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Intermountain West | |
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Geographic and geological region of the United States | |
 Map of the Intermountain West by county. Counties in red are always included, while counties in pink are only sometimes included. | |
| Country |  United States |
| States |  Arizona California Colorado Idaho Montana Nevada New Mexico Oregon Texas Utah Washington Wyoming |
TheIntermountain West, orIntermountain Region, is ageographic and geological region of theWestern United States. It is located between theRocky Mountain Front on the east and theCascade Range andSierra Nevada on the west.
The Intermountain West has abasin and range andplateau topography. Some of the region'srivers reach thePacific Ocean, such as theColumbia River andColorado River. Other regional rivers andstreams are inendorheic basins and cannot reach the sea, such as theWalker River andOwens River. These flow intobrackish or seasonallydry lakes or desertsinks.
Portions of this region include:
Theclimate of the Intermountain Region is affected by location and elevation. The sub-regions are inrain shadows from the Cascade or Sierra Nevada ranges that blockprecipitation from Pacific storms. Thewinter weather depends onlatitude. In the southern portion, winters are shorter, warmer and have less winter precipitation and snow. In the northern portion, winters are cold and moist. All areas have hot summers.North American Monsoon storms can occur in the region during the mid-summer, coming northeast from thePacific Ocean andMexican Plateau.
Theflora at lower elevations includesdeserts and xeric shrublands andtemperate grasslands and shrublandsbiome vegetation. Higher elevationmontanehabitats includetemperate coniferous forests biome vegetation, including groves andforests of various species ofpine,cedar,juniper,aspen, and other trees, and understoryshrubs, andperennials.
Intermountain Westecoregions include:
Some sections are agriculturally cultivated with water diversions forirrigation systems.Cattle ranching is practiced in the region as well. Cultivatedcrops includecorn,potatoes,sugar beets,grass hay, andalfalfa, the latter two crops are used for livestock feed.
For thousands of years the Intermountain West has been the homeland for manyNative American cultures, tribes, and bands. The 18th-centuryfur trade (northern areas), and 19th-centurywestward expansion of the United States brought irreversible cultural changes. The completion of theFirst transcontinental railroad through the region accelerated non-native settlements and development.
Historically, the Intermountain West area centered in Utah is associated withLatter-day Saint (Mormon) settlements, and the region has the highest percentage of LDS members in the United States currently.[1] That region is also known as theMormon Corridor.
Theintermountain states are generally considered to beNevada,Utah,Idaho, the western third ofMontana,Arizona north of theMogollon Rim,Colorado from theFront Range westward,New Mexico from the central mountain chain westward,California east of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges, andFar West Texas from thePecos River westward.[2] The intermountain states are so named from having all or portions between the Rockies, Sierras, and Cascades. The intermountain states are included among states classified as theMountain States.
