Western United States

The Western United States is a massive and diverse region. It is one of the four census regions defined by the U.S. Census Bureau.

This region includes 13 states. It covers nearly half of the land area of the contiguous United States. The West is bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. To the east, it meets the Midwestern and Southern United States. The region stretches from the Pacific Coast to the Rocky Mountains. It even includes the mid-Pacific island state of Hawaii.

The meaning of "the West" has shifted over time. Before 1800, the Appalachian Mountains were seen as the western frontier. As American settlement expanded, the frontier moved further west. Eventually, the lands west of the Mississippi River were considered the West.

Historians have even debated these boundaries recently. In the early 1990s, Walter Nugent surveyed historians, journalists, and authors. Most historians placed the eastern boundary further east than the official Census definition. This shows that the West is a complex concept to define precisely.

Geographically, the West is divided into three major physiographic regions.

The first is the Pacific Mountains. These include the Coast Ranges along the ocean. Next are the Intermontane Plateaus, which lie between the coastal and inland mountains. The third region is the Rocky Mountains. These mountains are hundreds of miles wide. They run uninterrupted from New Mexico all the way to Alaska. The Rocky Mountain Region is the highest area in the United States. Its average elevation is above 6,000 feet.

The landscape is shaped by complex weather patterns. The Coast Ranges collect moisture moving in from the Pacific Ocean. East of these ranges lie fertile valleys, like the San Joaquin in California. Beyond the valleys, the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range rise up. These mountains capture much of the remaining moisture. This process creates a rain shadow on the eastern side. A rain shadow is a dry area caused by mountains blocking rain. This effect creates vast, arid stretches of land. These include the Mojave and Great Basin deserts.

Water plays a vital role in this dry environment. The Colorado River snakes through the Mountain states. It is a major water source for the Southwest. At one point, it forms the famous Grand Canyon.

Many dams, such as the Hoover Dam, create reservoirs along its path. Other long rivers empty into the Pacific Ocean. Meanwhile, eastern rivers like the Missouri flow toward the Mississippi. The Missouri begins in the Rocky Mountains and flows across the Great Plains. This vast, grassy plateau forms the eastern edge of the Western region.

The West is home to a very diverse population. In 2020, the 13 states had about 78.6 million residents.

It is one of the most sparsely settled regions in the country. California is very crowded, holding nearly half of the region's people.

The West also contains the largest number of minorities in the U.S. Many people have Mexican, German, English, or Chinese ancestry.

The region is also home to many Native American groups. For example, there are over 365,000 Navajo people living in the West.

Because the West was settled more recently, the federal government manages much of its land. Agencies like the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management protect these areas.

National parks are used for recreation like hiking and camping. However, other government lands allow for ranching, logging, and mining. This can sometimes lead to conflicts between local residents and land managers. Managers must ensure that land use stays within environmental limits. This balance helps preserve the unique beauty of the American West.