Jefferson (proposed Pacific state)

This article is about a proposed U.S. state on the Pacific coast. For other proposed states with the same name, see Jefferson Territory and Jefferson (proposed Southern state).

Jefferson
Proposed U.S. state
Flag of Jefferson
Flag
Official seal of Jefferson
Seal
Nickname: 
The State of Mind
One proposed boundary for Jefferson
One proposed boundary for Jefferson
Named forLikely President Thomas Jefferson (See paragraph 2)
Area
 • Total217,005 km2 (83,786 sq mi)
 • Rank14th (hypothetical)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total3,138,324
 • Rank33rd (hypothetical)
DemonymJeffersonian
Time zonePacific Standard Time

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.

Although it is assumed that the proposed state is named after Thomas Jefferson, who sponsored the Lewis and Clark Expedition into the Pacific Northwest in 1803, the name "Jefferson" is of uncertain origin.[1] Historians and locals cite Thomas Jefferson's status as the primary author of the Declaration of Independence as the origin of the name, with the line "governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed" as evidence of a breakdown of the social contract between the state governments and the region's population.[2]

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,[3] although Port Orford, Oregon, had also been up for consideration, being the former jurisdiction of Mayor Gilbert Gable (one of the movement’s greatest leaders).[3] Some supporters of the more recent revival have also identified Redding, California, as a potential capital,[3] 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.[4]

  1. ^ Pogue, James (April 2022). "Notes on the State of Jefferson". Harper's. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  2. ^ Oregon Experience | State of Jefferson | Season 9 | Episode 901 | PBS. Retrieved August 12, 2024 – via www.pbs.org.
  3. ^ a b c Peter Laufer, The Elusive State of Jefferson: A Journey Through the 51st State. TwoDot, 2013. ISBN 978-0762788361.
  4. ^ "Redding City Council rejects "State of Jefferson" proposal". KRCR-TV, October 2, 2013.