11:27 Fun Fact: If a motorist takes the 40-44-70 route from LA to NYC or vice versa, they get to see both this cross, and the one in Effingham, IL along the way.
For whatever reason I've always found road geography fascinating. Since I was a little kid I would read off all the road signs because I had no technology to play with. So I find these oddly comforting, as they bring back memories of road trips my family would often take to see relatives
I was literally following a road atlas and giving navigation info and updates on mileage at barely school age, ie. 6-7, in the mid 70s. I'm 53 currently so was born in mid 1969.
4:55- There actually is a pretty decent amount of westbound 40 traffic getting onto 77. A lot of companies opt to fly into airports in Winston-Salem and Greensboro as it tends to be significantly cheaper than flying into Charlotte. Companies that do this take I-40 onto 77 largely because it's more "conventional" (and about the same time) than US-421. While they used to take I-85 into Charlotte, economic development in the city and its suburbs has shifted North/South along I-77 and as such it just makes more sense to go from I-40 to I-77. They've been doing a new interchange in Statesville to improve the efficiency of it all. Some more on Statesville as a control city-- NC usually has control cities as more regional economically important areas (explaining Jacksonville, Smithfield, Hickory, Biltmore Estate and so on). Statesville used to be a big tobacco place similar to Winston-Salem. That being combined with the interchange between 40 and 77 (which is seeing an increase in traffic like I talked about earlier) is likely why it's a control city. Great videos, keep up the work! I've always been interested in road geography for whatever reason and all of these you're doing are pretty cool
If you looked at the random interchanges hickory is mainly signed for US 321 traffic westbound, however It would be fine as a secondary to Asheville, the worst I've seen is I85 where at random interchanges I only see Kings Mountain, that's mainly for US74, NC is weird and I live in that state
When people in Canada asked me where I lived, I’d say “near Charlotte.” But so many of them in those days took I-77 to go to the beach (SC beaches, I guess), they all knew where Statesville is. I think some may have stayed there for the night rather than getting into Charlotte. Some folks even knew where I was talking about when I said I live near Exit 30. Statesville is a rather big deal, compared to its size, because of the intersection of two major interstates.
Good news: the mileage sign for Barstow being 2554 miles away in NC is back! However, it’s a part of a bigger mile sign with Benson and Raleigh. Maybe stealers won’t be as interested in it when it’s like that? Idk.
Extension over Cal Sr 58 to Interstate 5 is planned! Also a possible concurrence with I-5 to Cal Sr 46 then using Sr 46 west to Paso Robles ending at US 101. I wouldn’t mind seeing US 101 itself become Interstate 1 between LA and SF. It wouldn’t take much to do and half of the route could be signed right now.
Also wanted to disagree about the need to sign Durham in addition to Raleigh. Durham is the center of its own MSA (with Chapel-Hill) and downtown Durham to downtown Raleigh is almost 30 miles distance. Durham is the fourth largest city in NC and is on the way to surpassing Greensboro to become the third largest NC city.
I think either an I-340/I-740/I-940 should exist along the Wade Ave Frwy in Raleigh. It's a 3-mile Freeway that connects I-40 to PNC Arena, Carter Finley Stadium, The State Fair Grounds, and most importantly Northern Raleigh/Downtown Raleigh coming from the West going East.
7:38 to 7:40 I-40 was planned to go straight across Sam Cooper Blvd. Sam Cooper Continues as a freeway for a few miles and abruptly ends. Due to Local opposition to route I-40 through a local park, they routed I-40 to the North of the city along the old I-240.
Looking on Google Maps, I have noticed that I-40 in Arizona west of Flagstaff has a control city of Los Angeles, which I think is a subtle homage to the Historic Route 66, which I-40 follows from OKC to Barstow.
That's why Gallup is so well known as well! Lyrics: "You'll see Amarillo, and Gallup New Mexico, Flagstaff Arizona, don't forget Winona, Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino"
@@adammoldover8769Only reason I remember that song is because of the movie Cars. And I swear from Gallup, NM, Red Rock, to Albuquerque I was looking for Radiator Springs 😅
14:43 I think this awesome sign is what makes I-40 the most LA interstate that doesn't actually go to LA, besides I-15. AZDOT should keep this sign, even when 40 is extended to Bakersfield, maybe cosign Vegas with LA here when 11 is extended to Kingman, but after Kingman, it should definitely be LA all the way, not Barstow. I mean c'mon, I-40 is one of the major routes between NYC and LA, and thus it should be mandatory that LA is signed on 40 West.
Oh man, I remember when my mom and I went on a road trip to get my brother up in Oregon, we actually drove a significant portion of I-40 from Little Rock, AR all the way to Gallup, NM, it was quite a ride for me and a drive for my mom. :) And the funny thing is that even though the section of I-40 between OKC and ABQ is regarded by many as one of the most boring stretches of road in all of America, I was never bored, not even slightly on that entire trip. I would love to drive the whole length of I-40 myself someday. :)
I just drove that Eastbound to Amarillo and I did notice there were a lot of hills and canyons but once you got close to the Texas state line that was it. A whole bunch of nothing lol
Bakersfield and Las Vegas are both obvious destintations for long dstances on I-40. Bakersfield will be the biggest city on I-40 west of (Albuquerque? Oklahoma City? Memphis?) once I-40 is completed to I-5 unless it should be extended to the San Francisco Bay Area. San Francisco is at roughly the same latitude as Richmond and not much farther north. than Nashville.
Kingman should be added when I-11 gets there. Vegas will be just as much of a traffic driver then. Also going north to flagstaff to go southwest to LA makes little sense
I can only guess the reason they use Jacksonville as a control city is because it is home to camp Lejeune which is a military base located in the city.
I 40 in Tennessee's exit numbers and mile markers are about 3.5 miles off because all of the exit numbers are/were based on I-40 going through Overton Park and they never changed them after 40 was rerouted onto the northern half of 240
1:27 Jacksonville is the host city of Camp Lejeune Marine base. So I think that makes some sense because a lot of Marines go down to Wilmington and back
Biltmore Estate is a major tourist draw for Asheville like Disney World in Orlando. It is signed because people are going there specifically and in huge numbers.
One of the things I always think about I-40 west is its future from Barstow to Bakersfield. It's been considered as an expansion for I-40 west of Barstow for decades. Wonder if it happens in the near future.
