Does your town have a water tower with the town’s name on it?
Posted by Hoosier_Jedi@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 204 comments
Mine does. They painted it beige some time back and I really don’t like it.
iceph03nix@reddit
Several
IceTech59@reddit
Closest one has the County name on it.
plumberbss@reddit
Negative
jeff1074@reddit
My birth town had two, current one has no name
theycallmethevault@reddit
Where are my “Florence, Y’all” people at? 🤣
Loud_Inspector_9782@reddit
Lots of them
Altoid24@reddit
We used to for my "Village" within a town, but they demolished the tower a few years back.
Hmrd_Trash@reddit
Booo
Wrigs112@reddit
We occasionally have them on top of buildings in Chicago. The nearest one that I can think of is a big symbol of the neighborhood, it is a giant Swedish flag.
pinniped90@reddit
Tower, yes.
It's the high school mascot name on it, not the town name.
big-dal-tex@reddit
Yes
brendanepic@reddit
No, it says "Billy Bob Loves Charlene" in a 10 foot heart painted in John Deere green.
LongOrganization7838@reddit
Several some have names some dont
dough_eating_squid@reddit
No, the reservoirs near me are in the mountains/hills.
I like the water tower in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where I visited for work. It has a happy face on it.
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sneezyailurophile@reddit
Yes. Most of the smaller towns around us do too.
IHSV1855@reddit
Yes
bluegrass502@reddit
No. Our local water towers are naked. It's like the one reason I'd want to move to Florence, KY
Loisgrand6@reddit
There’s a town north of me in Virginia that has the name on it as well as a huge apple. Somewhere in South Carolina or Georgia has a painting of a peach
Southern_Display_682@reddit
Gaffney, SC. The Peachoid.
SevereAnimator5@reddit
The giant butt
tea-wallah@reddit
There’s one in Georgia that’s an actual giant peach. And one in Rochester Minnesota that’s a giant corn cob
Sharkhawk23@reddit
Seven in a town of 40,000
Relative-Cricket-543@reddit
Ours says "Class of 2026" and they repaint it every year. For decades kids would climb and do it as a class prank, so the town finally just did it to prevent injury.
It's been this way since at least 1997!
pikkdogs@reddit
Nope. Smily face and checkered pattern.
Courwes@reddit
They have them all over Texas.
CupBeEmpty@reddit
Ours are just big reservoirs on the hills and have no writing on them.
Back in Indiana almost every town or neighborhood has one with a name on it.
Beautiful-Parsley-24@reddit
No, we have a reservoir up in the hills instead.
tujelj@reddit
I live in Arizona, with mountains nearby but not in the town itself, and several towns around here have water towers.
Late_Chance_8080@reddit
Phoenix has a number of reservoirs in the city, but they're recessed into hills / valleys (except for that odd one off the I-10 in Tempe, assuming that it's filled with water). If you go hiking around North Mountain, and see some huge concrete slabs in the surrounding hills, that's the lid of a reservoir. As well as the canyon lakes around as well, of course.
WFOMO@reddit
Luling, Texas us famous for their watermelon crop, so they painted their water tower to look like one.
thetoxicballer@reddit
Nope, they're very common in hillish new England as well
jiminak@reddit
One of the main advantages of a water tower is the gravity to put pressure into the water lines. .5lb PSI for each foot of elevation. When you have the ability to build naturally high reservoirs (dams in mountains), that is natural gravity and water towers are not needed.
“Hillish New England” doesn’t have reservoirs high enough to eliminate the need for having water towers. So, the person you’re replying to “towers are a flat land thing” could have said it better, but you’re area having hills and small mountains does not mean they’re wrong.
Beautiful-Parsley-24@reddit
Maybe your hills aren't very conducive to building a reservoir? Or other trade-offs? California geography is conducive to reservoirs. They also provide flood control and hold a lot more water than a water tower.
Porcupine-in-a-tree@reddit
Same, our water comes from mountain reservoirs.
freakout1015@reddit
Yep, here too. A couple reservoirs, no water towers.
ereignishorizont666@reddit
I'm in a small valley surrounded by hills and they have a filtration plant that pumps it from ground level in the valley.
captaincheem@reddit
My town has both.
