{"id":564,"date":"2025-10-28T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/?p=564"},"modified":"2025-10-28T23:55:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T06:55:09","slug":"merged-us-states-map","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/2025\/10\/28\/merged-us-states-map\/","title":{"rendered":"In Sweeping Effort to Reduce License Plate Designs by Half, New Plan Merges US into 25 Super-States"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p><strong>WASHINGTON D.C.<\/strong> \u2014 A leaked <strong>merged US states map<\/strong> has cartographers reeling and DMV employees sighing with relief, a leaked document from the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/mess\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"579\">Mapping Efficiency and State Streamlining Commission (MESS)<\/a><\/strong> has revealed a plan to reduce the number of United States from 50 to 25. Citing &#8220;excessive license plate design clutter&#8221; and the &#8220;crippling logistical costs of manufacturing and stocking 50 unique plate designs,&#8221; the proposal outlines a plan to merge neighboring states into 25 more efficient &#8220;Super-States.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Bold Plan for a Streamlined Nation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p>A source close to the committee, who wished to remain anonymous, stated, &#8220;Frankly, our highways have become a chaotic mess of slogans. You&#8217;ve got &#8216;Famous Potatoes&#8217; next to &#8216;The Grand Canyon State&#8217; next to &#8216;First in Flight.&#8217; It&#8217;s a vehicular identity crisis. By consolidating, we can finally bring some order to this chaos. Plus, think of the savings in sheet metal alone.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p>The proposed <strong>merged US states map<\/strong>, which has already gone viral, is the centerpiece of the entire proposal. At first glance, it may look familiar, but closer inspection reveals a nation transformed. Borders have been erased and redrawn, creating 50% fewer states to manage, print license plates for, and write boring school reports about. Below is the full, controversial map in all its glory. Take a moment to find your new home state, and see the thoughtful changes created by MESS before we dive into some of the more interesting consequences.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full has-custom-border is-style-default\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1120\" src=\"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/If-US-States-Merged-with-Neighboring-States.png\" alt=\"Map of the proposed 25 states to make up the entire United States.\" class=\"wp-image-742\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-radius:0px\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/If-US-States-Merged-with-Neighboring-States.png 1600w, https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/If-US-States-Merged-with-Neighboring-States-300x210.png 300w, https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/If-US-States-Merged-with-Neighboring-States-1024x717.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/If-US-States-Merged-with-Neighboring-States-768x538.png 768w, https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/If-US-States-Merged-with-Neighboring-States-1536x1075.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Highlights from the New Merged US States Map<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Virhio:<\/strong> Where Virginia&#8217;s &#8220;Virginia is for Lovers&#8221; and Ohio&#8217;s &#8220;Birthplace of Aviation&#8221; will be simplified to the direct and evocative new slogan: <strong>&#8220;Aviation Lovers.&#8221;<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>New Yorsey:<\/strong> The merger of &#8220;The Empire State&#8221; and &#8220;The Garden State&#8221; creates the powerful new <strong>&#8220;Garden Empire.&#8221;<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Calavada:<\/strong> Combining California (&#8220;The Golden State&#8221;) and Nevada (&#8220;The Silver State&#8221;) into the new, technically accurate slogan: <strong>&#8220;The Electrum State.&#8221;<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Snouth Carolina:<\/strong> Where South Carolina&#8217;s noble &#8220;While I Breathe, I Hope&#8221; meets its northern counterpart, &#8220;First in Flight,&#8221; to form a single, deeply anxious prayer for air travelers: <strong>&#8220;I Hope I Breathe In Flight.&#8221;<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"925\" height=\"925\" src=\"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/MESS-Logo-T.png\" alt=\"Discover the complete, satirical history of the MESS Commission. This page details the absurd mission, structure, and initiatives of a fictional government agency.\" class=\"wp-image-576\" style=\"width:255px;height:auto\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/MESS-Logo-T.png 925w, https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/MESS-Logo-T-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/MESS-Logo-T-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/MESS-Logo-T-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 925px) 100vw, 925px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Logistical Details<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p>The logistical challenges of the merger are also being addressed with the committee&#8217;s signature logic. Washington D.C., for example, will be absorbed into the new Super-State of <strong>Marginia<\/strong>. A MESS spokesperson noted this finally solves the district&#8217;s long-standing issue of &#8220;Taxation Without Representation&#8221; by simply eliminating their separate status, calling it a major win for &#8220;jurisdictional streamlining.