Pacific Northwest
The northwestern part of the
United States is known as the
Pacific Northwest. Its boundaries are imprecise: the
Pacific coast states of
Washington and
Oregon are always included, with
Idaho a common addition. Extreme western
Montana, near
Missoula, is also sometimes included.
A broader view of the
region leads to the inclusion of the southwestern
British Columbia. This broader view may relate to the region's modern origins in the former
Oregon Country.
\n
History
\nDuring the colonial period, various claims to the Pacific Northwest were made by Russia, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The United States established a claim following the exploration of the region by the Lewis and Clark Expedition. From the 1810s until the 1840s, modern-day Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and western Montana, along with most of British Columbia, were part of the Oregon Country, which was jointly administered by the United States and the United Kingdom. John McLoughlin of the Hudson's Bay Company was the de facto local political authority for most of this time.
This arrangement ended when increased settlement caused the US government to move toward controlling the region directly. After a war scare with the United Kingdom, the two nations negotiated the 1846 Oregon Treaty partitioning the region along the 49th parallel. British Columbia, the UK portion, joined the Dominion of Canada in 1871. The US portion became the Oregon Territory; it was later subdivided into territories that were eventually admitted as states.
Geography
\nThe Pacific Northwest is dominated by several mountain ranges, including the Coast Ranges, the Cascade Range, and the Rocky Mountains. Because of plentiful rainfall and a relatively low population density, it has some of North America's most extensive forests.
The major cities of Vancouver, Portland, and Seattle all began as sea ports supporting the logging, mining, and farming industries of the region, but have developed into major technological and industrial centers that benefit from their proximity to Asia.
Miscellaneous facts
\nThe Pacific Northwest is the least church-going part of the United States, yet it is home to four international charities, three of which are faith-based:\n* Northwest Medical Teams International\n* World Concern\n* World Vision International\nThe fourth is Mercy Corps.
\nThe Cascadia is a proposed name for an independent state that would unite British Columbia, Washington State, and Oregon, each seceding from their respective federal governments in Ottawa and Washington DC. Its boundaries would incorporate those of the existing province and states. It would, according to its proponents, also include coastal Northern California and Alaska.
External links
\n* American Indians of the Pacific Northwest\n* Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association\n* Pacific Northwest Newspaper Association\n* Pacific Northwest Region of the United States Forest Service\n* Moden Pacific Northwest Trail\n* What is the Northwest?\n* "Provocative description" of the Northwest\n* Many Relief Agencies Call the Northwest Home
Category:Regions of the United States
