Moving from California to New York, my boyfriend and I had the opportunity to see 14 states, 8 of which I had never been to. Given that the trip requires 40 hours, we saw thousands of license plates and state signs which demonstrated how states, counties, and towns defined themselves. Below, 9 of the 13 state-lines we crossed—featuring welcome posters offering state mottos and symbols to new visitors.
From street signs to highway boards to rustic boards of stone and wood, this small sample showed a diversity of types in addition to the obvious differences in what they showed. State outlines on Indiana and New Jersey were tellingly absent on more rectangular states (Colorado, Kansas, Utah). The varied levels of blur in the photo speak to how quickly we noticed the border was coming. Even if we missed it, Google Maps would give us a nice little “welcome” showing something from the state. A virtual consolation prize.
But in addition to these signs—which you only see if you go great distances, let alone multiple in one day as we saw—the more common state ID were the license plates we encountered everywhere. In Nevada, we still saw California license plates with enough frequency that it didn’t register, but encountering one in Kansas brought a smile to our face. An ugly, white license plate with cursive red font, it felt like home in a place far removed from the two states I’ve ever lived. By the time we got to Pennsylvania, New York began to abound once more, showing us our next home.