Conch Republic

The Conch Republic is a micronation declared as a tongue-in-cheek secession of the city of Key West, Florida, from the United States on April 23, 1982.

It has been maintained as a tourism booster for the city. Since then, the term "Conch Republic" has been expanded to refer to "all of the Florida Keys, or, that geographic apportionment of land that falls within the legally defined boundaries of Monroe County, Florida, northward to 'Skeeter's Last Chance Saloon' in Florida City, Dade County, Florida, with Key West as the nation's capital and all territories north of Key West being referred to as 'The Northern Territories'".

While the protests that sparked the creation of the Conch Republic (and others since then) have been described by some as "tongue-in-cheek," they were motivated by frustrations over genuine concerns. The original protest event was motivated by a U.S. Border Patrol roadblock and checkpoint that greatly inconvenienced residents and tourists.

The Conch Republic celebrates Independence Day every April 23 as part of a week-long festival of activities involving numerous businesses in Key West. The organization — a "Sovereign State of Mind", seeking only to bring more "Humor, Warmth and Respect" to a world in sore need of all three according to its late Secretary General, Peter Anderson — is a key tourism booster for the area.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conch_Republic

A similar effort has been publicized by U S Representative Dick Durbin and others.

It is  "Forgottonia" - a section of western Illinois near the Mississippi River with no bridge, no hospitals, and no Federal spending for infrastructure. 

It was descripion of a 16-county region in Western Illinois in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This geographic region forms the distinctive western bulge of Illinois that is roughly equivalent to "The Tract", a portion of the Military Tract of 1812, along and west of the Fourth Principal Meridian (see Principal meridian).

Since this wedge-shaped region lies between the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, it has historically been isolated (river bridge access) from the eastern portion of Central Illinois.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forgottonia