US States names and shapes: What would you change?

[Bear Stearns]

I would have renamed most of the French, Spanish, and Indian names new territories to Anglo-Saxon names (whether an Anglicization of the old name or a new name entirely).

Considering how the most prevalent ancestry in the US is German, maybe it would be better to name those states as "Neupankow", "Adlerland", "Grossbremen" or stuff like that.

That actually isn't true. When you account for under-reporting, Americans of British descent (English, Scottish, Scots-Irish, and Welsh) are far and away the largest ancestral group.

[-Astoria]

You could leave Arkansas as it is, and just start pronouncing Kansas as Kansaw, Nebraska as Nebrawka, Texas as Texaw, and of course Wawhington and Wawhington DC.

And lo & behold, the New York Yawk accent was born.

[Stellar Colonies]

That little piece of Wisconsin that sticks up into Canada irritates me every time I see it.

So does Montana and Idaho...southwestern Montana clearly should be northeastern Idaho!1!

That tip of Maryland's peninsula within the jurisdiction of Virginia bothers me a bit as well...

Florida is hogging too much of Alabama's rightful coastline...although it isn't as bad as with Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Vermont and New Hampshire would look better as a singular squarish state.

I actually kinda like Mississippi's shape.

Split off Northern California from the southern part, they're taking too much of our water anyway! Just kidding, I love ya SoCal...kinda

The borders of Virginia and North Carolina are freakishly elongated towards the west.

The US-Canadian border would look better with the Ontario Peninsula being part of the US...just redraw the new border between southwest Georgian Bay and northern Lake Ontario.

Rhode Island and Connecticut should be assimilated into New York State, and Pennsylvania should engulf Delaware.

I'm not even commenting on that bit of Maryland between Pennsylvania and West Virginia...or the part of West Virginia sticking up between Pennsylvania and Ohio...ugh.

That piece of southeastern Missouri clearly belongs in Arkansas.

The North Texas Oklahoma Panhandle should be Texan.

*The above does not take geography, history, Canada's opinions about Ontario's territorial integrity, culture, or other common sense considerations into account...except my personal taste in what doesn't burn my map-loving eyes.

[Heloin]

Considering how the most prevalent ancestry in the US is German, maybe it would be better to name those states as "Neupankow", "Adlerland", "Grossbremen" or stuff like that.

That actually isn't true. When you account for under-reporting, Americans of British descent (English, Scottish, Scots-Irish, and Welsh) are far and away the largest ancestral group.

It's settled then, no German, native, or any other kind of place name allowed. Only Celtic Place names! Bye, bye New York hello Corcaigh Nua!

[Raider Clans]

Texas should annex Oklahoma. That is all.

[Page]

No one is renaming Mississippi, okay? We all learned the rhythmic M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I as kids and we're too damn old to learn a new one.

Nebraska has the ugliest shape but that's okay because it's one of the most forgettable states. Not the most forgettable state ever, that honor goes to Delaware.

[Risottia]

Considering how the most prevalent ancestry in the US is German, maybe it would be better to name those states as "Neupankow", "Adlerland", "Grossbremen" or stuff like that.

That actually isn't true. When you account for under-reporting, Americans of British descent (English, Scottish, Scots-Irish, and Welsh) are far and away the largest ancestral group.

And of course under-reporting can be totally accounted for.
I suspect misogermanism here

[Deacarsia]

I would split California into three different States; the State of California, the State of Jefferson, and the State of South California.

I would split Western Pennsylvania off to form the Commonwealth of Westsylvania.

I would separate New York City and Long Island from the rest of the New York, which would be renamed the State of Niagara.

I would split the Upper Peninsula of Michigan off to form the State of Superior.

I would grant the State of Hawaiʻi independence.

[Nobel Hobos 2]

A lot of the names are from Native American languages, and should just be accepted even if they're hard to pronounce.

Hawaii has to drop the apostrophe. C'mon people, you're not that special. You can't have punctuation, ever.

New York being the state and the biggest city in the state, is well stupid. I grant that sometimes you say New York City.
Washington as one of the latest additions should not have been allowed to have the same name as the national capital. Duh.

No other objections.

[Munkcestrian RepubIic]

"lol 'anti-Northumbrian prejudice' isn't that Munkchester guy so weird. how could such a thing be poss-"

The only change I'd make is that West Virginia would be named something like "Whoreia", "Sluttia" or "Sexuallyactivia" because I think that would make a far more interesting contrast with Virginia than the slightly confusing "West Virginia, not to be confused with the western part of the state of Virginia".

[The Huskar Social Union]

All states are to become perfectly shaped circles.

[Munkcestrian RepubIic]

I actually have a whole bunch of ideas. Let me get them out!!

[The Huskar Social Union]

I actually have a whole bunch of ideas. Let me get them out!!

Does it involve Northumbria annexing half of the east coast because reasons?

[Lillorainen]

[Voxija]

California has the best name and the best shape.

