It’s the final region. The West Coast.
We’ve covered every other corner of the country with these License Plate Power Rankings, and now we turn our eyes to the Pacific. Where we find some very good license plates (though still not as good as those of the Mountain West).
As a reminder, tomorrow we’ll have all 51 plates (the states plus D.C.) ranked for you. But for today, it’s just six states.
Six important states.
If you’ve missed any of the other regions, here they are:
New England
The Mid-East States
The Southeast
The South
The Great Lakes
The Great Plains
The Mountain West
And now, here are the rankings for the final region:
6. Nevada
Nevada recently changed their license plate, and it hasn’t been a positive development. “Nevada Means Home”? That was the coolest thing you had to say? The Silver State was better, though synchronizing with the state flag and writing “Battle Born” on it would be an improvement over both of those.
It isn’t a bad plate. The kaleidoscopic depiction of the mountains is kind of cool, and it’s certainly unique in its totality. The font is good. The use of the state’s outline as the serial divider is good. But “Nevada Means Home” brings it down a notch.
5. California
California’s plate isn’t anything too special. But it never changes, it’s classic, and for certain people it’s iconic. It has staying power, and rather than advertising some tourism website, it gives the DMV’s web address, which is quite practical because I’m guessing Californians rarely forget it now.
Nothing stirring, but no complaints.
4. Oregon
Now we’re getting into the good ones again. While the West Coast doesn’t boast the depth of the Mountain West, it has some solid license plates of its own. Probably the second-strongest region in the country (remind me to rank these regions at some point if I’m scraping for content).
Oregon’s is a good plate. It’s original. It’s abstract. It focuses on trees, which is good, because I picture trees when I think of Oregon. It doesn’t try to do too much, which would be easy in a state with both beautiful mountains and beautiful beaches. And the use of both the cut-off image of the treetops at the bottom and the lone pine in the center is odd enough to make one tilt one’s head when looking at it for too long.
Nothing incredible, but an all-around good plate.
3. Washington
The license plate of the state of Washington exhibits might. Mount Rainier. The stark, all-caps, red lettering. The unconventional left-align at the top.
It’s a magnificent plate, yet still subtle, with something magical about it that reaches deep and prods whatever evolutionary part of the heart finds itself in awe at pieces of aluminum. It may not be the best plate, but it’s spiritually compelling.
2. Hawaii
Fun. Simple. To the point. This is Hawaii. There are rainbows here. We say Aloha. Life is good.
It’s important for license plates to capture their respective states, and Hawaii’s certainly does that. It’s carefree. It’s peaceful. It’s beautiful.
Simple. Approachable. Mirthful. A very good license plate.
1. Alaska
Alaska’s plate is strong. It looks rustic, which is what you want out of Alaska. It has a crude depiction of the state flag, which adds to the rusticity. It reminds you that Alaska, not space or the ocean, is the last frontier, which adds even more to the rusticity. It’s also prevalent enough that you’ve got a good shot of seeing it on road trips (unlike Hawaii’s, rare gem that it is), which doesn’t change its spot in the rankings but is worth noting while we’re talking license plates.
It’s hard to say at this point how Alaska will stack up against titans like Wyoming, Idaho, North Dakota, and West Virginia. But it will be in the discussion, helping carry the banner for the West Coast.
Nevada License Plate Image taken from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
California License Plate Image taken from Wikipedia, where it’s labeled as Public Domain.
Oregon License Plate Image taken from Wikipedia, where it’s credited to EvanA123.
Washington License Plate Image taken from Wikipedia, where it’s credited to Pickn528.
Hawaii License Plate Image taken from Wikipedia, where it’s labeled as Public Domain.
Alaska License Plate Image taken from Wikipedia, where it’s credited to Yorkist Propaganda.
