The Real Reason Delmarva Never Became A State
If you're familiar with the Eastern Maryland shoreline, with its sweeping steely skies and scattered beach towns, you've likely heard the term Delmarva. In its current state, Delmarva is a peninsula encapsulating several regions across Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia (via Movoto). The name Delmarva, much like the place, is a collective nod to each of these regions coming together. In fact, unofficially, many Delmarva natives already consider themselves a part of their own little state that exists of only destinations along the Eastern shoreline.
If this perception were to become reality and Delmarva were to secede and morph into a state all its own, that state would have a population of approximately 1.4 million residents. This is not to mention countless discount t-shirt shops, countless outposts of Candy Kitchens and oyster houses, funnel cake vendors, and boardwalk attractions. Sounds marvelous, doesn't it? So, why has it not happened officially? The answer, in brief, is politics (via Baltimore Sun).
Disagreements over regulations and chicken manure led to the downfall of the 51st state
According to the Baltimore Sun, one of the chief provisions swaying public opinion in favor of making Delmarva the 51st state was loosening the regulations on chicken manure. Believe it or not, chicken manure is a cornerstone of the Delmarva economy. Too little chicken feces is bad for business. Too much and local farmers are stuck with a crap shoot — literally (via Baltimore Sun). There is so much political debate around the issue that when Republican Sens. Richard F. Colburn and J. Lowell Stoltzfus made chicken matter the focal point of their campaign, shore voters overwhelmingly supported the idea of Delmarva becoming its own state.
Following the unexpected motion, political figureheads began mapping out their brainchild — Delmarva. It was to be a state that embraced the chicken as its mascot. In the wondrous world of Delmarva, gun laws were loose and hunting seasons were long. Slot machines and tax-free land were all the rage.
However, the same policies that initially pulled these shore towns together just as quickly thrust them into disarray. Disagreements over taxes, construction, and yes, chicken poop, gave way to the downfall of Delmarva and the notion of a 51st state.