Not sure if I got the adjective order in the title right.
I'm rather fond of the 'Deutsche Athen' cultural millieu and the 48ers.
I won't require an independent nation cut out from the Union, because that would be a mighty feat indeed, but the challenge is to create an independent, German-speaking, socialist (interpret that last one as broadly as you like) Upper Midwestern nation. No POD limits, though there's bonus points if the USA also came into existence.