Bill, That continues to be the case with alot of people here in Colorado as well. However, I think it may be a generational thing. I can remember when I was younger, my Dad always wanted the lowest number he could get. For years, my dad and mom had 3 digit plates that were in numerical order. I don't know how that one worked, since the cars were of different years, and were bought and registered at different times????
Here's one for you... here (in Colorado), we used to get a small key-chain version of the plate you were issued when you registered your vehicle. Anyone ever see that one?