Statehood for Northern Virginia

I thought I covered every possible 51st state proposal in Lost States, but I did miss one or two—like North Virginia. Since the 1970s, the cosmopolitan folk of the northern Virginia area near DC have been kicking around the idea of separating themselves from the downstate folks. The common joke is that if you take Northern Virginia out of Virginia, you get Arkansas. Ouch. It's true that Virginia is big; the twelfth biggest state. And it stretches farther west than Detroit. Some very important people have suggested splitting the state, including supervisor Martha Pennino (pictured above). The idea hasn't gotten too far... yet. But if you meld it with the DC statehood proposal, it makes both ideas more feasible. Read an extensive article about the differences between north and south Virginia here. And for more about the idea to combine Northern Virginia with DC to make the 51st state, read this.