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National Boards => General Highway Talk => Topic started by: OCGuy81 on March 06, 2024, 04:39:04 PM

Title: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: OCGuy81 on March 06, 2024, 04:39:04 PM
In Oregon, the out of state plates I see the most of are primarily Utah and British Columbia.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: MATraveler128 on March 06, 2024, 04:45:45 PM
In Massachusetts, it's Maine, New Jersey, and Florida. I also see a lot of Pennsylvania plates.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: Max Rockatansky on March 06, 2024, 04:47:33 PM
Virginia given I'm near a Navy base.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: bing101 on March 06, 2024, 04:48:28 PM
In Northern California I seen lots of Colorado, Texas, Hawaii, Utah and Washington State license plates here.

Occasionally some Georgia and Florida license plates are seen here. Some of this is that some of the out of state people are assigned to Travis Air Force Base here and some of this is that they go to work or take college classes in Sacramento or Bay Area.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: freebrickproductions on March 06, 2024, 04:54:27 PM
Hmm...

Probably Kentucky and North Carolina, if I had to guess.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: JayhawkCO on March 06, 2024, 04:57:15 PM
Texas, easily.  Since all the states that border Colorado are so large, there's nothing else that's close and/or has a large population (Dakotas, Montana, etc.). I'd say there's at least 10 times as many Texas plates as any other non-bordering state, which second place would probably be California.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: 1995hoo on March 06, 2024, 05:00:45 PM
We see a lot of out-of-state plates here given our proximity both to DC and to various military installations. I think Florida, Pennsylvania, and New York seem to be the most common, although lately I've been seeing a lot more Texas plates than usual.

I see a surprising number of Alaska and Hawaii plates. In terms of East Coast states, I see very few from Maine or Rhode Island and surprisingly few from Connecticut.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: kphoger on March 06, 2024, 05:04:48 PM
Texas, easily.

Also Arkansas.

And Maine and Indiana are also common on trucks.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: NWI_Irish96 on March 06, 2024, 05:07:39 PM
Quote from: kphoger on March 06, 2024, 05:04:48 PM
Texas, easily.

Also Arkansas.

And Maine and Indiana are also common on trucks.

I don't really notice the plates on trucks. For me, it's definitely Wisconsin, with Missouri and Tennessee after that.

If I drove on the Toll Road more, I'd see a lot of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: BrianP on March 06, 2024, 05:11:43 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 06, 2024, 05:00:45 PM
We see a lot of out-of-state plates here given our proximity both to DC and to various military installations. I think Florida, Pennsylvania, and New York seem to be the most common, although lately I've been seeing a lot more Texas plates than usual.

I see a surprising number of Alaska and Hawaii plates. In terms of East Coast states, I see very few from Maine or Rhode Island and surprisingly few from Connecticut.
The thing I wonder in this area with tags from states like Florida and maybe Texas and Georgia is how many of those are rental cars.  It wouldn't surprise me that the results of this inquiry are tainted by that.

An example that I just googled:
https://www.denver7.com/traffic/driving-you-crazy/driving-you-crazy-why-do-so-many-colorado-rental-cars-have-out-of-state-license-plates
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: doorknob60 on March 06, 2024, 05:19:35 PM
In Idaho, it's California, and it's not even close. I see more of them than some touching states like Wyoming and Montana (of course, not really surprising considering the population difference).

Colorado is probably 2nd most common for non touching states, and maybe Arizona.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: pderocco on March 06, 2024, 05:28:09 PM
I live in San Diego, so not surprisingly the most common are either Arizona or some Mexican state (I never notice which). Beyond that, the other bordering states, Nevada and Oregon are fairly common, but Washington seems a little more common than Oregon.

When I was an avid street skater, I used to occupy my mind by looking at license plates. I always noticed that Massachusetts plates were at least twice as common as New York plates around here, which seems odd given their relative populations, and the fact that they're both very far away. I wonder if NY is skewed because so many residents live in NYC and simply don't have cars. Or maybe it's their provincial views, as famously satirized by Saul Steinberg's New Yorker cover half a century ago.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: Scott5114 on March 06, 2024, 05:52:31 PM
Las Vegas is a plate-watcher's paradise because of all of the traffic coming in and out, as well as people relocating here from elsewhere.

