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Western United States | HearLore
Western United States
Before the year 1800, the crest of the Appalachian Mountains was considered the western frontier of the United States, a boundary that would eventually shift westward to the Mississippi River and then to the Pacific Ocean. The Western United States, as defined by the Census Bureau, encompasses 13 states and covers nearly half the land area of the contiguous United States, incorporating diverse biomes ranging from the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest to the arid plateaus of the Great Basin. This region includes the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevada, and the Cascade Range, along with the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. The definition of the West has evolved over time, with historian Walter Nugent noting in the 1990s that there was little agreement even among professionals on where the eastern boundary of the West should lie. Some historians place it east of the Great Plains, while others extend it to the Mississippi River, highlighting the fluid nature of this geographic and cultural concept.
The Gold Rush And The Railroads
The California Gold Rush of 1849 triggered one of the most rapid population booms in American history, leading to California's admission to statehood in 1850 without the usual territorial phase. This event was part of a larger migration pattern that included the Oregon Trail and the Mormon migration to Utah, where Latter Day Saints established a theocracy. The construction of the first transcontinental railroad between 1863 and 1869 revolutionized the settlement and economy of the American West by making transportation of passengers and freight quicker, safer, and cheaper. The railroad connected the eastern United States with the Pacific coast, facilitating the movement of people and goods across vast distances. This infrastructure development was crucial for the economic growth of the region, transforming it from a remote frontier into a hub of commerce and industry.
The Cultural Mythos
The history of the American West in the late 19th and early 20th centuries has acquired a cultural mythos in the literature and cinema of the United States, with the image of the cowboy, the homesteader, and westward expansion taking real events and transmuted them into a myth of the west. Writers like Bret Harte and Zane Grey celebrated or derided cowboy culture, while artists such as Frederic Remington created Western art as a method of recording the expansion into the west. The American cinema, in particular, created the genre of the Western movie, which often used the West as a metaphor for the virtue of self-reliance and an American ethos. This contrast between the romanticism of culture about the West and the actuality of the history of the westward expansion has been a theme of late 20th and early 21st century scholarship about the West. Cowboy culture has become embedded in the American experience as a common cultural touchstone, and modern forms as diverse as country and western music have celebrated the sense of isolation and independence of spirit inspired by the frontiersmen on virgin land.
What states are included in the Western United States according to the Census Bureau?
The Western United States encompasses 13 states as defined by the Census Bureau. This region covers nearly half the land area of the contiguous United States and includes diverse biomes ranging from the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest to the arid plateaus of the Great Basin.
When did the California Gold Rush begin and what was its impact on statehood?
The California Gold Rush began in 1849 and triggered one of the most rapid population booms in American history. This event led to California's admission to statehood in 1850 without the usual territorial phase.
Who were the first people to populate the Western United States and when did they arrive?
The Western United States has been populated by Native Americans since at least 11,000 years ago when the first Paleo-Indians arrived. Pre-Columbian trade routes to kingdoms and empires such as the Mound Builders existed in places such as Yellowstone National Park since around 1000 AD.
Which states were the first to grant women the right to vote in the Western United States?
Women cast votes in Utah and Wyoming as early as 1870, making the Western United States the first region to see widespread women's suffrage. This occurred five decades before the 19th Amendment was ratified by the nation.
Where is the driest place recorded in the Western United States and what climate conditions does it face?
The driest place recorded in the United States is Death Valley, California, which is located in the Western United States. The region is predicted to experience drought-like conditions for much of the 21st century and faces increasingly unstable climate conditions.
When was the United States Bureau of Reclamation established to oversee water development projects?
Starting in 1902, Congress passed a series of acts authorizing the establishment of the United States Bureau of Reclamation. This agency was created to oversee water development projects in seventeen western states.
Since the mid-1970s, historians of the West have emphasized the World War II years as a major watershed, as the region experienced enormous social and economic change and became the pacesetter for societal evolution. The population soared, especially in metropolitan areas, as a result of massive expansion of the manufacture of airplanes, ships, and munitions and of military and naval training facilities. California upgraded universities to world-class status, intensified scientific research, and expanded infrastructure. After the war, millions more migrated using the GI Bill to buy suburban homes, many of them recalling rewarding wartime experience in military training facilities. The region had always been more democratic with greater racial and gender equality, and continued as a national pacesetter in modernization. New problems emerged, especially environmental issues where westerners took the lead in areas such as the allocation of scarce water resources as well as dealing with smog and air pollution. More recently, historians have looked at nuances, pointing out that some of the trends began before 1941.
