A billboard is a large outdoor advertising structure, typically found in high-traffic areas alongside busy roads. It’s also a given on American road trips, unless you happen to be driving through Hawaii, Maine, Vermont, or Alaska.

All four of the states listed have banned billboards, starting with Hawaii in 1927. Today, over 8 million tourists visit Hawaii each year. They are able to fully enjoy the state’s beaches, scenery, flowers and sunsets because the ban has helped preserve the islands' natural beauty.

Vermont prohibited signage for similar reasons in 1968. A landmark anti-billboard law there has resulted in open, ad-free landscapes. The law states: “We need to provide information to the traveler, but do not want to compromise our natural scenery. Tourism is the number one industry in the state. And the lack of advertising is one of the most commonly reported things visitors appreciate about Vermont.”

In the early 80s, the Governor of Maine signed into law an act that removed approximately 8,500 billboards from state roads. Previously, Maine highways were littered with billboards promoting everything from cigarettes to gasoline, motels, and candy.

By referendum, Alaska banned billboards in 1998. Their law doesn’t allow for the creation of advertising within 660 feet from the highway, including all state-owned roads.

Hawaii’s billboard ban has a unusual distinction: billboards were prohibited over 20 years before it officially became a state.

More Info: movia.media