The most common question asked of residents of this part of the country is: Does the State of Jefferson REALLY exist?The answer is a resounding, "Yes, the State of Jefferson exists, and it exists as more than a fantasy." According to many who reside here, the real State of Jefferson, however, is characterized by a state of mind, not a state with borders. Thus, today's Jefferson-staters can be found in counties along the California coast or down in the Sacramento Valley, near the Nevada state line, or across southern Oregon, which means there are potentially more areas that claim the designation than those included in this guidebook. We have selected, therefore, those counties that have been consistently identified with the geographical boundaries of the one-time "49th" state and today's "proposed 51st" state.