Fewer Western States

What if there were fewer western states?

Specifically, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Arizona here.

upload_2019-2-4_11-30-22.png
 
Nevada and Nebraska would be really weird state, as they hae odd protrusions that have no good river access to the rest of the states. How is Omaha going to be expected to effectively govern the far western part of the State, or Nevada deal with Boise, during the first few decades given the distance and geographic barriers, especially relative to the fact those economic basins would be so much closer to other states and create a big commerical-political divide then?

You'd have to see a bigger push for more uniformity of laws related to, say, state-level taxation and product bans and quality standard. A railroad through the Southwest would probably also be in the cards, as if Arizona and New Mexico are lumped together they'll likely get statehood earlier. Come to think of it, that also likely means the area isen't as heavily picked for a Native America reservation center: maybe more of the final reservations after the end of the Plains Wars would go in the Wyoming*/south Montania and West Nebraska area instead?
 
Nevada and Nebraska would be really weird state, as they have odd protrusions that have no good river access to the rest of the states.

Alternate proposal:
  • Instead of adding west Idaho to Nevada, extend Oregon east to include it.
  • Combine Utah and Nevada together.
  • South Wyoming can go with Colorado while Nebraska retains its old size.
 
Here's another proposal with even more consolidated states, with 17 states amalgamated into 11. The State of Jefferson also gets its deserved glory.

YTlSnqZ.jpg
 
If my memory is correct the Idaho panhandle was settled by English/Germans Protestants. The rest of Idaho was settled by Mormons. This was one of the reason why there was interest in merging the Idaho panhandle with Washington state. The rest of Idaho would be a small Mormon state.

Is my memory correct?
 
If my memory is correct the Idaho panhandle was settled by English/Germans Protestants. The rest of Idaho was settled by Mormons. This was one of the reason why there was interest in merging the Idaho panhandle with Washington state. The rest of Idaho would be a small Mormon state.

Is my memory correct?

Idaho also has a fair proportion of Basque Catholics and assorted others of similar variety.
 
Top