West Coast of the United States#Definition

There are conflicting definitions of which states comprise the West Coast of the United States, but the West Coast always includes California, Oregon, and Washington as part of that definition. Under most circumstances, however, the term encompasses the three contiguous states and Alaska, as they are all located in North America. For census purposes, Hawaii is part of the West Coast, along with the other four states.{{cite web |last1=Kiprop |first1=Victor |title=Which States Are on the West Coast? |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/which-states-are-on-the-west-coast.html |publisher=World Atlas |access-date=November 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925075338/https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/which-states-are-on-the-west-coast.html |archive-date=September 25, 2020 |date=January 11, 2019}} Encyclopædia Britannica refers to the North American region as part of the Pacific Coast, including Alaska and British 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."{{cite web |title=Pacific Coast |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Pacific-Coast |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=November 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030195804/https://www.britannica.com/place/Pacific-Coast |archive-date=October 30, 2020 |date=December 28, 2015}}

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."{{cite web |title=West Coast |url=https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/west_coast |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113233345/https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/west_coast |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 13, 2020 |website=Lexico |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=November 13, 2020}} However, Macmillan Dictionary provides a less specific definition as "the western coast of the U.S., along the Pacific Ocean."{{cite web |title=the West Coast |url=https://www.macmillandictionary.com/us/dictionary/american/the-west-coast |website=Macmillan Dictionary |publisher=Macmillan Education |access-date=November 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180514155010/http://www.macmillandictionary.com/us/dictionary/american/the-west-coast |archive-date=May 14, 2018}} As for the Cambridge Dictionary, the West Coast is "the area of the Pacific coast in the U.S. that includes California."{{cite web |title=the West Coast |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/west-coast |website=Cambridge Dictionary |publisher=Cambridge University Press |access-date=November 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190823102640/https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/west-coast |archive-date=August 23, 2019}}

{{See also|Settlement of the Americas|History of Mesoamerica|Native Americans in the United States}}

The history of the West Coast begins with the arrival of the earliest known humans of the Americas, Paleo-Indians, crossing the Bering Strait from Eurasia 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 of hunter-gatherers migrated alongside herds of large herbivores far into Alaska. Between 16,500 BCE and 13,500 BCE (18,500–15,500 years ago), ice-free corridors developed along the Pacific coast and valleys of North America and possibly by sea.{{cite web |title=First Americans Endured 20,000-Year Layover – Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News |url=http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/02/13/beringia-native-american.html |access-date=November 18, 2009 |quote=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.}}

Alaska Natives, Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, and California indigenous peoples eventually descended from the Paleo-Indians. They developed various languages and established trade routes.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}}

Later, Spanish, British, French, Russian, and American explorers and settlers began colonizing the area.{{Citation needed|date=May 2019}}

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On May 10, 1869, the first transcontinental railroad was completed joining the West Coast to the East of the United States.

{{See also|Pacific Coast Ranges}}

The West Coast of the United States has an oceanic 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 is Mediterranean. 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) between Eureka and Willow Creek despite only 25 miles (40 km) separating the locations and Willow Creek being located at a {{convert|500|m|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|date=May 2024}}

Coastal fog is also prevalent in keeping shoreline temperatures cool. While famous in the San Francisco Bay Area, coastal fog also affects Santa Monica in Los Angeles, Southern California, leading to May gray and June gloom conditions. Coastal California has very little yearly temperature differences with cool summers similar to those expected in parts of Northern 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 the Nevada and Arizona hot desert climate.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}

With the exception of Alaska, the Democratic 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 since 1992, three of which have done so since 1988.

