Idaho Falls needs distinctive welcome signs
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The current signs welcoming people into Idaho Falls city limits just aren’t cutting it anymore. They are the same default, bland, green highway signs that any wide spot in the road gets (like Ririe or Bone). It lists our city name, population, and a warning that permits are needed. Blah!
This problem seems to be part and parcel with our city’s larger signage problem, being that none of our signs belong to a designed theme (thus making it harder to recognize signs and get around). How long ago did that consultant visit us and declare Idaho Falls to be the most sign-challenged city he had ever seen? How much progress has our city council made against this problem? I have heard nothing since that consultant visit, and our tourist season is starting with the signage problems still not addressed or fixed.
A few years ago Moscow, Idaho decided to invest in memorable welcome signs to their city. They only have about five entrances to their city, and Idaho Falls has many more, so that is a difference. However let’s keep in mind that you only get one chance to make a first impression, and nice city entrances are our first impression to many visitors. Nice entrances also communicate to southeast Idaho returning visitors that Idaho Falls is taking better care and pride in our city.
Perhaps some entrances like Moscow’s could replace the current green highway signs, located at several spots around town. Major entrances like the freeways and highways should have larger and more significant entrance markers like a fountain and/or statue. Perhaps the fountain could be a little re-creation of our downtown greenbelt, and the actual fountain part is the falls coming over the dam? Let’s make them so beautiful that people will pull over and photograph them.
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Comments
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0 
0 Agreed.
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0 0 I agree, historical may sound ‘preserved quaintness’ to some people, but to me it sounds like ‘old and nothing new has been invested there’.
Maybe make it more of the ‘downtown village’? It could be our own little soho, especially if residentials are developed more on the 2nd floors?
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What got me was a few years ago when they put in the “new and improved” Historic downtown IF signs on the freeway I damn near missed the exit to my own town because, to me, they are less prominent than the old ones!
I agree with you maybe a nice blue waterfall sign, and why not advertize the new improvements to our town just as much as the history? Sure, history brings a couple of tourists (and we do have an interesting history.) but that’s not why people pull off in Boise, for instance. It’s the ammenities,
and a nice place to have lunch or stay the night, etc.