Assuming supervillain control, I’d take California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and probably Oregon. Supervillain specified because that way I could deal with the people in those states that didn’t want to go along my my benign control. Grabbing Louisiana instead of Oregon would just raise issues with the up-river territories, and that’s conflict I don’t need.
But they’re not the same thing, as evidenced by the two different names. Mississippi River Delta vice Mississippi Delta.
FTR blues fans care about thiis distinction. The Mississippi Delta is where blues music was born, and the original style is called Delta blues. It’s definitely not from New Orleans.
The food is completely different as well. Delta tamales are amazing, especially with a Kool-Aid pickle.
A combination that gets you both Texas and California is going to be hard to beat. They’re the two biggest states of the lower 48, whether you measure by area, population, or size of the economy. You also need Arizona and New Mexico to connect them. After that, I think the best fifth state that’s contiguous to those four is certainly not Oregon, because Colorado beats it in all three categories.
Louisiana is a more reasonable choice than Oregon, since it beats Colorado and Oregon in population (but not area or economy), and it has the benefit of controlling all river traffic between the Mississippi-Ohio-Missouri system and the Gulf. One of the reasons Jefferson wanted Louisiana was that France, and before that Spain, were collecting taxes and tolls on American river cargo that passed through New Orleans. He who controls the lower Mississippi controls hundreds of billions of dollars a year in cargo shipments. However, Louisiana would have to charge taxes of around 150% on all freight passing through it (assuming no reduction in traffic due to such outrageous tax rates) to bring its GDP up to Colorado’s level. Colorado wins the coveted fifth spot in my book.
Doesn’t Philadelphia also have a pretty good-sized port?
The only problem with this would be dealing with Canada. Washington and Idaho would be a formidable wall. A simple blockade by Washington blocking the Strait of Juan de Fuca and forget about getting there by sea. Between the Navy base in Bremerton, the sub base at Bangor and the Naval Air Station on Whidbey Island, along with Army and Air Force bases in the Puget Sound area, Western Washington will be well protected. There is also a Strategic Air Command in Spokane protecting the eastern side of the state.
Why would I want to deal with Canada? They aren’t a military threat.
Harold Green: Well then, contact the Canadian Air Force.
Red Green: It’s after six, Harold. He’s gone home.
I’d easily swap Oregon for either Colorado, since bibliophage made some valid points, or Nevada and have access to all the goodies at Groom Lake and other black sites.
As already mentioned, it’s gotta be California and Texas, and thus Arizona and New Mexico. And controlling the mouth of the Mississippi appears to be damn crucial, so add Louisiana as the fifth state.
Once you control these five, annexing Mexico is an easy next step.
I forgot to ask. Whichever five states you pick choose a city to serve as a capital for the territory.
By the time any of this reaches the planning stage I think it’s highly likely that CA, OR and WA (at least the wetsides of OR and WA) will have confederated anyway.
I, for one, stand ready to defend Berlin. You were warned.
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I care, because when I worked in agriculture we had to be very specific about whether we were referring to the Mississippi River Delta or the Delta area of northwest Mississippi.
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This is the Dope, where we can argue about whether New Mexico and Utah share a common border because they touch at a point, which has no length.
Is California going to be as valuable without all of the Colorado River drainage basin as well?
Absolutely Five Great Lakes states. Diverse economically and agriculturally, largest combined areas of fresh water in the world , shared border with friendly nation.
Alberta, Ontario, Eastern Canada, Western United States and Eastern United States.
Of course, you still need Alaska, Northwest Territories and Central America to claim five additional armies.
We have a solution for that…
My thought exactly. What about adding on Nevada for its resources and a place to house dissenters?
What’s in Nevada?
Exactly.
I saw that