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License Plate News

Started by Alex, February 04, 2010, 10:38:53 AM

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kphoger

Quote from: SD Mapman on May 19, 2022, 06:41:01 PM
but all the small-town folks complained that they'd have to memorize a different system to know where everyone was from.

Why is that a problem?

Keep in mind that I grew up in Kansas, and at one point had memorized all of its two-letter county codes as well as several of Nebraska's number codes.  But it doesn't actually have much practical value–just for curiosity's sake.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.


SD Mapman

Quote from: kphoger on May 19, 2022, 06:57:08 PM
Quote from: SD Mapman on May 19, 2022, 06:41:01 PM
but all the small-town folks complained that they'd have to memorize a different system to know where everyone was from.

Why is that a problem?

Keep in mind that I grew up in Kansas, and at one point had memorized all of its two-letter county codes as well as several of Nebraska's number codes.  But it doesn't actually have much practical value–just for curiosity's sake.
No, the complaint was that they already had one system memorized, and they didn't want to memorize another (sorry if I wasn't clear on that). You know how much resistance to change there is in the Plains...
The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see. - G.K. Chesterton

kalvado

Quote from: SD Mapman on May 19, 2022, 07:11:12 PM
Quote from: kphoger on May 19, 2022, 06:57:08 PM
Quote from: SD Mapman on May 19, 2022, 06:41:01 PM
but all the small-town folks complained that they'd have to memorize a different system to know where everyone was from.

Why is that a problem?

Keep in mind that I grew up in Kansas, and at one point had memorized all of its two-letter county codes as well as several of Nebraska's number codes.  But it doesn't actually have much practical value–just for curiosity's sake.
No, the complaint was that they already had one system memorized, and they didn't want to memorize another (sorry if I wasn't clear on that). You know how much resistance to change there is in the Plains...
Either county information is useful enough to have it on the plate for everyone to see, or why bother with such encoding at all?

kphoger

Quote from: kalvado on May 19, 2022, 07:24:48 PM
No, the complaint was that they already had one system memorized, and they didn't want to memorize another (sorry if I wasn't clear on that). You know how much resistance to change there is in the Plains...

Oh, no, I understood perfectly well.  It's just that, if I were the one making the decision, my answer would be So what?  What point is there, besides idle curiosity, in knowing where someone else's car is registered?

Quote from: kalvado on May 19, 2022, 07:24:48 PM
Either county information is useful enough to have it on the plate for everyone to see, or why bother with such encoding at all?

I'm not up on the history of the process, but I believe it's an artifact of license plates being issued at the county level.  I must imagine it's both easier and more foolproof to have each county's block of license plates all bear the same code/stamp/sticker/whatever.  That is to say, it's not particularly useful for everyone to see, but it's still useful for the issuance process.

One question I have is this:  if I move to a different county in Kansas, do I get a new license plate, or do I get a county code sticker to put over the existing one, or does it just stay the same with a Sedgwick county-coded plate?
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

J N Winkler

Quote from: kphoger on May 19, 2022, 08:17:43 PMI'm not up on the history of the process, but I believe it's an artifact of license plates being issued at the county level.  I must imagine it's both easier and more foolproof to have each county's block of license plates all bear the same code/stamp/sticker/whatever.  That is to say, it's not particularly useful for everyone to see, but it's still useful for the issuance process.

In the old days, I think the county code itself was part of the plate number, stamped vertically to the left of the number block.  The system broke down in large-population counties sometime in the 1970's or 1980's, when the statewide common number pool and county stickers were introduced.  (Nebraska reached this point a decade or so ago with Douglas and Sarpy Counties, which are now broken out of the county numbering scheme and assigned plates out of a three-letter, three-digit pool.)

Quote from: kphoger on May 19, 2022, 08:17:43 PMOne question I have is this:  if I move to a different county in Kansas, do I get a new license plate, or do I get a county code sticker to put over the existing one, or does it just stay the same with a Sedgwick county-coded plate?

You keep your plate but get a sticker for the new county.

Unless things have changed in the past decade or so, it is not routine for there to be a county identifier on specialty bases.

