While vacationing this month in Bar Harbor, Maine, I became fascinated with license plates, specifically ones of cars from various parts of the United States.
Bar Harbor is a tourist destination and it became apparent that this region of the U.S. attracts people from across the country, as well as some from Ontario and Quebec. I saw a few plates from both provinces.
I even saw a place in town that has a wall with American license plates affixed to it. Clearly I’m not the only one interested in U.S. license plates. For me, it turned into a history lesson and I snapped photos of plates, which probably seemed weird to people who saw me doing it.
I am familiar with the slogans of the more prominent American states, such as Empire State for New York and which has distinctive orange and black colours. But some plates were white with the word Excelsior in black lettering and various images. To discover why, I searched Wikipedia and came across the state’s department of motor vehicles site. This design, which includes images of Niagara Falls, a mountain range, the Statue of Liberty, the New York City skyline and a Long Island lighthouse, was the winner among several considered in a state vote. Excelsior means ever upward in Latin. The plates are pleasant to the eye, though the old ones stand out just for tradition, in my opinion.
Florida, of course, has the Sunshine State. I figured the people who drove from there to Maine wanted to escape the summer heat.
New Jersey is the Garden State, though I also saw a plate with the slogan Shore To Please.
I found out Maine has some plates with Vacationland and others with A Natural Treasure. I get that it’s a vacation spot, and apparently it a natural treasure because within state lines are hundreds of little gems just waiting to be discovered – according to the University of Maine website. But shouldn’t Maine have a reference to lobsters?
Minnesota is 10,000 Lakes. I am more familiar with it as a place that is a hotbed for hockey, Wisconsin is America’s Dairyland, which is fairly straightforward, as is Peach State for Georgia.
North Carolina is First In Flight. Apparently it’s a tribute to the first self-powered manned flight that took off in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
I also saw North Carolina plates with the word Weighted. Apparently, the weight tag refers specifically to the weight of the car and the trailer used for hauling property.
Ohio plates have the words The Birthplace Of Aviation and is a tribute to Orville and Wilbur Wright, who invented the first airplane.
Massachusetts is The Spirit of America. I saw on the site Forerunner.com the slogan was devised as a means to secure financial gain from the Commonwealth, but it is strikingly prophetic of a spiritual reality – for good or evil. Massachusetts has been the spiritual focal point of the U.S. for the past 370 years, and the politics and ethics of the U.S. were birthed in Massachusetts. It’s also a Bee Gees song.
The Indiana plate I saw had the words I’d Rather Be Down The Shore. Apparently there are different slogans that begin with I’d Rather Be. When I think of Indiana it’s the song Back Home in Indiana sung before the Indy500. When I was growing up it was sung by Jim Nabors, who played the goofy TV character Gomer Pyle. Jim Nabors had one of the deepest voices when he sang, which was in contrast to the high-pitched “golly” of his character.
Illinois is Land Of Lincoln, which is a tribute to Abraham Lincoln.
Arkansas is The Natural State because of its lakes, rivers, mountains and wildlife.
The Alabama plate has God Bless America and the American flag in the background. It’s rather nice. The plate I saw had the personalized abbreviation GODSGRC.
Virginia is, of course, for lovers.
Connecticut is called the Constitution State. It was deemed the Constitution State by the General Assembly in 1959, according to the Connecticut State Library site.
There were plates that really surprised me, if only because they were so powerful and spoke to American history.
New Hampshire’s is Live Free Or Die, which is the state motto. According to the official New Hampshire government website, the words live free or die come from the words uttered by General John Stark, a distinguished war hero of the Revolutionary War, in 1809. It later became the official motto of the state.
The most powerful words I saw of any plate were the ones from Washington, D.C. – End Taxation Without Representation. According to the State of Washington, D.C. website, the citizens of the District of Columbia have been subjected to systemic inequality and denied the full rights of citizenship that the residents of other states enjoy, including voting representation in Congress.
Moreover, Washington D.C. residents pay more taxes than residents in 22 states and pay more per capita to the federal government than any state. Additionally, D.C. is subject to the whims of the federal government where Congress interferes with its local laws, local funding and operations. To really emphasize this disparity, the site says D.C. has all the same responsibilities, but not the same rights, as its fellow Americans and its residents are treated as second-class citizens.
By the way for residents of America, the Province of Ontario plate has the slogan Yours To Discover. I have no idea why, but the current premier wanted to change it to Open For Business, but it was shot down.
Perry Lefko is the Content Manager of The Car Magazine. He can be reached at [email protected]. Feel free to forward any story suggestions or comments.