They could extend I-40 all the way to I-5 just west of Bakersfield along CA Hwy 58, then along with I-10, I-80, and I-90 you'll have another interstate that connects I-5 and I-95, and another 148 miles added to I-40, making it a total of 2,707 miles long, just a little under 200 miles shorter than I-80.
@@dvferyance Eventually, TN will build a bypass around Portland, and possibly extend it south, bypassing Gallatin as well. Then maybe, 840 will be 3/4s complete around Nashville, though the full loop would be extremely out of the way.
@@JMccovery A 3/4th beltway would still be better it would be like what 470/E470 and the Northwest Parkway is to Denver. Right now I-840 really only helps I-40 both I-24 and I-65 travelers are out of luck they must pass through Downton Nashville.
Another solution would be converting the southern portion of TN 155 in Nashville to interstate standards, demolish the current I-440 and designate TN 155 as I-440. It could serve as another bypass for Nashville.
@@dvferyance Same with Houston. TX 8 & I-610 serves as bypasses for Houston. Southern portion TX 99 just needs to be built and it would serve as a third bypass for Houston.
I remember passing that sign in 1988. It was at about 3AM and I tried to tell my brother about it and he didn't believe it until he saw the sign himself and he took a picture of it as well.
They are improving Hwy 58 to interstate standards between Mojave and Barstow to allow I-40 to Bakersfield and beyond. The new Westside Pkwy being built in Bakersfield will be the new I-40
Cool. When I 40 gets extended, when it intersects with I 15, there will be new signs that will say 15 north Las Vegas Salt Lake City and 40 west 15 south Los Angeles Bakersfield.
About Gallup, I think the reason everyone knows Gallup is because of "Get Your Kicks on Route 66," it emphasizes Gallup, skipping Albuquerque entirely. Also Gallup is the only place I saw mass being held in three different languages, English, Spanish, and Latin.
You are correct -- there was a sign at the TX/NM border that set out mileage to Los Angeles -- 1,000 miles away. It was there when I drove the route in 1984 and again when I passed that way in 1996.
6:07 Nice shoutout to the Simpsons there You may have to redo this video if the stretch from Barstow to Bakersfield ever gets approved...which is a really cool drive either way
I'm thinking when I-11 gets completed, the control city west of Flagstaff should be Las Vegas. And if I-40 gets extended to Bakersfield, the control city west of Kingman should be Bakersfield.
Here’s Speedboy14’s the way it should be for I-40 westbound Raleigh Durham Greensboro Winston-Salem Asheville Knoxville Nashville Memphis Little Rock Fort Smith Oklahoma City Amarillo Albuquerque Gallup Flagstaff Los Angeles
840 is a beautiful drive. I've only driven the west end from 40 to 65 (back when it was just finished and still TN-840), and if you're going to Williamson County coming from Memphis/Dickson, much more relaxing drive than 40.
That LA sign is one of my favorites. It's on my top 3 favorite signs in America, along with: I-86 East (PA, NY): New York City I-43 North/I-41 South/I-894 Bypass: Chicago
I don't have pic of milege sign but I remember in the 1980s 1990s as a Young kid for the sign entering new mexico it read Albuquerque 216. Flagstaff 535 Los Angeles 1007.i love reading mileage signs i remember it took me about a minute to say all of it outloud while traveling lol.i miss the old milege signs
Nice work. Thank you for this series. I enjoy it. I think it’s misleading to say that I-40 goes “around” Winston-Salem. I-40 goes well within the city limits, only about 2-3 miles from downtown. I’m sure you know that US 421, now called Salem Parkway, is the former I-40 and more recently, the former Business Route I-40. US 421 is old and very substandard through the central area of Winston-Salem. One sharp curve on this section of US 421 near Wake Forest Baptist Hospital was notorious for having lots of serious accidents. They may have since fixed that curve, but I think it is correct for NCDOT to leave Winston-Salem as a destination on this signage and in so doing, direct most Winston-Salem traffic away from US 421/Salem Parkway. Edit: Clearly I’m behind the times! A lot of reconstruction work has been done in recent years to reconstruct US 421 through central Winston-Salem. Maybe I shouldn’t be calling it “substandard” any more.
Thanks! Yeah I just meant around downtown. I said the same thing about KTA signing 35 for Wichita at the exit that would be best used for downtown and ISTHA signing Rockford on 39 at the best exit for downtown Rockford (although I consider both of those more egregious because the agencies are clearly trying to get unaware motorists to pay a couple more miles worth of tolls).
At some random times in recent history (meaning within 50 years LOL), there were some sketchy plans to extend 40 to Bakersfield to end at CA 99. It wouldn't take much construction to do that, merely the almost 70 miles between Barstow and Mojave. West of Mojave, CA 58 is pretty much interstate grade..
@@ControlCityFreak I went to bakersfield recently and it looks like they are going to extend the CA58 freeway out to I-5 (the 58 freeway currently ends at CA99 and it becomes an arterial west of 99). a strong possibily that I-40 will pass bakersfield and end at I-5 in the future.
I wonder if Barstow is signed as the control city because of people getting onto CA 58 to go to Bakersfield and NorCal. I can’t say I agree with it though. The control city should be Bakersfield and LA should be on the mileage signs
Do you think that more people coming from Arizona and the 40/66 corridor are bound for Bakersfield than LA? Barstow is a fine secondary but LA is the correct choice. Bakersfield is an afterthought, no need to sign it until meeting 58.
@@ControlCityFreak fair point about more people going to LA than Bakersfield. The amount of people going to LA specifically is about the same as the amount of people headed to Bakersfield or I-5. LA would work much better than Barstow, but I think CA-58 should be upgraded to interstate standards
@@benjaminchandler7919 Maybe, but I’d imagine more people are going to LA proper over Bakersfield straight up, but LA also represents a metro of nearly 20 million people
If they did extend I-40 along CA SR 58 from Barstow to I-5 near Bakersfield, I have an idea of how Arizona could sign I-40 in Flagstaff and on mileage signs west of Flagstaff. In Flagstaff they could keep Los Angeles on the big green sign, because of I-15 and old Route 66, but they could also add San Francisco because of I-40 going to I-5, which leads north toward the Bay Area, and the fastest way to get from the Southeastern US to the Bay Area and vice versa involves driving on I-40 to CA SR 58 to I-5 and vice versa, so that's what I think Arizona should do if I-40 is extended to I-5 west of Bakersfield. As for mileage signs, they could have on the first line a small city, on the second line Los Angeles, and on the third line San Francisco, because San Francisco is the most distant of the three. That's just an idea though.
