It’s been 63 years since Alaska became the 49th state and Hawaii became the 50th state in the U.S. Now there’s a move to add another star to Old Glory and make San Bernardino County the 51st state, which raises more questions than answers.
Here’s a look at how this could play out:
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READ MORE: What voters need to know about San Bernardino County’s secession measure
County linesSan Bernardino is roughly the same size and population of New Hampshire and Vermont combined. If San Bernardino were a state, here’s how counties would look with New Hampshire and Vermont’s 22 county boundaries laid over it.
The flagsA new state would need its own flag and one for each county. What would that look like? Here’s a closer look at the current county flag:
The seal is the shape of an arrowhead. Inside are scales positioned over the mountains, with a train passing through the valley’s agricultural fields. At the top is the flag of California and the United States Great Seal.
How statehood is granted
The Constitution declares that statehood requires the approval of both the U.S. Congress and the states’ legislatures. The territory applying for statehood must have a certain minimum population and a majority of its residents must favor statehood. The process can take decades.The steps:
The region holds a referendum on the people’s desire for or against statehood.
If voters vote in favor of the state, the California legislature then votes to approve the decision.
The region then petitions the U.S. Congress for statehood.
The region, if it hasn’t already done so, adopts a form of government and constitution in compliance with the U.S. Constitution.
The U.S. Congress — both the House and Senate — pass, by a simple majority vote, a joint resolution accepting the region as a state.
The president signs the joint resolution and the region becomes a state.
Adios, California
On the average, more than 100,000 Californians migrate to Nevada and Arizona annually to escape California’s high cost of living. With the formation of a new tri-state area, here’s how the state of San Bernardino’s cost of living would compare to its neighbors, assuming there would be no state income taxes, which would be enticing.
San Bernardino’s demographics
As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 2,181,654, making it the fifth-most populous county in California and the 14th-most populous in the United States. With an area of 20,105 square miles, San Bernardino County is the largest county in the contiguous United States by area.
GDP: In 2012, San Bernardino was the largest city in U.S. history to file for bankruptcy. In 2017, The city exited bankruptcy in 2018 amid a 53% increase in the county’s GDP from 2010-2020.
Population growth: The county’s population grew 7.5% from 2 million people who lived there in 2010. For comparison, the population in the U.S. grew 7.3% and the population in California grew 5.1% during that period.
Sources: San Bernardino County, American Community Survey, Analysis by UCR Center for Economic Forecasting and Development, California legislature
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