These amazing photos capture the bold and colorful world of American roadside billboards during the 1980s. Stretching along highways and city streets, the oversized advertisements promoted everything from fast food and cars to cigarettes, soft drinks, and local attractions.
With their bright graphics, oversized lettering, and larger-than-life imagery, the billboards reflect the commercial energy and visual excess of the decade. These images preserve a vivid record of roadside culture and the advertising landscape that once defined so much of the American travel experience.
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| Everglades Safari billboard, Route 41, Dade County, Florida, 1980 |
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| 17 Bar and Club sign, Billings, Montana, 1980 |
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| Harvey's Tavern sign, Route 99, Edmunds, Washington, 1980 |
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| Heart's Desire Motel sign, Route 19A, Dunedin, Florida, 1980 |
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| Kozy Kamp Motel sign, La Vale, Maryland, 1980 |
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| Police Hall of Fame entrance sign, Route 41, North Port, Florida, 1980 |
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| Rawhide City billboard, I-94, Mandan, North Dakota, 1980 |
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| Trout Haven billboard, Route 385, Black Hills, South Dakota, 1980 |
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| Kleen Kars sign, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1981 |
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| Octopus Car Wash, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1981 |
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| Skyline Motel sign, Route 89, Fairview, Utah, 1981 |
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| Dependable Used Cars sign, Division Street, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1982 |
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| Flamingo Drive-In Theater sign, Dal Passo Road, Hobbs, New Mexico, 1982 |
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| The Korner ice cream sign, Wytheville, Virginia, 1982 |
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| Christie's Restaurant sign, cowboy shrimp, Houston, Texas, 1983 |
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| Blue Bird Truck Stop sign, Pryor Street, Atlanta, Georgia, 1984 |
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| Charlie's Diner sign, Route 11, Leeds, Maine, 1984 |
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| Crazy Ann's Fireworks sign, Route 441, Vonore, Tennessee, 1984 |
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| Leaning Tower of Pizza, Quincy, Massachusetts, 1984 |
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| Mister Donut sign, Route 201, Waterville, Maine, 1984 |
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| Mr. Peanut sign, Hair Affair sign, Route 6, Swansea, Massachusetts, 1984 |
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| McDonald's Restaurant sign, Lakewood Boulevard, Downey, California, 1985 |
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| Sign, Jockey's Ridge Mini-Golf, Nags Head, North Carolina, 1985 |
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| Sir Goony Golf, Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1986 |
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| South of the Border billboard, near Dillon, South Carolina, 1986 |
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| Candy Motel sign, Route 99, Fresno, California, 1987 |
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| Club Cafe sign near Santa Rosa, Santa Rosa, New Mexico, 1987 |
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| Dean's Restaurant sign, B-40 (Route 66), Tucumcari, New Mexico, 1987 |
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| Falls Theatre Motor Vu sign, 2nd Avenue North, Great Falls, Montana, 1987 |
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| Grizzly Fireworks sign, Russell Street, Missoula, Montana, 1987 |
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| Larsen's Frostop Drive-In Restaurant sign, St. George Boulevard, Saint George, Utah, 1987 |
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| Star-Lite Drive-In Theater sign, Route 85, Minot, North Dakota, 1987 |
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| Wall Drug final billboard, Wall, South Dakota, 1987 |
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| Welcome sign, Flintstone's Bedrock City, Rts. 64 and 180, Valle, Arizona, 1987 |
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| Western Safari Motel sign, St. George Boulevard, Saint George, Utah, 1987 |
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| Airway Drive-In Theater sign, Route 180, Saint Ann, Missouri, 1988 |
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| Big John sign, Route 2, Iron Mountain, Iron Mine, Norway, Michigan, 1988 |
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| Dynamite Fireworks sign, Route 17, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, 1988 |
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| Storybook Gardens billboard, Lake Delton, Wisconsin, 1988 |
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| The Great Escape bike sign, Route 29, Spartanburg, South Carolina, 1988 |
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