# Any chance of getting a new state? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 13, 2003, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-of-getting-a-new-state/154913 "2003-02-13T21:04:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![brianmelendez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@brianmelendez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianmelendez)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-of-getting-a-new-state/154913/61 "2003-02-15T03:44:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Polycarp \* > \*\*But, **Brian** , that provision is permissive, not mandative, and was there because none of the original 13 wanted the national capital to be in any other state but their own, so they made a provision that it could be in land outside a state. It’s not required that it be – if Congress and the President so desired, they could make Omaha the national capital tomorrow, by simply enacting a law designating it as such. \*\* I was just gearing up for a solid, text-based argument on why the provision is mandatory rather than permissive . . . when it dawned on me that Washington, D.C., did not become the capital until 1800, following Philadelphia and, before that, New York. So there is at least a historical argument that the national capital can be within a state. But the Residence Act of 1790, [http://www.gwu.edu/~ffcp/exhibit/p12/p12\_1text.html](http://www.gwu.edu/~ffcp/exhibit/p12/p12_1text.html), which provided for the national capital, distinguished between the temporary and permanent seats of the government, and contemplated that Federal law would supersede state law in the new Federal district once the seat of government moved there permanently. Today, now that the permanent capital has been established, the Constitution explicitly contemplates that “the seat of the government of the United States” will become the national capital “by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress,” and that Congress shall “exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever” over that capital. Thus, I argue that Omaha can become the new capital only if Nebraska cedes and Congress accepts land for a Federal enclave, over which state law ceases operation–and which ceases to be a part of the ceding state–once the Federal government moves in. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-of-getting-a-new-state/154913/62 "2003-02-15T03:52:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Markxxx \* > \*\*Does anyone know when the last new county was created??? \*\* La Paz County, Arizona was broken off from Yuma County on January 1, 1983. ---
**Author:** ![brianmelendez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@brianmelendez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianmelendez)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-of-getting-a-new-state/154913/63 "2003-02-15T04:00:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Markxxx \* > \*\*Does anyone know when the last new county was created??? \*\* Broomfield County, Colorado, was established pursuant to a statewide referendum in November 1998 amending the Colorado constitution. The new county was organized by legislation effective November 2001. See [http://www.broomfieldenterprise.com/broomfield/extra/almanac/timeline.html](http://www.broomfieldenterprise.com/broomfield/extra/almanac/timeline.html). Most states can establish a new county by law but Colorado’s process is evidently more cumbersome. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-of-getting-a-new-state/154913/64 "2003-02-15T04:44:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by aahala \* > \*\*I haven’t noticed anyone mentioning the “State of Franklin”, an obscure and vague bit of American Historical trivia from the 1780s. > > It was never a state of course, but was called State of Franklin during its few years of existence and basically evaporated. \*\* Annoying part of the U.S. version of English: Franklin was most emphatically a “state” – a governmental entity put in place by the citizens of an area to govern themselves. It was never a “state” – i.e., a member of the Union created by 13 such states who contemplated adding to their number out of the additional territory ceded to them in the Peace of Paris and jointly governed by them through that Union. ---
**Author:** ![JoltSucker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@JoltSucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoltSucker)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-of-getting-a-new-state/154913/65 "2003-02-15T05:49:59Z")
I’m sure I’m going to kick up a firestorm with this one, but Delaware and Rhode Island: why bother? Why not make Delaware part of Maryland and Rhode Island part of Connecticut? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-of-getting-a-new-state/154913/66 "2003-02-15T08:38:13Z")
