Because "Oil and Petrochemical Refinery State" doesn't fit on the license plate

I'm back in The Garden State! As is my tradition, Bruce Springsteen was cued up to play Thunder Road and Born to Run as I crossed the Delaware Memorial Bridge just after 5 PM. I stopped to record the fact in pictures at the Welcome Center.

The Great Seal of New Jersey

The Great Seal of New Jersey is also visible in the center of a yellow field on our state flag. The wind of the incoming storm helped unfurl the flag as I was snapping photos (thanks, wind!) I am certain if I was at a Texas Welcome Center there would be a dozen Lone Star State flag in a horseshoe around the American flag. From my experiences of visiting Texas, the Lone Star flag would be as big (or even bigger) than the Stars and Stripes. Texans are very proud of their flag and fly multiple ginormous Lone Star Flags everywhere, even at restaurants and car dealerships. Jersey is slightly more modest about the flag and it usually just is at town halls and in court rooms. I am not dogging Texas - I have too many friends there to try and do that - I'm just saying I've never visited a state that has a more visible state flag, and I've been to 46 of the 50 states in the Union. I've not only heard, but experienced, that Texas is like another country. I take my passport when I go there just to be on the safe side so I can return to Jersey.