{{See also|Left Coast|Politics of Alaska|Politics of California|Politics of Hawaii|Politics of Oregon|Politics of Washington (state)}}

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 columnist David Sarasohn described the West Coast as a "blue wall" of shared values on immigration, abortion, climate change, and civil liberties.{{cite news |last1=Sarasohn |first1=David |title=David Sarasohn: Trump batters against West coast blue wall |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2017/12/david_sarasohn_trump_batters_a.html |work=The Oregonian |access-date=November 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114004555/https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2017/12/david_sarasohn_trump_batters_a.html |archive-date=November 14, 2020 |date=December 3, 2017}} By 2016, the West Coast states legalized marijuana after California voted to do so.{{cite news |last1=Fuller |first1=Thomas |last2=Healy |first2=Jack |last3=Johnson |first3=Kirk |title=Amid Tide of Red on Electoral Map, West Coast Stays Defiantly Blue |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/12/us/west-coast-trump.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108122033/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/09/us/politics/marijuana-legalization.html |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |location=San Francisco |date=November 11, 2016}} According to a 2019 Pew 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.{{cite web |last1=Hefferon |first1=Meg |title=Most Americans say climate change impacts their community, but effects vary by region |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/12/02/most-americans-say-climate-change-impacts-their-community-but-effects-vary-by-region/ |publisher=Pew Research Center |access-date=November 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001112945/https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/12/02/most-americans-say-climate-change-impacts-their-community-but-effects-vary-by-region/ |archive-date=October 1, 2020 |date=December 2, 2019}}

Since 1992, the three states have voted for Democrats in presidential elections without interruption, but Oregon and Washington also voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in 1988.{{cite news |last1=Monkovic |first1=Toni |title=50 Years of Electoral College Maps: How the U.S. Turned Red and Blue |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/23/upshot/50-years-of-electoral-college-maps-how-the-us-turned-red-and-blue.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108141347/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/23/upshot/50-years-of-electoral-college-maps-how-the-us-turned-red-and-blue.html |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |date=August 22, 2016}}

File:US House 2022.svg, the Democratic Party controlled every single Western coastal seat in the United States House of Representatives.]]

In the 2010s, Democrats strengthened their political power along the West Coast. After winning a special election for a seat in the Washington state senate in 2017, Democrats built a government trifecta in all three West Coast states.{{cite news |last1=Weigel |first1=David |title=Democrats now control all branches of state government along the West Coast |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/democrats-now-control-all-branches-of-government-along-the-west-coast/2017/11/09/09b99d78-c406-11e7-aae0-cb18a8c29c65_story.html |access-date=November 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926140000/https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/democrats-now-control-all-branches-of-government-along-the-west-coast/2017/11/09/09b99d78-c406-11e7-aae0-cb18a8c29c65_story.html |archive-date=September 26, 2018 |date=November 9, 2017}} After the 2022 U.S. House of Representatives elections, Democrats controlled all congressional districts touching the Pacific.{{Cite news |last=Mishanec |first=Nora |date=November 22, 2022 |title=Democrats now control all House seats along the Pacific Ocean for the first time in memory |work=San Francisco Chronicle |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/After-key-California-victories-Democrats-control-17604460.php}}

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.{{cite news |last1=Sprunt |first1=Barbara |title=Simmering Disputes Over Statehood Are About Politics And Race. They Always Have Been |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/08/21/902334807/simmering-disputes-over-statehood-are-about-politics-and-race-they-always-have-b |work=NPR News |access-date=November 13, 2020 |date=August 21, 2020}} Since achieving statehood, Hawaii consistently voted for Democrats in presidential elections, except in 1972 and 1984.{{cite news |last1=Eagle |first1=Nathan |title=The Hawaii Republican Party's Slow Path To Extinction |url=https://www.civilbeat.org/2018/08/the-hawaii-republican-partys-slow-path-to-extinction/ |work=Honolulu Civil Beat |access-date=November 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109035716/https://www.civilbeat.org/2018/08/the-hawaii-republican-partys-slow-path-to-extinction/ |archive-date=November 9, 2020 |date=August 7, 2018}}{{cite news |last1=Bussewitz |first1=Cathy |title=Chang wins seat, securing all-Democrat Hawaii Senate |url=https://apnews.com/article/09ea30cdac804d48a5d3e54fb50fb035 |work=Associated Press |access-date=November 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113221748/https://apnews.com/article/09ea30cdac804d48a5d3e54fb50fb035 |archive-date=November 13, 2020 |date=November 9, 2016}}

