If the US was partitioned/balkanised, what new states would you want to appear? (sopuli.xyz)

submitted 5 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) by sbeak@sopuli.xyz to c/nostupidquestions@lemmy.world

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edit: "Balkanised" is probably the right word, partition means to divide territory between two other states. If the US did break apart in pieces (probably in some sort of dystopian/everyone is going to die world), i wonder if other countries will try to nab bits of it (e.g. Britain regaining their colonies, Mexico regaining their lost territories, Spain regaining Florida, or even Russia taking over Alaska)

note: I am not advocating for the partition of the US, it's just fun to think about new countries! Also, I'm not American and have never been there so I have no clue about the different cultures in the different states.

If the US broke up into multiple pieces in some way or another, what new countries would you want to appear? (with and without considering for the feasibility of such new countries) What would their relations be like with each other and with other countries?

Personally, I would think New York (the city) becoming an independent microstate would be kind of cool, like the Vatican City of the stock market. The idea of "Cascadia" (which, to my knowledge, includes California, Oregon, and one other I forgot the name of. I think a bit of Canada too. The west coast, right?) could be realised, and with California, they would have a very beefy economy, as well as Silicon Valley. An independent Alaskan state could also be interesting, especially since they have a cool flag. Same goes for Texas.

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[-] epicthundercat@lemmy.world 8 points 4 days ago

Life-long Oregonian here, Cascadia needs to happen! Majority want it and we are sick of being held back by people we share 0 common interest, morality, culture ect... with. The United States is too huge and its ridiculous. Even the accents are slowly changing language over time. Plus, how the hell am I supposed to feel a sense of connection to some dude in Wyoming!? No offense to Wyoming but my state couldn't be further from that life... Going to Amsterdam felt like what Portland Oregon would be if it wasnt held back by crappy surrounding red policy and federal toxicity.

[-] dhork@lemmy.world 20 points 5 days ago

United States of Canada / Jesusland

[-] itisileclerk@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

Fun fact, Jesus never been in that land.

[-] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago

I'm glad we made it into the USC, but for the record, Pennsylvania is PA not PN.

[-] dhork@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago

I didn't make the graphic, I just stole/hotlinked it. I am very familiar with PA, although it's main redeeming quality is that it's not New Jersey.

[-] edgemaster72@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

They also screwed up Maryland (should be MD not MY)

[-] adespoton@lemmy.ca 1 points 5 days ago

It’s currently PA; the abbreviation will be one of the first changes.

[-] cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 5 days ago

I don't think you could call it Jesusland, taking the LORD's name in vain and all that.

Christchurch though? Totally acceptable. Pretty sure that's a city in Texas. Or, take the Aramaic (language Christ spoke) word(s) for "promised land" and Anglify it.

Anyway, which would your capitols be? I'm thinking maybe Dallas for "Jesusland" — it's in Texas, and it's far enough inland to miss a lot of hurricane damage that gets Houston right on the coast — and maybe keep Ottawa for USC. Except it's not very centrally located... still might be their best bet since it exists. I sure wouldn't put it in California (too many wildfires/earthquakes). I was kinda thinking British Columbia though (north of Washington State, bordering the Pacific). Like Vancouver maybe. Lovely area.

[-] SippyCup@lemmy.ml 2 points 5 days ago

So fun thing about vanity, that historically refers to asking God for petty things that God would not care about.

Like winning a basketball game, or the lottery. It's "vanity" to assume God would give a bother about things so unimportant just because YOU asked. Because whether or not you win is (theoretically) more about practice and application than divine intervention.

Though, obviously modern Americans don't give a shit about what the words in the book actually fucking mean. They're still likely to call it Jesusland, as likely as anything else, because even with the modern definition, they're not likely to actually care. THEY are God's chosen, and therefore THEY have special rules to go along with their special connection to Christ.

You may not blaspheme, though. You may not exist in their presence so long as you are not pious, upstanding, and white cis Christian. Though they wouldn't call you cis, that's for some reason a slur in Jesusland.

[-] MajorasTerribleFate@lemmy.zip 1 points 5 days ago

Because calling them cis implies they live in a world that validates people being anything else. If they wish the world didn't consider being trans to be real, then why would the word "cis" in that context exist at all? It becomes an attack on their worldview, whether that's what is meant or not.

[-] weariedfae@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 days ago

Poor Colorado fed to the wolves

[-] edgemaster72@lemmy.world 0 points 4 days ago

Jesusland got to keep Alaska as an exclave, so Colorado could be an enclave (maybe also include the blue bits of NM). I also feel like Jesusland shouldn't legally be allowed to have a place that calls itself "Sin City", so might as well add Clark County NV to the blue side. Perhaps the same treatment for the parts of Virginia right around DC, or St. Louis, since they're right on the border.

[-] Doomsider@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Alaska may vote red but they are not conservative at all. Pro weed and pro abortion are just one example of why it would not actually fit in with Jesusland.

[-] SlartyBartFast@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 days ago

"United States" of Canada? Why not just "Canada"?

[-] sbeak@sopuli.xyz 1 points 14 hours ago

Well you are uniting multiple states, it's in the name.

[-] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Because it's good for cohesion. If Americans feel like they are losing their identity they will be more likely to want to work with Jesusland instead of their fellow Canadians.