Mumchkin@reddit
Yes.
TsundereLoliDragon@reddit
None around here. Lots in south Jersey though.
killaacool@reddit
I’m in oklahoma and most of our small to mid size towns have the town name and mascot painted on it. Some have a sponsor painted on it as well.
machagogo@reddit
More than one.
ndubitably@reddit
I've lived in 3 cities with water towers plopped around and 2 of them had the county name on them, the other was just paint.
candurandu@reddit
Yep. I live about 300 yards from ours.
Crayshack@reddit
Mine doesn't, but I know a lot of towns that do.
Maurice_Foot@reddit
Don’t even have a town; just a church, a gas station, a bar and a post office.
AuggieNorth@reddit
No, we have a huge reservoir that was built after 5 towns worth of people were ordered off their land almost a century ago so we could have water. Fortunately the water is really good though.
love2ring@reddit
Yes
cans-of-swine@reddit
I had a friend that climbed upon the water tower, stood on the rail and painted a ten foot heart in John Deere green. He wrote "Billy Bob loves Charlene" in letters three foot high, the whole town said that he should've used red but it looked good to Charlene in John Deere green.
windysideofcare@reddit
What's 'ol Joe Diffie up to these days?
Franklinricard@reddit
Did the town ever try painting over it???
windysideofcare@reddit
Yes, every town in my area does. The high school nearby always paints 'Class of YYYY' on it. Most of them have the town's logo. Some bigger towns have TWO!
-Right outside of Raleigh in North Carolina
ForestOranges@reddit
In my current city, sort of? It has the name of neighborhood on it. My hometown didn’t have one but I can think of at least one town in the county that did.
Antitenant@reddit
Not my town exactly, but yes I have seen the water towers for the nearby towns
somecow@reddit
Oh yeah. Even lights up at night.
Red_Beard_Rising@reddit
I can see ours from my kitchen window.
GrowlingAtTheWorld@reddit
Yes
Batgirl_III@reddit
I’m currently living in a city that uses a mix of one large reservoir, a half-dozen or so water towers, two major rivers, and just tons of rain annually.
But I grew up in very rural, very poor, very low population Upper Peninsula of Michigan. My county only had two towns in it… and I didn’t live in one of ‘em.
Bedzyk59@reddit
Town no, a neighborhood on the other side of this town has one.
FixergirlAK@reddit
The next town over does. It's something of a local landmark.
ju5tjame5@reddit
No. But I drove by one the other day where the name of the town is in comic sans.
LFS_1984@reddit
The new town I'm moving to does.
TuttiFlutiePanist@reddit
More than one
n00bdragon@reddit
Mine just blew a couple million to have all of them repainted with the new city logo that no one gives a shit about.
Nearly-Retired_20@reddit
Same here.
Either-Progress4847@reddit
Same.
Responsible_Side8131@reddit
Not that I’ve ever seen.
GravityTortoise@reddit
Yes we do
Porcupine-in-a-tree@reddit
No, our water comes from reservoirs in the mountains directly above our town.
Fuzzzer777@reddit
Yes. Yes. Yes.. yes.... and yes... that's for all the towns i lived in... that i can remember
Happy_Confection90@reddit
No. 100% of homes in my town have well water. More than half of homes in New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont are served by wells, so you only see water towers in fairly densely populated towns/cities, and not in towns with 10k people spread out across 40 square miles.
blanchstain@reddit
Yes and it’s so ugly.
Prestigious-Dog-2150@reddit
No. I’m from Houston, population 2,400,000. Can you imagine the size of the water tower? Houston has three artificial lakes to provide its water.
fadedtimes@reddit
Currently Multiple. Growing up, none.
Vanilla_thundr@reddit
Several.
No_Seaworthiness8176@reddit
Yup. Meridian Idaho.
LegitimateFinger8966@reddit
Not a traditional tower. Its a big barrel and most of the volume is underground.
inbigtreble30@reddit
Is it like on a hill or something?
Butterbean-queen@reddit
Yes
WCowgirl@reddit
We have 2, a really old one in town that I'm not even sure if it's still functional, or if they've left it up as a historical thing, and a much bigger more modern one further outside of town. We actually had a third one between those two, but it got taken down after the new one got built.