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 in 1964. In 1960, the state narrowly voted for Republican Richard Nixon over Democrat John F. Kennedy and had voted for Republicans uninterrupted since 1968.{{cite news |last1=Martinson |first1=Erica |title=Alaska has a long history of voting strongly Republican for president. Will it continue? |url=https://www.adn.com/politics/2016/11/05/alaska-has-a-long-history-of-voting-republican-in-presidential-elections-will-it-continue-this-year/ |work=Anchorage Daily News |access-date=November 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804173203/https://www.adn.com/politics/2016/11/05/alaska-has-a-long-history-of-voting-republican-in-presidential-elections-will-it-continue-this-year/ |archive-date=August 4, 2020 |date=November 5, 2016}}

All five West Coast states united in voting for Johnson in his 1964 landslide, while in 1972 and 1984, this occurred again as Nixon and Reagan got support from all 5.

• Bold denotes election winner

{{US Census population

|1900=2634285

|1910=4448534

|1920=5877788

|1930=8622011

|1940=10228556

|1950=15114964

|1960=21198044

|1970=26524131

|1980=31799705

|1990=39127306

|2000=45025637

|2010=49880102

|2020=53669422

|estimate=53848093

|estyear=2024

|align-fn=center

|footnote=Source: 1910–2020{{cite web |title=Change in Resident Population of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico: 1910 to 2020 |url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/apportionment/population-change-data-table.pdf |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=June 13, 2021}}

}}

File:Ethnic Origins in the Pacific United States.png

According to the results of the 2020 U.S. census, 16 of the 20 largest cities on the West Coast are in California. The cities of Los Angeles, San Diego, and San 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 and Portland 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.{{cite web |title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places of 50,000 or More, Ranked by July 1, 2019 |url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2010-2019/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2019-ANNRNK.xlsx |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=November 14, 2020}}

California's history first as a major Spanish colony, and later as Mexican territory, has given the lower West Coast a distinctive Hispanic-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,{{cite web |title=Selected Population Profile in the United States |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/IPTable?_bm=y&-context=ip&-reg=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_S0201:031;ACS_2007_3YR_G00_S0201PR:031;ACS_2007_3YR_G00_S0201T:031;ACS_2007_3YR_G00_S0201TPR:031&-qr_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_S0201&-qr_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_S0201PR&-qr_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_S0201T&-qr_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_S0201TPR&-ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_&-tree_id=3307&-geo_id=31000US16980&-geo_id=31000US19100&-geo_id=31000US31100&-geo_id=31000US35620&-geo_id=31000US41740&-geo_id=31000US41860&-search_results=01000US&-format=&-_lang=en |work=United States Census Bureau |publisher=United States Department of Commerce |access-date=June 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212041712/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/IPTable?_bm=y&-context=ip&-reg=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_S0201:031;ACS_2007_3YR_G00_S0201PR:031;ACS_2007_3YR_G00_S0201T:031;ACS_2007_3YR_G00_S0201TPR:031&-qr_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_S0201&-qr_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_S0201PR&-qr_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_S0201T&-qr_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_S0201TPR&-ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_&-tree_id=3307&-geo_id=31000US16980&-geo_id=31000US19100&-geo_id=31000US31100&-geo_id=31000US35620&-geo_id=31000US41740&-geo_id=31000US41860&-search_results=01000US&-format=&-_lang=en |archive-date=February 12, 2020 |url-status=dead}}{{cite journal |last1=Lee |first1=Sharon M. |year=1998 |title=Asian Americans: Diverse and Growing |journal=Population Bulletin |volume=53 |issue=2 |pages=1–40 |publisher=Population Reference Bureau |pmid=12321628 |url=http://www.prb.org/Source/53.2AsianAmerican.pdf |access-date=March 9, 2013}}{{cite book |last=Ng |first=Franklin |title=The History and Immigration of Asian Americans |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bGa42b0VqMEC&q=Asian+American+population+highly+urbanized&pg=PA211 |access-date=March 9, 2013 |year=1998 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-8153-2690-8 |page=211}} are located on the West Coast, with significant populations in other West Coast cities. San Francisco's Chinatown, the oldest in North America, is a noted cultural center.