I have heard that when one is negotiating access to private land for hunting, it is an advantage not to show up in a car that has a SG plate.
"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini

SD Mapman

Quote from: J N Winkler on May 19, 2022, 11:49:13 PM
(Nebraska reached this point a decade or so ago with Douglas and Sarpy Counties, which are now broken out of the county numbering scheme and assigned plates out of a three-letter, three-digit pool.)
Lancaster too; some truck plates in NE still retain the 1, 2, and 58(?) numbering.

Quote from: J N Winkler on May 19, 2022, 11:49:13 PM
I have heard that when one is negotiating access to private land for hunting, it is an advantage not to show up in a car that has a SG plate.
Farmers and ranchers don't like city people everywhere lol. Wonder if a WY or JO would inspire the same reaction (I bet it would).

Quote from: kphoger on May 19, 2022, 08:17:43 PM
Quote from: SD Mapman on May 19, 2022, 07:11:12 PM
No, the complaint was that they already had one system memorized, and they didn't want to memorize another (sorry if I wasn't clear on that). You know how much resistance to change there is in the Plains...

Oh, no, I understood perfectly well.  It's just that, if I were the one making the decision, my answer would be So what?  What point is there, besides idle curiosity, in knowing where someone else's car is registered?
Because you're a small-town busybody who carries way too much weight in the election and likes to write down what county that people are from that pass your house? Not saying I agree with it.
The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see. - G.K. Chesterton

Scott5114

Quote from: kphoger on May 19, 2022, 08:17:43 PM
One question I have is this:  if I move to a different county in Kansas, do I get a new license plate, or do I get a county code sticker to put over the existing one, or does it just stay the same with a Sedgwick county-coded plate?

In Oklahoma, we were transferring a car (at the time, the tags stayed with the car, now they stay with the owner like in most other states) that was previously owned in Pontotoc (PO) county to our address in Cleveland (CL) County. We only got a new county sticker because we specifically asked the tag agent for one (neither of us want to be associated with Pontotoc County). I got the impression that, had we not asked, the tag agency would have happily let us drive around with PO tags until the plate needed to be replaced.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

kphoger

Quote from: kalvado on May 19, 2022, 07:24:48 PM
Either county information is useful enough to have it on the plate for everyone to see, or why bother with such encoding at all?

I seem to remember that, on occasion, I've seen or heard an amber/silver/periwinkle alert that included something like "blue Ford pickup with Reno County tags".  That way, when you pull into a gas station and see a blue Ford pickup with Douglas County tags, you don't feel like calling the cops.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

kalvado

Quote from: kphoger on May 20, 2022, 09:13:34 AM
Quote from: kalvado on May 19, 2022, 07:24:48 PM
Either county information is useful enough to have it on the plate for everyone to see, or why bother with such encoding at all?

I seem to remember that, on occasion, I've seen or heard an amber/silver/periwinkle alert that included something like "blue Ford pickup with Reno County tags".  That way, when you pull into a gas station and see a blue Ford pickup with Douglas County tags, you don't feel like calling the cops.
And that requires people memorizing county encoding... So we're back to square one - if you need that information on a plate, you want people being able to read it.

kphoger

Quote from: kalvado on May 20, 2022, 10:03:55 AM

Quote from: kphoger on May 20, 2022, 09:13:34 AM

Quote from: kalvado on May 19, 2022, 07:24:48 PM
Either county information is useful enough to have it on the plate for everyone to see, or why bother with such encoding at all?

I seem to remember that, on occasion, I've seen or heard an amber/silver/periwinkle alert that included something like "blue Ford pickup with Reno County tags".  That way, when you pull into a gas station and see a blue Ford pickup with Douglas County tags, you don't feel like calling the cops.

And that requires people memorizing county encoding... So we're back to square one - if you need that information on a plate, you want people being able to read it.

No, not really.  Come on.  You can be pretty confident that DG does not stand for Reno.  And some others are pretty obvious:  what could WY be except Wyandotte, what could FO be except Ford, what could SG be except Sedgwick, what could NT be except Norton, what could SU be except Sumner, what could AT be except Atchison, etc.