@@ControlCityFreak I was thinking about it a little more, do you think San Francisco is a little too distant of control city to sign on I-40 in Flagstaff? Do you think Bakersfield would be a better choice? I ask because Bakersfield is much closer than SF, and it is a sizeable city in its own right, with over 400,000 people and it is growing rapidly, and I-40 would actually go there.
@@ControlCityFreak On I-40 in Flagstaff sign it as 40 West Las Vegas Los Angeles when I-11 is completed, and in Kingman at the junction sign it as 40 West Los Angeles Bakersfield if I-40 is extended to I-5?
My controls: raleigh, durham, greensboro, winston salem, asheville, knoxville, nashville, memphis, little rock, fort smith, okc, amarillo, albuquerque, flagstaff, kingman or Los angeles (kingman because of future i-11 junction to vegas)
There are a few of the large crosses scattered around the Souith. There are 2 of them along I-75 in Tennessee, one at mile 82 (I think) and the other at mile 141.
8:31 If you're going to put two control cities on the sign, I would have I-55 signed for St. Louis AND Chicago, since 55 will eventually go there, but you can take I-57 as a shortcut to avoid St. Louis. As for I-40, this may break most rules, but in this case I wouldn't object to having it signed for Little Rock and Dallas, even you have to get off on I-30 for that; just put Dallas with Little Rock on the 30 exit. At least since Arkansas is in the business of signing dual control cities.
Here is a list of examples of Interstates being signed for control cities they don't actually go to: I-H2 South: Honolulu I-H3 West: Honolulu I-5 North: Vancouver BC I-8 East: Phoenix/Tucson I-15 North: Lethbridge I-15 South: Los Angeles I-17 South: Tucson I-24 West: St. Louis I-25 North: Sheridan (should be Billings) I-27 South: Tahoka (should be Midland) I-29 North: Winnipeg I-30 West: Abilene I-40 West: Los Angeles I-41 East: Chicago I-43 East: Chicago I-44 East: Kansas City I-55 South: New Orleans I-57 South: Memphis I-59 South: New Orleans I-65 North: Chicago I-76 West (Eastern): Cleveland I-77 South: Charleston SC I-79 South: Charleston WV I-80 East: New York City I-84 East (Western): Salt Lake City I-84 East (Western): Cheyenne I-84 East (Eastern): Boston I-85 South: Columbus GA I-86 West (Western): Twin Falls (should be Boise) I-86 East (Eastern): New York City I-86 West (Eastern): Erie I-87 North (Northern): Montreal I-88 East (Eastern): Albany
I think the extension to Bakersfield is almost finished. They actually started building p the extension from CA 99 in Bakersfield to I-5 so I-40 will reach there
The only reason to sign them is junctions. Hickory is a cutofff for Charlotte eastbound but has no use westbound. Statesville for 77, but northbound 77 traffic would be on 74 and southbound traffic would be on 85 or 285. Tentative utility eastbound, zero westbound.
It’s hard to believe that on the mileage sign on I-40 west coming out of Nashville they use Jackson TN as the secondary Control City as soon as you leave Nashville but I’m glad they still use Memphis as the primary Control City
@@mxderateprod when coming out of Nashville on I-40 west Jackson TN makes sense to be the secondary control city because it is fairly sizeable and Memphis makes sense to be the primary because it’s the next major city, the only bad move on the mileage sign on I-65 in Tennessee is where they sign Birmingham instead of Huntsville
Here is how I'd sign the control cities: Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Asheville, Knoxville, Nashville, Memphis, Little Rock, Fort Smith, OKC, Amarillo, Albuquerque, Flagstaff, Los Angeles
The most obvious direction for I-40 would have been to the big urban complex of southeastern Virginia. Wilmington might still have merited a freeway, but it could just as easily have been a spur route.
@@ControlCityFreak if it did so, that would skip Raleigh. It would be a bit strange for a state capital to only be served by a spur and US highways, especially with the amount of growth in that area
Never underestimate the confusability of the American traveler. Caltrans doesn't sign Los Angeles on the 40 because drivers end up thinking they can take the 40 all the way to LA, and end up driving in circles in Barstow looking for the 40 instead of the 15. OKC and Amarillo actually do it right - they only use actual Interstate control cities, i.e., Amarillo and Flagstaff. On the mileage signs out West (California too) they mention the small hamlets on mileboards because of the long stretches of road without fuel stops. If you leave Needles on a quarter tank of gas going west in a pickup, you're gonna have to open the back window and fart your way into town...
Those small hamlets are fine for next exit and secondary controls. 40 also dumps into southbound 15 at its end, which CalTrans could also sign for LA, so clueless yokels wouldn’t be in Barstow for long.
@@ControlCityFreak awesome man! I noticed something on my route this morning. I-90 after buffalo NY heading east makes Albany the control city even though Syracuse comes first. Kinda weird
Paradoxically, !-40 west of Flagstaff could have Las Vegas as a control city (once I-11 is completed. California has long sought to upgrade California 58 to an Interstate to at least Interstate 5. Bakersfield is a substantial city in its own right. Indeed it could be extended west (with much 'help' from Interstate 5) to San Francisco. Don't laugh; San Francisco is farther south than many realize.
I’m good with LA in Flagstaff for now, but I think when 11 is extended and when/if 40 is, Vegas would actually be a great control city in Flagstaff, and then Bakersfield could become the primary from Kingman. However, I don’t think they should ever sign Bakersfield from Flagstaff. LA is a big enough traffic driver to be signed from that far away, but I just don’t imagine there would be that much Flagstaff-Bakersfield traffic.
@@ControlCityFreak Mojave would be relevant, as CA-14 leads to the northwestern part of the LA metro area. I suspect that it could be turned into an extension of "the four-oh-five".