[-] Arkive@lemmy.zip 12 points 5 days ago

There's a couple US culture maps out there. I like ones like this that break up the big regions into smaller sub-regions

I like the light bit of history this page gives, but I don't feel like it's kept up with our current affairs. https://robslink.com/SAS/democd83/us_regional_cultures_map.htm

[-] notreallyhere@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

fun fact: Jefferson was a white nationalist separatist statehood movement

[-] Horsey@lemmy.world 0 points 4 days ago

Ohio shouldn’t be considered Midwest. It’s very much eastern seaboard and much more culturally similar to PA than the Midwest. Everything else is super solid.

[-] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 4 points 4 days ago

As someone who lived there for decades, nah its Midwest alright. Columbus is way more like Chicago than Philly, though it's similar to both. I'll accept Pittsburgh as Midwestern if they want

[-] Mediocre_Bard@lemmy.world 5 points 4 days ago

Cascadia.

[-] _Nico198X_@europe.pub 4 points 4 days ago

New England. Becoming a Canadian province is optional.

[-] AA5B@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

The east coast. When I lived in New York, I thought we could do better on our own. Now that I’m near Boston, I know New England could. But you know what? We really have a lot in common all the way down to DC, and the DC suburbs of Virginia.

Acela is not just a transportation system connecting us all, but a result of our shared values, wanting a better connection. We’re a huge percentage of the population and the economy. We’re mostly “donor” states instead of “takers” so our economy would be solid. We’re mostly “blue” except New Hampshire and Pennsyltucky, seeing the value of good education, caring about our citizens quality of life. And yes we’re mostly the parts of the country built out long ago so have in common many traditional town centers and relatively fewer car centered hellscapes. Many parts of the east coast have been derided as “European”: let’s embrace that

[-] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Erase all federal and state government, only leave existing town boundaries and muncipal law. Every town must hold elections that year. Towns will then naturally start to work together via commerce, cultural and geographical ties and can create their own collectives/states. Or maybe they will become related and a part of Mexico or Canada and that's fine too. Just have a rule that any town that hasn't become part of another country must donate 5% of their tax income for a small military defense force.

[-] Fredthefishlord 3 points 4 days ago

That's a funny fantasy world.

[-] Horsey@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

Read up about the Holy Roman Empire. Not sure that’s something I’d sign up for.

[-] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 1 points 4 days ago

That's a pretty large subject, anything in particular?

[-] Horsey@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

That’s kinda the point. The HRE was a gigantic federation of vassal states that had a bunch of decentralized authorities for centuries. It was a huge mess to understand how anything was done. If you think federal/state/local/municipal government is complicated, imagine trying to get anything done in the HRE system. I genuinely couldn’t summarize or give any realistic explanation, because I just cannot wrap my head around the particulars lol.

With the modern invention of passports, air travel, trains, and cars (all of which came after the fall of the HRE) I can’t see how any travel would be possible if each municipality was the strongest form of government.

[-] TranquilTurbulence@lemmy.zip 4 points 5 days ago

How about drawing a grid on the entire country, and labelling each new square state in chessboard style? American streets try to be sensible and consistent like that, so why not just apply the same idea on a federal level too? If you’re in the state D5, you’ll know that D4 right next door.

[-] mech@feddit.org 7 points 5 days ago

How about dividing the US into 50 states with equal population?

[-] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago

I like how Shiprock is a place no ship could ever reach.

[-] hildegarde 1 points 4 days ago

You are underestimating the rockship's capabilities.

[-] TranquilTurbulence@lemmy.zip 1 points 5 days ago

It’s a place where you need to build your own ship from local materials. Maybe consider using stone…

[-] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 1 points 5 days ago

Africa moment.

[-] SippyCup@lemmy.ml 1 points 5 days ago

Jefferson has entered the chat

[-] ace_garp@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago

Mega-City One.

[-] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago

Make Louisiana Purchase Again!

[-] SippyCup@lemmy.ml 2 points 5 days ago

A single massive swath of Missouri River Basin, containing roughly the population of California and Texas combined.

LPT could effectively break off, form it's own country and win the upcoming water wars alone.

[-] Zwuzelmaus@feddit.org 3 points 5 days ago

One Capitol state and 13 District states.

[-] Blaze@piefed.zip 3 points 5 days ago

!askusa@discuss.online

[-] Redacted@lemmy.zip 2 points 5 days ago

100 states, just section out the parts of each state that are right and left. Would this do anything to heal the nation? Obviously not. Would it be really interesting to watch? Obviously.

[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 0 points 4 days ago

probably have to expel any right winger from the state as well.

[-] Redacted@lemmy.zip 1 points 3 days ago

Yeah just everybody jammed into one of the 2 resulting states depending on if they are even slightly left or right. For maximum fun wed need to give the moderates there own state or two, like a control group sorta

[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 1 points 2 days ago

considering thats what the right wing already do, pseudo-expel wise. why not repay the favor,

[-] invertedspear@lemmy.zip 1 points 5 days ago

People forget that there’s already a breakdown of the US between the country and state levels. The federal district courts divide the country into 11 districts. This effectively means there are groups of states where court precedence equates to different interpretations on the same laws.

So if something were to divide the country this map might make a good breakdown. It’s not very geographically regional, but few state borders are.

this post was submitted on 05 Dec 2025

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