I don’t live near there anymore, but when I did you could legitimately tell when you crossed to NJ because there was trash absolutely everywhere along the sides of highway.

A lot of states in the south will also have a precipitous road quality drop at the state line.

Major roads have a "welcome to wherever" sign but minor ones won't. They're always a clear delineation in the pavement, though, because neither state is going to pave one single molecule of distance further than they have to. And they never seem to be able to arrange it so that there isn't a noticeable bump at the junction.

One of my neighboring states also has some kind of pathological aversion to putting complete and legible signs for the names of roads at intersections, too. So the disappearance of all useful street signs is therefore usually also a clue.

One comment mentioned that some things are legal in one state but illegal in another.
And I also remember that laws in general are often quite different between states.

So, I am wondering if there exist some kind of controls near state borders to catch illegal stuff and practices (or even wanted persons?) crossing the border?

Street signs in Wisconsin and Illinois differ

In most cases it isn't apparent and doesn't matter. But there are some that are* noticeable and do matter. Having traveled to most states via car, it's been interesting to see the ones that stood out.

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.

Yes! When you cross into Virginia one is greeted with signage expressing radar detectors are illegal.

I’ve lived near the Mason Dixon line for my whole life and you know when you get to Maryland because the roads aren’t covered with potholes and/or construction.

When driving through the Kansas City metro area, the road that splits the two states is literally named State Line Road. Everything looks the same on both sides of the road.

Otherwise there tend to be signs on roads welcoming you to whichever state depending on the direction you are going. Those signs used to match up with a change in road maintenance quality but Kansas decided to join the race to the bottom so it isn't as noticeable anymore.

I live in New Jersey, so I usually notice I've left the state because I've driven over a bridge into a large city - that's usually my first clue.

Not typically. You'll see police along the major highways for speeders and the like but no state border patrol like that. Legally often transporting across state lines is a crime in and of itself but it's one of those things where they look the other way unless they catch you using whatever item.

Often this is done for practical purposes, because if it's legal in the state you started in, and might be legal in your final destination, they'd piss off more people that not of they stopped and confiscated from everyone.

This would become quite a thorny constitutional issue very quickly. The 14th amendment explicitly specifies that one state can't try to prosecute someone for something done in another state that was legal there but is illegal here. This has further been interpreted to mean that interstate travel as a whole is a protected right, and any form of checkpoint or other hassle-station on a border between states would surely also be a 4th amendment violation.

That's not to say some idiot won't try it eventually, especially given the current political climate, but up until now it's not done as a matter of course.

A state neighboring mine got in big time hot water a decade or so ago for stationing their own cops in our state and tailing people out of liquor store parking lots with the aim of harassing them over the minutiae of the differences in liquor laws between the two. Obviously that didn't fly, because that state does not have jurisdiction here which means they have no grounds for a stop or search. Likewise, entering another state is not legal grounds for a stop and search unless that state's law enforcement already has some manner of articulable probable cause.

The same goes for the Netherlands and Belgium. Or at least it used to be, I haven't been to belgium in years.

Yes indeedy! And to turn on your lights if your wipers are on, and to buckle up, and your speed may be monitored by aircraft. But pay no mind to the aircraft signs. The program ended up being way too expensive and they just never took the signs down. But do watch out for those cut throughs between the trees along the interstates because staties absolutely are hiding in there hoping for easy pickins.

And some have radar detector detectors. Turn your device off if you don't want an extra $100 added to your speeding ticket.

I don't live near the border, but one difference I notice when crossing over is the roads are always better. Doesn't matter which state I cross over into; roads a better (ours are shit).

Yeah. Drive into South Carolina and the atmosphere just feels like you’ve rolled around on a truck stop bathroom floor. Then there’s all the fireworks stands, DUI defense attorney billboards, shit roads, Palmetto signs, etc. I think they just got Jersey Mike’s because I saw a bunch of plaques for them on the exits.

they used to search all cars entering minnesota from wisconson for fireworks until the courts ruled that was illegal without a warant for the specific cars to search. This was around 30 years ago. California has done searchs for 'bugs' before but don't know if the still do.

in every case I've seen you don't see any difference but locals know and will bicker over trivial things like sport teams or best state bird.

Makes sense. Would also just generate work for the police forces with probably only low level violations to be uncovered.
Being practical is a good approach.

Store brands are mostly about distance from the warehouse.

culture and language changes but there isn't normally a clear line of where one starts - it is a continum. (the minnesota accent is only spoken by a minority in mn)

Wait are you coming from PA or DE? Because the Maryland roads near Virginia are god awful. And I mean the little roads as well as the Maryland half of the beltway that seems to always be under construction.