(FOX 5/KUSI) — Some of the classic signs that greet drivers as they enter California are being replaced with more elaborate creations.
The new monuments are becoming popular photo opportunities, with state officials adding parking spaces to accommodate visitors who want a picture or selfie as they enter the Golden State.
For decades, the traditional welcome sign for the state has been a blue and yellow sign reading “Welcome to California” in cursive, with three poppies, the state flower.
Welcome to California sign and California State Highway 139. (Photo by: Marli Miller/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Most of the new signs incorporate the traditional poppy flowers and also include elements from the region where they are installed.
In late June, Caltrans officials marked the completion of two new monuments erected in Del Norte County, in the northwest corner of the state.
Along coastal Highway 101, drivers entering from Oregon are now greeted by a monument that has a profile of the state with an elk in the middle, along with rushing water and salmon.
A few dozen miles to the east, drivers on Highway 199 now see a welcome sign that contains the state’s profile filled by poppies and features a mother bear and her cub.
“Our hope is that these gateway monuments inspire every resident and visitor to Del Norte County to take pride in the Golden State while keeping it beautiful and litter-free,” reads part of a statement from Caltrans District 1 director Matt Brady.
While the monuments in Del Norte County are the most recent, there have also been new gateway monuments erected in areas bordering Arizona, including in the cities of Blythe and Needles, as well as Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Welcome to California with man standing, Needles, California. (Photo by: Visions of America/Joseph Sohm/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
A new gateway monument installed in San Ysidro along the California-Mexico border reads “Bienvenidos a California” and replaces an old sign that was missing many letters.
The new welcome signs are part of Clean California. This state initiative, launched in 2021, aims to clean up and beautify the state, including the erection of monuments like these, cleanup opportunities, and the installation of recreational structures.
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