There are, however, some that I can't seem to keep straight whenever I see them on license plates:  for example, I can never remember if NO is Neosho or Norton, or if SN is Shawnee or Sherman.  But even then, that isn't exactly 'square one'.

And of course, that sort of thing doesn't work so well in states with numeric codes, such as Nebraska.  I've never known more than about five Nebraska county codes at any one time.

For what it's worth, vehicle registration used to come in a manila envelope with something like this map on the outside of the envelope:

Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

mgk920

I am most happy living in a state that does not put any mention of 'county' on my car's license plates (Wisconsin).  It does add an element of anonymity to mindlessly driving around the state.

:nod:

Mike

kphoger

Quote from: mgk920 on May 20, 2022, 10:23:37 AM
I am most happy living in a state that does not put any mention of 'county' on my car's license plates (Wisconsin).  It does add an element of anonymity to mindlessly driving around the state.

:nod:

The flip side of this is when I'm 700 miles from home, and then I see someone else from the same county filling up with gas at the next pump over.  It's a conversation starter.  That phenomenon is of even greater weight if you're from a small county.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

SD Mapman

Quote from: kphoger on May 20, 2022, 10:27:07 AM
Quote from: mgk920 on May 20, 2022, 10:23:37 AM
I am most happy living in a state that does not put any mention of 'county' on my car's license plates (Wisconsin).  It does add an element of anonymity to mindlessly driving around the state.

:nod:

The flip side of this is when I'm 700 miles from home, and then I see someone else from the same county filling up with gas at the next pump over.  It's a conversation starter.  That phenomenon is of even greater weight if you're from a small county.
Hah, I've done that too! My gut assumption is anyone with a 9 SD plate I either know them or someone who knows them.

Quote from: kphoger on May 20, 2022, 10:19:04 AM
And of course, that sort of thing doesn't work so well in states with numeric codes, such as Nebraska.  I've never known more than about five Nebraska county codes at any one time.
Coming from a numeric code state, if they need to announce something out here they'll say the number if it's not a local county (i.e. "16 plates" instead of "Campbell County plates" out in the Hills. If it's 15 plates, they'll just say Butte County because everyone out here knows Butte is 15.).

When my folks first moved to Spearfish from East River, someone went into the hospital my mom worked at and said in a really loud voice "Who has the Day County license plates?" and then proceeded to talk my poor mother senseless about goings-on in Webster. Needless to say they changed the plates over as soon as they could after that.
The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see. - G.K. Chesterton

Scott5114

Quote from: kphoger on May 20, 2022, 10:19:04 AM
For what it's worth, vehicle registration used to come in a manila envelope with something like this map on the outside of the envelope:



I wish a map like this existed for Oklahoma's county codes, yet in the 10 years or so that we've had county codes, that information has somehow never ended up on the Internet. Which kind of sucks, because Oklahoma's codes seem to be a lot less regular than Kansas's (McClain County is ML, for instance).
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

kphoger

Quote from: Scott5114 on May 20, 2022, 05:09:31 PM
I wish a map like this existed for Oklahoma's county codes, yet in the 10 years or so that we've had county codes, that information has somehow never ended up on the Internet. Which kind of sucks, because Oklahoma's codes seem to be a lot less regular than Kansas's (McClain County is ML, for instance).

Working on it...
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

kphoger

Quote from: Scott5114 on May 20, 2022, 05:09:31 PM
I wish a map like this existed for Oklahoma's county codes, yet in the 10 years or so that we've had county codes, that information has somehow never ended up on the Internet. Which kind of sucks, because Oklahoma's codes seem to be a lot less regular than Kansas's (McClain County is ML, for instance).

Here you go, sir!

https://i.imgur.com/wXWBtKD.png

Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

Scott5114

#1791
Incredible, thank you! Where'd you dig that up from?

