Jefferson (proposed Pacific state)

Jefferson
Proposed U.S. state
Flag Seal
One proposed boundary for Jefferson
Area
• Total	217,005 km2 (83,786 sq mi)
• Rank	14th (hypothetical)
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,138,324
• Rank	33rd (hypothetical)

The State of Jefferson is a proposed U.S. state that would span the contiguous, mostly rural area of southern Oregon and Northern California, where several attempts to separate from Oregon and California, respectively, have taken place. The region encompasses most of Northern California's land but does not include San Francisco or other Bay Area counties that account for the majority of Northern California's population.

The name "Jefferson" is of uncertain origin.^{[1][n 1]} It has been historically used for other proposed territories or states, too, such as the 19th century "Jefferson Territory,"^{[n 2]} as well as a southern state that would be created from the Texas Panhandle region, as proposed by a 1915 bill in the Texas Legislature.^[2][3] However, this region on the Pacific Coast is the most famous.^[1]

President Thomas Jefferson, who sent the Lewis and Clark Expedition into the Pacific Northwest in 1803, envisioned the establishment of an independent nation in the western portion of North America that he dubbed the "Republic of the Pacific";^[4] hence the association of his name with regional autonomy. The movement for independence, rather than statehood, is known as Cascadia.

If the proposal were ever approved, the new state's capital city would have to be determined by a constitutional convention; Yreka, California, was named the provisional capital in the original 1941 proposal,^[5] although Port Orford, Oregon, had also been up for consideration.^[5] Some supporters of the more recent revival have also identified Redding, California, as a potential capital,^[5] even though Redding is not included in all versions of the proposal and its city council voted in 2013 to reject participation in the movement.^[6]

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