What Does FM Mean On Texas Roads?

Texas is one of the few states in the union that you can literally drive all day from one end to another and never actually leave. That is in no small part due to the fact that there are thousands upon thousands of miles of freeway to get you from one part of the Lone Star State to another. And if you've ever taken to the open road in the state of Texas, you know that, for every breathtakingly beautiful stretch of freeway, there are ones that are dusty, dull, and isolated in almost unnerving ways. 

According to the state of Texas, there are currently more than 500,000 official signs along the way designating the major stretches of freeway from some of those smaller avenues that can take you decidedly off the beaten path. But just like other parts of the country, there are some Texas highway signs that might be considered confusing by out-of-state visitors, or even Lone Star natives who never venture far from major cities like Houston.

Case in point, some might not know what the signs saying "FM" signify. These smaller, square signs typically feature a white state of Texas figure set against a black background, as well as a number and the words "Farm Road" within the frame. The "FM" designation marks those stretches as Farm to Market roadways, and they've become an integral part of Texas infrastructure since the state sanctioned them in the late 1940s.  

Now that you know FM road signs signify on Texas highways, you may still have questions about what a Farm to Market road is. No, they are not part of the Texas toll roads whose ownership has been questioned of late. The name is quite indicative of what Farm to Market roads are intended to do, which is to act as a free avenue that more directly connects farms and ranches from rural and agricultural areas to the larger towns and metropolitan centers where their wares are typically sold.

The Farm to Market Roads, in essence, form an alternate interstate system within the state of Texas. And given the sheer size of Texas, it will likely come as little surprise that the Farm Road system also ranks as the largest secondary highway system in the entire country, accounting for more than half of the mileage forming Texas roadways.

As for their origins, Texas' Farm to Market roadways were first proposed in 1937 towards the end of America's Great Depression, with those in rural areas looking for better access to cities. Texas officially green-lit the Farm Road project in 1949 as a way to connect all parts of the sprawling state to one another. Roads forming Texas' FM system are designated by numbers, which are never repeated to ensure there's no confusion between various avenues across the state. Decades after Texas officially started the Farm to Market roadway system, it now includes around 3,550 routes, some of which no doubt feature Texas' infamous sideways traffic lights.