Paint Around the World: Arizona’s Turquoise McDonald’s Arch

If you live in Arizona, chances are, you’ve probably made the trip north to the majestic town of Sedona. While you were in Sedona, you might have noticed or dined at the local McDonald’s. While much of Sedona’s McDonald’s is the same: crispy fries, Big Macs, golden chicken nuggets, the most iconic aspect of the chain is very much different than the other 14,000+ locations in the United States–the arches.

Because we know you’re all paint nerds, we wanted to share this fun information with you. The McDonald’s in Sedona, Arizona is the only McDonald’s in the world with turquoise arches. In fact, this location is one of only 4 locations in the world with arches that aren’t golden! Belgium and Paris have locations with white arches and Monterey, California has a location with black arches.

The reasoning behind the turquoise arches is simple: the town of Sedona has strict guidelines on town architecture and decor. Every building that goes up in Sedona has to follow certain guidelines that call for buildings to blend well with surrounding landscape. For example, the town favors the use of deep red shades and shades of turquoise because the color scheme matches the natural red rock. You might also notice that the arches are quite a bit lower than they usually are. This is because the same governing won’t allow the arches to be as dominate as other locations. These restrictions are not to be taken lightly; they are enforced by the government. We know all too well the restrictions that can be placed on a building’s paint job.

If you get a chance, definitely go check out this one of a kind McDonald’s! It’s a paint landmark.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.