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Western United States

The Western United States, also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, and the West, is the region comprising the westernmost U.S. states. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term the West changed. Before around 1800, the crest of the Appalachian Mountains was seen as the western frontier. The frontier moved westward and eventually the lands west of the Mississippi River were considered the West.[5]

"American West" redirects here. For the similarly named airline, see America West Airlines.

Western United States
American West, Far West, the West

United States

as defined by the Census Bureau.[1] Regional definitions may vary slightly from source to source.

1,873,251.63 sq mi (4,851,699.4 km2)

1,751,053.31 sq mi (4,535,207.3 km2)

78,588,572

42/sq mi (16/km2)

Westerner

$5.619 trillion (2019)

$71,719 (2019)

The U.S. Census Bureau's definition of the 13 westernmost states includes the Rocky Mountains and the Great Basin to the Pacific Coast, and the mid-Pacific islands state, Hawaii. To the east of the Western United States is the Midwestern United States and the Southern United States, with Canada to the north, and Mexico to the south.


The West contains several major biomes, including arid and semi-arid plateaus and plains, particularly in the American Southwest; forested mountains, including three major ranges, the Sierra Nevada, the Cascades, and Rocky Mountains; the long coastal shoreline of the American Pacific Coast; and the rainforests of the Pacific Northwest.

66.4%

White

28.6% (of any race)

Hispanic or Latino

9.3%

Asian

4.8% or African-American

Black

1.9% or Alaska Native

American Indian

0.6%

Pacific Islander

12.4%

Some other race

4.6%

Two or more races

The population distribution by race in the Western United States (2010):[17]


As defined by the United States Census Bureau, the Western region of the United States includes 13 states,[1] with a total 2020 population of 78,588,572.[3]


The West is one of the most sparsely settled areas in the United States with 49.5 inhabitants per square mile (19.1 inhabitants/km2). Only Texas with 78.0 inhabitants/sq mi (30.1 inhabitants/km2), Washington with 86.0 inhabitants/sq mi (33.2 inhabitants/km2), and California with 213.4 inhabitants/sq mi (82.4 inhabitants/km2) exceed the national average of 77.98 inhabitants/sq mi (30.11 inhabitants/km2).


The entire Western region has also been strongly influenced by European, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Native Americans; it contains the largest number of minorities in the U.S. While most of the studies of racial dynamics in America such as riots in Los Angeles have been written about European and African-Americans, in many cities in the West and California, whites and blacks together are less than half the population because of the preference for the region by Hispanics and Asians. African and European Americans, however, continue to wield a stronger political influence because of the lower rates of citizenship and voting among Asians and Hispanics.


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.


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 (more males than females) than any other region in the United States.[18]


Because the tide of development had not yet reached most of the West when conservation became a national issue, agencies of the federal government own and manage vast areas of land. (The most important among these are the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management within the Interior Department, and the U.S. Forest Service within the Agriculture Department.) National parks are reserved for recreational activities such as fishing, camping, hiking, and boating, but other government lands also allow commercial activities like ranching, logging, and mining. In recent years, some local residents who earn their livelihoods on federal land have come into conflict with the land's managers, who are required to keep land use within environmentally acceptable limits.


The largest city in the region is Los Angeles, located on the West Coast. Other West Coast cities include San Diego, San Bernardino, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Bakersfield, Fresno, Sacramento, Seattle, Tacoma, Anchorage, and Portland – some of which are dozens of miles inland. Prominent cities in the Mountain States include Denver, Colorado Springs, Phoenix, Tucson, Albuquerque, Las Vegas, Reno, Salt Lake City, Boise, El Paso, and Billings.

The MSA of , although belonging to Texas, considered part of the Southern United States, it is sometimes also considered part of the Western United States. Its enumerated population in April 2020 was 868,859.[40]

El Paso

The largest MSA in is Anchorage; it has an enumerated population of 398,328, as of April 2020.[40]

Alaska

In the outlying areas of the Western United States, the largest population centers are in American Samoa;[41] Dededo in Guam;[14] and Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands.[15]

Tafuna

Health[edit]

The Western United States consistently ranks well in health measures. The rate of potentially preventable hospitalizations in the Western United States was consistently lower than other regions from 2005 to 2011.[47] While the proportion of maternal or neonatal hospital stays was higher in the Western United States relative to other regions, the proportion of medical stays in hospitals was lower than in other regions in 2012.[48]

Photo collection at Library of Congress

History of the American West

US National Archives & Records Administration

Photographs of the American West: 1861–1912

Institute for the Study of the American West

Center of the American West

Vlib.us

History: American West

from the University of Michigan Museum of Art

Collection: "Manifest Destiny and the American West"