Cascadia Independence Movement - State of Mind or Future Nation State? What does ATS think?

Cascadia flag flying above international cargo Terminal 5 at the Port of Seattle


Cascadia flag flying above at the Peace Arch border crossing on the US/Canada border


The following post was one which I intended to post in this thread In a post SHTF world where the USA cease to exist which state government is more likely to survive? Most people are aware of secessionist movements in places like Quebec, Texas and overseas in Scotland and Catalonia.

I'd like to tell you about another I came across locally.

I live in Seattle, a major, well-educated, somewhat futuristic and ecclectic city within a region of the USA's northwest. This region which spans the US and Canadian border encompasses Oregon, Washington and British Columbia and traces it's history back to when it was an autonomous region known as the Oregon Territory:



Currently it encompasses of over 15 million is also known as Cascadia and where it its own nation it would have an economy generating more than US$675 billion worth of goods and services annually. It would cover about 1,384,588 square kilometers (535,000 square miles) making it the 20th largest nation on the planet.




Politically while fairly independent in general, Cascadia has a generally left-leaning political identity. (Depending on which parts of Cascadia you are in of course):


Cascadia autonomy sentiment seems reactive to things done on a national level in For instance there is a Cascadia Scouts scouting program for kids which started as a result of the Boy Scouts of America's anti-LGBT policy.




The Cascadia Scouts


Most people up here are aware of the Cascadia autonomy or independence movement and occasionally you see a Cascadia flag (pictured atop this post - explanation of its symbology above) flying somewhere or on a car bumper sticker particularly during times of great political division. i.e.: during the Iraq war or the Snowden domestic spying revelations, etc:




"Free Cascadia" protest stickers and flyers are fairly common throughout the region during times of national distress and a misgivings about the path the U.S. at times seems to be on.








Cascadia march and protestors


There are even microbrews involved:

But beyond left-leaning activists, perhaps surprisingly you also may see the Cascadia flag flying over a campground, at schools, in the stands at sporting events or in the crowd at music festivals.

I've come across CascadiaNow flyers at college and they seem to have a decent presence on campus at UW and I hear down in Portland and in Vancouver, BC as well. There are also Cascadia groups on Pinterest and on Reddit where people post photos and organize.


Cascadia stickers. flyers in Seattle

Anyway, having seen this other ATS thread on Texas's latest threat to leave the U.S.. I thought that Cascadia was worth it's own thread as I think out of all of the places in the US which could actually become a country, Cascadia would be the most likely due to a number of socio-economic and even environmental factors as I will outline.

So as my reply to the first thread I linked grew to epic proportions as I researched the topic I made this post. I hope you find it informative. My days lately are very busy with coursework so I might not be able to reply immediately but I will be around this weekend.

originally posted by: JadeStar

originally posted by: dreamingawake
Would have to go with "Cascadia"/Pacific NW. The more interior
region(inside of the Cascades continuing down through Utah) is
regarded as one of the safest areas to live. Actually if the fault
goes, as more and more projected, there might be a test for survival
of the region soon enough. Of course though, an obliterated
infrastructure to the main center of the region, it's sure to be a lot
worse than a non natural disaster SHTF scenario.

I second your suggestion of Cascadia. Already have a flag, a mayors
council and a bunch of other things. I saw a flyer for a
CascadiaNow.org meeting recently and I know that it made a Time
Magazine Top 10 list of Aspiring Nations.)

So, located the Time Magazine article I referenced in my previous reply. It's from January 2011, when Cascadia made the list at #8 on their list of "Aspiring Nations":


Cascadia on Time Magazine's list of Aspiring Nations.

Texas doesn't even appear though interestingly Vermont does. Since the time of that article's publication it would seem that the region has made several moves towards autonomy. There is a Cascadia-wide mayor's council which spans three states/provinces and two national governments.


Presumably it could easily form the core of a new national parliament or congress. The Cascadia flag is often seen flying in official places like the the border crossing with Canada (shown at the top of this post) as well as outside of schools and at sporting events.


A BBC photographer snapped this photo and featured it in its July 4th Day in Pictures in 2012.

Screenshot of BBC's Day in Pictures from July 4, 2012.


Cascadia banner inside Seattle's CenturyLink Field stadium.


Cascadia banner inside Vancouver's B.C. Place stadium.





Cascadia flag flying above and Cascadia themed displays inside Portland's Providence Park stadium.


Cascadia flag at Red Bull Flubtag.

Some do their nails up in Cascadian colors:


Some have even had the flag tattooed on their body:



Continued....

In terms of official recognition...


There's been a study by the U.S. Government called America 2050, which identifies Cascadia by name as a "Megaregion".


America 2050 Map

There are also documents from one branch of government, the US patents and trademark office which seem to recognize Cascadia is a geographical region:



There's a Cascadia Independence Party which has this History of Cascadia page. Think tanks like the Cascadia Institute and Sightline Institute which do research on planning for the region as well as a future in which it is autonomous or independent. The former even sells laminated maps of Cascadia (pictured below).

There is also Cascadia-wide alternative currency exchange called the Fourth Corner Exchange. Its currency is called the "Life Dollar".



Additionally the region has even formed a non-FIFA Cascadia Football Federation and National Team for international soccer competition due to the passion for the sport and lukewarm treatment by the Canadian and US soccer federations in a way similar to Catalonia or the Basque country in Spain. They were officially recognized by an international organization which organizes competition among such unrecognized nations:








Cascadia's football (aka soccer) supporters


Cascadia's national team delegates standing with Raetia delegates at a non-FIFA football meeting in Brussels in 2013.