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The committee applied similar logic to the non-contiguous state of <strong>Hawaska<\/strong>. Officials explained that while its two halves don&#8217;t share a border, they &#8220;have shared an inset box on maps for over 60 years,&#8221; which provided &#8220;sufficient cartographical precedent&#8221; for the union, a decision one committee member reportedly called &#8220;just common sense.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p>The plan is already facing fierce culinary debate across the new Super-States. The proposed &#8220;New England Maple Clam Chowder&#8221; in <strong>Verssachusetts<\/strong> has reportedly been sending terrified food critics into hiding. Not to be outdone, the tourism board of <strong>New Hampine<\/strong> has caused its own uproar by introducing the &#8220;Pumpkin Spice Lobster Roll,&#8221; a mandatory seasonal offering intended to unify the two states.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>What do you think of this bold vision for America&#8217;s future? Every new state on this <strong>merged US states map<\/strong> needs a champion. Check out the full map below and cast your vote in the comments for your favorite new state name. Perhaps after nearly 250 years, it&#8217;s time to literally unite the states of America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Editor&#8217;s Note<\/strong>: In the spirit of creative cartography, and as a tribute to outlets like <a href=\"https:\/\/theonion.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Onion<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/linktr.ee\/terriblemaps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Terrible Maps<\/a>, this article is a work of SATIRE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Additional Parodies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/2025\/10\/18\/the-odd-couple-star-trek-voyager-crossover\/\">The Odd Couple<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/2025\/06\/20\/star-trek-voyager-hakuna-matata-parody\/\">Star Trek: Voyager<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"likebtn_container\" style=\"\"><!-- LikeBtn.com BEGIN --><span class=\"likebtn-wrapper\"  data-identifier=\"post_564\"  data-site_id=\"68105eb56fd08be2616a3870\"  data-theme=\"padded\"  data-btn_size=\"30\"  data-icon_size=\"20\"  data-f_size=\"14\"  data-ef_voting=\"grow\"  data-dislike_enabled=\"false\"  data-icon_dislike_show=\"false\"  data-style=\"\"  data-unlike_allowed=\"\"  data-show_copyright=\"\"  data-item_url=\"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/2025\/10\/28\/merged-us-states-map\/\"  data-item_title=\"In Sweeping Effort to Reduce License Plate Designs by Half, New Plan Merges US into 25 Super-States\"  data-item_image=\"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/If-US-States-Merged-with-Neighboring-States-1024x717.png\"  data-item_date=\"2025-10-28T08:00:00-07:00\"  data-engine=\"WordPress\"  data-plugin_v=\"2.6.59\"  data-prx=\"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php?action=likebtn_prx\"  data-event_handler=\"likebtn_eh\" ><\/span><!-- LikeBtn.com END --><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What if the US only had 25 states? And what if the reason for this massive reorganization was to save money on license plates? Explore this absurd proposal, complete with a full map of the new &#8220;Super-States&#8221; (like Calavada and Snorth Dakota) and the hilarious details from the official &#8220;MESS&#8221; commission.<\/p>\n<div class=\"likebtn_container\" style=\"\"><!-- LikeBtn.com BEGIN --><span class=\"likebtn-wrapper\"  data-identifier=\"post_564\"  data-site_id=\"68105eb56fd08be2616a3870\"  data-theme=\"padded\"  data-btn_size=\"30\"  data-icon_size=\"20\"  data-f_size=\"14\"  data-ef_voting=\"grow\"  data-dislike_enabled=\"false\"  data-icon_dislike_show=\"false\"  data-style=\"\"  data-unlike_allowed=\"\"  data-show_copyright=\"\"  data-item_url=\"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/2025\/10\/28\/merged-us-states-map\/\"  data-item_title=\"In Sweeping Effort to Reduce License Plate Designs by Half, New Plan Merges US into 25 Super-States\"  data-item_image=\"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/If-US-States-Merged-with-Neighboring-States-1024x717.png\"  data-item_date=\"2025-10-28T08:00:00-07:00\"  data-engine=\"WordPress\"  data-plugin_v=\"2.6.59\"  data-prx=\"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php?action=likebtn_prx\"  data-event_handler=\"likebtn_eh\" ><\/span><!-- LikeBtn.com END --><\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":742,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-container-style":"default","site-container-layout":"default","site-sidebar-layout":"default","disable-article-header":"default","disable-site-header":"default","disable-site-footer":"default","disable-content-area-spacing":"default","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[78],"tags":[100,95,99,96,98,79,70,94,80,81,82,97],"class_list":["post-564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-humor","tag-bureaucracy","tag-humor","tag-license-plates","tag-maps","tag-merged-states","tag-mess","tag-parody","tag-satire","tag-state-map","tag-terrible-maps","tag-the-onion","tag-us-map"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/If-US-States-Merged-with-Neighboring-States.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=564"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/564\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":751,"href":"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/564\/revisions\/751"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snarglefarg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}