Snarky answer: Oklahoma, because it doesn't border Nevada and that's still what's on my car.
Actual answer: It seems like I see Texas and Washington about equally often, but that may be confirmation bias because I'm used to seeing Texas plates all over Oklahoma, so I may just notice them more readily.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: bing101 on March 06, 2024, 06:02:32 PM
Quote from: pderocco on March 06, 2024, 05:28:09 PM
I live in San Diego, so not surprisingly the most common are either Arizona or some Mexican state (I never notice which). Beyond that, the other bordering states, Nevada and Oregon are fairly common, but Washington seems a little more common than Oregon.

When I was an avid street skater, I used to occupy my mind by looking at license plates. I always noticed that Massachusetts plates were at least twice as common as New York plates around here, which seems odd given their relative populations, and the fact that they're both very far away. I wonder if NY is skewed because so many residents live in NYC and simply don't have cars. Or maybe it's their provincial views, as famously satirized by Saul Steinberg's New Yorker cover half a century ago.
Wow never knew some parts of San Diego have lots of Massachusetts residents or tourists. 
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: SectorZ on March 06, 2024, 07:07:23 PM
Maine all day for me, but there's only a 15 mile gap (and I'm only 45 miles from Maine as it is) and so many people escape Mass reg. fees by quasi-illegally registering vehicles there. All the trailers routinely registered there as well.

If on an interstate I feel Indiana becomes a distant second of non-bordering states. Behind that Florida it seems.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: Rothman on March 06, 2024, 07:12:30 PM
C'mon people:

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=27139.0
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: Hunty2022 on March 06, 2024, 10:15:49 PM
Probably Florida for me.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: webny99 on March 06, 2024, 10:19:16 PM
This should be merged, and my response in the previous thread still holds, but I am surprised Florida hasn't been mentioned more. Between snowbirds and rental cars, no other non-bordering state comes close.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: pderocco on March 06, 2024, 11:26:01 PM
Quote from: bing101 on March 06, 2024, 06:02:32 PM
Quote from: pderocco on March 06, 2024, 05:28:09 PM
I live in San Diego, so not surprisingly the most common are either Arizona or some Mexican state (I never notice which). Beyond that, the other bordering states, Nevada and Oregon are fairly common, but Washington seems a little more common than Oregon.

When I was an avid street skater, I used to occupy my mind by looking at license plates. I always noticed that Massachusetts plates were at least twice as common as New York plates around here, which seems odd given their relative populations, and the fact that they're both very far away. I wonder if NY is skewed because so many residents live in NYC and simply don't have cars. Or maybe it's their provincial views, as famously satirized by Saul Steinberg's New Yorker cover half a century ago.
Wow never knew some parts of San Diego have lots of Massachusetts residents or tourists.
Not lots. Certainly far fewer than western states. But there's a noticeable disparity.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: KeithE4Phx on March 07, 2024, 12:29:10 AM
In Arizona, most of the snowbirds are from the upper Midwest and northern Mountain States these days:  Montana, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois.  There are also some from Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, but not to the extent of the others.  If you include Canada, we get quite a few from BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan as well.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: OCGuy81 on March 07, 2024, 08:13:54 AM
Quote from: Rothman on March 06, 2024, 07:12:30 PM
C'mon people:

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=27139.0

Sorry all! I didn't see this one.  The search functionality on here leaves something to be desired, but please, feel free to merge these two threads. :-)
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: OCGuy81 on March 07, 2024, 08:15:05 AM
Quote from: KeithE4Phx on March 07, 2024, 12:29:10 AM
In Arizona, most of the snowbirds are from the upper Midwest and northern Mountain States these days:  Montana, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois.  There are also some from Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, but not to the extent of the others.  If you include Canada, we get quite a few from BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan as well.

Oh yeah! I remember going out to AZ for spring training on multiple occasions, and one could easily see all 50 state plates in a single day that time of year.

You're right, upper Midwest states did dominate.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: 1995hoo on March 07, 2024, 08:33:09 AM
Quote from: BrianP on March 06, 2024, 05:11:43 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 06, 2024, 05:00:45 PM
We see a lot of out-of-state plates here given our proximity both to DC and to various military installations. I think Florida, Pennsylvania, and New York seem to be the most common, although lately I've been seeing a lot more Texas plates than usual.

