States of Atlas (Playing 2014/Sign up & create state here)

[CountyTy90]

Working on my version of Florida... hopefully be up soon!

[This account no longer in use.]

I can confirm that my state will be a merger of eastern MA and RI. Will post detailed statistics very soon.

[Leinad]

I'll have my western state, comprising parts of the Four Corners states, hopefully tomorrow night.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

I am interested in doing a state in the Midwest. Like, MN, ND, SD, IA, WI, and some Western states, like MT,  WY,  and ID. I am presuming all of IL is taken.

[Prince of Salem]

Well, looks lie we've had some border dispute, so while these disputes are solved, we'll keep some things slightly vague, while the rest can get their maps done normally.

As this happens, I'd like to thank Kingpoleon for offering to make our general map for the game. It'll be fun to have a general map.

[This account no longer in use.]

If all goes well, I will have my stats and things in tomorrow. However, I do have a callback for my musical audition, and it's going to be an all around hectic day, so I can't make any promises.

[Leinad]

I'll try to finish it before bed (I had a busy day where my two of my three largest interests--soccer and politics--converged) but if not I'll get it done tomorrow barring injury/death. Hopefully the amount of time I'm putting into this will result in something that the politics/history/data enthusiasts on this site can tip their hat towards.

I'll confirm my borders: it will include Arizona, Colorado, most of New Mexico, and Utah southeast of the Colorado River. Slightly stingier than my previous indications, but some of you guys are claiming basically a third of the country

Any conflict there? Speak now or forever hold your peace, as the vows are forthcoming...

[Kingpoleon]

I am interested in doing a state in the Midwest. Like, MN, ND, SD, IA, WI, and some Western states, like MT,  WY,  and ID. I am presuming all of IL is taken.

Give me about six hours, and I can get you parts of Northern IL. Would you like MI, too? Maybe it's UP, as the entire state is unclaimed IIRC.

[afleitch]

This looks interesting. Anything left somewhere north and cold?

[Prince of Salem]

This looks interesting. Anything left somewhere north and cold?

The Vermont area is still available.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

I am interested in doing a state in the Midwest. Like, MN, ND, SD, IA, WI, and some Western states, like MT,  WY,  and ID. I am presuming all of IL is taken.

Give me about six hours, and I can get you parts of Northern IL. Would you like MI, too? Maybe it's UP, as the entire state is unclaimed IIRC.

I would like to have the UP,  and whatever parts of Illinois you give me. I am starting to wonder,  am I starting to grab too much turf? If no one objects I will take all of MI.

[afleitch]

This looks interesting. Anything left somewhere north and cold?

The Vermont area is still available.

I'll take Vermont.

[Cranberry]

I'll reserve the Texas Gulf Coast from the border up until including Matagorda County (the Texan Colorado River being the northern border), and inland up until the Hill Country, think a straight line from Austin to the Mexican border.

Detailed post will come some time later this week.

[CountyTy90]

I'm removing myself from the project; work is just too busy now.

This frees up the entire state of Florida, btw.

[Kingpoleon]

I am interested in doing a state in the Midwest. Like, MN, ND, SD, IA, WI, and some Western states, like MT,  WY,  and ID. I am presuming all of IL is taken.

Give me about six hours, and I can get you parts of Northern IL. Would you like MI, too? Maybe it's UP, as the entire state is unclaimed IIRC.

I would like to have the UP,  and whatever parts of Illinois you give me. I am starting to wonder,  am I starting to grab too much turf? If no one objects I will take all of MI.

The Lower Peninsula was going to be my idea for a battleground between me and you. Oh well.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

I am interested in doing a state in the Midwest. Like, MN, ND, SD, IA, WI, and some Western states, like MT,  WY,  and ID. I am presuming all of IL is taken.

Give me about six hours, and I can get you parts of Northern IL. Would you like MI, too? Maybe it's UP, as the entire state is unclaimed IIRC.

