Superior (proposed state)

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Proposed map of Superior. Red areas indicate generally accepted areas of Superior, while pink areas are present in some definitions.

Superior is the name of a longstanding 51st state proposal involving the secession of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan from the rest of the state of Michigan. Named for Lake Superior, the idea has gained serious attention at times, though it is quite unlikely to ever come to fruition due to the large amount of funding that the area receives from the lower part of the state, and the strong connections that were cemented by the completion of the Mackinac Bridge, which gave the peninsula a direct highway connection to the rest of the state.

Several prominent legislators including local politician Dominic Jacobetti formally attempted this legislation in the 1970s, with little traction.^[1]

1 History
2 Capital
3 References
4 Further reading

[edit] History

Efforts to secede and form a new state from Michigan have a long pedigree. Historical attempts at formation date back to 1897, when the proposal for a State of Superior included the Upper Peninsula and portions of Wisconsin.^[2]

Sometime in the 1960s, there was talk of the U.P. seceding to become part of Wisconsin. In preparation for this move, the U.P. asked for, and received, its own area code; 906, as no area code in the U.S. is allowed to cross state lines.^{[citation needed]}

In 1962, an Upper Peninsula Independence Association was founded to advocate for the formation of State of Superior. A secession bill was submitted to the Michigan Legislature, and 20,000 petion signatures were collected -- 36,000 short of the number needed -- for a ballot referendum on separation.^[3]

Efforts continued into the mid-1970's, with residents of the Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin, each resentful of a tax drains and other perceived slights from their downstate cousins, joining together to pursue the desired legislation.^[4]