The History of the Tega Cay License Plate

Before Tega Cay was an incorporated city, It was a gated community. At the entrance to Tega Cay was a guard shack on Tega Cay Drive with a traffic control gate. One of the ways to keep traffic flowing through the gated check point was issuing a license plate to Tega Cay residents. The plate when installed on the front bumper with an active year sticker allowed the security guard to waive residents through the gate without stopping.

In the fall of 2025, Jim Aranyi a Tega Cay resident and the administrator of a popular Facebook group called the Tega Cay Bulletin Board reproduced the Tega Cay license for nostalgia reasons and to raise money for local charities. Here is Jim’s post about the License Plate:

If you recall several months ago, I posted a picture of a license plate that was issued to the residents of Tega Cay in the early 1970s that was used to enter the then gated community of Tega Cay on Point Wylie. The original plate had the developer\’s logo and figures depicting the various activities available to the residents at the time.

I have spent the last several months updating this license plate trying to keep it as authentic as I could to the original to include the patina look with blotchiness in the colors. I am proud to announce that they have arrived. I changed the logo to a city one, got rid of the horseback riding and ballroom dancing and replaced them with a golf cart and paddle boarding. I think they look pretty sweet.

I will be selling these for $15 each with all profits going to local Tega Cay charities thus Tega Cay taking care of Tega Cayans. These are pretty limited with about 150 available. They look great on your car, truck, Golf Cart, hanging up on your office wall, home bar, or if you conduct business in Tega Cay give it to a customer as a thank you present or welcome to the community gift. For $15 a great deal for an aluminum vanity plate. They are first come first served and when they are gone I may not make them again. I can\’t really hold them for anyone because I do not want to hunt anyone down. Please come by and find me.

I am doing cash only because I do not want to deal with paypal or venmo etc.. plus I am not a business guy so no credit card machine etc.. I am not making any money off of these and this is something that I am honored to display because it shows off our amazing city. It is about the community and being proud to Live the Good Life!
If you are interested in getting one, two or more, I will be at Tega Cay Tavern tonight around 7 PM till 9 or until I get tired and want to take a nap. Come find me. After tonight I will try to find another location to sell the rest.

PSA: Thank You Tega Cay Bulletin Board for supporting my little license plate project. Through your donations via the purchase of a vanity plate, we raised $1400 profit that went directly to Tega Cay charities that will have impact on Tega Cay taking care of Tega Cayans. Thank you to all the great volunteers of these organizations!
Even though I don\’t like most of you people; for a brief temporary moment in time, you all did good! Now go Live the Good Life

Jim decided to modify the license plate again in January 2026 for another run of plates for sale to benefit charities. Jim said, \”I will change the Live the Good Life to The Good Life per request. Here is a solid draft of the new Tega Cay Novelty License Plate that I may have made depending on feedback from the TCBB. Changes from previous plate that was modeled after the original TC plate: 1. Color – now a light blue previous was orange 2. Date changed 3. Added words of \”The Good Life\” at the top 4. Added a Deer Head Icon 5. Changed the swimmer to a Water Skier.

If you want to know more or contact Jim, Here is the link to his Facebook Group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/305513012972121