The West Coast also has a proportionally large share of green cities within the United States, which manifests itself in different cultural practices such as bicycling and organic gardening.{{cite web |url=http://www.mnn.com/health/allergies/photos/top-10-green-us-cities/what-makes-a-city-green |title=Top ten green U.S. cities |publisher=Mother Nature Network |access-date=June 26, 2014}}

Greater Los Angeles, in particular, has immense global influence due to the presence of the Hollywood film industry, and is considered the creative capital of the world{{Cite web |title=Is Los Angeles really the creative capital of the world? Report says yes |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/is-los-angeles-really-the-creative-capital-of-the-world-report-says-yes/ |access-date=2023-01-31 |website=ZDNET |language=en}} due to the proportion of its population involved in the entertainment industry. Meanwhile, parts of the San Francisco Bay Area are also known as Silicon Valley, due to the tremendous presence of software companies in the area, including tech giants like Apple, Meta, and Alphabet Inc.

In the Pacific Northwest, Portland and Seattle are both considered among the coffee capitals of the world.{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2012/11/01/10-best-cities-for-coffee-in-the-world/1672593/ |title=World's 10 best cities for coffee |newspaper=USA Today |access-date=February 22, 2015}} While Starbucks 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 notably Powell's Books and the Seattle Central Library) and a "bibliophile soul".{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/may/25/pacific-northwest-seattle-oregon-coffee |title=Pacific Northwest: bicycles, bookshops, weirdness, and coffee |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=February 22, 2015}} The region also has a marginal, but growing independence movement based on bioregionalism and a Cascadian identity.{{cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/we-went-to-a-festival-for-people-who-wouldnt-mind-if-the-pacific-northwest-was-its-own-country/ |title=The People Who Wouldn't Mind if the Pacific Northwest Were Its Own Country |work=Vice |date=September 3, 2014 |access-date=February 22, 2015}} The Cascadian flag has become a popular image at Seattle Sounders FC and Portland Timbers games.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}

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 the Iron Dog snowmobile race from Anchorage to Nome and on to Fairbanks. Other events include the World Ice Art Championships (Fairbanks) and the Sitka Whalefest (Sitka).{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}

File:Bishops peak from the Coast Starlight.jpg, an Amtrak passenger train that traverses most of the West Coast]]

The Coast Starlight is the main interstate passenger railroad route provided by Amtrak along the coast. BNSF Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad own and operate railroads that connect cities on the coast. Interstate travel is also served by roads such as Interstate 5, the main high-speed north-south freeway along the West Coast.

Interstate 5 follows the coast only as far north as Dana Point, California, before turning inland for much of its route. The main coastal scenic route throughout most of California is California State Route 1. From the end of SR 1 at Leggett, 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 important international airports in the United States are located along the West Coast, including Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, and Los 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 the Pacific 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 of electric vehicles, high use of mass 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.{{cite news |last=Tanzi |first=Alexandre |date=March 14, 2024 |title=Coastal US Cities Top Ranking of Climate-Friendly Transportation |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-14/san-jose-nyc-and-san-francisco-top-ranking-of-green-transportation-systems |work=Bloomberg News |department=CityLab |accessdate=March 3, 2025}}

{{Portal|United States}}

• British Columbia Coast
• East Coast of the United States
• East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry
• Gulf Coast of the United States
• Pacific Coast of Mexico
• Southern California Bight
• Sun Belt
• Third Coast

{{Notelist}}

{{Wikivoyage|West Coast (United States of America)}}

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{{Regions of North America}}

{{Regions of the United States}}

{{United States topics}}

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Category:Census regions of the United States

Category:Coasts of the Pacific Ocean

West

Category:Regions of the Western United States

Category:Regions of the United States

Category:Western United States