PracticalBreak8637@reddit
Just up the road, a pale blue water tower, with "l Love Jennie" painted in bright green.
theEWDSDS@reddit
2 just in my city
DO_its@reddit
Our town painted a city scape of the town on the water tower. So our water tower has a picture of itself on it.
Haifisch2112@reddit
My town does.
CFBCoachGuy@reddit
… I now have the urge to start playing “John Deere Green”
evlmgs@reddit
Yes.
KJHagen@reddit
No, but the first letter of our town’s name is prominently displayed on a hillside. We have community and private wells for drinking water.
JtotheC23@reddit
Where I grew up, there were a good number scattered around town. Even the high school has one that's painted with the school's branding. Where I'm at now, I've only seen one that's visible from one of the interstates thru town.
P00PooKitty@reddit
This feels like a midwest thing tbh
ITrCool@reddit
Mine has like four. But the main one is one of those gigantic ones that looks like a flashlight sticking upward toward the sky. Oddly enough, it's right across the road from the neighboring city's main tower also, so it's locally known as the "twin water towers".
WarrenMulaney@reddit
Not our town but the city’s oldest high school does.
Go Drillers!
CraftFamiliar5243@reddit
In the Midwest there is one in every town. I live in the mountains now and the water source is usually higher than the town.
GoodQueenFluffenChop@reddit
My city has multiple water towers with the city name on them and maybe some other decor. The one closest to me has all the highschools logos on it.
Jsmith2127@reddit
Yes. Pretty small town.
Soggy-Attempt@reddit
Yes
gdubh@reddit
Yes.
anneofgraygardens@reddit
No. This isn't something I see on the regular.
Watchfull_Hosemaster@reddit
No but there are plenty of towns that do. Most cities and towns are supplied by reservoirs.
smythe70@reddit
Yes and it's blue and the other one has a mural.
Miserable-Split-3790@reddit
Yes.
tsukiii@reddit
Not that I’m aware of. There’s an iconic water tower in the North Park neighborhood, but I don’t think there’s any writing on it.
Otherwise-OhWell@reddit
Yes. In suburban Chicago water towers might be the only way to know what town you're in.
mumblewrapper@reddit
No. It's painted like a tea pot. Or a coffee pot. There is debate.
WillDupage@reddit
Just checked and we have 7.
jdmiller82@reddit
Yes, several
AdLow8969@reddit
Yes
678722@reddit
Yes
Spirited-Way2406@reddit
No, because we have a mountain reservoir instead. But we do have a rule that no new building or other construction can appear taller than certain iconic historic buildings when viewed from the water. We voted that one into law when McDonald's wanted to put a standard-sized lighted Double Arches sign in a location that would have made it the most visible thing on the shore.
Oldpuzzlehead@reddit
It is on a hill.
wino12312@reddit
Yes, three.
Jernbek35@reddit
Yep. The previous town I lived in was featured in the movie “What’s eating Gilbert grape?”
SnooPineapples280@reddit
Yes
Torkin@reddit
Yes
LowCress9866@reddit
Nope. My town has a water tower with a business' name on it
dealers_choice@reddit
Yes, it'd be silly to put another town's name on it 😆
AcadiaRemarkable6992@reddit
I work in a town with a few tanks. This is a high cost of living area and the tanks are painted a bluish gray to try to get them to blend into the sky.
dgillz@reddit
There are a few neighborhoods that have a water tower. City is too large for 1 water tower and we have a lake supplying most of our water.
NekoArtemis@reddit
My home town used to have a water tower but they replaced it with an underground tank. Never had the city's name in it.
The central ferry building does tho.
https://www.gettyimages.in/detail/photo/the-view-over-the-ferry-building-the-clock-tower-royalty-free-image/696156417
Silver-Hovercraft519@reddit
Yes
Outlaw_Josie_Snails@reddit
My hometown and neighboring towns do.
BusinessWarthog6@reddit
yes
EnlightenedCorncob@reddit
We've got a water tower, but it's blue and white like a hot air balloon. At one time it said "Fuck you Jessica!" on the side with red paint
Diligent_Gear_8179@reddit
Yes. I can see it from the second-floor windows on that side of the house.