Florida should steal Mississippi's coastline too.

Rhode Island and Connecticut should become part of Massachusetts.

New Mexico should change its name.

New York City should become its own state, named "Manhattan".

Missouri's little boot heel should become part of Arkansas.

Oklahoma should steal Texas's panhandle.

Every little surveying error and almost-parallel line should be fixed!

[Valrifell]

I am aggressively anti-pan-handle. Oklahoma should give up that weird frying pan handle to Texas and Florida should return Alabama's coast line.

[-Astoria]

This would be my ideal plan [mostly]; as you can see, DC [now as a state] encompasses its metro area [ie the parts that are currently part of Maryland & Virginia]. I also did the same for NYC as well.

[The Archregimancy]

States are so passé.

My solution is to rename the states as 'provinces'.

Electoral districts to the House should then be renamed 'ridings'.

The government should then relocate to somewhere roughly halfway between Toronto and Montreal; I suggest a small town that I believe is called 'Ottawa'.

French should then be given co-equal status alongside English.

Presidential elections should then be terminated; everyone knows the Electoral College isn't fit for purpose anyway. Instead, the head of state should be the senior direct-line descendant of George III (who should also start appearing on the money); if she's unable to relocate to North America (she's a bit old, I understand), then she can be represented by a 'governor general'.

The role of head of government should be separated from head of state, and should be invested in the individual able to command a majority in the House; his or her title will be 'Prime Minister'.

Finally, Saskatchewan isn't big enough as rectangles go; it should be allowed to annex bits of Montana and North Dakota.

[Valrifell]

This would be my ideal plan [mostly]; as you can see, DC [now as a state] encompasses its metro area [ie the parts that are currently part of Maryland & Virginia]. I also did the same for NYC as well.

(Image)

Your solution for WV is way worse than what we have now, ngl.

[-Astoria]

-snip-

So, basically Canada? ^{I like this idea.}

Which gives me another idea; redesigned province borders.

[Albrenia]

This would be my ideal plan [mostly]; as you can see, DC [now as a state] encompasses its metro area [ie the parts that are currently part of Maryland & Virginia]. I also did the same for NYC as well.

(Image)

I approve of the orderly shapes.

[Lillorainen]

I am aggressively anti-pan-handle. Oklahoma should give up that weird frying pan handle to Texas and Florida should return Alabama's coast line.

If you hate panhandles this much, the states of my home country would make your blood boil, that's for sure ...

About naming:

Delaware's general recognition as the most forgotten state should suffice to justify a renaming into Delunaware.
Just like in the map above, consider giving the southwesternmost part of Virginia to either West Virginia or Kentucky, as it makes little sense to be to have a part of Virginia being farther west than the westernmost point of West Virginia. Alternatively consider reuniting the two Virginias as one, in order to get over this part of the Civil War, which is literally the only reason why WV exists in the first place. ^^
California should be renamed into "Upper California", in order to raise the awareness, that it U.S. State of California is only one part of a landscape, which covers the U.S. State of California as well as the Mexican States of Baja California and Baja California Sur (translating as 'Lower California' and 'South Lower California', respectively, the latter has been a part of the former before the split-off in 1974).
Mississippi should stay as it is. It was fun learning the spelling of this state/river back in elementary school!
Missouri should stay as well, but we should start stressing it on the first syllable to emphasize the sorry-state Missouri is (sadly) in.
Kansas and Arkansas have already been mentioned. Non-Americans (like me) constantly do it wrong, and as I could get from this thread, Americans are just as confused about it as we are. Good to hear! ^^
I've already seen people (outside this thread, so far) complaining about how Idaho is very likely to be completely made up out of thin air by George M. Willing (even though there is a meaning of a similar word in the Shoshone language, there isn't really a lot of evidence, that Willing was aware of that). Even if so, don't rename it. I like the name.
Washington D.C. and Washington State having the same name despite being on the opposite sides of the country will never ceased to confuse me. Even though I'm aware, that both were named after George Washington, I wonder if there couldn't be a less confusing option. (And now imagine how confusing it would have been, if Washington-on-the-Brazos had remained the capital of Texas after the 1830s and actually grown since then ...)

[Terabithya]

One could rename Washington in order to avoid confusion with the capital city, or alternatively rename the capital city. The District of Columbia should be dissolved anyway, the capital city should become a part of Maryland. And perhaps Philadelphia be made U.S. capital again.

[-Astoria]

Your solution for WV is way worse than what we have now, ngl.

Hey, it's either this or Virginia gets annexed.

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I am aggressively anti-pan-handle. Oklahoma should give up that weird frying pan handle to Texas and Florida should return Alabama's coast line.

If you hate panhandles this much, the states of my home country would make your blood boil, that's for sure ...

The link's down.

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[Starrden]

Florida gets the former British colony of West Florida.
Mississippi is renamed Magnolia due to it not deserving that name.
West Virginia shall become Kanawha