I see a surprising number of Alaska and Hawaii plates. In terms of East Coast states, I see very few from Maine or Rhode Island and surprisingly few from Connecticut.
The thing I wonder in this area with tags from states like Florida and maybe Texas and Georgia is how many of those are rental cars.  It wouldn't surprise me that the results of this inquiry are tainted by that.

....

Hard to know. Good chance it's a combination of both. I note that there are several Florida and Texas plates in my neighborhood, including two Texas plates belonging to people living on my street (one a renter we assume is in the Armed Forces because he's renting from a military owner, the other a homeowner we know to be in the Armed Forces).

The most unusual plate I see on a regular basis is that in a nearby condo development, there's a Suburban parked with "EDOMEX" plates—i.e., the State of Mexico (the area around Mexico City). It's one of only two Mexican plates I've ever seen in the DC area and it's been there for several months. I have no idea whether it's someone living here long-term, which would be mildly odd because I'd normally expect a "Diplomat" plate in that situation, or whether it's someone who drove up here for a long-term visit. Either way, I'm not inclined to report the person as a tax evader the way I might if someone who was clearly not in the military and not a college student maintained out-of-state plates for a long time. (I'm sure I have mentioned at some point how a guy who used to live across the street pissed me off one day, so to get back at him I reported a non-mobile car in his driveway with expired New Jersey plates as a potential tax evader. The county not only added the car to the tax rolls, they dunned him $100 more for not getting a Virginia plate within 30 days of moving in.)
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: OCGuy81 on March 07, 2024, 09:02:25 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 07, 2024, 08:33:09 AM
Quote from: BrianP on March 06, 2024, 05:11:43 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 06, 2024, 05:00:45 PM
We see a lot of out-of-state plates here given our proximity both to DC and to various military installations. I think Florida, Pennsylvania, and New York seem to be the most common, although lately I've been seeing a lot more Texas plates than usual.

I see a surprising number of Alaska and Hawaii plates. In terms of East Coast states, I see very few from Maine or Rhode Island and surprisingly few from Connecticut.
The thing I wonder in this area with tags from states like Florida and maybe Texas and Georgia is how many of those are rental cars.  It wouldn't surprise me that the results of this inquiry are tainted by that.

....

Hard to know. Good chance it's a combination of both. I note that there are several Florida and Texas plates in my neighborhood, including two Texas plates belonging to people living on my street (one a renter we assume is in the Armed Forces because he's renting from a military owner, the other a homeowner we know to be in the Armed Forces).

The most unusual plate I see on a regular basis is that in a nearby condo development, there's a Suburban parked with "EDOMEX" plates—i.e., the State of Mexico (the area around Mexico City). It's one of only two Mexican plates I've ever seen in the DC area and it's been there for several months. I have no idea whether it's someone living here long-term, which would be mildly odd because I'd normally expect a "Diplomat" plate in that situation, or whether it's someone who drove up here for a long-term visit. Either way, I'm not inclined to report the person as a tax evader the way I might if someone who was clearly not in the military and not a college student maintained out-of-state plates for a long time. (I'm sure I have mentioned at some point how a guy who used to live across the street pissed me off one day, so to get back at him I reported a non-mobile car in his driveway with expired New Jersey plates as a potential tax evader. The county not only added the car to the tax rolls, they dunned him $100 more for not getting a Virginia plate within 30 days of moving in.)

Being in that metro DC area, do you see a lot of Consulate plates?
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: Rothman on March 07, 2024, 09:06:43 AM
Quote from: OCGuy81 on March 07, 2024, 09:02:25 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 07, 2024, 08:33:09 AM
Quote from: BrianP on March 06, 2024, 05:11:43 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 06, 2024, 05:00:45 PM
We see a lot of out-of-state plates here given our proximity both to DC and to various military installations. I think Florida, Pennsylvania, and New York seem to be the most common, although lately I've been seeing a lot more Texas plates than usual.

I see a surprising number of Alaska and Hawaii plates. In terms of East Coast states, I see very few from Maine or Rhode Island and surprisingly few from Connecticut.
The thing I wonder in this area with tags from states like Florida and maybe Texas and Georgia is how many of those are rental cars.  It wouldn't surprise me that the results of this inquiry are tainted by that.

....

Hard to know. Good chance it's a combination of both. I note that there are several Florida and Texas plates in my neighborhood, including two Texas plates belonging to people living on my street (one a renter we assume is in the Armed Forces because he's renting from a military owner, the other a homeowner we know to be in the Armed Forces).

