New Jersey License Plate Slogan: Garden State
Garden State
License Plate Slogan of New Jersey
License Plate Slogan of New Jersey
- Current slogan
- Garden State
- Base started
- Late 1992
- First used
- 1959
- Current version
- April 2014
Current New Jersey Plate
New Jersey's current standard plate is the yellow gradient Garden State base. That base began in late 1992, and the current screened-serial version was introduced in April 2014.
The slogan did not change with those redesigns. "Garden State" has remained centered at the bottom through each modern standard passenger base.
New Jersey is unusual because the slogan history is almost perfectly stable: one phrase, used continuously on standard passenger plates since 1959.
Why "Garden State" Fits
New Jersey is the most densely populated state, so its agricultural identity can be easy to miss. But the state remains a major producer of blueberries, cranberries, peaches, tomatoes, sweet corn, nursery stock, and other crops.
The nickname is commonly traced to Abraham Browning, a Camden lawyer who used the phrase at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. New Jersey sat between the New York and Philadelphia markets, making its farms especially valuable for fresh produce.
That mix of density and farmland is exactly why the slogan works. It pushes back against the highway-and-industry image of New Jersey without pretending that image is not part of the state too.
Meaning of Garden State
The phrase is commonly attributed to Abraham Browning, who used it at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition.
New Jersey License Plate Slogans by Era
New Jersey's slogan history is simple, but its plate bases changed several times while the wording stayed fixed.
GARDEN STATE
"Garden State" first appeared on New Jersey passenger plates in 1959, centered at the bottom of the plate.
GARDEN STATE
The blue-on-cream base kept the same slogan at the bottom.
Garden State
The yellow gradient base began in late 1992. The current screened-serial version was introduced in April 2014.
Timeline
Abraham Browning uses the Garden State phrase publicly at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition.
Abraham Browning uses the Garden State phrase publicly at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition.
"Garden State" debuts on New Jersey standard passenger plates.
New Jersey changes to a blue-on-cream base while keeping "Garden State."
New Jersey changes to a blue-on-cream base while keeping "Garden State."
New Jersey introduces the yellow gradient Garden State base in late 1992.
The current screened-serial version of the Garden State base is introduced in April.
The current screened-serial version of the Garden State base is introduced in April.
Can You Match All 50 License Plate Slogans?
Each round shows a license plate and asks which state issued it. Some slogans are instantly recognizable. Others — 'Legendary,' 'Pacific Wonderland,' 'Constitution State' — will make you think. Questions and answer positions shuffle every time.
Take the License Plate Slogans QuizQuick Answers
What is New Jersey's license plate slogan?
How long has Garden State been on New Jersey plates?
Where does Garden State come from?
When did the current New Jersey plate start?
Has New Jersey changed its plate slogan?
Sources
- License Plate Room - New Jersey Slogans
- New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission - Standard Issue Plates
- New Jersey Department of State - State Symbols
- Wikipedia - Vehicle registration plates of New Jersey
New Jersey State Symbols
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