I would like to have the UP,  and whatever parts of Illinois you give me. I am starting to wonder,  am I starting to grab too much turf? If no one objects I will take all of MI.

The Lower Peninsula was going to be my idea for a battleground between me and you. Oh well.

How would you feel if both IL and LP was split between us? I'd be willing to discuss possible specifics.

[Leinad]

Cielona

Most vexillologists agree that the Cielonan flag is "fairly crap," but they forget that most state flags are just the state seal on a tacky navy blue background.

 Location

Cielona is located in real life Arizona, Colorado, most of New Mexico, and Utah southeast of the Colorado River.

 Etymology

The name "Cielona" comes from "Cielo," which is apparently the Spanish word for "sky."

 History

Early Years
In 1809, a group of settlers led by Aaron Burr [yes, it's loosely based on the Burr conspiracy] founded an independent nation in formerly Spanish territory --the land was bought by a group of wealthy investors wanting a steak in the new country. (Yeah, Burr basically crowdfunded it.)

Many Spanish settlers were already there, plus more came, which led to both it's name and the prominence of Catholicism in the new nation. Not to mention a steady stream of American settlers--seeking adventure, wealth, independence, or evasion of the law. The twin cities of Lewis and Clark (of which the etymologies are obvious) became the dual capitals: Lewis [real life Denver] the legislative capital and Clark [real life Colorado Springs] the executive capital.

Burr made himself President, but after losing popularity due to repeated abuse of power many congressional leaders helped push through amendments limiting the President's power and terms--four years, starting in 1818, when Burr was soundly defeated.

The new nation was at odds with the United States during these early years, which culminated with the Cielonan War from 1821-1823. The Gadsden Flag became an important symbol, and was the flag of Cielona until it's current one (incorporating it) was adopted at the 1909 centenary. The Cielonan forces successfully fended off those of the US, effectively securing their independence.

1800s
The Cielonan congress narrowly voted to side with the United States in the Mexican-American War. This was a controversial and much-protested decision, although it led to increased territory by the Cielonans. Shortly thereafter they founded the city of Burr [real life Phoenix], named after their still controversial founder. It also marked the start of the US as an ally instead of an enemy.

Much of the opposition to joining the Mexican-American War was due to opposition of slavery, just as in the US. Thus, the abolitionist movement in Cielona grew more vocal, with slavery being outlawed in 1852--the bill signed into law by staunch abolitionist President Benjamin Mitchell [fictional person], who was elected in 1850 due to a wave of anti-slavery support using the slogan "Liberty for All Men!" This proved to be a success which helped his party--the Liberty Party--become the largest party in the nation.

Cielona had friendly relations with the Utah Territory, and Brigham Young visited multiple times. While many Cielonans were skeptical of Mormonism, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spread to the country over time, to where nowadays it has over a million adherents.

President Mitchell and was quick to side with the Union against the Confederacy in the Civil War, and Congress voted in favor of the measure as well, although with some opposition from pacifist and isolationist minorities. This partnership also brought the two countries closer together. Both Mitchell and then-President Thomas Halter [fictional person] attended Abraham Lincoln's funeral.

In the 1882 elections, the main issue was women's suffrage. The Liberty Party supported it, using the slogan "Liberty for All People!" and women were granted the right to vote in 1883.

1900s and Statehood
Cielona became closer and closer to the US, especially during the Presidency of Calvin Coolidge, and popular opinion grew in favor of a union by the 1920s, but by the Great Depression they hadn't yet negotiated a deal that would give Cielona appropriate representation without taking away all of their independence, and talks didn't fully resume until the late 1940s, after Cielona supported the US during World War II (they stayed out of World War I and the Korean War).

Finally, in 1957, Cielonan President (soon-to-be Governor) Barry Goldwater and US President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a deal that put Cielona into a special class of "part-state"--they pay less taxes and have more powers devolved to them, but get only half the representation of what their population would otherwise give them in both Congress and, likewise, the Electoral College.

