West Coast of the United States | |
|---|---|
 Location of the West Coast (red) as defined by theCensus Bureauinthe United States (tan) | |
| Country |  United States |
| Principal cities | Los Angeles San Diego San Jose San Francisco Sacramento Portland Seattle Anchorage Honolulu |
| Largest city | Los Angeles |
| Largest metropolitan area | Greater Los Angeles |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,009,688 sq mi (2,615,080 km2) |
| • Land | 895,287 sq mi (2,318,780 km2) |
| • Water | 21,433 sq mi (55,510 km2) |
| • Coastal | 28,913 sq mi (74,880 km2) |
| Highest elevation (Denali) | 20,310 ft (6,190.5 m) |
| Lowest elevation | −282 ft (−86 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 53,669,422[a] |
• Estimate (2024) | 53,848,093 |
| • Density | 59.9466/sq mi (23.1455/km2) |
| Time zone | |
| Mountain | UTC−7:00 |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6:00 |
| Pacific | UTC−8:00 |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7:00 |
| Alaska | UTC−9:00 |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−8:00 |
| Hawaii | UTC−10:00 |
TheWest Coast of the United States, also known as thePacific Coast and theWestern Seaboard, is thecoastline along which theWestern United States meets theNorth Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to thecontiguous U.S. states ofCalifornia,Oregon, andWashington, but it occasionally includesAlaska andHawaii in bureaucratic usage. For example, theU.S. Census Bureau considers both states to be part of a larger U.S. geographic division.
There are conflicting definitions of which states comprise the West Coast of the United States, but the West Coast always includesCalifornia,Oregon, andWashington as part of that definition. Under most circumstances, however, the term encompasses the three contiguous states andAlaska, as they are all located in North America. For census purposes,Hawaii is part of the West Coast, along with the other four states.[3]Encyclopædia Britannica refers to the North American region as part of the Pacific Coast, including Alaska andBritish Columbia. Although the encyclopedia acknowledges the inclusion of Hawaii in some capacity as part of the region, the editors wrote that "it has little in common geologically with the mainland states."[4]
Several dictionaries offer different definitions of the West Coast.Lexico restricts the West Coast's definition to "the western seaboard of the U.S. from Washington to California."[5] However,Macmillan Dictionary provides a less specific definition as "the western coast of the U.S., along thePacific Ocean."[6] As for theCambridge Dictionary, the West Coast is "the area of the Pacific coast in the U.S. that includes California."[7]
Thehistory of the West Coast begins with the arrival of the earliest known humans of the Americas,Paleo-Indians, crossing theBering Strait fromEurasia into North America over a land bridge,Beringia, that existed between 45,000 BCE and 12,000 BCE (47,000–14,000 years ago). Small isolated groups ofhunter-gatherers migrated alongside herds of largeherbivores far intoAlaska. Between 16,500 BCE and 13,500 BCE (18,500–15,500 years ago), ice-free corridors developed along thePacific coast and valleys of North America and possibly by sea.[8]
Alaska Natives,Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, andCalifornia indigenous peoples eventually descended from thePaleo-Indians. They developed various languages and establishedtrade routes.[citation needed]
Later, Spanish, British, French, Russian, and American explorers and settlersbegan colonizing the area.[citation needed]
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The West Coast was officially incorporated into the United States in 1848, through the establishment of theOregon Territory; and in 1850, through the admission ofCalifornia to the Union.
The Oregon Territory was previously jointly administered by the United States and theUnited Kingdom as part of theOregon Country, and its boundary was established by theOregon Treaty in 1846. In 1853, theWashington Territory was split from the Oregon Territory, and these territories were admitted as the West Coast states ofOregon, in 1859; andWashington, in 1889.[9][10]
The area of the state of California, in turn, wasceded to the United States byMexico in theTreaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, in 1848, after theMexican–American War. California was lateradmitted as the 31st state in 1850 as afree state.[11]
On May 10, 1869, thefirst transcontinental railroad was completed joining the West Coast to the East of the United States.
The West Coast of the United States has anoceanic climate in its Northwestern, Northern, and Eastern edge towards the U.S.-Canada border, but from Northern California, towards the U.S.-Mexico border the climate isMediterranean. While the northern half of the west coast, particularly coastal Washington and Oregon has moderate rainfall, particularly during the winter months, much of coastal California is drier year-round.
