Gianforte unveils new ‘Welcome to Montana’ highway signs
MICAH DREW Daily Montanan | Daily Inter-Lake | UPDATED 15 hours, 45 minutes AGO
Gov. Greg Gianforte unveils Montana’s new highway welcome signs. (Courtesy photo)
Visitors to Montana arriving via highway will be greeted by a new set of roadside signs in the image of the state’s new “Montana Brand” which the state rolled out last spring.
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte unveiled the new signs at the state capitol on Tuesday following a poll conducted among members of the public late last year.
“It has been over a decade since Montana had a new welcome sign at our states borders,” Gianforte said in a statement. “The Treasure State is already the most welcoming, business friendly state in the country and now our brand will be one of the first impressions they get when they enter the state.”
According to the Governor’s office, more than 11,000 Montanans submitted a vote for one of the three options, with the winning sign featuring a dark blue outline of the state with a stylized image of mountains and badlands landscape in the center and “Welcome to Montana” emblazoned across it.
“This new sign incorporates the new Montana brand, which we proudly unveiled last year at the World Famous Mile City Bucking Horse Sale,” Department of Commerce Director Marta Bertoglio said. “Montanans made a great choice. From the badlands and prairies of eastern Montana to the vast mountain ranges of western Montana, this design represents the Treasure State well.”
The new signs will replace existing signs at the state’s roadway boundaries with Idaho, Wyoming, North Dakota and Canada, which feature photographic landscapes and animals. The current signs were last updated and installed in 2014.
The Montana Department of Transportation will be installed later this month as weather and access to locations allows.
“I’m excited to have the new ‘Welcome to Montana’ sign displayed at entry points across our great state,” Department of Transportation Chris Dorrington said. “The design represents all of Montana and will be a refreshing sight for Montanans returning home. Chosen by citizens, it reflects the character of our entire state, and I look forward to seeing the team begin installation.”