About Cascadia

Cascadia is the name of the environmentally and culturally distinct region of the Pacific Northwest. Its borders stretch from the Canadian Rocky Mountains and the Great Continental Divide in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, from Cape Mendocino, the edge of the Great Basin, and the Snake River Valley in the south to Mt. Logan in the north. It encompasses all or most of British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. It also encompasses parts of Alaska, California, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, and the Yukon Territory.

Map of Cascadia – Cascadia Institute (cascadia-institute.org)

Within these borders is a unique society of over 18 million people bound together through ecology and shared civic values. Although currently separated by the international borders of Canada and the United States, the distinguished Cascadian identity perseveres. This identity is beginning to solidify itself as the dominant ethos in the region once again after more than a century and a half of being overshadowed by attitudes of imperialism. Just as the natural elements helped forge a coherent region of native tribes prior to western settlement, the influence of the land itself is uniting its people—American and Canadian alike—as one society, differentiating its character from the rest of the continent.

The symbol of Cascadia is the mighty Douglas Fir tree. It’s represented on Cascadia’s flag—commonly referred to as the Doug Flag—on a tri-color banner of blue, white, and green. The Douglas Fir represents endurance, defiance, and resilience. The blue represents the Pacific Ocean, the Salish Sea, and the region’s many rivers. The white represents the awe-inspiring snow-capped mountains and the clouds which often surround them. And the green represents the region’s many evergreen forests.

About Cascadia

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