Regional Differences

Something a frequent traveler notices pretty quickly is regional differences. Sometimes it’s clothing related—I’ve noticed (and I’m sure I’m not the first) that New Yorkers wear a lot of black, while in the South there is way more color. Or it could be local vernacular, like saying “y’all” in the South or putting “the” in front of highway numbers in California, i.e. The 101.

So I don’t know if this counts as a regional difference, if it’s just a state difference, or what it could be considered, but I think it’s interesting. The last time I went to Nashville, as I drove down Elm Hill Pike, I noticed the cars around me looked funny. Something was missing, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Once I finished my meetings, I walked outside, and realized—the cars don’t have license plates in the front! In Texas, cars are required to have license plates in the front and back. Are there other states that only have plates in back? I have to wonder—what happens if someone from Tennessee is driving through Texas. Do they get in trouble?

After a quick Google search, I found this eHow page that talks about it a bit. Apparently almost half of states only require a license plate on the back of a car. It’s crazy to me that I’ve traveled around the country a LOT for years and this is the first time I’ve noticed this.

Readers, have you ever noticed a state or regional difference that surprised you?

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