Long Island. It’s heavily Republican in a heavily (though the trend is changing) Democratic state. [In this thread bibliophage researched my population estimate](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=150430&highlight=long+island) Let’s see about this. Suffolk County 1,419,369 Queens County 2,229,379 Kings County 2,465,326 Nassau County 1,334,544 * * * Long Island ca. 7,450,000 Long Island would take 12th place and bump Virginia down. We’d probably be stuck with Senator Shumer but would be rid of Ms. Clinton and Pataki and Bloomberg! ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-of-getting-a-new-state/154913/67 "2003-02-15T17:13:28Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by stuyguy \* > \*\*I say, F_ck Puerto Rico. \*\* You do not, however, say it in General Questions. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-of-getting-a-new-state/154913/68 "2003-02-15T17:14:15Z")
Does there remain a factual question here. ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-of-getting-a-new-state/154913/69 "2003-02-16T05:16:44Z")
What, I can’t say “Feck Puerto Rico”??? Kidding, kidding. Sorry Manny and all other GQers. It won’t happen again. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-of-getting-a-new-state/154913/70 "2003-02-16T17:18:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by manhattan \* > \*\*Does there remain a factual question here. \*\* On hindsight, I think it would have gone into IMHO since the factual answer would have been “Yes, sure, there can always be new states per the Constitution; no, we have no idea how soon or who it would be.” And the “opinions” would still have to be expressed in a civil manner, w/o drive-by rants, hmm? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-of-getting-a-new-state/154913/71 "2003-02-16T17:28:14Z")
Alberta could be West Texas. Canada would settle for nothing less than being a seneschal. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7feea3/32.png) [@PatrickM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickM)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-of-getting-a-new-state/154913/72 "2003-02-16T19:13:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ludovic \* > \*\*If Loudoun’s in, Stafford’s in too. Leesburg always feels a world away from D.C. > > I’ve thought about “regional divisions” too. My proposal was something along the lines of: > > – Northern New England (Maine, Vt, N.H., Western Mass and Conn, Adirondack N.Y.) > – Southern New England (Eastern Mass and Conn, and Long Island.) > – New York City (NYC proper, Northern N.J., North to West Point.) > – Phillamore (Philly area, Baltimore Area, Delaware, South N.J.) > – Eastern seaboard (rest of upstate N.Y., upstate PA, western Ohio.) > – D.C. (as previously suggested) > – Appalachia (W.Va, western Va, Eastern Ky, TN, West N.C., Southern Ohio.) > – East Deep South (N.C., S.C., Eastern Ga, Northern FL) > – South Florida > – West Deep South (West Ga, Alabama, Mississippi) > – Texas (they’d fight if it were otherwise :)) > – Mississippi Valley (La, Arkansas, West Tennessee) > – Rust Belt (West Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, West Illinois, South Wisconsin) > – Southern Midwest (Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa) > – Northern Midwest (n+s Dakota, Minnesota, rest of Wisconsin) > – Arizexico (Arizona, New Mexico, southern Utah) > – Rockies (East Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, south Idaho) > – sipping Sin ‘n’ Coke - Nevada and West Utah > – North Mountains - Montana, North Idaho, East Washington and Oregon. > – Hippieville - West Washington, Oregon, North California > – Southern California > – Alaska > – Hawaii \*\* A while back there was a thread that discussed making the states in the Great Lakes a new nation called “BigTenia”, which I prefer instead of “Rust Belt”, than you very much. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-of-getting-a-new-state/154913/73 "2003-02-16T19:41:29Z")
The District of Columbia’s representative in Congress may not have the power to vote on the floor of the House, but he/she does have the power to vote _in committee_, including in the “Committee of the Whole”. If you consider that a bill spends most of its life in committee, that ability is not insubstantial. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-of-getting-a-new-state/154913/74 "2003-02-16T20:06:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dr\_Paprika \* > \*\*Alberta could be West Texas. > > Canada would settle for nothing less than being a seneschal. \*\* Que? No se habal Canuck. “Seneschal”? ---
**Author:** ![JMRossi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@JMRossi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JMRossi)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-of-getting-a-new-state/154913/75 "2003-02-17T02:22:34Z")
I think the 51st state will be Cuba before Puerto Rico(once Castro’s cold dead fingers are pried from power,preferably by death). ---
**Author:** ![Marduk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Marduk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marduk)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-of-getting-a-new-state/154913/76 "2003-02-17T02:32:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JMRossi \* > \*\*I think the 51st state will be Cuba before Puerto Rico(once Castro’s cold dead fingers are pried from power,preferably by death). \*\* Wait… if Castro’s fingers are already dead… how can they be pried from power by death? Oh well, I’ll just go test it out by beating that dead mule that I hid in my neighbor’s car… Funny story that, but I won’t bore you with the details. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-of-getting-a-new-state/154913.md?page=3)