West (United States)

West (United States)
Name	American West
Other names	Western United States
Largest city	Los Angeles
Subdivisions	States commonly classified as Western

West (United States) is a region of the United States encompassing a wide swath of territory from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean and from the Canadian border to the Mexican border. The area includes diverse landscapes, populations, and institutions, featuring major cities, federal lands, and Indigenous nations. The region's development involved exploration, territorial expansion, resource extraction, and major migrations, with continuing influence on national culture, law, and policy.

Definition and Geographic Boundaries

Definitions of the West vary among sources such as the United States Census Bureau, academic geographers at Harvard University, and regional authorities like the Pacific Coast commissions; common maps include states such as California, Oregon, Washington (state), Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Alaska, and Hawaii. Boundaries have been delineated by historical features like the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi River, transportation corridors exemplified by the Transcontinental Railroad and the Interstate Highway System, and legal divisions such as the Northwest Ordinance and the Louisiana Purchase. Federal entities such as the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and United States Forest Service manage large tracts, while metropolitan regions including the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle metropolitan area, Denver metropolitan area, and Phoenix metropolitan area anchor population centers.

History and Settlement

European and American incursions into the region involved expeditions by figures and groups like Lewis and Clark Expedition, John C. Frémont, the Spanish Empire's colonization from New Spain, missions established by Junípero Serra, and trading networks of the Hudson's Bay Company. Indigenous polities such as the Navajo Nation, Lakota, Puebloans, Nez Perce, Shoshone, and Tlingit had established complex societies prior to contact. Treaties and conflicts including the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the Mexican–American War, the Indian Removal Act era impacts, and battles like the Battle of Little Bighorn shaped territorial control. The California Gold Rush, the Oregon Trail, and policies like Manifest Destiny spurred mass migration, while legislation such as the Homestead Act and projects like the Transcontinental Railroad facilitated settlement and resource extraction by corporations including Union Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Railroad.

Demographics and Culture

The West hosts diverse populations encompassing descendants of Spanish colonists, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans—notably communities from China, Japan, Philippines, and Vietnam—and migrants from Europe and other U.S. regions who settled in urban centers like Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Portland (Oregon), and Denver. Cultural institutions such as the Getty Center, Smithsonian Institution affiliates, California Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, University of Washington, and University of Colorado Boulder contribute to arts, research, and higher education. Social movements including the Chicano Movement, environmental activism around Sierra Club, and labor organizing with unions like the International Longshore and Warehouse Union have roots in Western cities and rural areas. Languages range from English and Spanish to Indigenous languages like Navajo language and Hawaiian language, with religious diversity including communities associated with Roman Catholicism, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and diverse Protestant and Buddhist traditions.

Economy and Industries

Economic drivers include technology clusters such as Silicon Valley and companies like Apple Inc., Microsoft, and Amazon (company)'s Pacific operations; entertainment industries anchored by Hollywood and studios like Warner Bros.; agriculture in regions like California's Central Valley with crops tied to firms and cooperatives; energy production including Los Angeles Department of Water and Power projects, Bureau of Reclamation dams, and fossil fuel extraction in basins like the San Joaquin Valley and Permian Basin extensions; and mining histories involving Comstock Lode and modern mineral projects. Tourism centers around destinations such as Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, and Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act areas. Transportation and logistics use ports like the Port of Los Angeles, Port of Long Beach, and major airports such as Los Angeles International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport.

Environment and Geography

The West encompasses biomes from coastal temperate rainforests in Olympic National Park to alpine zones in the Rocky Mountains, high deserts across the Great Basin, and tropical environments in Hawaii and parts of Southern California. Hydrologic features include the Colorado River, Columbia River, Sacramento River, and reservoirs formed by projects like Hoover Dam and Glen Canyon Dam. Ecological issues involve droughts affecting the Colorado River Compact, wildfires intensified near interfaces such as the urban–wildland interface, endangered species lists including California condor recovery efforts, and climate impacts discussed in reports by agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Conservation efforts and public lands debates engage actors like The Nature Conservancy, state parks systems, and litigation in courts including the United States Supreme Court.

Politics and Governance

Political dynamics vary across Western states with differing party control in legislatures and executive offices, shaped by policy debates over water rights adjudicated through cases like Arizona v. California (1963), land use disputes involving sagebrush rebellion activists, and federal-state interactions under statutes such as the Antiquities Act. Prominent elected officials and political figures from the region include governors and members of Congress representing states such as California, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington (state), while urban policy and housing crises have prompted legislation and ballot measures like those in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle. Native sovereignty issues involve tribal governments like the Navajo Nation and legal frameworks including the Indian Reorganization Act and litigation at the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Category:Regions of the United States