I’ve been on multiple roadtrips throughout Europe and of course there’s quite a noticeable difference as soon as you cross a border, apart from language. Roads and roadsigns might look a bit different. Gas stations differs a bit etc. You immediately “feel” that you’re in a different country without even leaving the highway or stepping out of the car. How noticeable is it in the US when you cross a state border, if at all?
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yes, but the bigger difference is between regions. the border regions of states aren’t like, you cross a line and there’s a noticeably immediate difference, but it’s also the case that Iowa is noticeably different then Missouri and Arkansas is very different to both of them, as is Illinois etc. Georgia has a very different vibe than South Carolina but the parts where they border eachother are similar too.
Yes, there are some noticeable differences even in the same state
When I cross the border into Missouri I’d know immediately because there are huge signs everywhere advertising fireworks and several huge sellers set up just over the border. Fireworks are illegal in my state đ Same now with states that border mine that have legal marijuana.
The biggest immediate difference will be felt in how much each state prioritizes road maintenance. The ones that stick out in my mind are Missouri vs. Kansas, and NY vs all of its neighbors.
You might see some economic differences immediately as well. For example, along the Vermont and New Hampshire border, all the big box stores lie on the NH side, probably due to the lack of a sales tax.
Cultural and geographic differences, though, tend to be more regional. There probably isn’t a distinct “Georgia’ style of house, but houses in that state will likely be built differently from those in New England or the desert southwest.
Our State and county road signs are for the most part standardized, but you might see different private advertising billboard signs. Likewise, some of our gas stations are regional so you might see different brands. And depending on local geology, occasionally the road might be a slightly.different color.
Yes and no.
If you go from North Dakota to South Dakota, the only real difference is that the speed limit goes from 75 to 80mph and there’s more billboards in South Dakota. If you go from Rhode Island to Massachusetts, the only immediately noticeable change is the pavement usually gets nicer.
But in some states (or even individual cities) stop lights may be sideways.
But, if you skip 3 or 4 states, there will be a much more noticeable difference. Being quite large, the differences in landscape and climate can take a few states to change significantly, especially on the east coast where the states are pretty small.
Like the others have mentioned, it’s more of a regional thing to see changes in the U.S. than every individual state.
One obvious change is where alcohol is sold. In many states, you can get it in a gas station. In some, you can buy it in only in regular stores like a Walmart or target or dedicated liquor location with a separate entrance within those stores. Other states have only dedicated liquor stores. It’s actually a fairly noticeable difference because it can affect the size of gas stations quite a bit in those states that allow alcohol to be sold in them.
Yes, entering Nevada = casino,
entering wyoming = firework,
entering colorado = weed
For exampleâŠ
https://maps.app.goo.gl/G5TxS9QuxS2sx9oZ7?g_st=ic
Yes there is. Some states are similar in culture and environment like Indiana & Ohio, Washington & Oregon, etc. But a lot of them are very different, like Florida and Colorado, Texas and New York are pretty opposite of each other, you probably get the gist lol. Every state and region has what makes them unique, they have their own government, a lot of them differ politically, have different climates, their set of history and events and celebrations, etc. In fact I think the different states are almost like their own countries in a way but thatâs my opinion, my German cousin is the one who pointed that one out to me. Youâll definitely see it taking a roadtrip though the US, Iâve been on plenty đ
I am going to disagree with a lot of people and say ânoâ. The differences are subtle. Things are pretty homogenous. You may notice small differences, but nothing is immediately or drastically different when crossing from one state to another. Some things you may notice: physical road conditions change, there may be a toll booth you have to go through, speed limits may change slightly, etc⊠On many trips you will not notice the change and someone in the car will ask âhey are we in âinsert state nameâ yet?â
Driving between [regions](https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/u0f84a/cultural_regions_of_the_us_round_4_final_the_50/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb) is more noticeable. But again those are usually gradual changes.
It truly depends. In many areas, you might notice the only real difference is the change in state designated roadway markers and maybe the brand of gas station, drive from rural Indiana to rural IllinoisâŠitâs indistinguishable.
In others you might cross a border and enter a large metro area immediately. The city of Toledo and itâs metro borders with Michigan, but development more or less changes right at the border.
Some but less than you think. If youâre traveling on the interstate all the exists tent to attract the same chains.
I just did a 5k mile road trip from North Carolina to South Dakota to New Mexico and back. On the interstate sections the exits closer to cities will have similar chains of fast food, casual dining (Outback, Olive Garden, Applebees etc) and hotel chains.
When interstate traveling I tried to stick to the same gas stations for convenience, Loveâs my first choice then Pilot Flying J. Off interstate you see a lot more variety including Caseyâs in the Midwest and Sinclair more in the west. In NM a lot of gas stations have a small kitchen and great fried empanadas.