Since then, they have remained a part-state. The Liberty Party has continued to dominate, with prominent Governors including Goldwater (1950-1958, 1972-1984) and Gary Johnson (1998-2014). Goldwater was also the state's first US Senator, from 1959-1971, while Johnson has held that post since 2015.

 Demographics

Race

Non-Hispanic White	45.2%
Hispanic	42.6%
Black	4.2%
American Indian	4.1%
Asian/Pacific Islander	2.9%
Mixed Race	3.5%

Religion

Total Protestant	18.6%
Evangelical Protestant	12.3%
Mainline Protestant	6.3%
Roman Catholic	30.3%
Mormon/LDS	8.9%
Other Christian	2.1%
Jewish	1.6%
Muslim	0.7%
Buddhist	0.9%
Hindu	0.6%
Total Unaffiliated	34.1%
Agnostic	7.8%
Atheist	5.5%
Nothing in particular	20.8%
Other	0.8%
Don't know/refused to answer	1.4%

Party Affiliation (see below for details)

Liberty	28%
Progressive	17%
Conservative	13%
National Party	10%
People's Party	5%
Independent	27%

Issue Positions

	Support	Oppose
Same-sex marriage	69%	21%
Abortion	41%	42%
Rec. marijuana legalization	62%	30%
Assisted suicide	51%	38%
Death penalty	40%	48%
Gun control	27%	66%
Obamacare	36%	54%
Invest in renewable energy	43%	44%
Right to work	54%	41%
Raise minimum wage	32%	60%
Raise corporate taxes	34%	52%
Lower taxes	68%	21%
Increase domestic spending	31%	57%
Increase defense spending	41%	46%
Iraq War	21%	72%
Full amnesty for illegals	40%	47%
Path to citizenship	45%	43%
Build a wall with Mexico	37%	51%
NSA metadata collection	22%	59%
Cielonan Independence	25%	67%

 
I hit the character limit, monkey-fluffers! Seriously. To be continued...

[Leinad]

And now, for the exciting conclusion!


Political Parties

Due to its independent nature, Cielona retains their own political party system, with five major parties:

Liberty Party
The oldest and largest party in Cielona, the Liberty Party defines individual liberty and limited government as its core principles. It's commonly referred to as "libertarian," although some of the party's more moderate members (along with more conservative and liberal members) reject that term. They led the charge on several civil rights issues, such as the abolition of slavery, women's suffrage, and same-sex marriage. The party does well with voters across all demographic categories, although it has a large advantage with less religious and nonreligious voters--one that is mellowing out over time.

The Liberty Party generally sides with the Libertarian Party nationally.

Conservative Party
The second-oldest and third-largest party in Cielona, the Conservative Party defines traditional values as its core principle, and most of its members also adhere to some level of limited government principles. It is generally right-wing or center-right across the board--although there are large conservatarian and moderate wings of the party. They were founded as a response to the Liberty Party, although were rarely able to successfully challenge it due to internal struggles between Protestant and Catholic party leaders. The party does well with very religious voters, especially white males, but struggles elsewhere.

The Conservative Party generally sides with the Republican Party nationally.

Progressive Party
The Progressive Party was founded in 1911 as a party for social liberals in between the Liberty Party and the Socialist Party on fiscal issues. This has remained their ideology, and as the main center-left party they boast the second-largest number of members. The party does well with voters across most demographic categories, although struggles with whites and the very religious.

The Progressive Party generally sides with the Democratic Party nationally.

Cielonan National Party
The CNP was founded in 1947 in opposition to ongoing statehood negotiations. The party generally sides with the Liberty Party on most issues--although members come from across the political spectrum--but is staunchly in favor of devolution and eventually peaceful independence from the United States. It is the only major party that supports independence--the other four all explicitly support the union in their platform, while having varying positions on devolution.

The CNP generally sides with the Libertarian Party, although whenever they get elected to national seats they melodramatically refuse to take them. Due to this reason alone they do far better in statewide elections than federal ones.