The most unusual plate I see on a regular basis is that in a nearby condo development, there's a Suburban parked with "EDOMEX" plates—i.e., the State of Mexico (the area around Mexico City). It's one of only two Mexican plates I've ever seen in the DC area and it's been there for several months. I have no idea whether it's someone living here long-term, which would be mildly odd because I'd normally expect a "Diplomat" plate in that situation, or whether it's someone who drove up here for a long-term visit. Either way, I'm not inclined to report the person as a tax evader the way I might if someone who was clearly not in the military and not a college student maintained out-of-state plates for a long time. (I'm sure I have mentioned at some point how a guy who used to live across the street pissed me off one day, so to get back at him I reported a non-mobile car in his driveway with expired New Jersey plates as a potential tax evader. The county not only added the car to the tax rolls, they dunned him $100 more for not getting a Virginia plate within 30 days of moving in.)

Being in that metro DC area, do you see a lot of Consulate plates?
I certainly did when I lived in the DC area.  Those "D" plates caused a lot of grumbling because they were perceived to be worse drivers, partially due to an assumption of diplomatic immunity.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: hotdogPi on March 07, 2024, 09:08:16 AM
I would say Maine (not just trucks), New Jersey, and Florida.

Interestingly, over 90% of Georgia plates are from Atlanta or its inner suburbs (mainly Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett), while Florida's counties are spread all over the place.

Vehicles without a front plate fall into one of four categories:
1. From Florida, Pennsylvania, or much more rarely another state that doesn't require front plates.
2. A green (pre-1990) MA plate. My mom still has one.
3. Standard plate in violation of the law.
4. Dealer plate. Both MA and NH don't require front plates for dealers.

On my walks (so this applies to surface roads, not freeways), the first three are all about equally common. The frequency of the fourth varies wildly depending on which road I'm on.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: bwana39 on March 07, 2024, 09:14:41 AM
Here (NE Texas)  it is Florida , followed by Illinois.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: MATraveler128 on March 07, 2024, 09:19:28 AM
I always notice Illinois plates popping up more frequently around here. Really every state on the east coast has a lot of representation except Delaware. Delaware is surprisingly uncommon for only being about 300 miles from my location as the crow flies. Though I saw a Delaware plate yesterday.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: 1995hoo on March 07, 2024, 09:29:42 AM
Quote from: Rothman on March 07, 2024, 09:06:43 AM
Quote from: OCGuy81 on March 07, 2024, 09:02:25 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 07, 2024, 08:33:09 AM
Quote from: BrianP on March 06, 2024, 05:11:43 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 06, 2024, 05:00:45 PM
We see a lot of out-of-state plates here given our proximity both to DC and to various military installations. I think Florida, Pennsylvania, and New York seem to be the most common, although lately I've been seeing a lot more Texas plates than usual.

I see a surprising number of Alaska and Hawaii plates. In terms of East Coast states, I see very few from Maine or Rhode Island and surprisingly few from Connecticut.
The thing I wonder in this area with tags from states like Florida and maybe Texas and Georgia is how many of those are rental cars.  It wouldn't surprise me that the results of this inquiry are tainted by that.

....

Hard to know. Good chance it's a combination of both. I note that there are several Florida and Texas plates in my neighborhood, including two Texas plates belonging to people living on my street (one a renter we assume is in the Armed Forces because he's renting from a military owner, the other a homeowner we know to be in the Armed Forces).

The most unusual plate I see on a regular basis is that in a nearby condo development, there's a Suburban parked with "EDOMEX" plates—i.e., the State of Mexico (the area around Mexico City). It's one of only two Mexican plates I've ever seen in the DC area and it's been there for several months. I have no idea whether it's someone living here long-term, which would be mildly odd because I'd normally expect a "Diplomat" plate in that situation, or whether it's someone who drove up here for a long-term visit. Either way, I'm not inclined to report the person as a tax evader the way I might if someone who was clearly not in the military and not a college student maintained out-of-state plates for a long time. (I'm sure I have mentioned at some point how a guy who used to live across the street pissed me off one day, so to get back at him I reported a non-mobile car in his driveway with expired New Jersey plates as a potential tax evader. The county not only added the car to the tax rolls, they dunned him $100 more for not getting a Virginia plate within 30 days of moving in.)

