Ugliest or most annoying billboards in the region (Boston, Revere: apartment complexes, home)

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by masssachoicetts

Im going to go put a 40 foot by 75 foot billboard in the heart of Newton Lower Falls and see how that pans out with the neighborhood.

The individual towns, of course, has their own zoning on these things. They get bogged down in details, quickly. Some towns have a dozen pages in their bylaws just on signage, and most towns (it seems) you need approval from the town for free standing signs. Some towns you even need a certain percentage of people in the neighborhood to sign off.

[GeoffD]

I nominate the "If you lived here, you'd be home now" sign that's always been at the eastern end of Storrow Drive at the perpetual traffic jam as most annoying. I haven't been on that stretch of Storrow Drive recently but Google Maps shows it's still there.

[timberline742]

Oh man, that's a classic!

[CaseyB]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

I nominate the "If you lived here, you'd be home now" sign that's always been at the eastern end of Storrow Drive at the perpetual traffic jam as most annoying. I haven't been on that stretch of Storrow Drive recently but Google Maps shows it's still there.

That's been there forever!

[Guineas]

There seems to be more billboards popping up all along 93 south as well as on the Mass Pike. It's actually ruining that New England feel I associated with miles and miles of uninterrupted trees lining the interstates in MA.

We're becoming more like RI in many ways.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by Guineas

There seems to be more billboards popping up all along 93 south as well as on the Mass Pike. It's actually ruining that New England feel I associated with miles and miles of uninterrupted trees lining the interstates in MA.

We're becoming more like RI in many ways.

RI is new England though. CT has a lot of billboards to-and they allow ones for adult stores and entertainment. New England is a diverse groups of states and tastes. Its a modern world old local traditions and customs giveway to more national trends.

Lots of people in CT RI and MA (where most new Englanders live) probably don't associate it with a lack of billboards. Generally I find these states not to different than what i see in the mid-atlantic. Its the south where billboards become grotesques and intrusive. Northern FLorida was literally shocking as I travelled to Gainesville. Billboards only 10 feet off the ground every 30 yards. for miles...

When I learned just a few years ago that Vermont NH ME had essentially banned billboards because they were tacky was odd to me-i thought of it and still do think of it as snobby and business unfriendly. I think MA has good balance of billboard advertisement in general. I like some billboards they can be interesting, helpful and give me a sense of the culture of a place in an indirect way. Conversation fodder at times.

[Guineas]

RI/CT have more billboards than MA traditionally. Outside Rt 1, 9 etc, there were few billboards in MA. We were more similar to VT/NH/ME than RI/CT, always have in many ways culturally and historically. But I have definitely noticed an uptick of billboards on the interstates, especially on Mass Pike in the past 2 years.

The Morgan & Morgan billboards are annoying too, especially that guy (I assume one of the Morgans) with the fat face. Lawyer ads are definitely the worst, low rent places are full of them.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by Guineas

RI/CT have more billboards than MA traditionally. Outside Rt 1, 9 etc, there were few billboards in MA. We were more similar to VT/NH/ME than RI/CT, always have in many ways culturally and historically. But I have definitely noticed an uptick of billboards on the interstates, especially on Mass Pike in the past 2 years.

The Morgan & Morgan billboards are annoying too, especially that guy (I assume one of the Morgans) with the fat face. Lawyer ads are definitely the worst, low rent places are full of them.

How? Maybe i'm just too young to understand. That has certainly not been my experience.

And historically NH VT and ME were not even really populated or settled no? Rhode Island the state and several places in CT were founded by MA residents.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

And historically NH VT and ME were not even really populated or settled no? Rhode Island the state and several places in CT were founded by MA residents.

Roger Williams was kicked out of Massachusetts.


Of course, he was kicked out for objecting to civil authorities punishing religious dissent and confiscating Indian land. From a 21st century perspective, Roger Williams was the good guy.


Maine was part of Massachusetts and wasn't even a state until 1820. The Missouri Compromise.


I think it's mostly a rural vs urban thing. Northern New England has no large cities. Manchester is as big as it gets. The non-Springfield/Holyoke part of western Massachusetts has more in common with northern New England than the Boston metro. The rural CT Berkshires, Killingly CT, and Foster/Glocester RI don't have much in common with Providence/Hartford/New Haven/Lower Fairfield County.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Roger Williams was kicked out of Massachusetts.


Of course, he was kicked out for objecting to civil authorities punishing religious dissent and confiscating Indian land. From a 21st century perspective, Roger Williams was the good guy.


Maine was part of Massachusetts and wasn't even a state until 1820. The Missouri Compromise.


I think it's mostly a rural vs urban thing. Northern New England has no large cities. Manchester is as big as it gets. The non-Springfield/Holyoke part of western Massachusetts has more in common with northern New England than the Boston metro. The rural CT Berkshires, Killingly CT, and Foster/Glocester RI don't have much in common with Providence/Hartford/New Haven/Lower Fairfield County.

i agree with all this- MA RI CT are defined more so by their urban population centers though even though they have some nice rural areas reminiscent of northern new england-its not central to their identity really. Manie being a part of Massachusetts is well known but wow, that was quite literally 200 years ago.

Density, diversity, public infrastructure, development in general (e.g. billboards) and economic might are just a few of the things separate Southern from Northern NE as well as to a lesser extent, weather (WHY is it so cold up there? and its so close by)