> Greater London (capital Moscow)

¬_¬

@Riot - if you suggest that Plymouth should be part of Cornwall there will be raiding parties sailing up the Tamar

(Source - I'm from Devon)

Hmm, interesting question. The US and its states are good, but a few key things:

1. Break California up, into at least two states. It's too much of a powerhouse in elections (55 votes always instant-going to the Democrats because of LA, San Fran, etc.)

2. Combine North and South Dakota

3. Puerto Rican statehood

"The smaller urban centers being capitals is to stop the big cities just pulling in all the resources and being the only focus."

This is actually the case in most US states. In fact, a lot of state capitals were purposely located in between two large metro areas or on the opposite side of a state from a large urban area. Harrisburg, Jefferson City, Austin, Columbus, Lansing, and Springfield come to mind.

Yeah, I know, 2WL. That was the model I was following.

@Mendax - Plymouth was historically part of Cornwall, ya know. But fine, you can have it in Truro.

I'd divide it into 10 regional governments subsuming the functions of states.

The Pacific Northwest -> Alaska/Washington/Oregon/NoCal - > capital in Seattle

The Southwest, SoCal/Arizona/NM/West Texas - > capital in Phoenix

The Gulf/Southeast - > East Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, North Florida, - > capital Jackson, MS

Appalachia - > West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina - >
capital in Charleston, WV

The Mountain West - > Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Colorado
-> capital in Salt Lake City

The Grainery - > Dakotas, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Illinois & Wisconsin except for Chicago & Milwaukee -> capital Des Moines

Great Lakes - > Chicago, Milwaukee, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, PA (except Philly), upstate NY - > capital Detroit

New England - MA/VT/NH/ME/CT/RI - > capital Boston

Mid Atlantic - > NJ/DE/MD/NYC/Philly - > capital Philly

Caribbean - > South Florida + Puerto Rico + US Virgin Islands

"The Gulf/Southeast - > East Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, North Florida, - > capital Jackson, MS"

That's roughly a fifth of the US population -- any reason you made that one so big? (And any reason you made its capital the worst city in the whole region?)

Just curious -- you may just have been grouping quickly.

To answer the OP, I wouldn't make any changes, although if I had to make a change, I agree that California could probably split into two or three states. Two would probably make the most sense, although for the GOP ever to agree, you'd probably have to carve out a third one that would be at least somewhat right-leaning. I'm also fine leaving it as is, though.

Cultural, political and economic affinity. Selection of capital was based on central location, not "niceness of city".

Why is California too big and not Texas?

Putin,

First of all, I didn't say California was too big. I said I wouldn't make any changes, but it *could* be split. As for the distinction, there are a few reasons. California is far larger than Texas in population -- its halves would be only modestly smaller if it were split. Moreover, Texas has a strong sense of cohesion and identity. Despite being politically and culturally very diverse, common to all its geographically cultures is celebration of being Texas and unified. There is little if any movement to split it up (though it has the right to split into at least five).

The same may be true of California -- I wouldn't presume to speak with authority. But I've been told by a portion of the Californians I know that there is a degree of hostility between north and south, and that they are distinct enough that they could/should perhaps be independent.

None of which is to say that they should be. I just meant that I wouldn't oppose it that much if Californians decided they wanted it, and it's probably the first thing I'd inquire into if I had to make a change.

Going back to OP, I guess one thing I'd look at in general is states that have two different cultures that hate each other (often urban and rural). I might consider splitting these more, but on the whole, I think that would be a bad idea (and Democrats would be as opposed to that as the GOP would be to a two-state California), so on balance I wouldn't do it.

I need to remake/rediscover the map I made a year and a half ago of the cultural subunits of the US. I wouldn't actually go as far as to split the US up politically along those lines, but the discussion underlying this strongly involves cultural identification by region, which the map might help illustrate.

For awhile now, I've wanted somebody to do a social-science experiment where they call up a ton of restaurants, starting in the south and moving up, and draw a line where half of them no longer carry Dr. Pepper. There, I posit, would be the line between north and south.

As someone from non-Philadelphia Pennsylvania, I really don't want the rest of the state lumped in with New Jersey and New York and Maryland. Pennsylvania is not all that much like the very liberal states surrounding it, outside of the two major cities (Philly and Pittsburgh, especially Philly though).

Just looked over Putin's groupings and while I tend to agree with semck that the Southeast is a bit large in terms of population, I think the cultural groupings are spot-on. Saved me the time of trying to group them myself ;)

"The proposed break-ups of California & Florida"

By the "proposed break-up" of Florida do you mean the city council resolution that passed 3-2? Not exactly a serious proposition.


As for how to rearrange things, I wouldn't change state borders at all. It really could not be the same country if the states were rearranged. They're not just "administrative divisions," they're popular, sovereign, legitimate polities.

Within states I'd be a little more radical. All townships would be abolished and folded into county government. Same with superfluous things like mosquito abatement districts. Yeah, those are a thing in many places.

But apart from eliminating obviously wasteful units of government I really wouldn't presume to tell other people how to organize their local government.

"I really don't want the rest of the state lumped in with New Jersey and New York and Maryland. "

I didn't, I grouped non-Philly PA with the Great Lakes. I grouped Philly with NYC/NJ, etc.

"I think the cultural groupings are spot-on."

His "Great Lakes" certainly isn't. Evansville, Indiana in the same super-state as Pittsburgh? Chicago as a border town, when Chicagoland could arguably go as far west as Rockford? The UP attached to Upstate New York? It's ridiculous.

"By the "proposed break-up" of Florida do you mean the city council resolution that passed 3-2? Not exactly a serious proposition."

I don't care. Somebody somewhere proposed it, and it raised an interesting question for me. This is a thought experiment, go away.

"As for how to rearrange things, I wouldn't change state borders at all. It really could not be the same country if the states were rearranged. They're not just "administrative divisions," they're popular, sovereign, legitimate polities."

THIS

Three people. Three people voted on a symbolic motion ready-made to be internet clickbait. The California thing at least was serious.

"They're not just "administrative divisions," they're popular, sovereign, legitimate polities.""

Save the poetry for CPAC.

"Three people. Three people voted on a symbolic motion ready-made to be internet clickbait. The California thing at least was serious."

I. Don't. Fucking. Care.

California's electoral votes went to Republicans from 1948 to 1984 with the exception of LBJ in 1964. So tell me, which party is trending away from the mainstream?

I really don't give a damn about Indiana. It's a geographical hangnail within the Great Lakes rust belt region. I suppose it go off with southern Illinois, but having it makes the region more contiguous. I wish Chicago would turn the place into a parking lot.

Not poetry, actually a quote from an Iranian socialist political science professor I had.

I don't care you don't care. It's the truth. These stupid non-stories need to be exposed whenever they pop up.

Increase the number of representatives in the House, so that a congress-critter represents a smaller number of people.

Get rid of the gerrymander in congressional districting. Make congressional districts more competitive and more sane. Of course, this would require throwing out the creation of "minority" districts.

Repeal the 17th Amendment.

My regional map is based roughly on the book Nine Nations of North America (Joel Garreau).

"I really don't give a damn about Indiana....I wish Chicago would turn the place into a parking lot."

My Hoosier wife would have some choice words for you.