Where State Lines are still prominent

[roadman65]

In the past State Lines were perfect mileage controls on mileage guides.  Not so much today, but sporadically some signs still use these points like this
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/52451380944/in/dateposted-public

US 11 and I-59 in Louisiana.


Any others that are still used?

[1995hoo]

Virginia has a mileage sign on the Inner Loop of the Capital Beltway just north of the Dulles interchange on which the second line reads "MD State Line 2¼."

[NWI_Irish96]

M-103 southbound from Mottville

I think there are a couple more in Michigan approaching Indiana/Ohio but I can't find them right now.

[MATraveler128]

As far as I’m aware, they don’t exist in Massachusetts or really anywhere in New England at least not on the Interstates unless I’m missing something.

[jp the roadgeek]

CTDOT uses them on their VMS's.  For example the ones on I-91 from Windsor north usually say

MA STATE LINE
xx MI
xx MIN

[MATraveler128]

CTDOT uses them on their VMS's.  For example the ones on I-91 from Windsor north usually say

MA STATE LINE
xx MI
xx MIN

Now that I think of it, so does New Hampshire on I-93 southbound starting at Derry.

[webny99]

Before reading the OP, I read the question as "Where is it still a Big Deal™ to cross a state line?"

Certainly not the case in the NY/NJ/CT tri-state area where you can cross back and forth on neighborhood streets without even thinking about it. Probably more so for the states that border the Mississippi River where you have to take a bridge or ferry, there are a limited number of crossings and it can feel notably different from one side of the other.

I live almost 2 hours from a state line, so it does seem like a big deal to me to cross into PA even though there's not a lot separating the Southern Tier from northern PA and the Erie area, culturally, geographically or otherwise. The Thruway does post the mileage to the PA line, but it's otherwise not very significant by state line standards. Crossing into Vermont, however, is a bit more notable. Lake Champlain forms about half of the boundary, on which you have to take a bridge or ferry, and there's a distinct difference from one side to the other. Vermont is more quaint and has a distinct New England vibe that the New York side does not.

[1995hoo]

^^^^

On the other hand, I've noted how in the New York City area you often see the "Last Exit in New York" or "Last Exit in New Jersey" signs, at least on certain roads. I've always assumed, without any evidentiary basis, that the point of those signs is to warn someone crossing the river between New York and New Jersey that if you go past this exit, you will have to pay a toll to return. Similar to "Last US Exit" on I-87 northbound in Champlain or I-81 on Wellesley Island–there is a significant practical reason to warn unprepared drivers of the upcoming border crossing. In other words, it's not so much the crossing of the state line (or the border) that's the critical aspect so much as it is the attendant burden in the form of a toll or clearing Customs.

[JayhawkCO]

I'm sure there are probably some on US Routes and state highways that I'm forgetting, but they're used twice on Colorado interstates, for I-25 North to Wyoming and I-70 West to Utah:




I-76 East just has a Julesburg sign before the city (one of the only instances I know with a distance sign only showing one destination on a Colorado interstate), and then transitions into Nebraska without another distance sign.

I-70 East lists Kanorado and Hays east of Burlington.

I-25 South lists Raton and Las Vegas south of Trinidad.

[kphoger]

In the past State Lines were perfect mileage controls on mileage guides.

I don't think they were perfect.  They were pointless.  Hardly anyone's destination is the state line, unless there also happens to be a town there.

[NWI_Irish96]

In the past State Lines were perfect mileage controls on mileage guides.

I don't think they were perfect.  They were pointless.  Hardly anyone's destination is the state line, unless there also happens to be a town there.

Bank robbers in the movies

[triplemultiplex]

In the past State Lines were perfect mileage controls on mileage guides.

I don't think they were perfect.  They were pointless.  Hardly anyone's destination is the state line, unless there also happens to be a town there.

Bank robbers in the movies

Those seeking reproductive health care.

[Scott5114]

In the past State Lines were perfect mileage controls on mileage guides.

I don't think they were perfect.  They were pointless.  Hardly anyone's destination is the state line, unless there also happens to be a town there.

Bank robbers in the movies

Those seeking reproductive health care.

The protagonists in the movie Tank.

[Amaury]

There's a community called Stateline–or State Line–in Idaho at the Washington-Idaho border, which is on the I-90 signs. I don't know if this thread is about that, though, or state line in the literal/generic sense.

