First in Continental United States to Ban Billboards
The legislation on outdoor advertising , Act 333 , was approved in 1968 . Vermont ’ s statute was comprehensive in that both “ on-premise ” and “ off-premise ” advertising were extensively covered . The ban covered not just traditional , stand-alone billboards but other forms of outdoor advertising such as barn-side advertisements . The comprehensive statute covered visibility from almost any road the public traveled on , not just state or federal roads .
Why did Vermont pass this legislation ? As early as the 1930s , the growing recreation business was bringing more tourists to Vermont . This growth also brought national companies that put up a variety billboards . Opposition to billboards grew . The Rotary Club , the Daughters of the American Revolution and other groups were opposing these monstrosities that were spoiling Vermont ’ s landscape . The Town of Springfield had some billboards removed . In the late 1930s , Vermont ’ s legislature actually passed a statute limiting the use of billboards . Then skiing started to grow in the 1940s , bringing more visitors and more billboards . Then in the early 1960s , the interstates in Vermont were finished , and the same dynamics continued : more tourists and more billboards . Some limitations on billboards had been part of the 1965 Federal Highway Beautification Act , which brought further awareness to the issue .
Conversely , there were pressures to allow billboards because farmers and other landowners were making money by allowing billboards on their land . Businesses liked outdoor advertising , as it brought them customers and created employment — or so they said .
Currently , there are two states in the continental United States that ban outdoor advertising in some way : Vermont ( 1968 ) and Maine ( 1970s ). Alaska banned outdoor advertising in 1998 . In the 1920s , Hawaii , which was a territory at the time , put a ban on most billboards . Vermont ’ s outdoor advertising bans were statewide and were arguably more comprehensive by having restrictions not present in the Hawaii statutes . Definitions aside , Vermont was certainly the first state in the continental United States to pass comprehensive statewide , anti – outdoor advertising legislation .
More Authentic Covered Bridges Per Square Mile
This most refers to authentic covered bridges as defined by the Federal Highway Administration : “ covered bridges supported by longitudinal trusses built of relatively large ( heavy ) timber components .” In other words , the truss walls of the bridge support the roadway . A covered bridge with the roadway supported by steel or timber beams ( stringers ) underneath the roadway that go in the same direction as the roadway is not an authentic covered bridge . There is a roof covering the roadway , and in some cases , the side trusses are covered .
The United States has fewer than 900 authentic covered bridges still standing . Vermont has 101 authentic bridges , according to the National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges .
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Given the size of Vermont and the topography , this means the probability of using , seeing and enjoying an authentic covered bridge on a trip to Vermont is higher than any other state . Also , the covered bridges in Vermont tend to be clustered together , which makes them more convenient to view and use .
The most accepted reason for why there is a roof and / or covered sides is that the covered parts of the bridge protect the wood from getting wet and then rotting . Other reasons for having a roof include protecting the floor from getting wet and freezing , thereby preventing horse-drawn carriages from sliding into the river .
Not only is Vermont first on the list of authentic covered bridges per square mile , but it also has the longest historic covered bridge . The Windsor-Cornish Bridge spans the Connecticut River between Vermont and New Hampshire . If you measure the truss of the Windsor-Cornish Bridge , the span is 449.5 feet , versus 434 feet for the shorter truss of the Medora Bridge in Indiana .
Shortest Time Being a “ Great Lake ”
Vermont ’ s desire to have Lake Champlain formally classified as the sixth “ Great Lake ” nearly became a permanent reality in 1998 . There was a reauthorization of a Sea Grant program that would make certain funds available to Vermont . During this reauthorization process , Senator Patrick Leahy added a few words that formally designated Lake Champlain a Great Lake . Lake Champlain has about five hundred square miles of surface area , but the smallest of the other five lakes , Lake Ontario , has more than seven thousand square miles . However , it has been pointed out that Lake Champlain ’ s watershed is 18 times the lake area , whereas the Great Lakes watershed is only about 1.2 times the area of the lakes .
President Clinton signed Senate Bill 927 on March 6 , 1998 , which included the designation of Lake Champlain as a Great Lake . However , there was so much immediate opposition from the states in the Great Lakes region that the Great Lake designation was rescinded eighteen days later on March 24 , 1998 .
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