People's Party
The People's Party is the third-oldest party in Cielona, related to the old Utah Territory party of the same name. They are often allies with the Conservative Party, although are to their right on social issues and considerably to their left on fiscal issues. Around half of their supporters are Mormons, which amounts for nearly two-thirds of the party's total vote. All of their current delegation in the state Congress are members of the LDS Church--15 of the 22 total congressional Mormons. In FPTP elections they coordinate with the Conservatives to not run candidates in Catholic and Protestant districts, instead focusing on the Mormon-friendly ones, which the Conservatives likewise abstain from.

The People's Party generally sides with the Republican Party nationally, although congressman Wesley Brian [fictional person] controversially caucused with the Democrats in his first term from 1997-1999, before caucusing with the Republicans in his second term.

 Political Landscape

House of Commons
The House of Commons is the main house of congress. Originally it was unicameral and first-past-the-post, but as the Liberty Party kept winning majorities of representatives without a majority of the votes the minority parties (Conservative and Progressives) along with less partisan member of the Liberty Party worked together to reform the house, making it a mixed-member proportional representation system in the Compromise of 1917. In 1964 it was reformed to a hybrid single-transferable vote/mixed member system fixed at 216 representatives.

Liberty	761
Progressive	562
Conservative	393
National Party	31
People's Party	14

¹Including one independent who caucuses with the Liberty Party.
²Including two members of the Green Party and one of the Socialist Party who caucus with the Progressive Party.
³Including one member of the Constitution Party who caucuses with the Conservative Party.

Council of Representatives
As part of the Compromise of 1917, a smaller, weaker, first-past-the-post house was created. The Council has always had a plurality of members in the Liberty Party, although many times it's dipped below a majority.

Liberty	19
Progressive	6
Conservative	7
National Party	0
People's Party	1

Congressional Delegation
Cielona sends ten representatives to the US House of Representatives, two each from five districts in a STV system. Since the Liberty Party almost always wins a seat in all five--especially due to the National Party's poor showings in federal elections--their primary is considered a congressional election itself. John McCain of the Conservative Party is currently the dean of the Cielonan delegation, having served since 1987. The delegation is expanding to 6 districts and 12 seats in 2014.

Liberty	5
Progressive	2
Conservative	2
National Party	0
People's Party	1

Recent Presidential Election History
Cielona's 11 Electoral Votes (soon to be increased to 13) are split in a unique way: one is purely WTA, five are split proportionally, and five are given to the winners of each Congressional District. This was done as a compromise of people who advocated a purely proportional system, a purely district-based system, and a purely WTA system, and it leads to a form of "winner-take-most" EV allocation. Gary Johnson won nine EVs--the record--when he ran for President as sitting Governor in 2012.

2012	PV	EVs
Gary Johnson	61%	9
Mitt Romney	20%	1
Barack Obama	17%	1

2008	PV	EVs
Bob Barr	42%	6
John McCain	32%	3
Barack Obama	24%	2

2004	PV	EVs
Michael Badnarik	46%	6
John Kerry	27%	3
George W. Bush	25%	2

Ralph Nader got 4% of the vote in 2000, while Ross Perot got his only delegate in both 1996 and 1992.

 Miscellaneous

- Population: 14,206,331
- Congressional Districts: 6 (each electing two representatives)
- EVs: 13 (1 WTA, 6 PR, 6 Districts)
- Nickname: The Liberty State, The Big Sky State, The Independent State, The Country-Within-A-Country
- State Motto: Libertas Omnibus (Freedom for All)
- Sports teams:
    -NFL: Lewis Mountain Lions, Burr Rattlers
    -MLB: Lewis Frontiersmen, Burr Roadrunners
    -NBA: Cielona Pioneers (in Lewis), Burr Sun
    -NHL: Lewis Icecaps
    -MLS: Cielona Freedom FC (in Clark), Burr Diablos


Did I forget anything?