Being in that metro DC area, do you see a lot of Consulate plates?
I certainly did when I lived in the DC area.  Those "D" plates caused a lot of grumbling because they were perceived to be worse drivers, partially due to an assumption of diplomatic immunity.

I frequently see them, though perhaps not as frequently as in past years (no doubt part of that is that I don't drive as much as I used to because I telecommute).

I've posted a couple of times about the jerk with "Diplomat" plates who used to live up the block. See below. This still annoys me when I think of it. The one day when everyone in our neighborhood had to parallel park around the corner and this jerk pulled this stunt. The picture below is of a VDOT-maintained street around the corner from my street, which is owned and maintained by our HOA. The HOA's contractor was sealcoating the street and if you wanted to be able to drive your car, you had to park around the corner. As noted below, two cars were parked there when I left (mine was one of them) and when I came back, I found the guy with the "Diplomat" plates had parked like this to take up two spaces. So I knew it wasn't a situation where he was parked and then the cars around him left. I really wanted to get a couple of neighbors and roll his minivan over onto the passenger side so that the space could be used properly, but of course I didn't. I also didn't leave a note on his windshield because I didn't want to leave fingerprints on the piece of paper.

Quote from: 1995hoo on February 20, 2015, 04:24:21 PM
....

Quote from: NJRoadfan on February 20, 2015, 04:08:13 PM
2. If they have to resurface the roads every 3 years (mill and pave) they are doing something very wrong. A proper pave of a light traffic street should last at least 10-15 years, even in the snowbelt.

They don't do a full milling and paving. I think they call it "sealcoating," though I'm not sure–the contractor comes out and does something and when they're done the street is a nice fresh black color with any cracks and other such stuff filled in. Either way, they tell us in advance and for two days we have to park around the corner.

Actually, that led to its own issue last time when the guy in front of me left at the same time I did, then we came back to find the guy up the street with "Diplomat" plates had parked squarely in the middle of the vacated space, i.e., there was space for two vehicles and he parked so half his vehicle took up each of the two "spaces." That one burned me up because it seemed like a situation where it should be obvious you shouldn't leave excess space because everyone had to park down there (and I did my part by putting the car we weren't going to drive in the garage so as to free up on-street space). I don't know whether he was intentionally being an asshole, whether he was being a dick because he knows his Diplomat plates let him get away with stuff, or whether he doesn't know how to parallel park and he took up too much space because he was afraid he wouldn't be able to get back out. (Doesn't matter anymore, the guy moved away last year.)

See below. I remember this all too clearly. I was parked in front of the Honda to the right and a neighbor was parked between my car and the Toyota to the left. We both left at the same time and I came back 15 minutes later to find the minivan parked like this on a day when all the on-street parking was taken due to the roadwork being done. If we lived in New York or Boston, I doubt it would have gone well for him....

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi31.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fc378%2F1995hoo%2F7edb6701.jpg&hash=65f9040ff9e31db081dfc258b0a5508c67c79061)
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: kphoger on March 07, 2024, 11:49:06 AM
Quote from: NWI_Irish96 on March 06, 2024, 05:07:39 PM

Quote from: kphoger on March 06, 2024, 05:04:48 PM
Texas, easily.

Also Arkansas.

And Maine and Indiana are also common on trucks.

I don't really notice the plates on trucks.

My kids sure do!  On a road trip a few years ago, for which I had made up license plate spotting sheets, and grouped us into two competing teams, my eldest son was super excited to have spotted a license plate that, according to my game, had a very large point value.  It was this one:

(https://moini.net/app/il2014apptlr.jpg)

He saw a long word that began with 'A', looked down at his sheet, and figured it must have been Aguascalientes.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: 7/8 on March 07, 2024, 12:34:51 PM
- Alberta: lots of people have moved there for cheaper housing and good wages (when oil is booming)
- Florida: snowbirds and rental cars?
- Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio*, Pennsylvania*: relatively close and populous states

* Water border with Ontario.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: WhyLifeIs4 on March 07, 2024, 12:44:12 PM
I have seen a lot of Flordia plates and Tennessee plates near my home
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: TheHighwayMan3561 on March 07, 2024, 01:14:00 PM
I see a number of Texas plates around MN. One would think it would be Illinois, but I rarely see them.

Even from the states that do border, I almost never see IA or SD. A lot of WI (which makes sense) and a handful of ND.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: mgk920 on March 07, 2024, 01:33:52 PM
NE Wisconsin, I see a lot of Texas plates here.