Almost 20 years ago the i 40 bridge collapsed over the Arkansas River near Webbers falls OK I was 11 months old at the time it was may 26 2002 i was born on June 30th 2001 have you heard about that bridge collapse in webbers falls OK almost 20 years ago
I love the Big Texan restaurant, I was there a couple times when I drove a truck, but I didn't get the 72oz steak, I don't have a death wish ,it's great quality steak, but no one in their right mind would try to eat that in 1 hour
My Control Cities for I-40 West: Raleigh Greensboro Winston-Salem Asheville Knoxville Nashville Memphis Little Rock / Fort Smith Forth Smith / Oklahoma City Oklahoma City Amarillo Albuquerque Flagstaff / Los Angeles
The 10 & 40 Freeways Seems To Love LA But The 10 Is More Downward From The 40 Freeway With The Rest Of The 10 Freeway Far Away From The 40 Freeway Being In Palm Springs
Now that I think about it, Los Angeles is the right control city for I-40 west at Flagstaff. Driving through the heavy traffic of now-giant Phoenix to get to Los Angeles is a mistake unless you have something to see in Greater Phoenix. Taking I-17 would also be a mistake even to go to San Diego. Las Vegas would also be fitting due to its size, especially once US 93 becomes I-11 in Arizona. California has been upgrading CA-58 piecemeal from Barstow to I-5 to Interstate standards. Bakersfield would be a valid control city in its own right due to its size. This will eventually be I-40. and the westernmost end of I-40 (2020? 2050?) will be much more relevant to this new section of I-40. Mile markers for San Francisco (as this is the favored route between the Bay Area and anything along I-40 and places from Dallas and Houston to the south of I-40. Indeed I could imagine I-40 being extended to... San Francisco. Sure, US 40 used to go to San Francisco, but it hasn't been there since the 1960's. It would have to overlap I-5 to at least CA-152. Note well: even though one can hardly think of San Francisco as a Southern city, it is at the same latitude as Richmond, Virginia. and not much farther north than Nashville.
11:27 Fun Fact: If a motorist takes the 40-44-70 route from LA to NYC or vice versa, they get to see both this cross, and the one in Effingham, IL along the way.
Hopefully someday I-40 will extend to Bakersfield,California i like to see that happen.
For whatever reason I've always found road geography fascinating. Since I was a little kid I would read off all the road signs because I had no technology to play with. So I find these oddly comforting, as they bring back memories of road trips my family would often take to see relatives
Yep, did the same when I was a kid.
Same thing!
I was literally following a road atlas and giving navigation info and updates on mileage at barely school age, ie. 6-7, in the mid 70s. I'm 53 currently so was born in mid 1969.
Same, but I still do that and read signs.
Same also, crazy !
4:55- There actually is a pretty decent amount of westbound 40 traffic getting onto 77. A lot of companies opt to fly into airports in Winston-Salem and Greensboro as it tends to be significantly cheaper than flying into Charlotte.
Companies that do this take I-40 onto 77 largely because it's more "conventional" (and about the same time) than US-421. While they used to take I-85 into Charlotte, economic development in the city and its suburbs has shifted North/South along I-77 and as such it just makes more sense to go from I-40 to I-77. They've been doing a new interchange in Statesville to improve the efficiency of it all.
Some more on Statesville as a control city-- NC usually has control cities as more regional economically important areas (explaining Jacksonville, Smithfield, Hickory, Biltmore Estate and so on). Statesville used to be a big tobacco place similar to Winston-Salem. That being combined with the interchange between 40 and 77 (which is seeing an increase in traffic like I talked about earlier) is likely why it's a control city.
Great videos, keep up the work! I've always been interested in road geography for whatever reason and all of these you're doing are pretty cool
Thanks! And great info!
If you looked at the random interchanges hickory is mainly signed for US 321 traffic westbound, however It would be fine as a secondary to Asheville, the worst I've seen is I85 where at random interchanges I only see Kings Mountain, that's mainly for US74, NC is weird and I live in that state
When people in Canada asked me where I lived, I’d say “near Charlotte.” But so many of them in those days took I-77 to go to the beach (SC beaches, I guess), they all knew where Statesville is. I think some may have stayed there for the night rather than getting into Charlotte. Some folks even knew where I was talking about when I said I live near Exit 30. Statesville is a rather big deal, compared to its size, because of the intersection of two major interstates.
17:30 They're signing Ludlow because once you're past Needles the next services of any kind (even gas, bathrooms and snacks) are in Ludlow.
Good news: the mileage sign for Barstow being 2554 miles away in NC is back! However, it’s a part of a bigger mile sign with Benson and Raleigh. Maybe stealers won’t be as interested in it when it’s like that? Idk.
Oh cool! Yeah Benson being on it will probably make it less appealing for thieves lol.
Imagine rather than signing Barstow, they instead signed Los Angeles on that sign.
Extension over Cal Sr 58 to Interstate 5 is planned! Also a possible concurrence with I-5 to Cal Sr 46 then using Sr 46 west to Paso Robles ending at US 101. I wouldn’t mind seeing US 101 itself become Interstate 1 between LA and SF. It wouldn’t take much to do and half of the route could be signed right now.
Also wanted to disagree about the need to sign Durham in addition to Raleigh. Durham is the center of its own MSA (with Chapel-Hill) and downtown Durham to downtown Raleigh is almost 30 miles distance. Durham is the fourth largest city in NC and is on the way to surpassing Greensboro to become the third largest NC city.
I think either an I-340/I-740/I-940 should exist along the Wade Ave Frwy in Raleigh. It's a 3-mile Freeway that connects I-40 to PNC Arena, Carter Finley Stadium, The State Fair Grounds, and most importantly Northern Raleigh/Downtown Raleigh coming from the West going East.
I would agree.
7:38 to 7:40 I-40 was planned to go straight across Sam Cooper Blvd. Sam Cooper Continues as a freeway for a few miles and abruptly ends. Due to Local opposition to route I-40 through a local park, they routed I-40 to the North of the city along the old I-240.
Looking on Google Maps, I have noticed that I-40 in Arizona west of Flagstaff has a control city of Los Angeles, which I think is a subtle homage to the Historic Route 66, which I-40 follows from OKC to Barstow.
I think that could be part of it
That's why Gallup is so well known as well! Lyrics:
"You'll see Amarillo, and Gallup New Mexico, Flagstaff Arizona, don't forget Winona, Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino"
@@adammoldover8769Only reason I remember that song is because of the movie Cars. And I swear from Gallup, NM, Red Rock, to Albuquerque I was looking for Radiator Springs 😅
14:43 I think this awesome sign is what makes I-40 the most LA interstate that doesn't actually go to LA, besides I-15. AZDOT should keep this sign, even when 40 is extended to Bakersfield, maybe cosign Vegas with LA here when 11 is extended to Kingman, but after Kingman, it should definitely be LA all the way, not Barstow. I mean c'mon, I-40 is one of the major routes between NYC and LA, and thus it should be mandatory that LA is signed on 40 West.