[Cranberry]

If everyone is creating partisan utopias, well, so shall I!

Coahuilteca

Location:

Coahuilteca is located in Southern Texas, and generally confined by three major landscape features: the Colorado River to the northeast, the Texas Hill Country to the northwest (known as the Pecos Hills ITL), and the Rio Grande to the west and south.

Hard Facts:

- Population: 6,532,197 (2010 Census)
- Congressional Districts: 9
- Capital: Ítupe (OTL Corpus Christi)
- Major Cities: Virràcuilhapa (OTL San Antonio), San Andreas (OTL Austin)
- Statehood: 1850 (territory of Mexico previously)
- Nicknames: The Red State, The Pearl of the Gulf, Mexico Norte
- Motto: Socius ambulemus ("We shall walk together")
- Demonym: Coahuiltecan, Coahuiltecano

Demographics:

41% - Hispanic
32% - Native American
21% - Non-Hispanic White
6% - Others

41% - Urban
37% - Suburban
22% - Exurban and rural

Virràcuilhapa: City - 1.3 million, Metro - 2.7 million
Ítupe: City - 600,000, Metro - 1.1 million
San Andreas: City - 450,000, Metro - 1.3 million

Brief historical outlook:

The territory that is today Coahuilteca was long part of New Spain, and later the Mexican Republic, until the Texan revolution left the land disputed between the new Republic of Texas and Mexico. The border dispute was never resolved, both countries laying claim on the land, but soon, a third claimant emerged, with the United States taking all the country between its new state of Texas and the Rio Grande after the Mexican-American War. Coahuilteca, primarily settled by Native Americans and Hispanics, was admitted as a state two years later in 1850. The early history of the state very much centered on the struggle of Natives and Spaniard Mexicans, making up a large majority of more than seventy percent of the population, for enfranchisment and citizen rights, which is where the old partisan divide of Coahuilteca, different from the Republican-Democrat divide in the nation at-large, stems from. The rise of the Socialist Party in the 1910s meant an end to white domination since before the civil war (Coahuilteca was never a slave-owning state and thus sided with the Union, but was occupied for a time by the CSA), and its long period of government and reforms gave rise to the state's nickname ("The Red State"). Today, the state is one of the most cosmopolitan states in the union, dominated by both Latinos and Natives demographically, with Caucausian Whites only a smaller minority, and boasting a strong economy and the nation's probably most extensive social net, with a large number of state-owned companies and a universal single-payer healthcare system, but also one of the nation's larger tax burdens, among others. The state is booming demographically, situated at the center of the Sun Belt.

Party Politics:

The Coahuiltecan party system is vastly different on the state level. While national candidates usually align with either Democrats or Republicans (although there is a large number of independent candidates), there exist three vastly different parties on the state level, that are not aligned to either national party.

Socialist Party:
The largest party of old, the Socialist Party is today less of a socialist and more of a liberal-progressive-ish party leaning to the third way. Members of the party almost exclusively align with national Democrats. The party sits in the centre of the Coahuiltecan state party system, and thus most often forms government.

Radical Party:
The Radical Party was formed in the 70ies by former Socialists disaffected with what they saw as a too centrist outlook in their political home turf. They are situated clearly to the left of the SP, and contest nationally either as Independents or as leftist Democrats.

Liberal Party:
The Liberal Party is the most right-wing party of the state. They are an aglamation of a number of former parties, including the state's Republican and Democratic parties, and receive most of their support from white people (Hispanics tend to favor the SP, while Natives are the base of the Radical Party's support). Nationally, some Liberal Party members campaign as (centrist) Democrats, others as (centrist or moderate) Republicans, and a few as Independents.

