San Luis Obispo, California
Paul Harris/Newsmakers via Getty Images
Paul Harris/Newsmakers via Getty Images
As The San Luis Obispo Tribune reported, the town’s nationally famous Bubblegum Alley began in the late 1950s, when local high school students decided to stick their used gum in a seemingly random alley as a senior prank. However, the prank quickly snowballed into a tradition that involved not only other schools but the town’s residents at large.
Although the city attempted to clean the gum away on multiple occasions, the tradition persisted to the point where Bubblegum Alley is practically San Luis Obispo’s defining feature. Although some residents think it’s an eyesore, the tradition has enough supporters that Bubblegum Alley may never be cleared away, especially with visitors continually adding to it.