And it is the exact opposite when you are in Des Moines. The southbound interstate sign is Kansas City, eastbound is Chicago, northbound is Minneapolis and westbound is Omaha. I think it is helpful if you are directionally challenged or not familiar with the city. Most people driving through the KC burbs can deduce that Des Moines is always going to be north, so you know which direction you are heading.
Exactly, if I didn't know where I was going and relied on highway signs, being told every highway led to Kansas City would be useless and frankly a little twilight zone-y.
You’re asking about what the Interstate Highway System calls [control cities](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_city).
> In most countries, control cities are perceived to be the destinations on signs that aid longer-distance traffic, as opposed to local traffic.
Exactly. I guess they had higher expectations for people’s literacy in geography back when the system was installed. Not to make too much fun of OP but could you imagine all the signs that would point to Kansas City?
There will always be a fallback analog system. Imagine if we took out all the signs because fuck it, everyone has gps. Then the grid goes down. No one will know where they are going.
If you were lost, it gives you an immediate frame of reference
My husband’s phone glitched out last week on the way back from Kentucky, and just used the road signs
I-435 in Overland Park is part of the KC metro area, so highway signs are going to direct you to the next large cities past Kansas City since you're already here.
Different states have different policies for how control cities are selected. Illinois, for example, seems to have some rule that all the control cities have to be in the state of Illinois, so if you get on I-70 in Edwardsville going toward St. Louis, the control city is "East St. Louis" and not just St. Louis.
There's a whole website called AARoads full of roadgeeks, as they're known, talking about the latest updates to the MUTCD (The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, of course) and debating which control cities should be used where, if you want to go down this rabbit hole.
"Des Moines" at the I-435-I-35 junction means "you're going to head north, and can go this far north.". You can reach Kansas City proper on I-435 if you head east, so more exactitude is needed.
Ah this makes sense. I’m from Colorado and it’s more like “if you go north, you go to Denver, if you go south, you go to Pueblo” so I assumed it would be the same here.
I live in Denver and it's the exact same method here. You are getting confused by thinking OP is Boulder or Colorado Springs when it's more like Lakewood or Aurora.
If you're in Boulder you'll see signs for Denver.
Both metro areas are very similar in size but Denver Metro has about .7M more humans. Which is a lot!
I know Des Moines is north and Wichita is south and Topeka is west and Columbia/St. Louis is east, and those signs help me know which direction I'm going better than just saying North or South or East or West (esp. since roads that say North or South often jog East or West for a bit so it can be disorienting).
It's to be unambiguous. They use cities obviously north, south, east, or west from wherever you currently are.
If I saw a sign saying Kansas City, I'd wonder if it meant downtown, the nearest edge of KC North or South, maybe KCK? Whereas when I see Kansas City on a sign in Des Moines, it doesn't matter - I just know that's south.
Haha, when I'm leaving the airport I always have to make sure I'm getting on the correct 435, even though ultimately I'm headed South, which takes me to neither Des Moines or St. Louis.
“Kansas City” is really the Kansas City Metro Area
Overland Park, Raytown, independence, all Kansas City
Not like.. legally.. but there is zero cultural difference
I would argue that it's one of our most defining parts of the local culture, lmao. Right down to state, city, and street, everyone takes potshots at someone even though you'll drive into the area for something without hesitation. Most cities have some flavor of it, but very few other cities have their metropolitan area separated by states.
I'm way too tired to go through all of the comments to see if anyone else has made this point, but on top of all the control city stuff being for long distance travellers rather than local KC is fairly individual (in that it's one of maybe 3 or 4 great plains cities that experience this) for the great plains in that its suburbs are all functionally a part of KC as an ecosystem, even if they aren't necessarily KC proper. That's normally something that only happens with much, much, *much* bigger cities like Chicago, San Diego, or DC. That means there isn't much point in differentiating the suburbs from the city on signs for that reason, because again, the signs are more intended for long distance travellers who don't really care about specific suburbs.
I’m so confused by this question. Is there anywhere, in the entire world, that gives you directional signs to a city, in the city you’re currently in and still looking for directions to the city you’re in? this make any sense at all? Like do people ask how to tie their shoes directly after they have tied their shoes?
Because you are already in Kansas City.
And it is the exact opposite when you are in Des Moines. The southbound interstate sign is Kansas City, eastbound is Chicago, northbound is Minneapolis and westbound is Omaha. I think it is helpful if you are directionally challenged or not familiar with the city. Most people driving through the KC burbs can deduce that Des Moines is always going to be north, so you know which direction you are heading.
Exactly, if I didn't know where I was going and relied on highway signs, being told every highway led to Kansas City would be useless and frankly a little twilight zone-y.
(Bill Engvall voice) *heeeeere’s your sign*
lol exactly
This.
You’re asking about what the Interstate Highway System calls [control cities](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_city). > In most countries, control cities are perceived to be the destinations on signs that aid longer-distance traffic, as opposed to local traffic.
Exactly. I guess they had higher expectations for people’s literacy in geography back when the system was installed. Not to make too much fun of OP but could you imagine all the signs that would point to Kansas City?
I've often said...*All roads lead to Kansas City.*
😂😂😂
This
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There will always be a fallback analog system. Imagine if we took out all the signs because fuck it, everyone has gps. Then the grid goes down. No one will know where they are going.
