Welcome to Idaho, The Gem State state line sign

Description

Idaho has long been known as “The Gem State”, all the way back to statehood. This nickname may have something to do with the name Idaho‘s purported origin as a Native American word meaning “gem of the mountains”—which was totally made up out of whole cloth, just like the name Idaho itself. It’s possible that whoever came up with the nickname had no basis for doing so. However, since then, over 240 minerals, including 72 types of precious and semi-precious gemstones, have been identified within the state’s borders. Among the most unique is the star garnet, a beautiful purple variety of garnet found only in Idaho and India.

The nickname “The Gem State” appeared on Idaho’s state welcome signs in the 1970s and 1980s, along with the silhouettes of evergreen trees. Connoisseurs of American highway signs might note that the word “IDAHO” on this sign is a very late usage of the classic block fonts, which were retired at the federal level in 1948. This is one of the few instances of the block font being used on the same sign as the modern highway fonts, which are used for the other text on the sign.

Our Welcome to Idaho, The Gem State sign is a precise replica of these classic signs. We have used historic photographs to ensure that every detail of the sign is correct. The layout, the fonts used, and the evergreen silhouettes are all just like the original. It’s the closest thing you can get to the real deal without setting your time machine to 1980s Idaho!

Our Welcome to Idaho, The Gem State sign is proudly printed in the United States on heavy-duty 14-gauge steel. It is made with a glossy, non-reflective finish that allows it to serve as an excellent home decor piece that will also stand up to a harsh Idaho winter when installed outside. To make installation easier, we’ve included convenient mounting holes, as well. This sign is available in the following sizes:

• 16 in. × 8 in.
• 24 in. × 12 in.
• 36 in. × 18 in.
• 48 in. × 24 in.
• 72 in. × 36 in. (this one is big enough it needs to be split across two panels for manufacturing and shipping!)

We can, of course, make just about any road sign you can think of, from anywhere in the world! And not just state welcome signs, but also city limit signs, route markers, directional and mileage signs. Can’t find what you want on our site? Place a custom order! Just contact Jake to get started.