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Legislators have tried multiple times to divide the state into two: eastern and western Washington.
Proposals for annexing parts of Oregon and Idaho to the new eastern state have also been considered. Suggested names included East Washington, Cascadia, and Lincoln.
The Greater Idaho movement aims to annex large parts of Oregon and Northern California to Idaho. This would give Idaho a coastline.
US state borders have changed many times throughout the years, but they have remained unchanged in the 21st century. But this doesn't mean that no one is trying! In fact, there have been several attempts by lawmakers and various organized groups to change border lines in the last few decades.
In this gallery, you'll get to know some of the proposed changes. Click through to get started.
The Constitution says that for a new state to be created from an existing one, or for a portion of a state to join another, approval is required from both the affected states and the US Congress.
The idea of splitting upstate and western New York and the New York City metro area into separate states isn’t new either.
Changing state borders is a mammoth political task that requires a huge effort from the government and the use of taxpayer money, making it unlikely to happen. But again, this is America, so it certainly wouldn't be the first time!
Sources: (24/7 Wall St.)
See also: United States-Canada: the longest international border in the world
Long Island has expressed its intention to leave the state multiple times over the years. This mostly has to do with disagreements regarding the state’s use of their tax money.
The tension between rural and urban areas is one of the reasons these proposals are put forward. This was indeed the case in Nevada, and the influence Las Vegas has on state politics.
In 2020, rural representatives initiated a movement to have every county in the state leave Clark County, home to Las Vegas, in order to create a new state called New Nevada.
In 2021, a petition suggested allowing the state's counties to vote separately on whether they’d prefer to join South Dakota, Iowa, or Wisconsin.
Portland is a pretty liberal city, but the rest of Oregon is more conservative. This has led to tension within state lines. So much so that, in 2024, 13 counties actually voted to join Idaho instead.
The petition was triggered by the state’s strict lockdown rules during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Proposals varied over the years. One called for an annexation of part of the state to Delaware, another one called for an independent western part of the state, and an annexation to West Virginia has also been proposed.
State representative Henry Joy proposed that the northern state should be called Maine, and the southwestern coastal one should be named Northern Massachusetts. The name Acadia for northern Maine has also been suggested.
In both 2011 and 2019, a number of state representatives petitioned the US Congress to declare Chicago the 51st state.
A new state on the Delmarva peninsula on the Eastern Shore of Chesapeake Bay has been proposed multiple times. The proposed state would include counties in Maryland, as well as Delaware and Virginia.
Before becoming an independent state in 1820, Maine was part of Massachusetts. The proposal to split the state’s two congressional districts into two separate states first emerged in 1998 and again in 2005.
The new state would include all the counties south of Macon. The idea was rejected by 73% of voters.
The creation of a new state of South Georgia was proposed by Pierce County in Southeastern Georgia back in 2018.
One of the proposals dates back to 2008, when North Lauderdale wanted to split the state into North Florida and South Florida.
In total, 11 counties in northern and eastern Colorado voted on the proposal: five in favor, and six against.
In 2013 there was a proposal to form a new state of North Colorado. The centralization of political power and investment in urban areas left those in rural parts feeling left out.
The initiative, known as Six Californias, proposed the creation of the new states: Jefferson, North California, Silicon Valley, Central California, West California, and South California. The proposal didn’t qualify as a ballot proposition due to insufficient signatures.
There have been several proposals over the years to split the Golden State. Perhaps the most ambitious one dates back to 2013 when there was a proposal to divide California into six separate states.
When Florida joined the Union, its capital, Tallahassee, was the most populous center of the state. The southern part of the state, however, hasn't always felt represented. For this reason, several proposals for border changes have been put forward over the years.
In 2011, a Prima County group started a campaign to leave Arizona due to their dissatisfaction with the state’s conservative policies.
The group, known as Start Our State, pushed for the creation of Baja Arizona, located in the southwest of the state and including the city of Tucson.
In 2014, South Miami adopted a resolution endorsing the idea and distributed it to the counties within the proposed new state region.
Due to its size, economy, and political influence, there have been several proposals to make Chicago, or Cook County, its own state.
Could these US state borders change?
Will we see new states being formed in the future?
TRAVEL America
US state borders have changed many times throughout the years, but they have remained unchanged in the 21st century. But this doesn't mean that no one is trying! In fact, there have been several attempts by lawmakers and various organized groups to change border lines in the last few decades.
In this gallery, you'll get to know some of the proposed changes. Click through to get started.