Cascadia's national team apparel and merchandise


Cascadia's national team even appeared in a popular video game.



Culturally there are genres of music like Cascadian Black Metal and Cascadian Hip Hop which have grown to international acclaim (Wolves in the Throne Room, Macklemore, etc) and sites like this one which follow it all.

The thing is that unlike Texas, Cascadia could actually come about through mother nature.


One of the world's largest earthquakes could happen here and we are kinda overdue for it. This magnitude 9.0+ megathrust quake could rival 2005's Sumatra devastating earthquake and the tragic 2011 Japan quake and tsunami. FEMA has even run scenarios for it.






Estimates to rebuild the region in the aftermath are almost unbelievable and they often put the number in a range which would potentially severely strain the resources of the US and Canada so we might just be left on our own, deemed too expensive to rebuild. Seattle, Vancouver, Portland and many other densely populated areas could be wiped out and rebuilding them just not feasible for the US or Canada. Growing up here I was taught about this in school.


BBC has done a documentary called The Next Megaquake which talks about this among other things, you can watch in full at this link (excerpt below):




IN CONCLUSION:

My expertise is not really in politics but I'd be interested to hear how likely you think an autonomous or even independent Cascadia nation would be in the future? So what do you think ATS?

a reply to: JadeStar

Proud fellow citizen here.

It always warms my heart when I see one of our flags on the road or in a window.

a reply to: JadeStar

Since you guys are so left leaning and awesome, I assume your borders are open, and will be taking all the illegals currently in the US?

Wouldn't be fair to leave them with the rest of the US...them being awful ignorant racists and all.

Fellow PNWer here, and though I would like to consider myself informed, I have been in the dark as to the Cascadia movement. The first time I heard this term was in a PA novel, and never delved further. I reside 25 miles NW of Seattle in the small town of Mukilteo. One thing I love about our region is the multitude of Native names for towns, rivers, etc.

Big props for the content, details, and pics/graphics you provided. Thanks for opening my eyes to big doings where I live. Bosco gives you a big "ruff" with tail wags!

Seceding from the Union isn't allowed. Remember the last time they tried that?

Recently they even did away with the historical flag that symbolized the rebellion in the South.

You may try to form a more perfect Union and I may agree with you, according to the US government theirs is the only perfect Union. Their United States.

Its not yours, its theirs.

a reply to: JadeStar

Holy Smoke Jade.......if you don't work in media, you should. I've been haunting these halls in one fashion or another for 10 years, and that has to be the most thought-out, thorough, factual and thought-provoking topic I've ever seen here.

Not to mention, I was a cartographer in a previous life and you put me in heaven with that post. My inner nerd is eating this up.

But the best part.......I've never heard of Cascadia or the movement. You opened my eyes to something new and positive. Thank you.

Oh......and.......The Cascadia Seahawks?........I could live with that.

I would love to shed the nuts on the left coast and the ones on the East Coast. Those of us in the middle are tired of you trying to impose your lifestyles on us.

And when I say that, it is with the realization that if we had kept to the COTUS as it was supposed to be, no one had to be imposing their anything on anyone, but because we allowed the Feds to take over, this is how it is.

Breaking the country apart may be the only way to stop having a system that ends up stepping on each other's toes. Because in all honesty, how you live out there is completely different than how we out here and it should be. They are completely different regions with different climates and different demands.

a reply to: intrptr
Meh!
I bet if each megaregion decided to simultaneously succeed from the union there would be no way to stop it!

originally posted by: ketsuko
I would love to shed the nuts on the left coast and the ones on the East Coast. Those of us in the middle are tired of you trying to impose your lifestyles on us.

And when I say that, it is with the realization that if we had kept to the COTUS as it was supposed to be, no one had to be imposing their anything on anyone, but because we allowed the Feds to take over, this is how it is.

Breaking the country apart may be the only way to stop having a system that ends up stepping on each other's toes. Because in all honesty, how you live out there is completely different than how we out here and it should be. They are completely different regions with different climates and different demands.

You sound like me when I talk about Texas seceding.

I was under the impression that the folks out towards the eastern part of "cascadia" were more libertarian than progressive, and that would make secession more complicated unless they agreed to be included in it.

a reply to: JadeStar

I'm part

I passout little booklets at local gatherings and such. ( from cascadianow.org )
I don't force them into peoples hands I wait to hear if they are intrested. Then hand them a little booklet.

---
S&F thanks for more info put out there.

a reply to: ketsuko

It would be interesting to split the US into separate countries. One being Republican only, the other democrat only.

Then when issues occurred neither side could blame the other one.

a reply to: Danke

let us split off first before you do that.

I would rather see no partys at all and just vote on the idea and the person running.

a reply to: EvilBat

Would you guys have an open immigration policy being so progressive?

a reply to: Cuervo

Well really, we're so big on talking down about how people live in other parts of the country. None of us seem to stop and consider that there may be good reasons why people live like that and that they may actually like living like that.

It's sort of like you say vertically challenged while I just say short.

In the end, it achieves the same goal, but we're too caught up in the differences to notice all that.

a reply to: Danke

I can't speak for all of us here, but I would hope those who are Illegal would be deported and hopefully that came back legally.

They should team up with their State of Jefferson neighbors to the south.
en.wikipedia.org...

a reply to: EvilBat

That doesn't sound very democratic/liberal/progressive like.

Sounds like you would have a civil war right away without an open border policy.

a reply to: calstorm

some of Jefferson is in Cascadia ( see my location ) North Cali does not want to be part of Cascadia they want to be North California from different views I have read and watched ( meetings ).

I honestly say that we should take them along for the ride with us.