Jefferson (Pacific State) - Today

Today

As described by James V. Risser in a 2003 American Journalism Review article:

The "state" is diverse politically, with a mixture of conservatives and liberals. Many share the Westerner's common disdain of government and politics. "Politicians and diapers need to be changed often for the same reason," reads one bumper sticker. And many also share a desire to hang on to the landscape that draws both residents and tourists to an area that stretches from the stunning Oregon coast to ethereal Crater Lake and down to California's towering Mt. Shasta. The region retains this identity reinforced by institutions such as Jefferson Public Radio.

The Jefferson area has preferred Republican presidential candidates in recent decades, contrary to the consistent Democratic-lean of California and Oregon as a whole. The state plurality have voted for Democrats in every election in California since 1992 and in Oregon since 1988. However, Republican candidates have carried the seven counties of the Jefferson proposal since 1996, except for a close Democratic victory in Jackson County in 2008. Ross Perot, a third-party presidential candidate, fared better in this region in 1992 than he did on average nationwide.

Jefferson is commemorated by the State of Jefferson Scenic Byway between Yreka and O'Brien, Oregon, which runs 109 miles along State Route 96 and U.S. Forest Service Primary Route 48. Near the California - Oregon border, a turnout provides scenic views of the Klamath River valley and three informative display signs about the republic.

As of the 2010 Census, if the Jefferson counties were a state, the state's population would be 457,859 – smaller than any state at the time. Approximately 82% of those residents live in Oregon. Its land area would be 23,193.76 square miles (60,071.6 km2) – a little smaller than West Virginia. The area is almost evenly divided between Oregon and California. Its population density would be 19.74 inhabitants per square mile (7.62 /km2) – comparable to Idaho.

In 1989, KSOR, the National Public Radio member station based at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, near Medford, rebranded itself as Jefferson Public Radio. It had built a massive network of transmitters over the last decade, and had recently realized that its service area was virtually coextensive with the old State of Jefferson.