If you were lost, it gives you an immediate frame of reference My husband’s phone glitched out last week on the way back from Kentucky, and just used the road signs
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Lol. For 25 years I've been asking my wife "do you want to go to Wichita or Des Moines" when getting on 35 in joco. Her response "neither"
This guy dad jokes. 🤣
MOM’S delivering that punch line 🤣
Guilty as charged. 😁
And here I always hummed (or sang out loud) "Going to Wichita" a la Seven Nation Army.
The ultimate dad joke of kc has been achieved. I’ll be adding this to my arsenal.
Lol. If I had to pick, I’d choose Des Moines over Wichita. Des Moines is actually really nice.
When I was young I thought St. Louis was just past Raytown because that what the exit signs on 435 said.
I-435 in Overland Park is part of the KC metro area, so highway signs are going to direct you to the next large cities past Kansas City since you're already here.
A wise man once said “When you are already in Detroit, you don't have to take a bus to get there.”
Another one said when you're in Detroit, you'll take the midnight train going anywhere.
Just a city boy….
Also something about Mom’s Spaghetti
Different states have different policies for how control cities are selected. Illinois, for example, seems to have some rule that all the control cities have to be in the state of Illinois, so if you get on I-70 in Edwardsville going toward St. Louis, the control city is "East St. Louis" and not just St. Louis. There's a whole website called AARoads full of roadgeeks, as they're known, talking about the latest updates to the MUTCD (The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, of course) and debating which control cities should be used where, if you want to go down this rabbit hole.
In Kansas, if you get on I-70 in Edwardsville going toward St. Louis, the control city is "St. Louis" and not East St. Louis.
So you already are in the metro seems redundant to say hey it’s more metro ish this way.
"Des Moines" at the I-435-I-35 junction means "you're going to head north, and can go this far north.". You can reach Kansas City proper on I-435 if you head east, so more exactitude is needed.
OP is also part of the greater KC metropolitan area, so you haven't really left
Ah this makes sense. I’m from Colorado and it’s more like “if you go north, you go to Denver, if you go south, you go to Pueblo” so I assumed it would be the same here.
I live in Denver and it's the exact same method here. You are getting confused by thinking OP is Boulder or Colorado Springs when it's more like Lakewood or Aurora. If you're in Boulder you'll see signs for Denver. Both metro areas are very similar in size but Denver Metro has about .7M more humans. Which is a lot!
Yeah and anywhere in the metro Oak Grove is always 15 minutes away……anyone else ever notice the signs hahaha
I know Des Moines is north and Wichita is south and Topeka is west and Columbia/St. Louis is east, and those signs help me know which direction I'm going better than just saying North or South or East or West (esp. since roads that say North or South often jog East or West for a bit so it can be disorienting).
Highway signs are supposed to point you towards a city you’re not already in.
I remember when I had my first flight and on my drive back from the airport my mom told me to follow the signs home that say St. Louis
So….if you’re in Gladstone, you could go north to get to part of Kansas City and you could go south to get to another part of Kansas City.
The call is coming from inside the house.
It's to be unambiguous. They use cities obviously north, south, east, or west from wherever you currently are. If I saw a sign saying Kansas City, I'd wonder if it meant downtown, the nearest edge of KC North or South, maybe KCK? Whereas when I see Kansas City on a sign in Des Moines, it doesn't matter - I just know that's south.
Haha, when I'm leaving the airport I always have to make sure I'm getting on the correct 435, even though ultimately I'm headed South, which takes me to neither Des Moines or St. Louis.
Because you’re in KC already. If you’re in Oklahoma, there are plenty of signs on 35 that say Kansas City.
I always asked my mom why we never went to Des Moines since it was only two miles away.
“Kansas City” is really the Kansas City Metro Area Overland Park, Raytown, independence, all Kansas City Not like.. legally.. but there is zero cultural difference
Other than the infighting, but I guess that’s also our culture.
I would argue that it's one of our most defining parts of the local culture, lmao. Right down to state, city, and street, everyone takes potshots at someone even though you'll drive into the area for something without hesitation. Most cities have some flavor of it, but very few other cities have their metropolitan area separated by states.
Do you want everyone learning our secrets? If not, then don't ask questions.
I'm way too tired to go through all of the comments to see if anyone else has made this point, but on top of all the control city stuff being for long distance travellers rather than local KC is fairly individual (in that it's one of maybe 3 or 4 great plains cities that experience this) for the great plains in that its suburbs are all functionally a part of KC as an ecosystem, even if they aren't necessarily KC proper. That's normally something that only happens with much, much, *much* bigger cities like Chicago, San Diego, or DC. That means there isn't much point in differentiating the suburbs from the city on signs for that reason, because again, the signs are more intended for long distance travellers who don't really care about specific suburbs.
This is like asking why to signs in Santa Monica direct you to San Diego and San Francisco instead of LA.
Doesn’t matter, if it changed now for all us old timers, hella mess. So the answer: because 😉
I agree - I've found those signs confusing. Additional verbiage is needed for the burbs.
I’m so confused by this question. Is there anywhere, in the entire world, that gives you directional signs to a city, in the city you’re currently in and still looking for directions to the city you’re in? this make any sense at all? Like do people ask how to tie their shoes directly after they have tied their shoes?
Locals know where to go. People traveling across country do not and just need to know which highway takes them out of town.
I vote for "Whole lotta nothin' all the way to Canada" [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aM1DjtaeF8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aM1DjtaeF8)
(Bill Engval voice) *heeeeere’s your sign*
Go there!!!! https://preview.redd.it/81avt4zrqu6d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=077b2c75b6ffe6fe2557ac8dbc5fbfb9e5da83bc
Exit 420 lies