Two Coasts, Two Cities, Two Signs: The Story Behind The ‘Ocean City MD 3073’ Sign

Motorists traveling on 50 East in Sacramento may be familiar with this perfectly normal-looking mileage sign — on first glance, it’s like every other mileage sign along California highways listing the cities you’ll be passing with the number of miles to go.

But on second glance, this sign gives pause — Placerville is about an hour away, and South Lake Tahoe double that, depending on traffic. But why does far-off Ocean City, Maryland merit a mention?

The simple fact is that US 50 paves 3,000-plus miles from Ocean City, Maryland to Sacramento, California, but there’s more to the story.

In the 1980s John R. Cropper, Jr. worked as the head of statewide highway maintenance for Caltrans. Cropper, now 92, was the man who instigated the sign listing Ocean City, MD as 3073 down the road.

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