As I expected, some of these are slightly silly. Texas County is TX, presumably to match the postal abbreviation of the state, yet Delaware County gets DL instead of DE and Washington gets WS instead of WA. Carter County is CR instead of CA, presumably to avoid besmirching the citizens of Ardmore with any association with the hated Californians. I also probably would have changed things around to give MC to McClain County since it has a bigger (and growing) population than McCurtain County, probably giving McCurtain MR and Marshall ML.

I think I remember reading somewhere that Kansas's county code system is so orderly that there is only one instance where the county code is not the first two letters of the county name, where doing so would not cause a conflict with another county.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

chrisdiaz

Quote from: mgk920 on May 20, 2022, 10:23:37 AM
I am most happy living in a state that does not put any mention of 'county' on my car's license plates (Wisconsin).  It does add an element of anonymity to mindlessly driving around the state.

:nod:

Mike

Can agree with this. In New York, we don't have counties on the plates, but oftentimes your local car dealer will install a plate frame that says Nissan of *city/town name* for example. When my family and I were going on a road trip from Long Island to Buffalo/Niagara Falls, I took off the plate frames so people wouldn't know we were tourists.

CtrlAltDel

Quote from: chrisdiaz on May 23, 2022, 12:35:11 AM
In New York, we don't have counties on the plates, but oftentimes your local car dealer will install a plate frame that says Nissan of *city/town name* for example. When my family and I were going on a road trip from Long Island to Buffalo/Niagara Falls, I took off the plate frames so people wouldn't know we were tourists.

I take those frames off even when I'm not going to be traveling.
Interstates clinched: 4, 57, 275 (IN-KY-OH), 465 (IN), 640 (TN), 985
State Interstates clinched: I-26 (TN), I-75 (GA), I-75 (KY), I-75 (TN), I-81 (WV), I-95 (NH)

Rothman

Quote from: CtrlAltDel on May 23, 2022, 12:45:58 AM
Quote from: chrisdiaz on May 23, 2022, 12:35:11 AM
In New York, we don't have counties on the plates, but oftentimes your local car dealer will install a plate frame that says Nissan of *city/town name* for example. When my family and I were going on a road trip from Long Island to Buffalo/Niagara Falls, I took off the plate frames so people wouldn't know we were tourists.

I take those frames off even when I'm not going to be traveling.
I've always thought about taking the frames off, but have been too lazy to do so.  Never had a problem being perceived as a tourist.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

kalvado

Quote from: CtrlAltDel on May 23, 2022, 12:45:58 AM
Quote from: chrisdiaz on May 23, 2022, 12:35:11 AM
In New York, we don't have counties on the plates, but oftentimes your local car dealer will install a plate frame that says Nissan of *city/town name* for example. When my family and I were going on a road trip from Long Island to Buffalo/Niagara Falls, I took off the plate frames so people wouldn't know we were tourists.

I take those frames off even when I'm not going to be traveling.
The best I saw is a NY license plate with a TX frame. Apparently, someone moved and changed plates, but decided to keep the frame...

jakeroot

#1796
Quote from: Scott5114 on May 21, 2022, 07:54:29 PM
...Washington gets WS instead of WA...

It may be worth noting that Washington State's license plates, at one time, used "WS". But that could always mean "Washington State", as in WSDOT (Washington State DOT).

EDIT: Actually, it was WN, not WS. Welp, now I'm confused :-D

CtrlAltDel

Quote from: Scott5114 on May 21, 2022, 07:54:29 PM
Incredible, thank you! Where'd you dig that up from?

As I expected, some of these are slightly silly. Texas County is TX, presumably to match the postal abbreviation of the state, yet Delaware County gets DL instead of DE and Washington gets WS instead of WA.

These seem to be following Coast Guard abbreviations rather than the Postal Service ones, perhaps coincidentally, though.
Interstates clinched: 4, 57, 275 (IN-KY-OH), 465 (IN), 640 (TN), 985
State Interstates clinched: I-26 (TN), I-75 (GA), I-75 (KY), I-75 (TN), I-81 (WV), I-95 (NH)

Big John

^^ Wisconsin boats use "WS".

kphoger

Quote from: Scott5114 on May 21, 2022, 07:54:29 PM
Incredible, thank you! Where'd you dig that up from?