If you travel by interstate youâll see little difference when traveling between states.
road signs throughout the us are much more similar than they are different. a very small difference might be the symbol used to denote state routes. in pa, theyâre denoted by [a keystone shape](https://flic.kr/p/8BAP9N). in some other (more boring) states, Iâve seen just a circle. in utah I think it was beehives lol.
at major state border crossings (highways, etc) there will usually be a sign that says [âwelcome to <state>â](https://flic.kr/p/J9usHr) so you canât really miss it in that case. on smaller roads there might not be any immediate official indication.
road quality can feel immediately different upon crossing a border in my experience as well
Crossing the state line rarely made me feel too different, save for the speed limit drop from Montana to North Dakota. I definitely notice more differences when Iâm off the interstate/highway as to how the towns look, the roads, etc. Every state/region tends to have their own little flair.
Sometimes you donât know until your GPS says, âWelcome to ________.â On the highway there will be a sign.
It’s immediately noticeable when you cross over from NC to SC
It’s subtle. You head south of my state, flat Midwestern accents, and it slowly changes. The landscape, the language, accents. It’s not abvuept, but it’s noticable.
Thereâs usually a sign, if on a major road. Sometimes the quality of the road changes right at that sign. There are federal interstate roads, state roads, and county roads. The last two types can have different road signs that name the roads but the speed limit sign is the same every state Iâve been. Some brands of gas are only in specific states and regions, but thatâs about it. Iâve driven south to north and east to west. I agree with others that there are differences but they are subtle and could be regional cultural changes.
If you get on I40 and travel from one end to the other, you’ll notice the differences, IMO. I think if memory serves, 7 states. But it’s geographical changes mostly. It’s also a very long journey so you notice when you go from mountains to Delta to different mountains to plains to altitude/weather changes to desert. Road maintenance changes at state levels. Some speed limits change for same type stretch of road. Gas station chains, fast food can change regionally. Welcome centers structures look quite different in Tennessee than California. Obviously language stays the same, though you may see some billboards incorporate a little Spanish the farther west you go, but it’s not govt signage. I don’t recall seeing elevation listed on state signs in the east but do as you go west.
Rarely but sometimes thereâs a huge and noticeable difference.. like, going from New Jersey to New York through the Lincoln or Holland Tunnel. You will *immediately* feel youâre no longer on mainland USA
Most of the states just blend into each other though and it takes a while before you start noticing something is different than 120 miles ago.. Usually the only way you know youâve crossed a state line is because thereâs a âWelcome to Pennsylvania!â sign
State to neighboring state, not so much.
Region, though?
If you make a drive from, say, Huntsville Alabama to Indianopolis Indiana, the difference is significant and that’s only an 8 hour drive.
It’s more when you go to different climates you notice more of a difference. Like going from the east to west coast it looks very different. Utah looks amazing and so different.
But like South Carolina vs Georgia. More like the SC police will harass you more and their roads are rough. The state borders are not where you see much difference but the different climates are
Sudden, stark geographic changes in the US rarely follow territorial lines like they do in Europe. In Europe, borders were dictated by defensible terrain and two thousand years of war. In America, they were negotiated on a map using either crude landmarks like rivers or lakes (which is why Minnesota has one tiny piece attached to Canada) or just raw lat-longs.
When you drive into the driftless zone, or the badlands, or you hit the mountains in Denver, the transition is sudden, but there is no territorial boundary associated with it.
Every time I cross into Ohio, there’s an immediate sense of despair and loathing in the air. So there’s that.
Depends on how closely you stick to the Interstate system.
Itâs not that drastically noticeable while youâre traveling. Itâs not like youâll go from driving through a desert and it immediately turns into the bayou
In some places, yes, for example, I live in Maine and we don’t allow billboards, we have a very small population, and relatively little development (compared to other states), our biggest highways have only two lanes in one direction. We are also not very religious, so we don’t have mega churches, billboards about abortion etc…
It feels very peaceful here and there is rarely bad traffic. We joke that traffic here is when you see more than three cars on the road at the same time.
Compare that to other states, where there are billboards everywhere and highways with eight lanes, housing developments as far as the eye can see, and traffic that is bumper to bumper for hours, and it’s quite a noticeable difference.
I think the noticeable differences are regional rather than state by state. New England feels very different from the Southwest or South, but the states in New England feel pretty similar to each other and to the east coast region.
I live about 20 miles north of the New Mexico border and notice the difference instantly, especially in the winter. Other states, not so much right when you cross the border.
If you see crappy roads, youâre in South Carolina.
When you go out of California roads are getting better, although we have many decent roads, too. Less homeless if not Oregon, Portland in particularly. Nature is changing. Gas is getting cheaper. But gas stations mostly are look the same, EV chargers look the same, shopping malls look almost the same, maybe a few regional chains or other nation wide chains which are not popular in California. Less Asian and Indian people, too. Also less speaking Spanish as in California itâs common. In Oregon you will be served at gas stations, but other states the same self service.
For Utah and itâs neighbors definitely, for others, less so.