The coastline sees significantly milder temperatures compared to inland areas during summer. In far Northern California there is a difference of 17 °C (30 °F) betweenEureka andWillow Creek despite only 25 miles (40 km) separating the locations and Willow Creek being located at a 500 metres (1,600 ft) elevation. Slightly narrower fluctuations can be seen all through the coastline, and could partially be explained by the cold currents in the Pacific Ocean moderating coastal temperatures and the mountain ranges blocking the maritime air from moving farther inland than its foothills during summer.[citation needed]
Coastal fog is also prevalent in keeping shoreline temperatures cool. While famous in theSan Francisco Bay Area, coastal fog also affectsSanta Monica inLos Angeles, Southern California, leading to May gray andJune gloom conditions. Coastal California has very little yearly temperature differences with cool summers similar to those expected in parts ofNorthern Europe in San Francisco but warmer temperatures year-round further south. A short journey inland and summer temperatures are comparable with the rest of the United States on the same latitudes, sometimes warmer due to prevailing winds from theNevada andArizonahot desert climate.[citation needed]
With the exception ofAlaska, theDemocratic Party has dominated West Coast politics in contemporary history, with the states consistently voting for Democrats in elections at various levels. Four out of five West Coast states have voted for Democrats in presidential elections since1992, three of which have done so since1988.
| State | Governor | Party | Term | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | ||||
| Republican | December 3, 2018 | 2026 | |||
| Gavin Newsom | Democratic | January 7, 2019 | 2027 | ||
| Democratic | December 5, 2022 | 2026 | |||
| Democratic | January 9, 2023 | 2027 | |||
| Democratic | January 15, 2025 | 2029 | |||
In politics, the West Coast usually refers to the contiguous coastal states of California, Oregon, and Washington because of their similar political leanings. In 2017,The Oregonian columnistDavid Sarasohn described the West Coast as a "blue wall" of shared values onimmigration,abortion,climate change, andcivil liberties.[12] By 2016, the West Coast stateslegalized marijuana after Californiavoted to do so.[13] According to a 2019Pew Research Center poll, 72% of adults in Pacific states said that "climate change is affecting their local community at least some", higher than in any other region in the country.[14]
Since1992, the three states have voted forDemocrats in presidential elections without interruption, but Oregon and Washington also voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in1988.[15]
In the 2010s, Democrats strengthened their political power along the West Coast. After winning aspecial election for a seat in the Washington state senate in 2017, Democrats built agovernment trifecta in all three West Coast states.[16] After the2022 U.S. House of Representatives elections, Democrats controlled all congressional districts touching the Pacific.[17]
Hawaii is not usually considered part of the West Coast in the political definition, though it is considered a Democratic stronghold. Before achieving statehood in 1959, Hawaii became a state favorable to Democrats to the point that they sought statehood for the territory.Southern Democrats opposed the move because it would mean additional votes against their region on several issues.[18] Since achieving statehood, Hawaii consistently voted for Democrats in presidential elections, except in1972 and1984.[19][20]
Unlike the other West Coast states, Alaska has been a reliable state for Republicans in presidential elections. Since achieving statehood, Alaska has voted for the Democratic presidential candidate only once in1964. In1960, the state narrowly voted for RepublicanRichard Nixon over DemocratJohn F. Kennedy and had voted for Republicans uninterrupted since1968.[21]All five West Coast states united in voting for Johnson in his 1964 landslide, while in1972 and1984, this occurred again asNixon andReagan got support from all 5.
