Since it's becoming a thing to redistrict states with Canada-style ridings, I figured I would attempt my home state of Rhode Island. It gets no love from most redistricting maps because it only has two districts and they're both safely Democratic. But if the target population were 110,000 people, Rhode Island would get ten districts. Although Rhode Island is heavily Democratic, not all of its districts would be assured of voting Democratic (at least not with compact districts representing CoI).
If you want to get a glimpse at the population distribution and political patterns of Rhode Island, come take a walk with me.
Note that I tried to respect town/city lines, but as Dave's App uses block groups instead of voting districts for Rhode Island, it can sometimes be hard to tell where one town ends and another begins. So excuse me if I accidentally crossed town lines when I didn't mean to.
With that said, let's get this show on the road.
East Side-Mount Pleasant Blue
This riding is barely majority-white. It's 50.8% white by total population and 56.9% 18+, with Hispanics being the second-largest group at 25.1% total and 20.6% 18+. It would probably be majority-minority if not for the fact that it contains the affluent, heavily Jewish East Side, as well as working class Italian/Irish neighborhoods like Federal Hill and Elmhurst. It also dips down into the Jewelry District for population purposes. Regardless, with all the minority voters and the East Side liberals, this riding is super-safe Dem. Current RI-01 representative David Cicilline lives here.
South Providence-West End Green
Here we have Rhode Island's only minority-majority riding, and probably its most Democratic. This riding is 33.5% white and 44.7% Hispanic by total population (39.2% white and 40.0% Hispanic among 18+). Most Hispanics here would be Dominican or Puerto Rican. The right Hispanic candidate could definitely win this. Providence mayor Angel Tavares lives in the East Side-Mount Pleasant riding but grew up here or a few blocks away. Anyway, this riding dips into Cranston and is safe for any Democrat.
Cranston-Johnston-North Providence Dark Magenta
This riding contains the heavily Irish/Italian working class suburbs of Providence: Cranston, Johnston, and North Providence. It also contains a small piece of Pawtucket for population reasons. It would definitely have a Democratic lean most years, but there's a decent chance it'd elect a centrist Democrat. Also, it might be vulnerable in a 2010-style wave (for instance, in the 2010 RI-01 election, North Providence only voted for Cicilline 49-46). Lastly, make sure to never visit this riding unless you love really nasal accents.
Central Falls-Pawtucket-Rumford Red
This riding contains the tiny but heavily Hispanic town of Central Falls, most of heavily Democratic Pawtucket, as well as part of Rumford (the northern part of East Providence). It comes fairly close to being minority-majority; it's 54.5% white and 25.1% Hispanic by total population (59.9/21.8 among 18+). It's safely Democratic even in 2010 (Central Falls voted 73-22 for Cicilline, Pawtucket voted 60-34 for him).
Blackstone Valley Gold
This riding contains the old mill towns of the Blackstone Valley, like Lincoln, Cumberland, and Woonsocket. It's likely dominated by people of French-Canadian descent. It would lean Democratic most years, but it would probably fall in a Republican wave: every town partially or wholly contained in this riding voted for John Loughlin in 2010.
Ponaganset-Coventry Teal
At 95.1% white total (96.1% among 18+), this riding would be the whitest in Rhode Island. It'd also be the most Republican; it contains Scituate, the only town in Rhode Island to vote for McCain, as well as other Republican-leaning towns in the foresty western part of Rhode Island. Its PVI is roughly even, though, so it's still plenty winnable for us.
Riverside-East Bay Dark Gray
This riding begins in Riverside (the southern part of East Providence) and winds its way through Barrington, Warren, and Bristol down to Tiverton and Little Compton in the southeastern corner of the state. This riding split roughly 50-50 between Cicilline and Loughlin in 2010, so it's normally Democratic but vulnerable in a bad year.
Warwick-West Bay Slate Blue
Here's a riding dominated by Warwick, where former senator and current governor Lincoln Chafee used to be mayor. It also contains most of West Warwick, except for one tiny slice given to Ponaganset-Coventry for population reasons. Warwick's current mayor, Scott Avedisian, is a Republican, but he's way, way, WAY more moderate than most Republicans, even in Rhode Island. This riding will probably be pretty kind to Democrats, especially since popular current RI-02 representative Jim Langevin lives here.
East Greenwich-West Greenwich-South County Cyan
This is another riding that the Republicans would have a fairly good shot in. It starts in wealthy East Greenwich (which voted for Bush) and sweeps down to the Chariho region, taking Republican-to-swingy towns. It also contains a piece of South Kingstown for population purposes which just so happens to contain the University of Rhode Island flagship campus. Dems would be favored with Obama on the ballot, but probably screwed in another 2010-style wave.
Block Island-Narragansett-Newport Deep Pink
Here's the last riding, which wouldn't exist if Rhode Island had only several thousand fewer people. It contains the last bit of mainland Rhode Island (namely Narragansett and most of South Kingstown) as well as Block Island and the island towns like Newport and Jamestown. It shouldn't be a problem for the Democrats, even in a Republican year.
And there it is! Questions and comments welcome.