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New VA welcome sign

Started by SteveG1988, April 20, 2015, 09:20:12 AM

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Mapmikey

The cardinal has been on Virginia Welcome signs back to at least the mid 1950s.  At the Virginia State Library today I found this photo of US 301 entering from North Carolina in the Feb 1955 Virginia Highways Bulletin:



Mapmikey


Scott5114

The problem with "Virginia is for Lovers" is that it unfortunately reminds me of Loving v. Virginia, which is probably not exactly what the Virginia tourism board wants me to associate with their state...
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

Zzonkmiles

I don't like the new signs. Maybe the fact that the welcome sign has a black background and the "SPEED LIMIT ENFORCED BY AIRCRAFT/RADAR DETECTORS ILLEGAL" signs immediately after the welcome signs also have a black background has something to do with it. Seems like a waste of money to replace all those perfectly fine signs with the cardinals.

DeaconG

Quote from: Scott5114 on April 21, 2015, 09:31:28 PM
The problem with "Virginia is for Lovers" is that it unfortunately reminds me of Loving v. Virginia, which is probably not exactly what the Virginia tourism board wants me to associate with their state...

You are going waaaaaaay back, aintcha?
Dawnstar: "You're an ape! And you can talk!"
King Solovar: "And you're a human with wings! Reality holds surprises for everyone!"
-Crisis On Infinite Earths #2

The Nature Boy

I went to bed last night and had nightmares about that Virginia welcome sign. What a disgraceful way to welcome people into such a beautiful state.

cpzilliacus

Quote from: Mapmikey on April 21, 2015, 07:22:25 PM
The cardinal has been on Virginia Welcome signs back to at least the mid 1950s.  At the Virginia State Library today I found this photo of US 301 entering from North Carolina in the Feb 1955 Virginia Highways Bulletin:

That's a great picture and I love the sign - complete with the Seal of Virginia (Sic Semper Tyrannis), the cardinal, blooming dogwood and (implied) strict speed limit enforcement.

By the standards of 1955, I am pretty certain that U.S. 301 through Emporia was already a very busy highway.  Was Emporia a speed trap then?
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

Mapmikey

I don't know about the speed trap aspect of Emporia then.  I assume any place with an actual downtown probably was.

Traffic was definitely busy.  301 was multilaned from Emporia to VA 35 during the 1955-57 timeframe.

Mapmikey

cpzilliacus

Quote from: Mapmikey on April 22, 2015, 12:28:03 PM
Traffic was definitely busy.

Unfortunately, VDOT does not appear to have any of the VDH traffic count books for the Commonwealth online from that far back.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

jeffandnicole

Quote from: SteveG1988 on April 20, 2015, 09:20:12 AM
http://wtvr.com/2015/01/06/new-virginia-is-for-lovers-sign-at-dulles-is-one-of-105-to-come-this-year/

Anyone else read this as 'Virginia is for Losers'?  Once you leave that space open for a letter, anything can be inserted there!

oscar

Quote from: jeffandnicole on April 22, 2015, 02:26:31 PM
Quote from: SteveG1988 on April 20, 2015, 09:20:12 AM
http://wtvr.com/2015/01/06/new-virginia-is-for-lovers-sign-at-dulles-is-one-of-105-to-come-this-year/

Anyone else read this as 'Virginia is for Losers'?  Once you leave that space open for a letter, anything can be inserted there!

Good point. Even if you can't (legally) edit a welcome sign, you certainly can mock the slogan on your own license plates. The Supreme Court says so.

"Loners" would work too, though with less impact. Maybe two-letter inserts, such as "Loggers"?

I haven't seen such edits, but then the slogan used to be reserved for specialty plates, which presumably were purchased only by people who liked the slogan.
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
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roadman

Quote from: hbelkins on April 20, 2015, 09:44:53 PM
Quote from: SignGeek101 on April 20, 2015, 08:53:13 PM
Am I the only one that thinks of gay marriage when I saw that? I know it sounds silly (and maybe immature) to think of that but that's what I seriously thought the governor was trying to promote for his state.

I don't really like it. Virginia can be known for other things than "being for lovers".

The slogan dates to 1968, and I can remember it being used on maps and tourist booklets/brochures since my childhood.
My older sister was a student at William and Mary in the early 1970s, and I remember the slogan being heavily used during that timeframe.
"And ninety-five is the route you were on.  It was not the speed limit sign."  - Jim Croce (from Speedball Tucker)

"My life has been a tapestry
Of years of roads and highway signs" (with apologies to Carole King and Tom Rush)

Pete from Boston

Makes me feel like I'm entering Worcester, Mass., which, as the "heart of the Commonwealth," has a red heart symbol in their official seal and pretty much everything else.

JakeFromNewEngland

I liked the older version. CT's welcome signs are a joke. It's so simple with no design. I like New York's new welcome signs.

Pete from Boston

Oh... when you said "CT's welcome signs are a joke" the first thing I thought of was New York's FOUR large welcome signs at major entries, three of which remind you of various kinds of tourism they have there, complete with a web address in large letters on each one so you can look it all up right there while driving.



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