Merging States

[presonorek]

Could North Dakota and South Dakota merge to create a state known as Dakota?

Could West Virginia and Virginia merge as one state?

Could North Carolina and South Carolina merge to become a state known as Carolina?

Bonus question: Does anybody know the history of any of these splits?

 

[JoeMoma]

I believe Virginia and West Virginia split over the civil war. The Carolinas and Dakotas were originally admitted as separate states.

I suppose it's possible for any bordering states to merge if the political will is there (but it is not).

 

[presonorek]

I heard Carolina as a colony had two ports. When the king received shipments from Carolina there was no distinction between the two. The products coming from the south port were different than those coming from the North Port. The colonies were split for administrative clarity. For example if you were waiting on a tobacco shipment you may start selling tobacco when a Carolina shipment came in. In reality it was from the south port and there was no tobacco on board. It was just annoying the king for them to be one colony. I knew the West Virginia story too but never heard about north and South Dakota.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

Could North Dakota and South Dakota merge to create a state known as Dakota?

Could West Virginia and Virginia merge as one state?

Could North Carolina and South Carolina merge to become a state known as Carolina?

Bonus question: Does anybody know the history of any of these splits?

Could they? Yes

Will they? No

 

[Polishprince]

I don't think its like that any state would want to merge and lose all of that political representation in Washington and all of those political plum jobs in the abolished state capital. If WV and VA merged, they would have to close the capital in Richmond and fire most of the bureaucrats. Those left would have to move to Charleston. They wouldn't want to do that.

 

[mudwhistle]

Could North Dakota and South Dakota merge to create a state known as Dakota?

Could West Virginia and Virginia merge as one state?

Could North Carolina and South Carolina merge to become a state known as Carolina?

Bonus question: Does anybody know the history of any of these splits?

They need to split California into 3 states....Southern CA will be called "North Mexico".....Central, Northern, and Eastern California will be called "California"....and SF will be called "Mierda"

 

[boedicca]

Could North Dakota and South Dakota merge to create a state known as Dakota?

Could West Virginia and Virginia merge as one state?

Could North Carolina and South Carolina merge to become a state known as Carolina?

Bonus question: Does anybody know the history of any of these splits?

Why would they want to do that any lose 2 Senate seats?

 

[boedicca]

They need to split California into 3 states....Southern CA will be called "North Mexico".....Central, Northern, and Eastern California will be called "California"....and SF will be called "Meirda"

Correction: SF would be "Mierda".

 

[mudwhistle]

Correction: SF would be "Mierda".

Yuppers.

 

[boedicca]

Yuppers.

If SF were Saint François, then it would be "Merde".

 

[1srelluc]

The partition of Virginia to what became WV could not have occurred in peacetime because the majority of the qualified voters of Virginia did not participate in the process.

Lincoln had supported the creation of the Reorganized Government of Virginia, but recognized the statehood bill as being forced upon him by Radical Republicans in their effort to use the war to end slavery. Lincoln recognized the questionable nature of the state's creation, noting that "a measure made expedient by a war, is no precedent for times of peace." Despite reservations, on December 31, 1862, Lincoln signed the bill because he could not afford to lose the support of loyal West Virginians.

Lincoln also did not mind that he also gained two loyal Senators.

In the antebellum years the majority of "Mountaineer" Virginia residents did not even qualify to vote in Virginia elections. In fact the citizens of the counties of the new state voted in a landslide for the creation of West Virginia. It was the first time many were even eligible to vote.

It (partition) would be a non-starter now since Virginia crossed the Rubicon a few years back and we now have more transplants than native-born Virginians, most of which reside in hinterland red counties outside of the population center transplants that relish lording it over the rest of the state.

 

[presonorek]

I don't think its like that any state would want to merge and lose all of that political representation in Washington and all of those political plum jobs in the abolished state capital. If WV and VA merged, they would have to close the capital in Richmond and fire most of the bureaucrats. Those left would have to move to Charleston. They wouldn't want to do that.

Yes. It would be quite impossible. Cost/benefit analysis of this possibility will never see the light of day. There are so few benefits that it would get quickly dismissed.

 

[justoffal]

They need to split California into 3 states....Southern CA will be called "North Mexico".....Central, Northern, and Eastern California will be called "California"....and SF will be called "Mierda"

 

[Pellinore]

There are actually proposals floating around out there to completely redraw all fifty states along ideological lines. England does this every couple of decades, redefining their counties for administrative reasons, but we can't for the simple reason that we aren't one nation divided into fifty parts; we are fifty countries working together as one nation. Each of those states passed the standards on their own, and have their own histories and state Constitutions and representation and everything. You might as well try to merge France and Spain.

 

[presonorek]

There are actually proposals floating around out there to completely redraw all fifty states along ideological lines. England does this every couple of decades, redefining their counties for administrative reasons, but we can't for the simple reason that we aren't one nation divided into fifty parts; we are fifty countries working together as one nation. Each of those states passed the standards on their own, and have their own histories and state Constitutions and representation and everything. You might as well try to merge France and Spain.

That was a very thoughtful response. I’m not even sure anybody could counter that.

 

[Concerned American]

Could West Virginia and Virginia merge as one state?

They were one state until 1861 when WV split from VA

 

[Concerned American]

I don't think its like that any state would want to merge and lose all of that political representation in Washington and all of those political plum jobs in the abolished state capital. If WV and VA merged, they would have to close the capital in Richmond and fire most of the bureaucrats. Those left would have to move to Charleston. They wouldn't want to do that.

There has been a movement since the 30s in northern CA and southern OR to create a state of Jefferson. There was a short-lived movement in eastern WA to create the state of Liberty in the recent past and currently there is a group advocating for eastern OR to become "Greater Idaho" The people wanting these changes are passionate, but the realities make it very difficult to accomplish without even addressing the division of property, taxation, infrastructure, local, state and federal representation. I actually would like to see Idaho absorb all of OR and WA east of the Cascades and could see that as being plausible.

 

[justinacolmena]

Could North Dakota and South Dakota merge to create a state known as Dakota?

Could West Virginia and Virginia merge as one state?

Could North Carolina and South Carolina merge to become a state known as Carolina?

Bonus question: Does anybody know the history of any of these splits?

California and Baja California are not even in the same country anymore....since the Mexican-American War.

 

[Dayton3]

Could North Dakota and South Dakota merge to create a state known as Dakota?

Could West Virginia and Virginia merge as one state?

Could North Carolina and South Carolina merge to become a state known as Carolina?

Bonus question: Does anybody know the history of any of these splits?

Yes. And states CAN merge (or split up) but IIRC it must be approved by Congress because it changes representation in the Senate. So that makes it unlikely.