Roaming the street of St. John's, Newfoundland, is like taking a tour of a rainbow. The downtown area is called "Jellybean Row" for the bright and quirky colors of the houses. This color scheme is seen in port cities in other parts of the world, too. Many of the men in those seaside towns would make their living on a boat, and they liked to see their home as they approached the shore at the end of the work day or a long voyage. Painting it a bright and unique color made one's home easier to identify through the ocean mist. The look of all those different colors is pleasant to the rest of the townspeople, and draws tourists besides, so it tends to become traditional. Or maybe it was the result of downtown renewal project.
-via Nag on the Lake
(Image credit: Russ Quinlan)