The Northwestern United States is an informal geographic region of the United States. The region consistently includes the states of Oregon, Washington, and Idahoâ€"and usually Montana and Wyoming. Some sources include southeast Alaska in the Northwest. The related but distinct term "Pacific Northwest" generally excludes areas from the Rockies eastward.
The Northwestern United States is a subportion of the Western U.S. region (which is, itself, even more ambiguous). In contrast, states included in the neighboring regions Southwestern U.S. and Great Plains are not simultaneously considered part of both regions.
Like the southwestern United States, the Northwest definition has moved westward over time. The 19th century Northwest (usually termed the "Old Northwest") comprised the Northwest Territory and gradually migrated across the Midwest to its current definition. The current area includes the old Oregon Territory (created in 1848â€"Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and areas in Montana west of the Continental Divide). The region is similar to Federal Region X, which comprises Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska.
It is home to over 14.2 million citizens. Some of the fastest growing cities in this region and in the nation include Seattle, Spokane, Bellevue, Tacoma, Vancouver, Kennewick, Pasco, Yakima, Portland, Eugene, Salem, Boise, Missoula, and Billings.
Population
Together, these states have a combined population of 14,273,965. The largest cities and metropolitan areas in the Northwest are:
The Northwestern states in presidential elections
References
Further reading
- Lavender, David. Land of Giants: The Drive to the Pacific Northwest, 1750- 1950 (1958) online
- Schwantes, Carlos. The Pacific Northwest: An Interpretive History (1996) online
- Warren, Sidney. Farthest Frontier: The Pacific Northwest (1949) online
- Winther, Oscar Osburn. The great northwest: a history (Greenwood Press, 1981)