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The Columbia River is a pretty big deal. Especially on 101 going into Astoria near the mouth of the river going into the Pacific with a very long bridge crossing. It's a pretty good indicator you're transitioning into another state even without signage. But the Oregon state line is marked well on the bridge (https://www.google.com/maps/@46.2350...7i13312!8i6656) and coming off the bridge you get a state welcome sign (https://www.google.com/maps/@46.1876...7i16384!8i8192). I'd say it's pretty obvious a state line is located there.
Yeah, I agree. You can't cross from Washington into Oregon and not know it. And the only way to cross from California into Oregon and not know it, is if you are on Forest Service or BLM roads. There are no Oregon cities near any of the Oregon state lines, that don't require crossing a river to get to them.
The only urban areas of the West I can think of where you might be able to cross a state line without knowing it would be some of the state line cities in Nevada. For example West Wendover, Nevada / Wendover, Utah, and Stateline, Nevada / South Lake Tahoe, California. But even if you somehow miss the signs, you will know you just crossed into Nevada when you see the bright lights of the casinos. So I don't think those even count.
There's a dual-"town" along the Vermont/Quebec border where people on one side of the road live in the US and in Canada on the other. According to old-timers, people used to wander casually from one side of the road to the other to hang out as neighbors would in any other neighborhood. Apparently in recent years however, the US border patrol has become a lot more strict about crossing the border at a non-designated crossing. So now they have to report to the official border crossing to cross, which in turn has put a damper on relations between cross-border neighbors.
This same dual-town has a library that straddles the border with an entrance on each side. Apparently this has become a common meeting point between immigrant families living in each respective country where they can meet in person without having to report to border patrol as long as everyone exits through the same side they came in.
Stateline Road should always be a clue. It looks like there are some other small signs there too that give clues that that is the stateline. But it does make me wonder why states don't mark state lines better. Even if it is a minor road that doesn't warrant a big billboard, at least there should be green informational signs saying "State Line". If for no other reason than for first responders who may not be familiar with where the line is.
You see the "Welcome to Vernon Township" sign, but nothing to indicate you're in a new state. Behind that are Appalachian Trail signs, which is less than 1/2 mile away on the NJ side.
The whole town of Derby Line is interesting. They've built markers and barriers over time, but it doesn't look anything like an International Border. Here's a shot taken from the Vermont side. That FedEx van is in Canada. There's a fence on the street, but other than that, it looks like a typical neighborhood. We took a day trip up to Derby Line in 2019 for our Global Entry interview (was a 6+ month wait at BOS) and after our interview, we walked 5 minutes to a restaurant on the Canada side of the border for poutine (recommended by the CBP officer who conducted the interview). I've walked across the southern border a few times, but this was an entirely different experience.
Anyway, here's another MA/RI one. MA (Seekonk) on the left, RI (Pawtucket) on the right. Seekonk and Pawtucket actually used to be the same town. In the U.S., Bristol VA/TN and Texarkana TX/AR are the most seamless transitions to me with borders right in the heart of the city.
The whole town of Derby Line is interesting. They've built markers and barriers over time, but it doesn't look anything like an International Border. Here's a shot taken from the Vermont side. That FedEx van is in Canada. There's a fence on the street, but other than that, it looks like a typical neighborhood. We took a day trip up to Derby Line in 2019 for our Global Entry interview (was a 6+ month wait at BOS) and after our interview, we walked 5 minutes to a restaurant on the Canada side of the border for poutine (recommended by the CBP officer who conducted the interview). I've walked across the southern border a few times, but this was an entirely different experience.
Anyway, here's another MA/RI one. MA (Seekonk) on the left, RI (Pawtucket) on the right. Seekonk and Pawtucket actually used to be the same town. In the U.S., Bristol VA/TN and Texarkana TX/AR are the most seamless transitions to me with borders right in the heart of the city.
Same in Point Roberts Washington.
Point Roberts, Washington from Delta, British Columbia with the famous well worn footpath to the left of the fence.
Delta, British Columbia from Point Roberts, Washington, with the Border Monument in front of the parked cars. The only thing marking the border are yellow painted concrete parking bumpers at the end of the street in Delta BC.
Where can you cross state lines and not know it? Boat ride on many rivers and waterways, Down the mighty muddy for example. And internationally no problem on great lakes chain.
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