# Light switches in New England **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 13, 2002, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-switches-in-new-england/132105 "2002-10-13T16:31:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jsjoll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a5b964/32.png) [@jsjoll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsjoll)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-switches-in-new-england/132105/1 "2002-10-13T16:31:34Z")
I moved to Boston from Ann Arbor over 12 years ago and one of the first things I noticed is that light switches for rooms are often outside of the room instead of inside. As far as I can tell this isn’t the case anywhere else. Also, it’s a pain in the behind when you’re in the bathroom and the kids think it’s a scream (for the 201st time) to turn off the light while you’re in the shower. So why do they put light switches outside of a room? The only reason I can think is to help serial killers in horror movies. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-switches-in-new-england/132105/2 "2002-10-13T16:38:10Z")
> [@](#): > > Also, it’s a pain in the behind when you’re in the bathroom and the kids think it’s a scream (for the 201st time) to turn off the light while you’re in the shower. [Rik] Do you really need the light on when you’re taking a shower? What are you going to do? Photosynthesize? [/Rik] 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-switches-in-new-england/132105/3 "2002-10-13T16:59:56Z")
Could it be an age of construction thing, rather than a regional thing? Because I think older houses do often have the switch on the outside of the room… ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-switches-in-new-england/132105/4 "2002-10-13T17:39:33Z")
I also moved to New England and noticed the same thing. They call it the “entrance” switch. I guess the thinking is that when you “enter” a room you want to easily find the switch to illuminate it, and that would be on the wall facing you as you enter. But also it seems to be in the older houses only. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-switches-in-new-england/132105/5 "2002-10-13T18:04:10Z")
In England, and Israel (which was controlled by British), I notice the same in older buildings. I lived in RI for 12 years and in my experience, it’s typically the bathroom, the kitchen, and the basement. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-switches-in-new-england/132105/6 "2002-10-13T18:22:30Z")
In bathrooms, it can be intended as a safety feature. Often, when you’re in the bathroom, you have wet hands, and it could be dangerous to flip an electrical switch with wet hands. Then again, it could also be dangerous to be taking a shower when the younger sibling outside decides to leave you in the dark. Fortunately, other safety measures now are adequate to allow electrical switches inside the bathroom. ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-switches-in-new-england/132105/7 "2002-10-13T18:50:10Z")
The switch can be safely installed in the bathroom, using a pull cord hanging from the ceiling. This elimimates the problem of touching a live switch with wet hands. ---
**Author:** ![bobk2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@bobk2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobk2)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2002, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-switches-in-new-england/132105/8 "2002-10-14T17:28:43Z")
I noticed this also, at least for many residences, when moving to the Boston area from Upstate NY. FWIW our late-model, and presumably code-compliant, office building has the switches inside the men’s room, and within the men’s room there’s a small shower room with its own light switch inside the room (right next to the shower.) ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2002, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-switches-in-new-england/132105/9 "2002-10-14T18:54:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by samarm \* > \*\*The switch can be safely installed in the bathroom, using a pull cord hanging from the ceiling. This elimimates the problem of touching a live switch with wet hands. \*\* This is mandatory in the UK, as is not having any electrical sockets outlets except for low current ( shaver ) types. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2002, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-switches-in-new-england/132105/10 "2002-10-15T13:05:58Z")
This drove me nuts when I moved back to Boston 15 years ago – in a _lot_ of houses and apartments the bathroom light switch is _outside_ the bathroom. I rarely see it for any other room. It’s not inevitably true – there are bathrooms with the switch inside. I have even seen bathroom light switches on the outside in other states. It can’t be a safety issue – my bathroom switches were on the inside in other states, even on pretty old buildings. My only conclusion is that it’s a local cultural affectation – somehow they started doing it that way here in the Boston area, and once it got started, it stuck. I think they’re moving away from it now. But my house has the switch on the outside of the bathroom, dammit! When we fix up the bathroom (sometime soon, now), we’ll set it right.