Welcome to The CR Welcome Sign Survey Results

Maybe you read last week that Cedar Rapids has socked away as much as $400,000 for a "City Gateways Enhancement Project." Apparently there was an online survey of 500 or so local residents seeking guidance.

I have the results of that survey, which I posted in full below. It's sort of interesting, although I freely admit odd things interest me.

It's an online survey, so not a perfect sampling of local opinion, by any means. Of the 510 who responded between Dec. 1-19, 63 percent said they're from Cedar Rapids, with 19 percent from outside Linn County and the rest scattered among surrounding communities. Of the Cedar Rapids respondents, 40 percent live on the northeast side, 29 percent on the southeast, 16 percent southwest and 13 percent are northwest siders.

Fifty-seven percent of respondents are female, 70 percent are under age 55, 60 percent have a 4-year or graduate degree, 76 percent work full time and nearly half earn more than $80,000 annually, including 19 percent earning $125,000 or more.

So what do these mostly female, employed, young, well-educated Internet poll participating types think are the main perceptions of Cedar Rapids?

There is no "consensus," but I sense a trend. Among respondents, 18 percent said "industrial," 15 percent said "smells" and 12 percent said "blue collar." The "2008 flood" rounded out the double-digit picks at 10 percent.

But what image should the city project? Fourteen percent said "friendly," 13 percent "progressive/innovative," 12 percent "culture" and 11 percent each for "vibrant city" and "family friendly."

So maybe we're smelly, but we'd like to be friendly. What sort of sign should we use to project this new sweet aroma of friendliness?

One-fourth said a stone sign would be best. Lighted, colorful and metal all scored OK. There was less consensus on style or theme, with 13 percent picking "modern" and 11 percent sticking with our good old "Five Seasons." But there is broad agreement that it should be readable from the road. Well-educated, remember?

The respondents were also shown a series of signs from other cities. The winner was Dodge City, which I posted above. It is a pretty cool sign. Other examples are in the survey results below. Iowa City's sign made the top five.

Left unanswered in all this surveying is the question of whether it really matters if Cedar Rapids has snazzy lighted stone welcome signs that are readable from the road. We've already got those nice, minimalist ones from the DOT that say "Cedar Rapids." I think those answer the question "Where am I?" quite nicely.

Beyond that, it seems like the places you see, and yes smell, along the roads into town already tell travelers plenty about the place. Midwest city ahead. Hard working. Not flashy. We like it here. Mind the speed cameras.

Don't get me wrong, I think welcome signs have some value. But the best ones have a catchy slogan, maybe with a dash of humor. Small towns understand this, like "Alden - Best Town by a Dam Site," or "Jewell - A Gem of a Town in a Friendly Setting" or one of my favorites, "Knoke - Next 3 Exits." The town is super tiny. Get it? That's the joke.

And, really, how could anyone top Gravity, Iowa - "We're Down to Earth...If Gravity Goes, We All Go." Clearly, Gravity gets levity.

So how about "Cedar Rapids - Iowa's Friendliest City, Come Smell or High Water."

Or maybe, "Cedar Rapids - We spent $400,000 on these signs, so the least you could do is stop and buy some stuff." A little wordy, I guess.

Yeah. Well, maybe you have bright ideas.

Gateway Sign Study Results