PsidedOwnside@reddit
Yes
KingOfNothing_85@reddit
Yes and a giant catfish. Jealous? Please don't be, we're a terrible place to live.
likemy10thaccount@reddit
Yeah and some time ago this guy named Billy Bob wrote "Billy Bob loves Charlene" in letters three foot high. Everybody said he should've used red, but it looked good to Charlene in John Deere green.
einsteinGO@reddit
No but it has a big sign in a hillside that’s missing “LAND” at the end
t_bone_stake@reddit
Mine does and it’s a local landmark as it marks an interchange with the main highway and one of its spurs.
toilet_roll_rebel@reddit
My town has 3. One of them is historic and no longer used.
Toriat5144@reddit
Yes
bass679@reddit
Several. Water towers but none of ours have the town name.
professorfunkenpunk@reddit
We have a bunch of water towers. I think some of them have the name
TheGallifreyan@reddit
I'm not sure where I live now has one, but where I grew up and the towns around it do.
Weird_Squirrel_8382@reddit
Yep.
Patrizio_Argento@reddit
We have 3
DadPuncher69@reddit
We do have an old water tower, but it doesn't say Chicago on it, and it's not the kind of water tower you might be thinking of.
TallDan68@reddit
Our somewhat famously said “Save Ferris” about 30 years ago.
makestuff24-7@reddit
Yeah
ALoungerAtTheClubs@reddit
At least one of the nearby beach towns does.
pdxorus@reddit
Living in a Florida beach town, ours looks like a beach ball but I don’t think it has the name of the town on it.
smurfe@reddit
Yes, we have a few and they have the city seal/logo painted on them.
Outside_Holiday_9997@reddit
Yes. Blue with our name. Nothing fun like some areas
Purple-Mud5057@reddit
No but we’ve got a mountain with our university’s logo/state initial on it
tetrasodium@reddit
Yes and the last time they were repainted they were done to look like a beach ball
Optimal_Shirt6637@reddit
Yes
Chuckles52@reddit
I grew up in a little town surrounded by 900-foot-tall hills. The water was up there somewhere.
tea-wallah@reddit
We do.
Aggravating_Ear_3551@reddit
Yes
sammysbud@reddit
no, we have a giant neon head with a mustache to let you know you've reached the promise land (baltimore),
MrSal7@reddit
My town has like 3 of them with their name on it
tinyrubberduckies@reddit
Yeah. If i think correctly we have 3? 2 for sure but I think there might be another that I don’t know about.
Southern-Usual4211@reddit
Nope the city I grew up in has a really large water aquifer that's close to the surface so we don't need water towers at all
Stop_Already@reddit
Where I live now doesn’t have one, but the city I grew up in did. It’s baby blue with a white top.
LivermushEater@reddit
Yes, we have two, side by side. Hot and Cold.
Cold_Blacksmith_7970@reddit
At least two, yes (Midwest)
Oktodayithink@reddit
Yes
DropEdge@reddit
Yes. And it's at the top of a hill called... Water Tank Hill.
GotchUrarse@reddit
Yup. And it's city in Florida with about 130k people. It's right next to the primary exit off I-95.
Outrageous-Host-3545@reddit
Yes
Justhere181@reddit
Several
WhoWouldCareToAsk@reddit
No. I have several towers visible during any trip I take outside my home, and none of them have city name.
But some 20 years ago I lived in a different city that did have city name on it. I wonder if they still do; it’s just 120 miles west, maybe I should make a trip one day… 🤔
Prestigious-Tip-6819@reddit
No. We have mountains to do that heavy lifting.
HotButteredPoptart@reddit
No
Annamaria1109@reddit
Yes
Forward_Tank8310@reddit
It did, long ago replaced with water tanks and pumping systems due to its ongoing maintenance cost
epicenter69@reddit
Not the standard water tower anymore, but it has the biggun that is at ground level with the name on it.
P_Fossil@reddit
Yes, but my brother and his friends defaced the back side of it with six-foot-tall letters saying BREW CREW in 1989, and anyway it’s gone now. 😬
xxxjessicann00xxx@reddit
It used to. Now it has the logo of a major outdoor retailer that has a huge store here.
