Maryland License Plate Slogan: The Old Line State
Learn about "The Old Line State", the license plate slogan of Maryland, including its history, meaning, and how it represents the state.
The Old Line State
Official License Plate Slogan of Maryland
- Slogan
- The Old Line State
- Designation
- License Plate Slogan
- Introduced
- 1974
- State
- Maryland
Symbolic Meaning
Honors the Maryland Line, Continental Army soldiers who fought with distinction at the Battle of Brooklyn in 1776 and earned the state its reputation for military courage.
The Slogan on the Plate
"The Old Line State" appears on Maryland's standard license plates as a condensed statement of state identity. License plate slogans function as everyday public-facing symbols: they appear on millions of vehicles and are seen across state lines more consistently than almost any other official emblem.
License plate slogans compress state identity into just a few words. The most enduring ones work because they're specific enough to feel true and broad enough to apply across the whole state.
What "The Old Line State" Means for Maryland
Honors the Maryland Line, Continental Army soldiers who fought with distinction at the Battle of Brooklyn in 1776 and earned the state its reputation for military courage.
The slogan acts as shorthand for Maryland's public image — a phrase residents recognize and outsiders associate with the state before they learn anything else about it. That compression is both the strength and the limitation of a license plate slogan as a form of state identity.
History of the Slogan
Maryland began using "The Old Line State" on its standard plates around 1974. The choice reflects how the state wanted to be identified by the millions of drivers who would see the plates both within Maryland and across state lines.
License plate slogans represent one of the most visible categories of state identity. Unlike a state bird or state flower that most residents never encounter directly, a plate slogan travels with every registered vehicle across Maryland and beyond — making it a constantly moving piece of state branding.
Timeline
Maryland introduced "The Old Line State" on its standard license plates.
Maryland introduced "The Old Line State" on its standard license plates.
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