In any case, I get the idea that everyone on here has their own idea of what should and should not be a control city. Case in point I get some people saying my suggested control cities are too small (e.g. Albany despite it having a metro, urban, and media market area), and other saying that my suggested control cities should be smaller (e.g. my omission of Winchester VA for I-81 because Roanoke and Hagerstown are more appropriate control cities). Thus, I no longer care what most people have to say regarding my suggested control cities.
Nobody said that Albany is too small to be a control city. We said that it isn't an control city on I-75 because Albany isn't on I-75. It's 30 miles west of I-75 and a through route to Florida so using cities that I-75 actually goes through is a lot better than using a city that it doesn't go through.
And I said that a city doesn't have to be on the route to be a control city. Control cities appear on mileage/distance signs, and having actual destinations which travelers are trying to reach, shown on mileage signs, is helpful even for places off the route.
For example, going southbound, Albany would be used beginning in Macon (Macon would be used from Atlanta to Macon) and then when the SR 300 exit is reached Albany would be used for that exit and then the SB city would change to either Jacksonville or Gainesville (depending on traffic count). On NB I-75 leaving Gainesville, Tallahassee would be used until I-10, Albany would be used until Tifton (US 82 exit), and then Macon would be used. Another alternative for those who prefer larger cities would be to just use Atlanta and Tampa, but that is not what is currently used.
Why doesn't a city have to be on the route in order to be a control city? A control city is mentioned on signs indicating that the city mentioned or whatever is mentioned is along that route not some city that the route doesn't even take you to. I don't understand your argument that Albany is a better choice than Tifton or Valdosta. I-75 is actually veering away from Albany as it passes 30 miles to the east of it too and heading to Florida which is where it's supposed to go. Jacksonville or Gainesville? You can't be serious. I-75 is over twice the distance from Jacksonville than it is Albany, Georgia. Gainesville isn't even the first Florida city to be used, Lake City is because it's near I-10 which is a major junction. Lake City is known as the Gateway to Florida as well. Tallahassee is yet another city that I-75 doesn't enter which is three times the distance from I-75 as Albany, Georgia. How can you justify using these control cities on a highway that doesn't go anywhere near these cities? I-75's control cities are fine throughout the entire route: St. Ignace, Mackinac Bridge, Saginaw, Flint, Detroit, Toledo, Dayton, Cincinnati, Lexington, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Macon, Valdosta, Lake City, Gainesville, Ocala, Tampa, Naples, Miami, what's wrong with that? At least I-75 goes through those cities unlike Albany, GA; Jacksonville and Tallahassee. And why would Tampa and Atlanta be used and nothing else? Tampa and Atlanta are 450 miles from each other and there are other perfectly fine control cities in between.