. As a child I was disappointed that it is painted orange and not gold)
- Agricultural Inspection Station mentioned in another comment (only when traveling into CA)
- not a huge cultural difference between upper NorCal and Southern Oregon though
Further north...
- crossing the Columbia, the biggest river in the region, also has one of only several interstate draw bridges in the US. Prepare to be stuck in traffic if you're remotely close to rush hour
- No sales tax in OR means there are large malls immediately off the first OR exits. Likewise there isn't a single Best Buy in Vancouver because everyone drives across the river to dodge sales tax for big ticket items
-
I often get away with taking the hose out when the pump is done, they don’t seem to care about that. Usually quicker than waiting for them to walk back to my car. Only time I appreciate the full service is when it’s cold as fuck out or just bad weather in general.
-
My state disallows billboard advertising, which I forget until I cross into another state and have to suffer through Jesus and injury lawyer ads.
One of the many great things about Vermont
-
My state has piss poor roads.
Every time I leave my state the roads are noticeably smoother and less noisy.
It’s very distinct and almost comical.
Lmao I was driving about 16 hours solo to get back to Michigan. Legitimately immediately after crossing the Ohio to Michigan border, the road contrast was so incredibly stark lol. Immediate potholes everywhere.
-
Besides the obvious "welcome to [state name]" sign. Is there a significant change in architecture, infrastructure, agriculture, store brands, maybe even culture?
I cross a bridge over a river
-
I'm up in Canada and we have provinces here ... I live in Ontario and in the year 2000 me and a friend took a motorcycle ride across Canada to the west coast. Great trip.
But for motorcycle riders in Ontario, especially northern Ontario, its famous for rain during the summer, especially when you want to go riding. Sure enough in the first week of July that we started our trip, trying to make sure to catch the best weather for riding, we rode through rain for about three days as we drove through northern Ontario.
The funniest thing was ... as soon as we crossed the Ontario/Manitoba border, the skies parted and I could literally see dark clouds over Ontario and bright clear summer skies to the west .... right at the border of the two provinces.
We had great weather the rest of the trip! ... and sure enough when we did the return trip, we were rained on again in northern Ontario!
I had that driving into a new county by the coastline. Right at the county line it was like a sheet of rain pulled across the road.
