Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest, often called the PNW, is a vast geographic region in western North America.

It is bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Rocky Mountains to the east. Because there is no official boundary, people define the region in different ways. The most common definition includes the U.S. states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. It also includes the Canadian province of British Columbia.

Some broader views reach into Alaska, the Yukon, and even parts of Montana or California. The region is often split into two distinct areas. The Northwest Coast covers the coastal areas, while the Northwest Plateau refers to the inland interior.

Indigenous peoples have occupied this land for many thousands of years. Some scholars study the coastal migration hypothesis to understand how people arrived. This theory suggests people moved from northeast Asia into the Americas along the coast. Evidence from Port Eliza Cave suggests a survivable climate existed there 16,000 years ago. Other findings in Oregon's Paisley Caves date human occupation back to 14,500 years ago. These findings occur even while continental ice sheets were near their maximum extent. The richness of local fisheries allowed some groups to develop complex, sedentary societies. These societies remained hunter-gatherers but lived in large, permanent villages.

The cultures of these indigenous groups are incredibly diverse and sophisticated. Along the coast, societies developed systems of social rank and prestige. They established extensive trade networks that connected different groups. In the interior, some groups were mobile and egalitarian. Others lived in affluent, sedentary societies along the Columbia and Fraser rivers. The Haida and Tlingit peoples are famous for carving elaborate totem poles. These poles are iconic symbols of their artistic traditions. Many indigenous people today still organize their societies around the resources of cedar and salmon.

European exploration of the region began in the 16th century. In 1542, the Portuguese navigator Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo became the first European to explore the west coast of the modern United States. By 1579, the English captain Francis Drake sailed up the coast during his circumnavigation. Drake may have reached as far north as 48N latitude. He claimed the area for Queen Elizabeth I, naming it New Albion. Later, the Greek captain Juan de Fuca supposedly found the Strait of Juan de Fuca around 1592. By the late 1700s, Spanish, British, and Russian explorers were all competing to map the coastline.

Spanish expeditions were very active during the late 18th century. In 1774, Juan Pérez landed on Haida Gwaii. In 1775, Bruno de Heceta sighted the mouth of the Columbia River and named it Bahia de la Asunción. During this same era, the Russian Empire established several posts along the coast. These settlements eventually reached as far south as Fort Ross in California. The name of the Russian River comes from this local presence. These various expeditions helped create the first detailed representations of major features like the Fraser River delta.

Between 1792 and 1794, Captain George Vancouver led a major British charting mission.

He mapped the Strait of Georgia, Puget Sound, and much of the British Columbia coast. His work was so significant that many places bear his name. These include Vancouver Island, the city of Vancouver, and Vancouver, Washington. Vancouver often worked alongside Spanish explorers to chart the complex coastline. This cooperation helped clarify the many intricate bays and inlets of the region. His expeditions helped transform the maps of the Pacific Northwest into more accurate tools.

Today, the Pacific Northwest is a major center of human population. The region contains several large metropolitan areas that are closely connected. Greater Seattle is the largest, with 4 million people. Metro Vancouver follows with 3.4 million people. Greater Portland has 2.5 million people. The Boise metropolitan area holds 845,877 people, and the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene area has 793,285 people.

The international border between the United States and Canada has a profound impact on the region. Historian Ken Coates notes that the boundary has actually determined the history and character of the Pacific Northwest.