[kphoger]

In the past State Lines were perfect mileage controls on mileage guides.

I don't think they were perfect.  They were pointless.  Hardly anyone's destination is the state line, unless there also happens to be a town there.

Bank robbers in the movies

Those seeking reproductive health care.

Are such facilities popping up outside of towns?  Maybe there are, I don't know, I don't keep up on that.

[hbelkins]

Virginia posts the mileage to the West Virginia state line on several routes that I have seen. There's also a "WV State Line" destination sign on US 460 at Grundy for eastbound VA 83.

[skluth]

Before reading the OP, I read the question as "Where is it still a Big Deal™ to cross a state line?"

Certainly not the case in the NY/NJ/CT tri-state area where you can cross back and forth on neighborhood streets without even thinking about it. Probably more so for the states that border the Mississippi River where you have to take a bridge or ferry, there are a limited number of crossings and it can feel notably different from one side of the other.

The Lower Mississippi is quite a mess at state boundaries which often follow old oxbows that have long since been filled in and become farmland. The current channel has been straightened by the Army Corps of Engineers but the 19th century borders haven't been changed to follow today's river.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

The only one in MN I've seen personally is on US 14 westbound headed away from US 75 in Lake Benton. (This excludes "Canadian Border" mentions on other routes.)

[Flint1979]

M-103 southbound from Mottville

I think there are a couple more in Michigan approaching Indiana/Ohio but I can't find them right now.

I know of this one on M-52 south of Adrian. It also includes distance to US-20.

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8722503,-84.0429294,3a,15y,197.2h,88.26t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sFoF9JZlwHcxmP20ikUFDqw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

[Dirt Roads]

Virginia posts the mileage to the West Virginia state line on several routes that I have seen. There's also a "WV State Line" destination sign on US 460 at Grundy for eastbound VA 83.

West Virginia used to post them as well, in places where the State Line was nowhere near a town (ergo, a deserving Control Destination).  One such location was on WV-39 heading towards Goshen.  I recall that there was also an old one on WV-127 only about a mile from the Virginia border that was fairly old, probably hailing from its old days as being WV-45 on both sides of Virginia. 

I also recall one heading westward on Cumberland Road back in the days when that route along the north side of East River Mountain made a nice shortcut from Old US-52 over the mountain over to US-19/US-460 on the Graham side (properly named Bluefield, Virginia).  That one was a different variation, since it didn't make sense to use "Bluefield, Va." as a Control Destination whilst you were still in "Bluefield, WV".  The old maps show that section of Cumberland Road as CR-21/1, which might have changed after US-21 was truncated.  That piece of road is now buried beneath Corridor Q.

[plain]

They're pretty common in VA. There's even a city installed one.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/tjyox7hhosMkfQ7f6

[machias]

The New York State Thruway counts down to Pa Line west of Buffalo.  A few generations of signs ago it was "Penna Line".

[gonealookin]

A local one, a Caltrans installation, on northbound US 395:

https://goo.gl/maps/PJUV9g2LYwRgD6iP6

Why they use "Nevada State Line" on that instead of Gardnerville NV, the next significant town (about 30 miles distant), or Carson City (45 miles), I have no clue.

[kalvado]

In the past State Lines were perfect mileage controls on mileage guides.

I don't think they were perfect.  They were pointless.  Hardly anyone's destination is the state line, unless there also happens to be a town there.

Bank robbers in the movies

Those seeking reproductive health care.

Are such facilities popping up outside of towns?  Maybe there are, I don't know, I don't keep up on that.

There are definitely stores located near the state line and seeking shoppers from across the line regardless of in-state town.
Alcohol, fireworks, marijuana, even gas - depending on legislative differences.

[jeffandnicole]

In the past State Lines were perfect mileage controls on mileage guides.

I don't think they were perfect.  They were pointless.  Hardly anyone's destination is the state line, unless there also happens to be a town there.

Bank robbers in the movies

Those seeking reproductive health care.

Are such facilities popping up outside of towns?  Maybe there are, I don't know, I don't keep up on that.

There are definitely stores located near the state line and seeking shoppers from across the line regardless of in-state town.
Alcohol, fireworks, marijuana, even gas - depending on legislative differences.

Sales Taxes.