We’ve reached the second-to-last region for these License Plate Power Rankings, with the West Coast tomorrow and the cumulative rankings Tuesday. And yes, you’ll notice I put Nevada in the West Coast region rather than the Mountain West. Justification: It’s no-man’s land, and the population’s all close to California, and while there are mountains, they’re the Sierra Nevada—a West Coast range, not the Rockies.
Anyhoo, here are all those other regions, in case you missed them (in which case you have quite a nice fifteen minutes ahead of you):
New England
The Mid-East States
The Southeast
The South
The Great Lakes
The Great Plains
The West Coast
And here, without further ado, comes the Mountain West:
7. Montana
Montana placing last in this region goes to show how the Mountain West is, without question, the strongest license plate region in the country (possibly the world). It makes sense that the Mountain West would be so good, since it’s scenic, it’s hospitable to creative types, and it’s prime road trip country. But it’s still worth appreciating, and worth aspiring to.
Montana’s placement here might surprise some readers, given my fondness for Vermont and Delaware’s similar plates. The difference is that those are a bit easier on the eyes: Vermont’s has raised characters rather than screened, and Delaware’s is comprised of more muted tones. Montana’s still got a very good plate, highlighting a good nickname in “The Treasure State” and showing off their cool, license-plate conducive state outline. The buffalo skull as a separator in the serial code is a great little touch. The white’s just a little too bright to edge out Utah.
Now, if the state was willing to spend way too much money on their license plates, they could have them cut such that the plate itself was in the state of Montana. But that’s a lot to ask.
6. Utah
Utah’s got a good plate. It shows off Delicate Arch, the paragon of a geological formation associated with Utah. And that’s a good play: if your state has something cool, flaunt it on the license plate.
I think the state could do better than “Life Elevated,” which sounds like something a stoner rock climber would name their gym, and I wish the double helix (which I’m learning is called “security threads”) wasn’t there, but at least it’s kind of swallowed into the image.
Not too shabby, Utah.
5. Arizona
A beautiful plate, hard to keep this low in the rankings. Might be top ten nationally. We’ll see.
The security threads get in the way a bit more here, but the plate is still inspiring. The cacti. The setting or rising sun. The mountains. The limitless desert horizon. And, for good measure, the casual reminder that the Grand Canyon is in Arizona, a strong play by the state that was necessary because I’m not sure the Grand Canyon would translate well to the medium of a license plate.
I’m not sure what Arizona could do better, beyond getting rid of the security threads. It’s just a really tough region.
4. Colorado
I’ll admit, I like the one Colorado had in the 90’s a bit more—the one with the colors inverted and none of the subtle depth effect added to the mountaintops. But this is still a good license plate. It’s straightforward. It has the green color that doesn’t exist in the sky and therefore makes the plate look simplistically cartoonish. It isn’t too aggressive, but it shows off the state’s most prominent feature.
The security threads are, again, a bummer, but they at least go with the plate, because they look like some giant’s ski tracks? Not really, but better than with some.
Points for originality. Points for simplicity. A very good plate.
3. New Mexico
We’re into the elite stratosphere here. All three of these could, and quite possibly will, find themselves in the top five nationally come Tuesday.
New Mexico’s is simple, distinct, and elegant. The bands in the top corners feel straight off the walls of a local restaurant found on a small town’s main (and only) drag. The yucca plant in the bottom left is a tasteful adornment. And the Zia sun in the center is iconic.
The yellow and red scheme is one-of-a-kind, and the green “Land of Enchantment” along the bottom in a slightly different font is, true to its word, enchanting. The necessity of adding “USA” to the plate gives New Mexico an air of humble superiority: There might be confusion about what country it’s in, because New Mexico is so set apart from the rest of this nation.
A strong performance.
2. Idaho
If we were going by which license plate is my favorite, Idaho would win. But these aren’t favoritism rankings. They’re power rankings.
Even in this sphere, though, Idaho is powerful. The predominant maroon color is unique. The font of “Idaho” and “Famous Potatoes” is casual but strong. The separate font of “Scenic” makes it look like an afterthought: “Oh, you didn’t know? We’re beautiful.” The mountains and evergreens are simply done yet capture the state’s beauty (amplifying the flippant “scenic” above).
But the best part of this license plate is that it focuses on potatoes. Because I have a feeling Idaho has been dismissed before as some boring place only good for growing potatoes. And the best way to stop a bully is to steer into their criticism. The shame is immediately reversed, as the bully is reminded not only that there isn’t anything wrong with potatoes, but that they are, in fact, a delicious staple of American culture. Idaho is strong. Idaho makes us strong.
1. Wyoming
This license plate looks like it was adapted from a postcard.
And perhaps it was.
But whether it was or wasn’t, it’s glorious. The classic font. The dusty gold lettering. The matching thread border. The photograph that seems to say “Wyoming doesn’t need an artist—it is its own artist.”
And that’s before we even get to the silhouette of a cowboy breaking up the serial code.
When it comes to license plates, Wyoming is tough—maybe even impossible—to beat.
Montana License Plate Image taken from The Billings Gazette.
Utah License Plate Image taken from Wikipedia, where it’s credited to Pickn528.
Arizona License Plate Image taken from ABC15 Arizona.
Colorado License Plate Image taken from Wikipedia, where it’s credited to Shermanator3.
New Mexico License Plate Image taken from Wikipedia, where it’s credited to Moonsdebut.
Idaho License Plate Image taken from Wikipedia, where it’s credited to Pickn528.
Wyoming License Plate Image taken from the Wyoming Department of Transportation.