Agreed
Oh man, I remember when my mom and I went on a road trip to get my brother up in Oregon, we actually drove a significant portion of I-40 from Little Rock, AR all the way to Gallup, NM, it was quite a ride for me and a drive for my mom. :) And the funny thing is that even though the section of I-40 between OKC and ABQ is regarded by many as one of the most boring stretches of road in all of America, I was never bored, not even slightly on that entire trip. I would love to drive the whole length of I-40 myself someday. :)
I just drove that Eastbound to Amarillo and I did notice there were a lot of hills and canyons but once you got close to the Texas state line that was it. A whole bunch of nothing lol
@@yt-user03561 Even in the stretch of 40 in the Panhandle, even there I wasn't bored.
I use to think that I-40 being signed to LA was a little lame (even I understood why as it’s a legacy of Route 66) but this video has changed my mind
Bakersfield and Las Vegas are both obvious destintations for long dstances on I-40. Bakersfield will be the biggest city on I-40 west of (Albuquerque? Oklahoma City? Memphis?) once I-40 is completed to I-5 unless it should be extended to the San Francisco Bay Area. San Francisco is at roughly the same latitude as Richmond and not much farther north. than Nashville.
Kingman should be added when I-11 gets there. Vegas will be just as much of a traffic driver then. Also going north to flagstaff to go southwest to LA makes little sense
I don't have a picture, but I remember seeing the sign for Los Angeles in New Mexico. We were on vacation to California in 1982. It was 1007 miles.
I do like the Barstow milege sign where west 40 begins i dont know why somebody take it
I can only guess the reason they use Jacksonville as a control city is because it is home to camp Lejeune which is a military base located in the city.
I 40 in Tennessee's exit numbers and mile markers are about 3.5 miles off because all of the exit numbers are/were based on I-40 going through Overton Park and they never changed them after 40 was rerouted onto the northern half of 240
Interstate 40 does go to Durham NC. Just not downtown, it goes through at about 9 miles of southern part of Durham.
The same is true with Winston-Salem. The Salem Pkwy/421 is the right route for downtown W-S, but southern W-S is accessed via I-40.
8:05 OMG! I always wondered what happened to the Pyramid Arena!
I love I-40! I’m thinking when you get to I-80 I’ll have memorized the whole interstate, that used to be my old trucking route!
Looking forward to that one!
I'd love to drive this whole someday.
As would I
I-40, exit 407 in TN is probably my favorite interstate exit of all. It leads to my favorite place on Earth, Pigeon Forge, TN
"440" near Little Rock could as easily be signed for Dallas as the easiest route to "Big D'.
Texarkana is fine. It's what 30 is signed for.
1:27 Jacksonville is the host city of Camp Lejeune Marine base. So I think that makes some sense because a lot of Marines go down to Wilmington and back
There is also a Jackson, Michigan as well.
There is a Jackson Wisconsin although it's a small town.
Biltmore Estate is a major tourist draw for Asheville like Disney World in Orlando. It is signed because people are going there specifically and in huge numbers.
One of the things I always think about I-40 west is its future from Barstow to Bakersfield. It's been considered as an expansion for I-40 west of Barstow for decades. Wonder if it happens in the near future.
They could extend I-40 all the way to I-5 just west of Bakersfield along CA Hwy 58, then along with I-10, I-80, and I-90 you'll have another interstate that connects I-5 and I-95, and another 148 miles added to I-40, making it a total of 2,707 miles long, just a little under 200 miles shorter than I-80.
Was down there (Raleigh /Durham)This past Memorial Day weekend
Having driven both through and around Nashville, I would definitely say 840 is the better way across Tennessee.
I just wish it was a full beltway. I-65 and I-24 are mess around downtown Nashville.
@@dvferyance Eventually, TN will build a bypass around Portland, and possibly extend it south, bypassing Gallatin as well. Then maybe, 840 will be 3/4s complete around Nashville, though the full loop would be extremely out of the way.
@@JMccovery A 3/4th beltway would still be better it would be like what 470/E470 and the Northwest Parkway is to Denver. Right now I-840 really only helps I-40 both I-24 and I-65 travelers are out of luck they must pass through Downton Nashville.
Another solution would be converting the southern portion of TN 155 in Nashville to interstate standards, demolish the current I-440 and designate TN 155 as I-440. It could serve as another bypass for Nashville.
@@dvferyance Same with Houston. TX 8 & I-610 serves as bypasses for Houston. Southern portion TX 99 just needs to be built and it would serve as a third bypass for Houston.
I have pic of ''LA 1007 miles'', sign from 1986, on 35 mm photo, :-)
Awesome! I just started an IG, @controlcityfreak. Any chance you could share it?
I remember passing that sign in 1988. It was at about 3AM and I tried to tell my brother about it and he didn't believe it until he saw the sign himself and he took a picture of it as well.
I wonder if Caltrans would upgrade the 58 to interstate standards where I-40 can be extended to Bakersfield and possibly to US-101
Also, when I-40 is extended, the milage signs between Needles and Barstow should consist of Barstow, Los Angeles, and Bakersfield.
They are improving Hwy 58 to interstate standards between Mojave and Barstow to allow I-40 to Bakersfield and beyond. The new Westside Pkwy being built in Bakersfield will be the new I-40
Cool. When I 40 gets extended, when it intersects with I 15, there will be new signs that will say 15 north Las Vegas Salt Lake City and 40 west 15 south Los Angeles Bakersfield.
@@jacobflanigan6343 I wouldn't mention Bakersfield until after 40 splits with 15. During the concurrency I would say just Los Angeles.
40 should get Bakersfield as a destination control city as it will likely end in Bakersfield on the Westside Parkway at Stockdale Highway.
Nah. Way more traffic going to LA than Bakersfield, and it’s still the route to LA from a big swath of the country
1:26 Jacksonville, NC is signed for the purpose of NC 140 (Signed at Exit 416 as Topsail Island, Jacksonville)
i love I-40 . I use I-40 to drive from Holbrook to OKC
LOL--"People who really, really like Barstow." Well, they do have the Barstow taco at Del Taco.
About Gallup, I think the reason everyone knows Gallup is because of "Get Your Kicks on Route 66," it emphasizes Gallup, skipping Albuquerque entirely. Also Gallup is the only place I saw mass being held in three different languages, English, Spanish, and Latin.