State Legislature:
(unicameral, partisan 56-member Legislative Assembly)

29 Socialist Party
15 Radical Party
12 Liberal Party

NOTES:
The state name is pronounced Co-il-teca in English, or Co-a-il-teca in Spanish.
I completely made up some names to make them sound roughly Native American-ish.
The largest city is pronounced Vi-ra-ci-lapa.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[White Trash]

Since Classic Conservative took up most of the South, could I do the river delta and the rest of Louisiana?

[Prince of Salem]

Since Classic Conservative took up most of the South, could I do the river delta and the rest of Louisiana?

Sure!

[Vern]

When are we going to start?

[White Trash]

Commonwealth of Calechee
Capitol: New Orleans
Population: 7,451,288

Largest Cities
New Orleans: 401,682
Jacksontown (OTL Baton Rouge): 235,426
Alexandria: 189,655

Location
Located in the gulf coast counties directly south of Jefferson in Louisiana as well as the limited gulf coast of Mississippi.

History
Initially settled by French colonists hoping to control the Mississippi delta to better facilitate the furs trade. Initially called Louisiana by these settlers, the colony soon became an important source of sugar cane and sorghum for the French colonial empire. The territory of Haute-Louisiana or "lower Louisiana" and its capitol of New Orleans remained under French control after the rest of the territory was purchased by President Jefferson in 1803. The territory didn't come under the control of the United States until its outright conquest by General Andrew Jackson in 1815. Wanting to destroy any traces of French heritage, General Jackson named the territory "Calechee". Jackson being a very poor geologist mistook the red clay surrounding the Mississippi river banks for "Caliche".

( I have very similar demographics, location and history to our friendly Northern neighbors, so I yoinked his template )

Racial Breakdown:
67% White
22% Black
9% Hispanic
1% American Indian
1% Asian
0% Other

Age
Under 18-22%
18-25 20%
26-35-25%
36-49-18%
50-65 13%
66+ 12%

Religious Breakdown
81% Christian (32% Roman Catholicism, 28% Mainline Protestant, 34% Evangelical, 4% Other)
6% Jewish (68% Orthodox, 28% Reform, 4% Progressive)
1% Other
12% Atheist or Agnostic

Education
Non-High School Graduate 22%
Up to High School Graduate 30%
Some college or university 17%
College Graduate (diploma) 13%
University Graduate (Bachelors) 8%
University Degree (masters) 6%
University Degree (doctorate) 3%
Divinity or other Religious Degree 2%

Party ID
GOP 39%
Democrat 34%
Independent 26%
Libertarian Less than 1%

Ideology
Conservative 36%
Centrist 41%
Liberal 23%

Most Important Issue
Economy/Jobs 38%
Healthcare 12%
Immigration 11%
Social Services 14%
Accountability 6%
Family Values 17%
Other 2%

Support or Oppose (Family Values)
SSM: 39% 61%
Abortion: 48% 52%
Marijuana Recreation Legalization: 23% 77%
Marijuana Medical Legalization: 33% 67%
Death Penalty: 90% 10%
Universal Background Checks on Guns: 24% 76%
Ban Certain Types of Guns: 15% 85%
The Ku Klux Klan: 8% 92%

Support or Oppose (Economic)
Raise Minimum Wage from $8 to $10: 63% 37%
 Raise Corporate Taxes: 78% 22%
Raise Taxes on the Top Tax Bracket: 54% 46%
Flat Tax: 41% 59%
Carbon Tax: 37% 63%
Lower Middle Class Taxes: 84% 16%
Invest in renewable Energy: 44% 56%
Increase Funding for Social Services: 58% 42%
Universal Healthcare: 40% 60%

Immigration Support or Oppose
Amnesty for Illegal Immigration: 32% 68%
Path for Citizenship for Illegal Immigrants: 38% 62%
Build a Wall with Mexico: 46% 54%

------------------------
Legislature composition:

Senate:
22 Democrats
17 Republicans
39 Total

House of Representatives:
63 Republicans
41 Democrats
1 Independent

[Vern]

I added a few things to my state post.

[Prince of Salem]

When are we going to start?

We'll do Turn 0 very soon.