The size of the United States is generally seen as one of its strengths—it contains enough natural resources to sustain its residents and also to help feed other parts of the world. But the country’s large size can also lead to some problems. The American Civil War was, at least partially, the result of two sections of the country growing in different directions: physically, culturally, and politically. Although there haven’t been any violent secessionist movements since the mid-1800s, regional differences have led to some people trying to form new states and some even wanting complete independence for their state.
Superior is the name of the proposed state that would encompass the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, part of the Lower Peninsula, some counties in northern Wisconsin, and possibly some counties in northeastern Minnesota. The advocates of Superior argue that the counties in this region have more in common with each other—culturally and geographically—than they do with the states they currently belong to. Though the movement to create the state of Superior seems to have peaked in the 1970s, there are still advocates for it.
As strange as making a new state of Superior may sound, there are certainly precedents for it—Maine was once part of Massachusetts and Vermont was part of New York.
Another similar movement is the independence movement known as “Cascadia.” Most Cascadian advocates want all or part of Washington, Oregon, northern California, Idaho, and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia to form a new nation-state. Some Cascadian plans also involve parts of the states of Montana and part of Alberta. The Cascadian movement is a little different than the Superior one though, as Cascadians advocate for a totally new and independent country.
Similar initiatives have been put forward in California, Alaska, Hawaii, and Texas.
It is impossible to say for sure if any of these statehood and independence movements will become a reality. But I think most people will agree that it is equally difficult to state without a doubt that the current borders of the United States will remain the same permanently.