Which U.S. States could make it on their own?

[Yumyumsuppertime]

Yes, none of this could or would happen. It's all for the sake of discussion:

Let's say that walls came down surrounding all fifty states in the U.S. (for coastline states, said walls would extend out to territorial waters). Each state is forced to survive on its own, without any outside help, emigration, or immigration for the next fifty years. No trade. You have to use your own current resources, and whatever resources you can tap or create.

Who survives?

Who prospers?

Who descends into famine and cannibalism?

[Norsklow]

No one can manage without foreign trade. Or rather, you could, but you end up like North Korea.
The price of Autharchy.

[Zeppy]

New York City succeeds from the union and later takes over New York State as its rightful ruler (crushing those rebellious Upstaters and genociding the Long Islanders). Afterward, it would take over the Mid-Atlantic States, then New England; and finally, the Rust Belt (nuking Detroit and starting over again as New New York colony).

Yes, yes. I can see it.

Or rather, none. It's better for all Americans to stay together.

[Antoniland]

I don't know if any country can ever be completely self sufficient economically. Even North Korea engages in small amounts of trade with China, Russia, and a few other countries and they suffer from routine power outages and food shortages. However I think California and Texas stand the best chance.

[The United Provinces of Scandinavia]

I may be biased, but Virginia seems to have a good chance. We have technology in the north, defense in the north and coast, fishing, agriculture, energy - clean and coal-based, and we could probably get a few factories up and running. We'd just have to vote out all those crazy Republicans first

[Norsklow]

Hold on. Resources that you can create or tap

Are hostile takeovers of neighbouring states allowed per OP?
If so who has a big bad-ass National Guard and wimpy neighbours?

[Zeppy]

I may be biased, but Virginia seems to have a good chance. We have technology in the north, defense in the north and coast, fishing, agriculture, energy - clean and coal-based, and we could probably get a few factories up and running. We'd just have to vote out all those crazy Republicans first

Virginia will be a client state of the Greater New York Empire, mark my words.

(We will call it the Virginian Republic of Southern Staten Island.)

[Yumyumsuppertime]

New York City succeeds from the union and later takes over New York State as its rightful ruler (crushing those rebellious Upstaters and genociding the Long Islanders). Afterward, it would take over the Mid-Atlantic States, then New England; and finally, the Rust Belt (nuking Detroit and starting over again as New New York colony).

Yes, yes. I can see it.

Or rather, none. It's better for all Americans to stay together.

Except that wall around the state. You have to make it on your own.

[Yumyumsuppertime]

Hold on. Resources that you can create or tap

Are hostile takeovers of neighbouring states allowed per OP?
If so who has a big bad-ass National Guard and wimpy neighbours?

Hah. No getting past the wall. I meant unexplored oil resources, like those within territorial waters off the coast of California.

[Angleter]

All of them go quite quickly to the shitters.

[Divair]

Completely separated from the rest of the world? None of the states.
Slow integration into the international community? Maybe half of the states.

[The United Provinces of Scandinavia]

I may be biased, but Virginia seems to have a good chance. We have technology in the north, defense in the north and coast, fishing, agriculture, energy - clean and coal-based, and we could probably get a few factories up and running. We'd just have to vote out all those crazy Republicans first

Virginia will be a client state of the Greater New York Empire, mark my words.

(We will call it the Virginian Republic of Southern Staten Island.)

Well, at the point, we might want to get rid of southern Virginia... far too conservative and not necessary except for its resources

[Yumyumsuppertime]

Actually, I think that with a serious push towards birth control, California and Texas would do just fine. We're both rich in resources, I know that California spends significantly more in taxes than it receives in benefits (don't know about Texas either way), and both have agricultural sectors that are large enough and diverse enough to keep the population fed. Probably have to engage in oil rationing in California, fire up the nuclear plants, and seriously look into alternate energy sources, though.

[Norsklow]

Hold on. Resources that you can create or tap

Are hostile takeovers of neighbouring states allowed per OP?
If so who has a big bad-ass National Guard and wimpy neighbours?

Hah. No getting past the wall. I meant unexplored oil resources, like those within territorial waters off the coast of California.

In that case, I leave the speculation to those who live there.

*tears up the Napoleon of Nothing Hill Plan*

[Great Yorkshire]

(for coastline states, said walls would extend out to territorial waters).

So Hawaii would be a walled off area of ocean almost the size of Europe..? yeah... they probably wouldn't starve.

(Cracking flag btw Norsklow)

[Mexo]

New York State possibly. I think Ohio possibly could. They have plenty of natural resources, industry, and it has Lake Erie to the north. The only problem would be how many states surround it.

[Continentalia]

Every single one.

[The House of Petain]

New York State possibly. I think Ohio possibly could. They have plenty of natural resources, industry, and it has Lake Erie to the north. The only problem would be how many states surround it.

Except they'd all go bankrupt and collapse on themselves...especially New York.

I suspect Texas might be able to pull it off. That's really about it.

[Priory Academy USSR]

Hawaii, as it survived as an independent nation before the USA. Maybe Texas too.

[Norsklow]

(for coastline states, said walls would extend out to territorial waters).

So Hawaii would be a walled off area of ocean almost the size of Europe..? yeah... they probably wouldn't starve.

(Cracking flag btw Norsklow)

Why, so yours!

*starts to sing*
OOn Ilkla Mooar baht 'at

[Lackadaisical2]

I may be biased, but Virginia seems to have a good chance. We have technology in the north, defense in the north and coast, fishing, agriculture, energy - clean and coal-based, and we could probably get a few factories up and running. We'd just have to vote out all those crazy Republicans first

Thats all Federal government stuff, sure you can inherit the buildings and people, but your state wouldn't be able to afford to continue spending on it... not that any of the states need defense anyway, we've got magical walls. Virginia seems heavily dependent on shittons of money coming in through DC, they'd probably do OK on their own, but they wouldn't be nearly as prosperous as they are now, getting 1.5 dollars per dollar in federal taxes.

(See: http://taxfoundation.org/article/federa ... state-2005)

As for the Op's question, any state with too-high of a population density will start to starve, so probably Massachusetts... Connecticut, etc. Really just an extension of their inability to trade in this scenario, otherwise I think they'd do fine. Midwestern states would be in serious trouble economically(need steel and gas to build/run tractors), but they wouldn't starve.

I think States with a good mix would do well(considerable agriculture, some factories and natural resources), Ohio, New York, California and Texas come to mind, although I'm sure theres others as well.

[Yumyumsuppertime]

(for coastline states, said walls would extend out to territorial waters).

So Hawaii would be a walled off area of ocean almost the size of Europe..? yeah... they probably wouldn't starve.

(Cracking flag btw Norsklow)

Hawaii would have plenty of food, but energy would be an issue.

[Lackadaisical2]

So Hawaii would be a walled off area of ocean almost the size of Europe..? yeah... they probably wouldn't starve.

(Cracking flag btw Norsklow)

Hawaii would have plenty of food, but energy would be an issue.

Geothermal/wind/tidal?

But do they have any steel or aluminum?

[Trollgaard]

It depends on what type of lifestyle the people want. I know here in Kansas we could survive as we grow tons of food, and have a fair amount of cattle...even though this year we had, and still have, a horrible drought going on.

We could feed ourselves, but that's about it.

[New Socialist New Hampshire]

NY and California, for sure.

The rest of the Northeast might make it, maybe Illinois due to Chicagoland. The South and Midwest would probably become the capitalist North Koreas.