Mike
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: Ted$8roadFan on March 07, 2024, 01:45:08 PM
Also agree that most out-of-state plates near me are either bordering states or places like Maine, New Jersey, and Florida.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: kphoger on March 07, 2024, 02:19:18 PM
I see a surprisingly high number of Alaska plates here in Wichita.  My guess is that it has to do with the presence of an Air Force base.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: JayhawkCO on March 07, 2024, 02:24:29 PM
I wonder if there are many places where you see more plates from a non-bordering state than you do the closest bordering state. I see way more Texas plates than I do Wyoming (obviously partially due to the fact that Wyoming has 15-20% less people than the City and County of Denver itself.)
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: 1995hoo on March 07, 2024, 02:32:49 PM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on March 07, 2024, 02:24:29 PM
I wonder if there are many places where you see more plates from a non-bordering state than you do the closest bordering state. I see way more Texas plates than I do Wyoming (obviously partially due to the fact that Wyoming has 15-20% less people than the City and County of Denver itself.)

New York City, maybe, given how many people from New Jersey take some form of public transportation to get there? I tend not to pay much attention to license plates when I'm in the city, though.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: kphoger on March 07, 2024, 02:33:23 PM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on March 07, 2024, 02:24:29 PM
I wonder if there are many places where you see more plates from a non-bordering state than you do the closest bordering state. I see way more Texas plates than I do Wyoming (obviously partially due to the fact that Wyoming has 15-20% less people than the City and County of Denver itself.)

Around here, it seems I see approximately the same number of Texas plates as Oklahoma.  I suspect you don't have to go too much farther north before Texas outnumbers Oklahoma.  That's the more interesting phenomenon to me, in that Oklahoma is directly between here and Texas.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: jlam on March 07, 2024, 03:04:55 PM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on March 07, 2024, 02:24:29 PM
I wonder if there are many places where you see more plates from a non-bordering state than you do the closest bordering state. I see way more Texas plates than I do Wyoming (obviously partially due to the fact that Wyoming has 15-20% less people than the City and County of Denver itself.)

In these parts, I see more Wyoming plates than anything else besides Colorado's (though this is probably because I'm closer to Cheyenne than Denver). I might have seen California plates more often than Texas plates, but that statement is from my observations and not the full set of plates in my area. The metrics are probably different in urban areas.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: epzik8 on March 07, 2024, 03:50:57 PM
New Jersey and New York.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: JayhawkCO on March 07, 2024, 04:52:43 PM
Quote from: jlam on March 07, 2024, 03:04:55 PM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on March 07, 2024, 02:24:29 PM
I wonder if there are many places where you see more plates from a non-bordering state than you do the closest bordering state. I see way more Texas plates than I do Wyoming (obviously partially due to the fact that Wyoming has 15-20% less people than the City and County of Denver itself.)

In these parts, I see more Wyoming plates than anything else besides Colorado's (though this is probably because I'm closer to Cheyenne than Denver). I might have seen California plates more often than Texas plates, but that statement is from my observations and not the full set of plates in my area. The metrics are probably different in urban areas.

I figure you'd still have more Texas than California just because of the oil and gas activity up there.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: SEWIGuy on March 07, 2024, 05:08:14 PM
Quote from: BrianP on March 06, 2024, 05:11:43 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 06, 2024, 05:00:45 PM
We see a lot of out-of-state plates here given our proximity both to DC and to various military installations. I think Florida, Pennsylvania, and New York seem to be the most common, although lately I've been seeing a lot more Texas plates than usual.

I see a surprising number of Alaska and Hawaii plates. In terms of East Coast states, I see very few from Maine or Rhode Island and surprisingly few from Connecticut.
The thing I wonder in this area with tags from states like Florida and maybe Texas and Georgia is how many of those are rental cars.  It wouldn't surprise me that the results of this inquiry are tainted by that.

An example that I just googled:
https://www.denver7.com/traffic/driving-you-crazy/driving-you-crazy-why-do-so-many-colorado-rental-cars-have-out-of-state-license-plates


Yeah I was going to say Texas. A ton of rental cars are tagged from there.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: TheHighwayMan3561 on March 07, 2024, 06:06:45 PM
Quote from: SEWIGuy on March 07, 2024, 05:08:14 PM
Yeah I was going to say Texas. A ton of rental cars are tagged from there.

