Created on behalf of a new advocacy group for true high-speed rail in the Pacific Northwest – the aptly named CascadiaRail – this is probably my favourite map of 2018 so far. It’s clear, beautiful, representative of the region, and is wonderfully aspirational – presenting a clear and exciting vision of a possible future.

I especially like that there’s no state or national borders shown at all: the region is instead defined by the natural geographical features that are such a part of its character: mountains, forested valleys, desert plains and mighty rivers. 

Each of the four major Cascades peaks shown are depicted accurately – Mount Hood looks exactly like Mount Hood, for example – and they also have an extra layer of hidden meaning. As Oran told me today, these four mountains – Mount Baker, Mount Olympus, Mount Rainier and Mount Hood – also lent their names to the original four Amtrak Cascades Talgo VI trainsets. I do love a nice bit of symbolism tying the past and future together.

Our rating: Yeah, I pretty much adore this. Four-and-a-half stars.

Further information about CascadiaRail and its mission can be found on their website.