50 new states project (user search)
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  50 new states project (search mode)
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Author Topic: 50 new states project  (Read 3491 times)
justfollowingtheelections
unempprof
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« on: February 10, 2009, 07:42:53 PM »

I'm working on a project where 50 new states are created and what I am trying to do is make all states have approximately the same population.
The new states will include not only the 50 already existing ones, but also DC and the territories.  The idea behind the project is simple.  In order to trim down the number of states/territories from 56 to 50, I merge the smallest state/territory with the smallest state/territory it neighbors with.  If the state/territory doesn't neighbor any other state/territory, then I merge it with the one it is closest to both in distance and culturally.
So far I have done the following:

-Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa have been annexed by Hawai'i.
- U.S. Virgin Islands have been annexed by Puerto Rico.
- D.C. has returned to Maryland.
- Wyoming has been annexed by South Dakota.
- Vermont has been annexed by New Hampshire.

This leaves us with 49 states (the 50 existing ones, plus Puerto Rico, minus Wyoming and Vermont) and the next step is to split the largest state into two states of approximately the same population.

That state is of course California and the reason I am starting this discussion is to ask you, how would you divide California into two states (the two states must have approximately the same population) and what would you call them?
Thanks in advance for your help Smiley


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justfollowingtheelections
unempprof
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« Reply #1 on: February 10, 2009, 08:00:37 PM »

btw, I'm using this population data:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_population
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justfollowingtheelections
unempprof
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« Reply #2 on: February 10, 2009, 10:32:43 PM »
« Edited: February 10, 2009, 10:43:04 PM by unempprof »

I'm working on a project where 50 new states are created and what I am trying to do is make all states have approximately the same population.
The new states will include not only the 50 already existing ones, but also DC and the territories.  The idea behind the project is simple.  In order to trim down the number of states/territories from 56 to 50, I merge the smallest state/territory with the smallest state/territory it neighbors with.  If the state/territory doesn't neighbor any other state/territory, then I merge it with the one it is closest to both in distance and culturally.
So far I have done the following:

-Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa have been annexed by Hawai'i.
- U.S. Virgin Islands have been annexed by Puerto Rico.
- D.C. has returned to Maryland.
- Wyoming has been annexed by South Dakota.
- Vermont has been annexed by New Hampshire.

This leaves us with 49 states (the 50 existing ones, plus Puerto Rico, minus Wyoming and Vermont) and the next step is to split the largest state into two states of approximately the same population.

That state is of course California and the reason I am starting this discussion is to ask you, how would you divide California into two states (the two states must have approximately the same population) and what would you call them?
Thanks in advance for your help Smiley




First, let's annex the metropolitan areas of Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada and Yuma, Arizona.  (The rest of Nevada can be split between Idaho and Utah).

I might do that later, but I want to do this step-by-step, which is why I began my project my merging the smallest states and dividing the largest.

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It sounds logical, but I only want to split California into two states.  It would be great if you could check to make sure that the two states have approximately the same population.  One way of doing that is by making the states have an equal number of CDs (which isn't possible because California has an odd number of CDs, but I think you get the idea).

I'll try to make a map of how I would do it and then I will post again for feedback.

I will be using the following data:
http://www.csac.counties.org/default.asp?id=399
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justfollowingtheelections
unempprof
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« Reply #3 on: February 10, 2009, 10:58:47 PM »
« Edited: February 10, 2009, 11:04:31 PM by unempprof »

So here's my map of California:


The green state has a population of 18,300,000 and the blue state a population of 18,155,000.  Comments?  Do you think I should have divided California differently?
What would you call the two states?  I'm assuming the Green state will keep the name, so I'm more interested in the blue state, but any feedback is welcome.

The two names I like the most are California and Southern California, but I would like to hear different opinions.
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justfollowingtheelections
unempprof
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« Reply #4 on: February 10, 2009, 11:20:42 PM »

It's really easy to divide Socal from the rest of California, there's that east-west line in the county map.

Yes, but if I do that, SoCal would have a much greater population than NoCal.
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justfollowingtheelections
unempprof
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« Reply #5 on: February 11, 2009, 12:05:39 AM »

So I'm kind of happy with my new state (Southern California).
The next step would be to merge the smallest state with its smallest neighbor.  That would be North Dakota, which is annexed by Montana.


Now that I again have 49 states, I would like to divide Texas into two new states of the same population.  Any ideas on how I can do that?

This is the list of counties in Texas:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Texas
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justfollowingtheelections
unempprof
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Posts: 3,766


« Reply #6 on: February 11, 2009, 12:56:00 AM »

N.Dakota would look better attached to S.Dakota versus Montana.

I know, but I don't want to deviate from the rules I have set.  I expect those 4 states to merge at some point anyway.
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justfollowingtheelections
unempprof
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Posts: 3,766


« Reply #7 on: February 12, 2009, 12:53:40 AM »

I didn't really want to split any counties into two and the only way of doing that would have been to make the Coastal region of SoCal a state.

I'll try that about Texas.
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