Cascadia, in reference to a geographical area, is a term that has only come into common usage in the past decade or so, and since it is not a recognized political subdivision, what area people are referring to when they speak of Cascadia may vary.
Ideal Definition of Cascadia
For purposes of this blog, Cascadia is the bioeregion that contains the entirety of all watersheds flowing into the Pacific Ocean along the coastline that extends from Cape Suckling in Alaska to Point Reyes in California. This bioregion is characterized by temperate rainforest along the entire coast, and a variety of other climate types inland, particularly in the upper portions of the Columbia, Snake, Fraser, and Klamath River basins.
Map of Cascadia published by the Sightline Institute. The border on this map encompasses a slightly different region than is described here.Practical Definition of Cascadia
Recognizing that we already have a human political history in this bioregion, and that some of the political subdivisions we currently have will persist into the future, we can identify the following political entities as being part of Cascadia:
- The State of Washington
- The State of Oregon
- The State of Idaho
- The Province of British Columbia
- Coastal northern California, which includes:
- Del Norte County
- Siskiyou County
- Humboldt County
- Trinity County
- Mendocino County
- Sonoma County
- Western Montana, which includes:
- Lincoln County
- Flathead County
- Sanders County
- Lake County
- Mineral County
- Missoula County
- Powell County
- Ravalli County
- Granite County
- Deer Lodge County
- Silver Bow County
- Southeast Alaska, which includes:
- Ketchikan Gateway Borough
- City and Borough of Wrangell
- City and Borough of Sitka
- City and Borough of Juneau
- Haines Borough
- Municipality of Skagway Borough
- City and Borough of Yakutat
- Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area
- Petersburg Census Area
- Hoonah-Angoon Census Area