| Parties | ||
| Democratic | Republican | Progressive |
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 2,634,285 | — | |
| 1910 | 4,448,534 | 68.9% | |
| 1920 | 5,877,788 | 32.1% | |
| 1930 | 8,622,011 | 46.7% | |
| 1940 | 10,228,556 | 18.6% | |
| 1950 | 15,114,964 | 47.8% | |
| 1960 | 21,198,044 | 40.2% | |
| 1970 | 26,524,131 | 25.1% | |
| 1980 | 31,799,705 | 19.9% | |
| 1990 | 39,127,306 | 23.0% | |
| 2000 | 45,025,637 | 15.1% | |
| 2010 | 49,880,102 | 10.8% | |
| 2020 | 53,669,422 | 7.6% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 53,848,093 | 0.3% | |
| Source: 1910–2020[27] | |||
According to the results of the2020 U.S. census, 16 of the 20 largest cities on the West Coast are in California. The cities ofLos Angeles,San Diego, andSan Jose are all among the ten most populous in the U.S. and each has more than a million residents. Los Angeles is nearly three times more populous than San Diego. Behind these three cities,San Francisco,Seattle andPortland are respectively fourth, fifth, and sixth in population for West Coast cities. Hawaii's capital and largest city,Honolulu, is the 13th largest city, and Alaska's largest city,Anchorage, is 17th on the West Coast.[28]
| City | Population (2020) |
|---|---|
 Los Angeles | 3,898,747 |
 San Diego | 1,386,932 |
.jpg) San Jose | 1,013,240 |
 San Francisco | 873,965 |
 Seattle | 737,015 |
 Portland | 652,503 |
 Fresno | 542,107 |
.jpg) Sacramento | 524,943 |
 Long Beach | 466,742 |
 Oakland | 440,646 |
California's history first as a major Spanish colony, and later as Mexican territory, has given the lower West Coast a distinctiveHispanic-American tone, which it also shares with the rest of the Southwest. Similarly, two of the three cities in which Asian Americans have concentrated, San Francisco and Los Angeles,[31][32][33] are located on the West Coast, with significant populations in other West Coast cities. San Francisco'sChinatown, the oldest in North America, is a noted cultural center.
The West Coast also has a proportionally large share ofgreen cities within the United States, which manifests itself in different cultural practices such as bicycling and organic gardening.[34]
Greater Los Angeles, in particular, has immense global influence due to the presence of theHollywood film industry, and is considered the creative capital of the world[35] due to the proportion of its population involved in the entertainment industry. Meanwhile, parts of theSan Francisco Bay Area are also known asSilicon Valley, due to the tremendous presence of software companies in the area, including tech giants likeApple,Meta, andAlphabet Inc.
In thePacific Northwest, Portland and Seattle are both considered among the coffee capitals of the world.[36] WhileStarbucks originated in Seattle, both cities are known for small-scale coffee roasters and independent coffeeshops. The culture has also been significantly shaped by the environment, especially by its forests, mountains, and rain. This may account for the fact that the Northwest has many high-quality libraries and bookshops (most notablyPowell's Books and theSeattle Central Library) and a "bibliophile soul".[37] The region also has a marginal, but growing independence movement based onbioregionalism and aCascadian identity.[38] TheCascadian flag has become a popular image atSeattle Sounders FC andPortland Timbers games.[citation needed]
Alaska is widely known for its outdoors and its inhabitants engage in a range of activities that are unique to the state. Some of these activities can be experienced through the state's annual events, such as theIron Dog snowmobile race fromAnchorage toNome and on toFairbanks. Other events include theWorld Ice Art Championships (Fairbanks) and the Sitka Whalefest (Sitka).[citation needed]
TheCoast Starlight is the main interstate passenger railroad route provided byAmtrak along the coast.BNSF Railway and theUnion Pacific Railroad own and operate railroads that connect cities on the coast. Interstate travel is also served by roads such asInterstate 5, the main high-speed north-south freeway along the West Coast.
Interstate 5 follows the coast only as far north asDana Point, California, before turning inland for much of its route. The main coastal scenic route throughout most of California isCalifornia State Route 1. From the end of SR 1 atLeggett, California,U.S. Route 101 serves as the main scenic route along the coast in far Northern California, Oregon, and Washington state.Sierra High Route is a popular trekking route.
Several of the most importantinternational airports in the United States are located along the West Coast, includingSeattle–Tacoma International Airport,San Francisco International Airport, andLos Angeles International Airport. Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles all connect numerous destinations around the Pacific Ocean to points throughout North America, and are often described as gateways to thePacific Rim.
The West Coast has several metropolitan areas that rank high among U.S. cities for their low impact on carbon emissions in transportation due to high adoption ofelectric vehicles, high use ofmass transit, and low truck mileage. A 2024 analysis ranked San Jose, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Diego, and Portland among the top six metropolitan areas for low transportation emissions.[39]
Archaeological evidence, in fact, recognizes that people started to leave Beringia for the New World around 40,000 years ago, but rapid expansion into North America did not occur until about 15,000 years ago, when the ice had literally broken.
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