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This is a fairly straight-forward thought exercise that could bridge some of the state rivalries on C-D. I was in Old Town Alexandria looking over the Potomac the other day at National Harbor and I thought, "If only that were a part of Virginia." Assuming you could magically poach 5 adjacent counties, which would you choose and why?
VIRGINIA:
* District of Columbia: This might not fit the exact definition, but the first choice is a no brainer: the Capital of the United States of America, the most powerful city in the world and one of the fastest growing. Northern Virginia also lacks a dominant urban city. Alexandria and Arlington don't really have the pull over the rest of NoVa as you would imagine. Adding DC to the mix would turn Virginia's largest region from a suburban one to an urban one. Not to mention the Ethiopian food, cupcake shops, neo-classical monuments and colonial neighborhoods. But I'll assume that's not an option.
1. Jefferson County, West Virginia: Gun to my head, the first county I would add is not in Maryland, but in West Virginia. I think of Virginia as being a cultural hearth of the U.S. (a role shared only with Maryland and Pennsylvania). Harpers Ferry fits that role, but is not in Virginia. Not to mention the Appalachian Mountains there are stunning!
2. Worcester County, Maryland: More beach towns are always better! And few can be as fun as Ocean City. Stealing Worcester County does deprive Maryland of Atlantic Ocean access, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Virginia Beach is lonely right now. It's also long past time we re-united Assateague.
3. Montgomery County, Maryland: I'll be the first to say it: I find Montgomery County to be immensely boring. I would add it just to make Virginia safe D in Presidential elections. I would also like to have 100% of Great Falls Park.
4. Pocahontas County, West Virginia: Monongahela National Forest should be a part of Virginia. It's very beautiful and Virginia should grab as much prime Appalachian territory as possible. Pocahontas County has a weird border though and I'd be willing to opt for Pendleton County instead just for a better state shape.
5. This one was really tough. There were so many good options: Prince George's County, Harlan County, KY, Greenbriar County, WV, etc. But the winner is: Currituck County, NC One word: Corolla.
For fun, Nos. 6-10 would have been:
6. Harlan County, KY
7. Prince George's County, MD
8. Greenbriar County, WV
9. Pendleton County, WV
10. Granville County, NC
All in all, Virginia has 8,411,808. It would add:
Currituck County: 25,809
Jefferson County: 56,368
Montgomery County: 1,043,863
Pocahontas County: 8,501
Worcester County: 51,444
TOTAL NEW POPULATION: 1,185,985
NEW VIRGINIA POPULATION: 9,597,793
Last edited by JMT; 07-18-2017 at 06:22 AM..
Reason: Violation of rules for posting images
1. Clark County, NV: Las Vegas residents are largely California transplants anyway, and I'm sure that rural Nevadans would love to get rid of their politically left-leaning 800 pound gorilla.
2. Washoe County, NV: Reno residents are largely California transplants anyway.
3. Yuma County, AZ: It's basically an extension of Imperial County, CA.
4. Multnomah County, OR: This county would serve as a land island for California, but Portland is basically like a more crunchy, granola Sacramento.
5. King County, WA: Another land island for California, and Seattle is basically San Francisco's first cousin.
By contrast, I'm sure that almost all of California east of about Napa County and Ukiah, and north of about Yuba City and Lake Tahoe, would love to become part of southern Oregon, northern Nevada, or maybe just "Jefferson." Also, some counties in the southern Central Valley and east-central California, such as Tulare, Kern, Inyo, Mono, Madera, and maybe even Fresno, Merced, and Stanislaus, would also be happy to join Nevada.
I'd rather give away 5 counties from Florida to either adjacent Georgia or Alabama.
LOL! Okay, Ill bite.
As an Atlantan, these are my choices.
Leon County, FL - Home of Tallahassee, a beautiful Southern city with more amenities than it should have for its size due to being fairly far from large Metro's. Being the Capital of Florida and home to FSU and Florida A&M, it's pretty progressive politically and growth-wise and has been blue for decades.
Hamilton County, TN - Home of Chattanooga, enough said.
Macon County, NC - Home of Franklin & Highlands. This is one of the nicest Counties in the Southern Appalachians, with Highlands being one of the most desirable and affluent resort towns in the Southeast. Drop-dead gorgeous location, with average elevations above 4,000 feet and average Summer temps in the 70's.
Beaufort County, SC - This gorgeous Low Country County home to Beaufort & Hilton Head Island is directly across the Savannah River from Downtown Savannah, and is a natural extension of their Metro. Even though they share an Airport, of course the Census Bureau considers them as separate entities. The Great Santini & The Prince of Tides were largely filmed around Beaufort, giving a glimpse of the beauty there. Hilton Head is a well known second home, retirement & tourism hub.
Nassau County, FL - Home of Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach. This gorgeous island and very cool town is part of Metro Jacksonville, but feels like an extension of Georgia's coastal barrier islands more so than anything to its south within Florida.
Leon County, FL - Home of Tallahassee, a beautiful Southern city with more amenities than it should have for its size due to being fairly far from large Metro's. Being the Capital of Florida and home to FSU and Florida A&M, it's pretty progressive politically and growth-wise and has been blue for decades.
Hamilton County, TN - Home of Chattanooga, enough said.
Macon County, NC - Home of Franklin & Highlands. This is one of the nicest Counties in the Southern Appalachians, with Highlands being one of the most desirable and affluent resort towns in the Southeast. Drop-dead gorgeous location, with average elevations above 4,000 feet and average Summer temps in the 70's.
Beaufort County, SC - This gorgeous Low Country County home to Beaufort & Hilton Head Island is directly across the Savannah River from Downtown Savannah, and is a natural extension of their Metro. Even though they share an Airport, of course the Census Bureau considers them as separate entities. The Great Santini & The Prince of Tides were largely filmed around Beaufort, giving a glimpse of the beauty there. Hilton Head is a well known second home, retirement & tourism hub.
Nassau County, FL - Home of Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach. This gorgeous island and very cool town is part of Metro Jacksonville, but feels like an extension of Georgia's coastal barrier islands more so than anything to its south within Florida.
Great list, JM. I might add Aiken County, SC as well; having beautiful Aiken, SC within our borders would be another feather in our cap.
And unfortunately, you would have to get through the oddly gerrymandered Jasper County, SC to stake your claim on Beaufort.
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