You are correct -- there was a sign at the TX/NM border that set out mileage to Los Angeles -- 1,000 miles away. It was there when I drove the route in 1984 and again when I passed that way in 1996.
Awesome! Now that I think of it, I’ve only ever crossed that border going eastbound
The other control cities on that sign were Albuquerque and Flagstaff, with Los Angeles at 1,007 miles.
6:07 Nice shoutout to the Simpsons there
You may have to redo this video if the stretch from Barstow to Bakersfield ever gets approved...which is a really cool drive either way
I'm thinking when I-11 gets completed, the control city west of Flagstaff should be Las Vegas. And if I-40 gets extended to Bakersfield, the control city west of Kingman should be Bakersfield.
I hope LA is still there in some capacity. I wouldn't be surprised to see a switch to Kingman though.
@@ControlCityFreak I wouldn't sign Kingman, I'd still stick to LA.
LA should still be signed. No Bakersfield until after the 15 junction.
Here’s Speedboy14’s the way it should be for I-40 westbound
Raleigh
Durham
Greensboro
Winston-Salem
Asheville
Knoxville
Nashville
Memphis
Little Rock
Fort Smith
Oklahoma City
Amarillo
Albuquerque
Gallup
Flagstaff
Los Angeles
Also i want them to extend I-40 from Barstow to Bakersfield
Same.
840 is a beautiful drive. I've only driven the west end from 40 to 65 (back when it was just finished and still TN-840), and if you're going to Williamson County coming from Memphis/Dickson, much more relaxing drive than 40.
Cool! I've never been on it, the only time I was on 40 in that area was going east from Nashville (having taken 24 in)
You’ll have a lot of work! NC keeps building more and more interstates! The latest is 885.
No mention of the Cadillac Ranch, the one thing that makes the trip on I-40 through the Panhandle less boring
I mention it on the Route 66 vid!
I think they should put Cookeville as a secondary city between Knoxville and Nashville. It's decently sized and has a university
I'm an Oklahoman and I love i-40! I just have so much fun driving it and it's my home route. Oklahoma City goes crazy
That LA sign is one of my favorites. It's on my top 3 favorite signs in America, along with:
I-86 East (PA, NY): New York City
I-43 North/I-41 South/I-894 Bypass: Chicago
Wait.... So if I convince my family and extended family to move to Ludlow,CA we can have a town for ourselves? Sign me up.
I don't have pic of milege sign but I remember in the 1980s 1990s as a Young kid for the sign entering new mexico it read Albuquerque 216. Flagstaff 535 Los Angeles 1007.i love reading mileage signs i remember it took me about a minute to say all of it outloud while traveling lol.i miss the old milege signs
I saw that once on a message board a long time ago but can't find it online anywhere anymore. Super awesome sign!
Yes I miss seeing milege signs like this one too
Nice work. Thank you for this series. I enjoy it.
I think it’s misleading to say that I-40 goes “around” Winston-Salem. I-40 goes well within the city limits, only about 2-3 miles from downtown. I’m sure you know that US 421, now called Salem Parkway, is the former I-40 and more recently, the former Business Route I-40. US 421 is old and very substandard through the central area of Winston-Salem. One sharp curve on this section of US 421 near Wake Forest Baptist Hospital was notorious for having lots of serious accidents. They may have since fixed that curve, but I think it is correct for NCDOT to leave Winston-Salem as a destination on this signage and in so doing, direct most Winston-Salem traffic away from US 421/Salem Parkway.
Edit: Clearly I’m behind the times! A lot of reconstruction work has been done in recent years to reconstruct US 421 through central Winston-Salem. Maybe I shouldn’t be calling it “substandard” any more.
Thanks! Yeah I just meant around downtown. I said the same thing about KTA signing 35 for Wichita at the exit that would be best used for downtown and ISTHA signing Rockford on 39 at the best exit for downtown Rockford (although I consider both of those more egregious because the agencies are clearly trying to get unaware motorists to pay a couple more miles worth of tolls).
At some random times in recent history (meaning within 50 years LOL), there were some sketchy plans to extend 40 to Bakersfield to end at CA 99. It wouldn't take much construction to do that, merely the almost 70 miles between Barstow and Mojave. West of Mojave, CA 58 is pretty much interstate grade..
I’d heard they were still planning to
@@ControlCityFreak I went to bakersfield recently and it looks like they are going to extend the CA58 freeway out to I-5 (the 58 freeway currently ends at CA99 and it becomes an arterial west of 99). a strong possibily that I-40 will pass bakersfield and end at I-5 in the future.
As you drive on interstates, you have to know your national geography. You follow the Interstate Route Number sign, in this case 40
The cross in Branson MO is quite big.
I wonder if Barstow is signed as the control city because of people getting onto CA 58 to go to Bakersfield and NorCal. I can’t say I agree with it though. The control city should be Bakersfield and LA should be on the mileage signs
Do you think that more people coming from Arizona and the 40/66 corridor are bound for Bakersfield than LA? Barstow is a fine secondary but LA is the correct choice. Bakersfield is an afterthought, no need to sign it until meeting 58.
@@ControlCityFreak fair point about more people going to LA than Bakersfield. The amount of people going to LA specifically is about the same as the amount of people headed to Bakersfield or I-5. LA would work much better than Barstow, but I think CA-58 should be upgraded to interstate standards
@@benjaminchandler7919 Maybe, but I’d imagine more people are going to LA proper over Bakersfield straight up, but LA also represents a metro of nearly 20 million people
Nashville’s skyline is really growing.
5:16 did you see the Welcome to North Carolina
*WE LOVE PROVINCIAL CONTROL CITIES*
I wonder if this is the highway Chris Daughtry is singing about in "Tennessee Line."
If they did extend I-40 along CA SR 58 from Barstow to I-5 near Bakersfield, I have an idea of how Arizona could sign I-40 in Flagstaff and on mileage signs west of Flagstaff. In Flagstaff they could keep Los Angeles on the big green sign, because of I-15 and old Route 66, but they could also add San Francisco because of I-40 going to I-5, which leads north toward the Bay Area, and the fastest way to get from the Southeastern US to the Bay Area and vice versa involves driving on I-40 to CA SR 58 to I-5 and vice versa, so that's what I think Arizona should do if I-40 is extended to I-5 west of Bakersfield. As for mileage signs, they could have on the first line a small city, on the second line Los Angeles, and on the third line San Francisco, because San Francisco is the most distant of the three. That's just an idea though.