The Water Wars
The Colorado River is a major source of water in the Southwest, and many dams, such as the Hoover Dam, form reservoirs along it. So much water is drawn for drinking water throughout the West and irrigation in California that in most years, water from the Colorado River no longer reaches the Gulf of California. The Columbia River, the largest river in volume flowing into the Pacific Ocean from North America, and its tributary, the Snake River, water the Pacific Northwest. The Platte runs through Nebraska and was known for being a mile wide but only a half-inch deep. The Rio Grande forms the border between Texas and Mexico before turning due north and splitting New Mexico in half. Starting in 1902, Congress passed a series of acts authorizing the establishment of the United States Bureau of Reclamation to oversee water development projects in seventeen western states. During the first half of the 20th century, dams and irrigation projects provided water for rapid agricultural growth throughout the West and brought prosperity for several states, where agriculture had previously only been subsistence level. Following World War II, the West's cities experienced an economic and population boom, with water diverted from agricultural uses to major population centers, such as the Las Vegas Valley and Los Angeles.
The Demographic Shift
The Western United States has been populated by Native Americans since at least 11,000 years ago, when the first Paleo-Indians arrived. Pre-Columbian trade routes to kingdoms and empires such as the Mound Builders existed in places such as Yellowstone National Park since around 1000 AD. The region contains the largest number of minorities in the U.S., with 51.9% White, 30.8% Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 10.8% Asian, and 4.5% Black or African-American. The West also contains much of the Native American population in the U.S., particularly in the large reservations in the Mountain and Desert States. As of 2022, the West is home to 365,351 Navajo, 109,208 Apache, and 78,364 Blackfeet, as well as 276,082 people identifying as Indigenous Mexican. The largest concentrations for African Americans in the West can be found in San Diego, Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, Fresno, San Francisco, Seattle, Tacoma, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Denver, and Colorado Springs. The Western United States has a higher sex ratio than any other region in the United States.
The Political Landscape
The region's distance from historical centers of power in the East, and the celebrated frontier spirit of its settlers offer two clichés for explaining the region's independent, heterogeneous politics. Historically, the West was the first region to see widespread women's suffrage, with women casting votes in Utah and Wyoming as early as 1870, five decades before the 19th Amendment was ratified by the nation. California birthed both the property rights and conservation movements, and spawned such phenomena as the Taxpayer Revolt and the Berkeley Free Speech Movement. It has also produced three presidents: Herbert Hoover, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan. The prevalence of libertarian political attitudes is widespread, with the majority of Western states having legalized medicinal marijuana and some forms of gambling. Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Montana have legalized physician-assisted suicide, and most rural counties in Nevada allow licensed brothels. California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Colorado, Hawaii, and New Mexico lean toward the Democratic Party, while Alaska and most Mountain states are more Republican. The state of Nevada is considered a political bellwether, having correctly voted for every president except twice since 1912.
The Future Frontier
The Western United States is predicted to experience drought-like conditions for much of the 21st century, with the driest place recorded in the United States being Death Valley, California. Drought is much more common in the West than the rest of the United States, and in Western states, drought is closely associated with fire risk, with a number of notable wildfires causing extensive property damage and wildlife habitat destruction. The climate is increasingly unstable, and subject to periods of severe drought. The seasonal temperatures vary greatly throughout the West, with low elevations on the West Coast having warm summers and mild winters with little to no snow, while the desert southwest has very hot summers and mild winters. The mountains in the southwest receive generally large amounts of snow, and the Inland Northwest has a continental climate of warm to hot summers and cold to bitterly cold winters. Annual rainfall is greater in the eastern portions, gradually tapering off until reaching the Pacific Coast where it increases again. The greatest annual rainfall in the United States falls in the coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest. The West has several long rivers that empty into the Pacific Ocean, while the eastern rivers run into the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi River forms the easternmost possible boundary for the West today.