Have You Seen the Most Outdated Sign in Rochester, Minnesota?

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I've driven by it many times, but I just noticed this sign yesterday-- it has to be the most outdated here in Rochester. Have you seen it too?

This sign-- okay, it's actually a billboard, but that's still a sign, isn't it?-- is one I've driven by probably hundreds of times since it was first put up, which I'm guessing was sometime last fall. But I just noticed how outdated it was when I drove by it again earlier this week.

I mean, it's nearly May in southeast Minnesota, and yet this billboard is still standing, right there on a busy stretch of Highway-14, just east of West Circle Drive in Rochester. It greets you as you're driving eastbound, on your way towards Highway-52 and downtown.

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And it says... Happy Holidays! Check it out below...

Curt St John/Townsquare Media-Rochester/Preston

Now, it's a lovely billboard, isn't it? And it has a lovely message, too, courtesy of Reagan Outdoor Advertising. But just WHICH holidays is it wishing us greetings about right now, seeing as it's nearly five months after Christmas? Would it be Arbor Day? Or Mother's Day?

Maybe it's an early Happy Holidays greeting for Memorial Day, which is usually thought of as the unofficial kick-off to summer. Then again, the red bell graphics and knitting-like font that looks like a Christmas sweater don't really evoke images of summer, do they?

Now, while this billboard is just a wee bit outdated, it's still not as outdated as the sign below is. You'll find it along the southern edge of Soldiers Field Park, facing the busy intersection of South Broadway and Highway-14.

In case you haven't seen it, the green sign proudly proclaims our own Rochester, Minnesota as the "Best Place To Live In America" by Money Magazine. The second line, which looks like it was added after the original sign was first put up, then says "Rated in Top 3 93-97."

Yes, that's right, we're still proud of our Money Magazine rankings... FROM 25 YEARS AGO. Now, if you ask me, THAT is outdated!

Curt St John/Townsquare Media-Rochester/Preston

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Wow! Check out how Rochester has changed throughout the years in these Google photos.

As we are soaring down Hwy 52, it is hard to imagine what life was like in our town before the Target store was built where it is today. Or the house that you live in now, at one point in town, that wasn't there. In fact, Rochester has grown so fast throughout the years, most of our houses weren't even around 50 years ago! Don't believe me? Look through these photos to get a glimpse of what Rochester was like years ago.