Relative-Corner4717@reddit
We have a water tower with the highschools mascot on it.
zoppaTheDim@reddit
No
The denser the towns, the less likely they paint their name on the tower.
andmewithoutmytowel@reddit
No, but I’m in an unincorporated part of the country (no city).
HOWEVER, nearby Florence, KY has an iconic water tower.
https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=284558d6739f6447&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS976US977&hl=en-US&sxsrf=ANbL-n509uAZPnO6WQS_EMm7F2-Mjqmf-A:1779146854662&udm=2&fbs=ADc_l-ZMtfrlQ0SU6L2D0-D344flsprUi5NYvvJVflrdjdmmndzc87yxCU-u2_IZZ9ETkTNzcl2QzTSQuxaIgVgMppmhCQ3-OGaFy0bD_3ohuxDM3geCAo_v1SEJPgf1LwH1bmhLWvmPF9X2qHfQ4x8WXp7x6iV_Da1ho-mpnywz4Gb290chgXFIUk_isRd16QPsV0mR8kj1Wki4kD5SrOEbV7E6qgnApNNz92xXzE-9nBTMUn1WC2E&q=florence+y%27all+origin&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj-05nC_sOUAxUsN4YAHdFOOsYQtKgLegQIFBAB&biw=390&bih=669&dpr=3#sv=CAMSVxoyKhBlLXpsMEIxQVhsWFFxV1pNMg56bDBCMUFYbFhRcVdaTToOek5HS1JHempnTi1ycU0gBCoXCgFzEhBlLXpsMEIxQVhsWFFxV1pNGAEwAUoECAEQAhgHIN-m2YkESggQAhgBIAIoAQ
adultdaycare81@reddit
No. Red and white checkers. Very old, not in use anymore. But looks cool
stopvolution@reddit
Yes and there’s also the old water tower that’s wooden, so we have two.
Quirky_Commission_56@reddit
Yup! It’s 7 miles away from my house.
RHS1959@reddit
I’ve seen lots, but never lived anyplace that had one.
Wareagle930@reddit
Sure does, just got repainted this month.
Practical-Ordinary-6@reddit
Ours has the county name on it because our city is supplied with water from the county. I think it's greenish blue, not quite pale.
EmploymentEmpty5871@reddit
Yeppers.
Hurdlelocker@reddit
I’m 99% sure the town’s name is on it…
My hometown 20 minutes away though I don’t think has the town name on it though.
Fire_Mission@reddit
Yes
SadAdeptness6287@reddit
Mine doesn’t as it is very urban but many towns in Jersey do.
Most of the towns down the shore do.
SabresBills69@reddit
many areas do have one. I live in a large apartment/ condo area and there is a water tower.
fourdigityear@reddit
Yes.
jessper17@reddit
Yes, more than one.
PhotojournalistNew6@reddit
My hometown did not sure about the city I live in now. The water towers here are light blue with the town names written in black.
anythingaustin@reddit
My town doesn’t have a water tower.
Chay_Charles@reddit
Most small towns in Texas do.
UmpireProper7683@reddit
Yes we do. I want used to that though since the last few places I lived in didn't.
brian11e3@reddit
We a water tower with the town name on it, and a second water tower at the nearby park with the park's name on it.
Opening-Ad-2769@reddit
Yes and we still have a historic one downtown
Sorry-Government920@reddit
Yes
GhostWatcher007@reddit
We have big water silos, not on stilts.
MatureScorpius@reddit
Nope
Yeahboyeah@reddit
No. Portland does have a water tower in the Parkrose neighborhood that has roses painted on it, though.
Bluemonogi@reddit
Yes. I think it is painted light blue.
AbiWil1996@reddit
Yes, right in the middle of town
SimonArgent@reddit
Yes.
Special-Pie3695@reddit
Yes
Breezlebrox@reddit
We played a game on interstate school bus trips where if someone spotted a water tower they would yell the word and everyone else would yell “water tower” back
OpposumMyPossum@reddit
It doesn't have its name painted on it. It was actually useful at one time, but navigating has come a long way.
FLHobbit@reddit
Yep.
Sea_Celi-595@reddit
The small town I grew up in did. I’m not sure about the larger city I live in now.
MeanderFlanders@reddit
Yes