This is true, but TX/FL are also popular retirement/wintering states for Midwesterners, so that probably also explains some of it in MN/WI.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: bm7 on March 07, 2024, 06:22:48 PM
Texas, Kansas, Florida, and Colorado, in that order.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: mgk920 on March 07, 2024, 09:51:41 PM
Quote from: SEWIGuy on March 07, 2024, 05:08:14 PM
Quote from: BrianP on March 06, 2024, 05:11:43 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 06, 2024, 05:00:45 PM
We see a lot of out-of-state plates here given our proximity both to DC and to various military installations. I think Florida, Pennsylvania, and New York seem to be the most common, although lately I've been seeing a lot more Texas plates than usual.

I see a surprising number of Alaska and Hawaii plates. In terms of East Coast states, I see very few from Maine or Rhode Island and surprisingly few from Connecticut.
The thing I wonder in this area with tags from states like Florida and maybe Texas and Georgia is how many of those are rental cars.  It wouldn't surprise me that the results of this inquiry are tainted by that.

An example that I just googled:
https://www.denver7.com/traffic/driving-you-crazy/driving-you-crazy-why-do-so-many-colorado-rental-cars-have-out-of-state-license-plates


Yeah I was going to say Texas. A ton of rental cars are tagged from there.

Especially now that WisDOT offers 'fleet' plates for them.

Mike
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: kkt on March 07, 2024, 11:50:48 PM
My kid and I had a bet once about 4 years ago.  We were in Mt. Rainier National Park and the kid bet that the California plates would outnumber the Oregon plates, and I bet there would be more Oregon plates.  We counted for several hours and it was pretty close - the leader went back and forth a few times.  In the end, California plates were leading by about 3 plates out of 150.


Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: I-55 on March 08, 2024, 02:31:16 AM
Plenty of metro Nashville plates up here (IN). Close second to NJ particularly on the northeast side of the state.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: DandyDan on March 08, 2024, 05:59:38 AM
I see Texas the most, at least for states that don't border Iowa. I am inclined to believe some of that is the fact the company that deals with the various wind turbines around here is from Texas. I see some Florida as well.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: Ted$8roadFan on March 08, 2024, 06:18:00 AM
In Rhode ISland, most of the out-of state plates besides MA and CT are New York, New Jersey, and Florida. The former two have discovered RI as an ideal place for second homes...cheaper than the Hamptons and 2 hours closer to home than the Cape. 
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: vdeane on March 08, 2024, 12:41:30 PM
Quote from: Ted$8roadFan on March 08, 2024, 06:18:00 AM
In Rhode ISland, most of the out-of state plates besides MA and CT are New York, New Jersey, and Florida. The former two have discovered RI as an ideal place for second homes...cheaper than the Hamptons and 2 hours closer to home than the Cape. 
FYI, Rhode Island and New York have a water border.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: kphoger on March 08, 2024, 01:18:28 PM
Quote from: vdeane on March 08, 2024, 12:41:30 PM

Quote from: Ted$8roadFan on March 08, 2024, 06:18:00 AM
In Rhode ISland, most of the out-of state plates besides MA and CT are New York, New Jersey, and Florida. The former two have discovered RI as an ideal place for second homes...cheaper than the Hamptons and 2 hours closer to home than the Cape. 

FYI, Rhode Island and New York have a water border.

It still fits the spirit of the thread, because you cannot drive directly between New York and Rhode Island (notwithstanding the Montauk–Block Island ferry).
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: jp the roadgeek on March 08, 2024, 01:27:42 PM
Definitely the Northern New England states and NJ in CT.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: fhmiii on March 08, 2024, 02:06:46 PM
Colorado and Texas, hands-down.

We see lots of Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas (of course), Illinoi, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.  Not so many Arkansas or Kentucky, at least on in the Northwest corner of the state.

