‘Highest Elevation East of South Dakota’ Sits One Hour from NY’s Capital Region

As a native of Connecticut, who was transplanted into the Capital Region almost four years ago, I've done my fair share of driving on Interstate 90 in recent years. Whether I'm headed home to visit my family in Connecticut, or heading to visit friends in Massachusetts, I've spent a lot of time on the New York Thruway and/or Massachusetts Turnpike.

Every time I drive on the Interstate, I drive past the same brown sign. This past weekend, I saw it again, and this time, was determined to learn more about it.

Get our free mobile app

What's With The Brown Sign You See Heading to, and from, Albany, New York?

As mentioned above, I've noticed the same brown sign a number of times while driving on the Massachusetts Turnpike. I will typically drive by the sign an hour after I depart from my home, and conversely, will see the same sign (on the other side of the highway) when I'm an hour from returning home.

Take a look at the sign, as captured by Google Maps:

After doing a bit of research, I found this: the exact location of this sign is set at these coordinates: 42.244867, -73.078371. The coordinates lead to a spot in Becket, Massachusetts, a spot that is 1,724 feet above sea level.

That point on the map is the highest location above sea level, east of South Dakota. 

As mentioned by the site Virtual Globe-trotting, this location in Becket is the highest point on the map east of Oacoma, South Dakota. That spot on the map sits at 1729 feet, five feet higher above sea level than Becket, Massachusetts.

Keep an eye out for that sign the next time you drive on I-90. If you see it, you may feel like you're actually on top of the world.