On camping trips growing up, we would identify unique out-of-state plates as we drove up I-75. Back then, plates hadn’t become goofy yet, but they are now. Have you seen the over 214 absurdities in Colorado?
Fortunately, Michigan’s plates are moving in the right direction. Here are the current Michigan license plates, ranked from worst to best.
7. The Standard Pure Michigan Plate
The state took the best tourism campaign in history, ran it through the bureaucrats, and out came this awful design. They might have been going for “pure,” but they landed on “Antiseptic Hospital Floor Michigan.” Not to mention that the plate reads “Pure Ichigan,” with that strange blue squiggle. And that blue “wave” at the bottom looks more like the prisoners were a little tipsy when they pressed it. To those who don this plate: Does any life pulse through your veins? You need to do some soul searching.
6. Special Interest Plates
Next is the plethora of plates advertising special causes, universities, and military. The main problem here is that it’s the standard plate (which is simply ugly and plain and uninspiring) without the blue wave, with some logo slapped on it. By and large, they look tacky, with the worst offenders being “Water Quality.” You can’t see red on blue, and the sailboat could mean anything. The sports teams are also unnecessary.
I know these are all tied to causes and foundations, but who gets to be featured and who doesn’t? Will Michigan chapters of Turning Point USA, for example, have their own license plate soon in Michigan? I’m not holding my breath. Somebody has to say it: Time to rein in the special interest plates, with military being the exception (though let’s get them a better base design while we’re at it).
5. Mackinac Bridge Plate
What they’re going for is the right idea: The Mackinac Bridge spans both peninsulas, is impressive in and of itself, and is something most out-of-staters don’t know we have up there. But the execution is off. It looks like a picture from a kid’s coloring book. And why is it blue? No disrespect for those of you who drive with this tacked to the boot, but this does more harm than good to the reputation of the Mighty Mac and the state. Remove.
4. Water-Winter Wonderland
This plate is what caught my attention when it came out in 2021. It told me, “Somebody who works for Joycelyn Benson might be a normal human being.” It’s a throwback to a 1965 plate (the first sign of a good trend). The deep blue and, dare I say, maize(?) look great. It’s clean but not sterile. And it says Michigan means business. The phrase is also on-point, as it captures both sides of Michigan’s seasonal greatness. And though most Michiganders get the wonder of water in a Michigan summer, it reminds us of a time when a proper Michigander did not loath post-Christmas winter but embraced it as the wonderland that it is. Solid plate. I have it on my minivan.
3. Water Wonderland
I don’t have the proof, but something tells me the return of this throwback plate from Michigan’s glory days (the 1950s) was the result of simmering outrage by the Spartan faithful at the maize-and-blue Water-Winter Wonderland plate. But as much of a U-M fan as I am, I’ve got to admit that this edges out the Water-Winter Wonderland. For one, the phrasing is just crisper. Water defines the state, even more than wintertime does.
When it comes to water, other states—including Minnesota and, yes, many salt-coast states—don’t come close. Second, the white on green is striking. I’m a man, and I’m told I never get the greens and grays right (I have scores of unused paint cans and lost arguments with my wife to prove it), but as far as I can tell, the green is spot-on: deep, rich, dark, but undeniably green, just like Michigan’s fields and forests. I’ve got it set against my white F-150, and it looks great. Until this spring, the Water Wonderland plate would have stood alone at the top of the leaderboard.
2. “Old Blue”
“Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.” In the case of this—the most weighty of decisions facing elected officials—Michigan Democrats found a nut (or two).
In 2023, Gov. Whitmer signed into law Public Act 317 forcing Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to do something she should have done herself: revive three plates of yore. This gives us Old Blue.
This plate is what I grew up with. It was discontinued in 2007, the same year the iPhone came out. It stood out among the plates of America for its bold blue with clean white, like the surface of a lake reflecting a blue sky with white clouds. Since the 1980s through 2000s were not exactly the best period in Michigan’s history, perhaps it’s just nostalgia, but I think it’s a great revival that lands it near the top.
1. The Great Lake State
Reining supreme is the second product of the 2023 license plate law: The Great Lake State. Now, in some ways, this revival from the late 1970s is following a nationwide trend: see Texas, Colorado, and Iowa for other examples. But Michigan’s is better. The lettering is also retro, and the slogan is great. They’re simple, not flashy, but still visually strong. I wish they had pluralized “lake” when they revived it, as the Great Lakes State is America’s best state nickname, and the single “lake” really isn’t used anymore, but still, when I first saw this one on the road, my Michigan patriotism flowed anew.
If you’re sporting a plate on your ride that’s near the bottom of this list, you should think seriously about upgrading when your tabs are next renewed. Consider having a great license plate a duty of being a proper Michigander.
Jordan Adams is a native Michigander living in south-central Michigan.
