Local sparks outrage after calling out disturbing trend spreading across city: 'When will this blight be outlawed?'

Having a great view can make all the difference in the world when it comes to owning a home. Being able to see the peaks of a mountain or the shimmering surface of a lake can not only increase the value of a home but it can also give your mental wellness a boost as well.

However, when a giant billboard obstructs your view, it can turn a million-dollar view into nothing more than an eyesore.

While posting to r/SaltLakeCity, one Redditor shared a map that detailed the location of every billboard in and around the city. And the sheer amount just might shock you.

According to the original poster, they took a screenshot of an interactive map from Reagan Outdoor Advertising. "Dang, I didn't realize exactly how many [there] are," the Redditor noted.

By browsing through the map, users can get a feel for how prevalent the company's billboards are in the city. A bulk of them are located alongside Interstate 15, which runs right through Salt Lake City. Reagan Outdoor Advertising owns so many billboards in the city that the company made headlines in 2024 when over 60 of its billboards were used to pay tribute to the late Julia Reagan, a member of the family who owned the company.

William Reagan, founder of Reagan Outdoor Advertising and Julia's husband, offered details about the company's inventory. "Our life together was this business. We had six or seven signs when we got married. We have 9,000 now," he told Fox 13.

While billboards can be an effective form of advertising, they have long been considered to be one of the largest forms of visual pollution. This is because of their impact on the aesthetic quality of the environment, their potential for distraction, and their contribution to light pollution. Digital billboards have also been criticized for their energy consumption and disruptive effects on wildlife and human health.

In the comments section, many users shared the same frustrations as the original poster.

"Billboards were determined to be visual pollution in the '70s," one said. "As usual, Utah is at least 50 years behind the times. When will this blight be outlawed?"

"They're disturbing, like LCD ads at the gas pumps," a second user wrote.

"My mind was blown when I drove around Denver a few months ago; no billboards on the highways," a third commenter added. "I was like, 'Wait, you can actually SEE the mountains when you drive?'"

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