From the other thread which generated this topic:
Quote:
Originally Posted by lio45
You got me thinking… which US States have the least unnatural borders? After the incontestable #1 (Hawaii), of course.
Top candidates:
NJ: only one straight line (northeast border)
FL: two straight lines, but likely the lowest % of state perimeter that’s an arbitrary line
LA and AK: both these states have a lot of coastline because it’s far from straight; they might therefore beat FL on the % of perimeter metric.
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Louisiana may actually remain roughly in its current form, as it is culturally distinct enough (and cohesively so) from all of the surrounding states with enough natural assets and defendable enough borders that the core of any future Louisiana would remain.
Alaska is one state which MIGHT have a plausible path to admittance to Canada as a province. Small enough to not fundamentally change Canadian politics, and strategically important in that it would give Canada access to the Bering Straight and unfettered access between its northern territories and the Pacific markets.
Florida would likely not last in its current format, and be limited to the peninsula only as Georgia might seek a gulf coastline pushing southward. Alabama and Mississippi might combine and seek a larger coastline as well.
New Jersey (or parts of it) would end up in a larger coalition of states no matter how things would shake out, whether that be a country encompassing all of the ACELA corridor, or multiple countries centered around one (or more) of the major metropolitan areas (D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, NYC, Providence, Hartford, Boston, Portland, etc.).
Imagine multiple countries, with boundaries at major rivers (with carvouts for certain populated areas, like Augusta, Harrisburg, Roanoke, etc.) lining the east coast:
• Georgia (south of the Savannah River, east of the Chattahoochee River, and south of the Appalachians)
• Carolina (between the Roanoke and Savannah Rivers, east of the Great Smokies)
• Virginia (between the Roanoke and Potomac Rivers, excepting the D.C. area, east of the Shenandoahs)
• Columbia (the D.C. metro area)
• Maryland (between the Potomac and Susquehanna Rivers south of (and excepting) PA Dutch County, also likely losing its panhandle)
• Delaware (the entire peninsula)
• Pennsylvania (between the Susquehanna and Delaware Rivers, and all of Trenton and south Jersey, east of (and excepting) Dutch Country, as far north as to hold the Scranton area)
• New York (the metropolitan area and Hudson River Valley)
• New England (all of non-metro NYC New England)
Wouldn’t that be an awesome future?
(Hope you can sense the sarcasm)