Sounds cool!
@@ControlCityFreak I was thinking about it a little more, do you think San Francisco is a little too distant of control city to sign on I-40 in Flagstaff? Do you think Bakersfield would be a better choice? I ask because Bakersfield is much closer than SF, and it is a sizeable city in its own right, with over 400,000 people and it is growing rapidly, and I-40 would actually go there.
@@drivingbritt9617 I’d probably just keep it LA or change it to Vegas out of Flagstaff when 11 is done, then LA
@@ControlCityFreak On I-40 in Flagstaff sign it as 40 West Las Vegas Los Angeles when I-11 is completed, and in Kingman at the junction sign it as 40 West Los Angeles Bakersfield if I-40 is extended to I-5?
13:20 I like the Gallup Thru Traffic.It’s as if someone is riding a horse through here.😀
lol
Honestly, abbreviating Oklahoma in that Oklahoma City wording makes it sound even cooler. Okla. City. Like, it's just so fun to say.
I would've signed Conway with Fort Smith before signing Oklahoma City.
I 15 doesn't go through Los Angeles, either. It goes through Rancho Cucamonga and ends up in San Diego.
But most 15 traffic is bound for LA.
Asheville to Knoxville is really beautiful
I’ve done it, it is
I-40 is an awesome road
My controls: raleigh, durham, greensboro, winston salem, asheville, knoxville, nashville, memphis, little rock, fort smith, okc, amarillo, albuquerque, flagstaff, kingman or Los angeles (kingman because of future i-11 junction to vegas)
I used to live near Jacksonville nc in a small town called havelock
nice video man cant wait for I-49 it goes trough my home town!
I thought your hometown was San Jose lol.
There are a few of the large crosses scattered around the Souith. There are 2 of them along I-75 in Tennessee, one at mile 82 (I think) and the other at mile 141.
Oh I didn’t know that, I’ll keep an eye out for them! I thought it was mainly a Groom-Effingham rivalry
8:31 If you're going to put two control cities on the sign, I would have I-55 signed for St. Louis AND Chicago, since 55 will eventually go there, but you can take I-57 as a shortcut to avoid St. Louis.
As for I-40, this may break most rules, but in this case I wouldn't object to having it signed for Little Rock and Dallas, even you have to get off on I-30 for that; just put Dallas with Little Rock on the 30 exit. At least since Arkansas is in the business of signing dual control cities.
I had dream one night they extend I-40 Wilmington to San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was interesting.
Ha that would be quite a bridge
Would go right over the Bermuda.
Technically they shouldn't put Los Angeles on a I-40 sign because the interstate stops at Barstow, it should say Barstow
Nah, LA signed there is awesome.
Here is a list of examples of Interstates being signed for control cities they don't actually go to:
I-H2 South: Honolulu
I-H3 West: Honolulu
I-5 North: Vancouver BC
I-8 East: Phoenix/Tucson
I-15 North: Lethbridge
I-15 South: Los Angeles
I-17 South: Tucson
I-24 West: St. Louis
I-25 North: Sheridan (should be Billings)
I-27 South: Tahoka (should be Midland)
I-29 North: Winnipeg
I-30 West: Abilene
I-40 West: Los Angeles
I-41 East: Chicago
I-43 East: Chicago
I-44 East: Kansas City
I-55 South: New Orleans
I-57 South: Memphis
I-59 South: New Orleans
I-65 North: Chicago
I-76 West (Eastern): Cleveland
I-77 South: Charleston SC
I-79 South: Charleston WV
I-80 East: New York City
I-84 East (Western): Salt Lake City
I-84 East (Western): Cheyenne
I-84 East (Eastern): Boston
I-85 South: Columbus GA
I-86 West (Western): Twin Falls (should be Boise)
I-86 East (Eastern): New York City
I-86 West (Eastern): Erie
I-87 North (Northern): Montreal
I-88 East (Eastern): Albany
Don’t forget I-88 East Chicago or I-80 Cleveland
I think the extension to Bakersfield is almost finished. They actually started building p the extension from CA 99 in Bakersfield to I-5 so I-40 will reach there
CA-99 will eventually become I-7 or I-9.
5:23 Hickory and Statesville are big enough to be control cities
The only reason to sign them is junctions. Hickory is a cutofff for Charlotte eastbound but has no use westbound. Statesville for 77, but northbound 77 traffic would be on 74 and southbound traffic would be on 85 or 285. Tentative utility eastbound, zero westbound.
The reason why New Mexico signs the way they sign is because they like to sign towns that have US Route Junctions.
I think that can make sense sometimes, but not the way NM does it
It’s hard to believe that on the mileage sign on I-40 west coming out of Nashville they use Jackson TN as the secondary Control City as soon as you leave Nashville but I’m glad they still use Memphis as the primary Control City
Yeah Tennessee is one of the few states that actually does a great job!
@@mxderateprod the only mistake that Tennessee makes on a 2 digit highway is on I-81 when they sign it north for Bristol
@@mxderateprod when coming out of Nashville on I-40 west Jackson TN makes sense to be the secondary control city because it is fairly sizeable and Memphis makes sense to be the primary because it’s the next major city, the only bad move on the mileage sign on I-65 in Tennessee is where they sign Birmingham instead of Huntsville
@@jordanjones5751 The Birmingham signs are being replaced with Huntsville. They just did the interchanges first.
@@mxderateprod before Huntsville got to be a big city did it used to say I-65 south Birmingham coming out of Nashville on the overhead signs?
The reason everyone knows Gallup is because of the Route 66 song
And the survey folks
Here is how I'd sign the control cities:
Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Asheville, Knoxville, Nashville, Memphis, Little Rock, Fort Smith, OKC, Amarillo, Albuquerque, Flagstaff, Los Angeles
Same. I'd sign it LA all the way to Barstow but obviously CalTrans will never do that.
@@ControlCityFreak Yeah that's what I mean't. LA until you get to Barstow, then Bakersfield after the 15 split once I-40 gets extended.
Out of Albuquerque -
I would put Flagstaff - Barstow -Gardena / Bakersfield
Gallup isn't bad westbound. Flagstaff is still pretty far and it's not that big.
The most obvious direction for I-40 would have been to the big urban complex of southeastern Virginia. Wilmington might still have merited a freeway, but it could just as easily have been a spur route.