Tennessee may not be as common as I think. I have several family members that live there so maybe I just pick up on it.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: Flint1979 on March 08, 2024, 08:44:05 PM
In Michigan, I see a lot of Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, California, Arizona.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: hbelkins on March 14, 2024, 01:19:57 PM
Michigan, easily.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: VortexJamz on March 14, 2024, 09:48:52 PM
Up in New York I tend to see plates from Maryland, Ohio, Maine and oddly enough California.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: LilianaUwU on March 15, 2024, 05:13:12 AM
I tend to see quite a few British Columbia plates.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: loosegravel on March 15, 2024, 06:58:25 AM
Here in Texas I notice plates from California, Florida, Michigan, & Minnesota.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: andrepoiy on March 17, 2024, 11:25:12 AM
In the Greater Toronto Area, probably Alberta. In Kingston, ON, during school months, it would be BC (due to the number BC students coming here for studies)
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: Dough4872 on March 18, 2024, 08:55:47 PM
Here in SE Pennsylvania, I would probably say Virginia
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: CovalenceSTU on April 15, 2024, 09:27:26 PM
Where I am in Oregon:
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: froggie on April 16, 2024, 09:13:17 AM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan3561 on March 07, 2024, 06:06:45 PM
Quote from: SEWIGuy on March 07, 2024, 05:08:14 PMYeah I was going to say Texas. A ton of rental cars are tagged from there.

This is true, but TX/FL are also popular retirement/wintering states for Midwesterners, so that probably also explains some of it in MN/WI.

Another possible explanation is, especially in southern Minnesota west of Mankato, there are a lot of migrant farm workers.  Most of the Texas plates I see here are for that reason.

Since I never responded in the original 2020 thread, I'll respond here.  The bulk of non-adjacent out-of-state plates in Vermont hail from predictable locations:  Maine, Connecticut, and New Jersey.  During the summer, we also see a lot of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia up here.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: JayhawkCO on April 16, 2024, 11:36:22 AM
I think for the category of "states you least likely see", this plate I saw yesterday takes the cake.

(https://i.postimg.cc/RZdKYwWg/20240415-163307.jpg)
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: NWI_Irish96 on April 16, 2024, 11:48:30 AM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on April 16, 2024, 11:36:22 AMI think for the category of "states you least likely see", this plate I saw yesterday takes the cake.

(https://i.postimg.cc/RZdKYwWg/20240415-163307.jpg)

Most likely Air Force officer who just transferred. They will pay to ship your car.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: JayhawkCO on April 16, 2024, 11:51:44 AM
Yep. I see a fair amount of Hawai'i plates. I had only ever seen a Guam plate a) in Guam or b) on the wall in my garage in my license plate collection.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: SP Cook on April 16, 2024, 11:57:05 AM
In WV:

E-W roads: Indiana, Illinois, Missouri.
N-S roads: Ontario, New York, North Carolina.

Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: bing101 on April 16, 2024, 05:06:46 PM
Quote from: pderocco on March 06, 2024, 11:26:01 PM
Quote from: bing101 on March 06, 2024, 06:02:32 PM
Quote from: pderocco on March 06, 2024, 05:28:09 PMI live in San Diego, so not surprisingly the most common are either Arizona or some Mexican state (I never notice which). Beyond that, the other bordering states, Nevada and Oregon are fairly common, but Washington seems a little more common than Oregon.

When I was an avid street skater, I used to occupy my mind by looking at license plates. I always noticed that Massachusetts plates were at least twice as common as New York plates around here, which seems odd given their relative populations, and the fact that they're both very far away. I wonder if NY is skewed because so many residents live in NYC and simply don't have cars. Or maybe it's their provincial views, as famously satirized by Saul Steinberg's New Yorker cover half a century ago.
Wow never knew some parts of San Diego have lots of Massachusetts residents or tourists.
Not lots. Certainly far fewer than western states. But there's a noticeable disparity.


True too but then again I see more Texas License plates here in NorCal given the recent hype in my area for people in NorCal to move to places like Austin, Dallas and Houston areas. 
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: kkt on April 16, 2024, 10:09:46 PM
We see quite a few Alaska plates, considering how small its population is.  Another case of having their car shipped if they're moving or just come down south for the winter.  Turn the car over to the shipping company, get on a plane to Seattle, get the car a week later in Tacoma.  Expect to need a new battery.

Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: wriddle082 on April 17, 2024, 01:49:43 AM
In South Carolina, it's Ohio.  Definitely Ohio.  Waaaaay too much Ohio.  Virginia and Florida are also up there.

When I lived in Tennessee, it was usually Illinois and Texas.
Title: Re: Excluding states that border yours, what out of state plates do you mostly see?
Post by: bzakharin on April 17, 2024, 11:57:38 AM
I think it's Maryland here in southern NJ, although I'm not 100% sure.