I made it in MSPaint for you.

Quote from: Scott5114 on May 21, 2022, 07:54:29 PM
As I expected, some of these are slightly silly. Texas County is TX, presumably to match the postal abbreviation of the state, yet Delaware County gets DL instead of DE and Washington gets WS instead of WA. Carter County is CR instead of CA, presumably to avoid besmirching the citizens of Ardmore with any association with the hated Californians. I also probably would have changed things around to give MC to McClain County since it has a bigger (and growing) population than McCurtain County, probably giving McCurtain MR and Marshall ML.

It doesn't look at all random or silly to me.  Actually, it looks rather well planned-out.  See below for my detailed analysis of each of the specific ones you pointed out.

I assume Delaware County is DL instead of DE, because DE are the first two letters of Dewey County as well.  Instead, they are DL and DW–first and third letters of each.

Likewise Carter County:  CA are the first two letters of Caddo County and Canadian County as well.  So for all three, they went with the first and third letters instead.

Likewise with Washington County:  WA are the first two letters of Wagoner County and Washita County as well.  Instead, they are WS, WG, and WT.  For Wagoner and Washington, they again went with the first and third letters.  For Washita, they used the letter that does not appear in any other W county.

And likewise all of the Mc counties, which all begin with the first two letters.  McCurtain and McIntosh get the first and third letters.  For McClain, they used the letter that does not appear in any other Mc county.

Quote from: Scott5114 on May 21, 2022, 07:54:29 PM
I think I remember reading somewhere that Kansas's county code system is so orderly that there is only one instance where the county code is not the first two letters of the county name, where doing so would not cause a conflict with another county.

I'm having difficulty parsing what you mean there.  Kansas has loads of county codes that aren't the first two letters–Sedgwick included.

I'd appreciate an example or counterexample to illustrate what you're trying to say.  Here are the county codes in alphabetical order, if that helps:

AL. Allen   AN. Anderson     AT. Atchison    BA. Barber    BT. Barton
BB. Bourbon    BR. Brown    BU. Butler    CS. Chase    CQ. Chautauqua
CK. Cherokee    CN. Cheyenne    CA. Clark    CY. Clay    CD. Cloud
CF. Coffey    CM. Comanche    CL. Cowley    CR. Crawford    DC. Decatur
DK. Dickinson    DP. Doniphan    DG. Douglas    ED. Edwards    EK. Elk
EL. Ellis    EW. Ellsworth    FI. Finney    FO. Ford    FR. Franklin
GE. Geary    GO. Gove    GH. Graham    GT. Grant    GY. Gray
GL. Greeley    GW. Greenwood    HM. Hamilton    HP. Harper    HV. Harvey
HS. Haskell    HG. Hodgeman    JA. Jackson    JF. Jefferson    JW. Jewell
JO. Johnson    KE. Kearney    KM. Kingman    KW. Kiowa    LB. Labette
LE. Lane    LV. Leavenworth    LC. Lincoln    LN. Linn    LG. Logan
LY. Lyon    MN. Marion    MS. Marshall    MP. McPherson    ME. Meade
MI. Miami    MC. Mitchell    MG. Montgomery    MR. Morris    MT. Morton
NM. Nemaha    NO. Neosho    NS. Ness    NT. Norton    OS. Osage
OB. Osborne    OT. Ottawa    PN. Pawnee    PL. Phillips    PT. Pottawatomie
PR. Pratt    RA. Rawlins    RN. Reno    RP. Republic    RC. Rice
RL. Riley    RO. Rooks    RH. Rush    RS. Russell    SA. Saline
SC. Scott    SG. Sedgwick    SW. Seward    SN. Shawnee    SD. Sheridan
SH. Sherman    SM. Smith    SF. Stafford    ST. Stanton    SV. Stevens
SU. Sumner    TH. Thomas    TR. Trego    WB. Wabaunsee    WA. Wallace
WS. Washington    WH. Wichita    WL. Wilson    WO. Woodson    WY. Wyandotte
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.



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