That’s a good point. Yeah cut northeast out of Durham instead of southeast
@@ControlCityFreak if it did so, that would skip Raleigh. It would be a bit strange for a state capital to only be served by a spur and US highways, especially with the amount of growth in that area
I think Bakersfield is a more worthy end to I-40 then Barstow. It's also one of the largest US cities not served by an interstate.
I-5 touches the city line because they stretched the border all the way there, but yeah still pretty far out of the real town part of town.
Technically it is served by I-5. THE largest one is Fresno.
I also heard CA-99 will become I-7 or I-9 eventually.
Never underestimate the confusability of the American traveler. Caltrans doesn't sign Los Angeles on the 40 because drivers end up thinking they can take the 40 all the way to LA, and end up driving in circles in Barstow looking for the 40 instead of the 15. OKC and Amarillo actually do it right - they only use actual Interstate control cities, i.e., Amarillo and Flagstaff. On the mileage signs out West (California too) they mention the small hamlets on mileboards because of the long stretches of road without fuel stops. If you leave Needles on a quarter tank of gas going west in a pickup, you're gonna have to open the back window and fart your way into town...
Those small hamlets are fine for next exit and secondary controls. 40 also dumps into southbound 15 at its end, which CalTrans could also sign for LA, so clueless yokels wouldn’t be in Barstow for long.
I'd say I95, I-76 would be good roads to do next. Especially since there are 2 I-76's and the weird intersection with i80 in Ohio
I’ll get there. Going in order.
@@ControlCityFreak awesome man! I noticed something on my route this morning. I-90 after buffalo NY heading east makes Albany the control city even though Syracuse comes first. Kinda weird
@@LukeO-1234 Yeah I've always found it interesting that 90 ignores Syracuse and Rochester
@@LukeO-1234 MA does the same thing with Worcester and Springfield. They skip those and go straight to Albany from Boston.
Control cities for extension westbound after 15: Bakersfield and San Francisco. Eastbound: Bakersfield and Las Vegas before 15
That’s fine, but I think it should be signed LA until Barstow, then switch to Bakersfield. Signing Bakersfield in AZ would be dumb
It will say Los Angeles from Flagstaff to the end of the concurrency of 15
@@ControlCityFreak Agreed. I'm pretty sure AZ will maintain that LA signage even if/when I-40 gets extended to Bakersfield.
Paradoxically, !-40 west of Flagstaff could have Las Vegas as a control city (once I-11 is completed.
California has long sought to upgrade California 58 to an Interstate to at least Interstate 5. Bakersfield is a substantial city in its own right. Indeed it could be extended west (with much 'help' from Interstate 5) to San Francisco. Don't laugh; San Francisco is farther south than many realize.
I’m good with LA in Flagstaff for now, but I think when 11 is extended and when/if 40 is, Vegas would actually be a great control city in Flagstaff, and then Bakersfield could become the primary from Kingman. However, I don’t think they should ever sign Bakersfield from Flagstaff. LA is a big enough traffic driver to be signed from that far away, but I just don’t imagine there would be that much Flagstaff-Bakersfield traffic.
@@ControlCityFreak Mojave would be relevant, as CA-14 leads to the northwestern part of the LA metro area. I suspect that it could be turned into an extension of "the four-oh-five".
@@paulbrower3297 Yeah that could act as a shortcut to 40 for folks who live in the Valley.
@@ControlCityFreak I'd still sign LA from Flagstaff even when both events occur.
@@ControlCityFreak I'd still sign LA even when 11 comes. It's still a huge traffic driver.
Almost 20 years ago the i 40 bridge collapsed over the Arkansas River near Webbers falls OK I was 11 months old at the time it was may 26 2002 i was born on June 30th 2001 have you heard about that bridge collapse in webbers falls OK almost 20 years ago
I never heard about that, sounds rough
I love the Big Texan restaurant, I was there a couple times when I drove a truck, but I didn't get the 72oz steak, I don't have a death wish ,it's great quality steak, but no one in their right mind would try to eat that in 1 hour
I’ve driven by a few times but unfortunately haven’t been, for whatever reason I’ve always been in a hurry in Amarillo
15:13 a little snow on the ground.
I'd sign 440 south to Dallas, as Dallas is gigantic in contrast to Texarkana.
Literally had never heard of Gallup...and I'm pretty knowledgeable geographically.
Ur amazing!
Thanks!
Hope I-40 reopens safely soon in NC
My Control Cities for I-40 West:
Raleigh
Greensboro
Winston-Salem
Asheville
Knoxville
Nashville
Memphis
Little Rock / Fort Smith
Forth Smith / Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City
Amarillo
Albuquerque
Flagstaff / Los Angeles
The 10 & 40 Freeways Seems To Love LA
But The 10 Is More Downward From The 40 Freeway With The Rest Of The 10 Freeway Far Away From The 40 Freeway Being In Palm Springs
You left out Interstate 44 in OKC.
Hickory, North Carolina home of 3X World Series Champion Madison Bumgarner
Ouch. This is a pro-Royals channel
@@ControlCityFreak I do respect the Royals, now the NFL team that plays next door not so much lol.
6:04 “Hurry up! We only got 4 days to spend at the … Wod Fir?”
Lol
Now that I think about it, Los Angeles is the right control city for I-40 west at Flagstaff. Driving through the heavy traffic of now-giant Phoenix to get to Los Angeles is a mistake unless you have something to see in Greater Phoenix. Taking I-17 would also be a mistake even to go to San Diego.
Las Vegas would also be fitting due to its size, especially once US 93 becomes I-11 in Arizona.
California has been upgrading CA-58 piecemeal from Barstow to I-5 to Interstate standards. Bakersfield would be a valid control city in its own right due to its size. This will eventually be I-40. and the westernmost end of I-40 (2020? 2050?) will be much more relevant to this new section of I-40. Mile markers for San Francisco (as this is the favored route between the Bay Area and anything along I-40 and places from Dallas and Houston to the south of I-40.
Indeed I could imagine I-40 being extended to... San Francisco. Sure, US 40 used to go to San Francisco, but it hasn't been there since the 1960's. It would have to overlap I-5 to at least CA-152. Note well: even though one can hardly think of San Francisco as a Southern city, it is at the same latitude as Richmond, Virginia. and not much farther north than Nashville.
Cool thought!
I'd still say LA over LV even after I-11 comes. It's way bigger in comparison.