Rochester Still Needs To Update This Sign
You've probably driven by it hundreds of times and never noticed what this sign says-- but it's a wee bit outdated. Still.
I'm talking about the green sign on the southern edge of Soldiers Field Park in Rochester that faces the busy intersection of South Broadway and Highway-14. If first noticed how outdated the message on this sign was last fall while my wife and I were stopped at that very intersection.
In case you haven't seen it, the green sign proudly proclaims 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 put up, then says "Rated Top 3 93-97."
Yeah. That's right. We have a sign congratulating our fine city on a feat it accomplished over 20 years ago. Twenty-two years, to be exact-- and twenty-six years ago, if you're going all the way back to 1993.
I get that coming in on top of Money Magazine's 'Best Places To Live' survey was a big deal back then. The internet was in its infancy, so when a national magazine came out with an annual survey and your town topped the list, it was a big deal. A big deal worthy of a sign!
And to be fair, some of those surveys are STILL big deal, like the US News and World Report survey of the Best Hospitals in America that has ranked our own Mayo Clinic number-one for the past four years running.
But this sign, in the online age where it seems like there's always a new survey or list compiled by some website somewhere, now seems a little sad, doesn't it? It's kind of like seeing a sign on a hotel that still says they have cable TV. Cable TV?!? Ooh boy!
Besides, Rochester has won many awards and topped numerous online lists since that sign was first put up. Maybe it's time to update it a wee bit?
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