Name that state! Wednesday, November 29, 2006

The laws in Portland are designed to make parking a bit of a hassle, to discourage driving. In my part of the city (NW) finding a spot to park can be particularly challenging, especially if you're looking for a spot that is not limited to two hours or less, which is the case for those of us who live here.

Walking around my neighbourhood, I've come to the conclusion that it is the barrio-of-choice for newcomers, though. Whenever I walk somewhere, I take an informal survey of the license plates I see parked on residential streets or non-commercial lots. The Oregon and Washington plates, and even California tags, are a gimme. But I find it surprising how many other out-of-state licences I can find right around my home. I found all 23 of the plates shown above within three blocks of my apartment, over the course of 15 minutes! I think I've seen all 50 states + D.C. at least once now.

I see many of them on a regular basis, so I know they live around here somewhere. However, since they don't have Oregon plates yet, I figure they must be fairly new to the area. (Surprisingly few from Canada, though. Either they change their plates quickly, or just don't move to this part of town!)

Since my last little game was so successful, I thought it was time for another. How many of the licence plates can you identify in the picture? (Click on the photo for a larger view.) Send me an email with your answers, and let me know if you're counting left to right or top to bottom. Yes, they are all from different states, and none are from Canada or Mexico.