West Coast of the United States


The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast and the Western Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the contiguous U.S. states of California, Oregon, and Washington, but it occasionally includes Alaska and Hawaii in bureaucratic usage. For example, the U.S. Census Bureau considers both states to be part of a larger U.S. geographic division.

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. 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."
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." However, Macmillan Dictionary provides a less specific definition as "the western coast of the U.S., along the Pacific Ocean." As for the Cambridge Dictionary, the West Coast is "the area of the Pacific coast in the U.S. that includes California."

History

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. Small isolated groups of hunter-gatherers migrated alongside herds of large herbivores far into Alaska. Between 16,500 BCE and 13,500 BCE, ice-free corridors developed along the Pacific coast and valleys of North America and possibly by sea.
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.
Later, Spanish, British, French, Russian, and American explorers and settlers began colonizing the area.
The West Coast was officially incorporated into the United States in 1848, through the establishment of the Oregon Territory; and in 1850, through the admission of California to the Union.
The Oregon Territory was previously jointly administered by the United States and the United Kingdom as part of the Oregon Country, and its boundary was established by the Oregon Treaty in 1846. In 1853, the Washington Territory was split from the Oregon Territory, and these territories were admitted as the West Coast states of Oregon, in 1859; and Washington, in 1889.
The area of the state of California, in turn, was ceded to the United States by Mexico in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, in 1848, after the Mexican–American War. California was later admitted as the 31st state in 1850 as a free state.
On May 10, 1869, the first transcontinental railroad was completed joining the West Coast to the East of the United States.

Climate

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 between Eureka and Willow Creek despite only 25 miles separating the locations and Willow Creek being located at a 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.
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.

Government and politics

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.

State governments

Ideology and party strength

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. By 2016, the West Coast states legalized marijuana after California voted to do so. 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.
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.
File:US House 2022.svg|400px|thumb|After the 2022 elections, 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. After the 2022 U.S. House of Representatives elections, Democrats controlled all congressional districts touching the Pacific.
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. Since achieving statehood, Hawaii consistently voted for Democrats in presidential elections, except in 1972 and 1984.
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.
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.

Presidential election history

  • Bold denotes election winner
YearAlaskaCaliforniaHawaiiOregonWashington
1852No electionPierceNo electionNo electionNo election
1856No electionBuchananNo electionNo electionNo election
1860No electionLincolnNo electionLincolnNo election
1864No electionLincolnNo electionLincolnNo election
1868No electionGrantNo electionSeymourNo election
1872No electionGrantNo electionGrantNo election
1876No electionHayesNo electionHayesNo election
1880No electionHancockNo electionGarfieldNo election
1884No electionBlaineNo electionBlaineNo election
1888No electionHarrisonNo electionHarrisonNo election
1892No electionClevelandNo electionHarrisonHarrison
1896No electionMcKinleyNo electionMcKinleyBryan
1900No electionMcKinleyNo electionMcKinleyMcKinley
1904No electionRooseveltNo electionRooseveltRoosevelt
1908No electionTaftNo electionTaftTaft
1912No electionRooseveltNo electionWilsonRoosevelt
1916No electionWilsonNo electionHughesWilson
1920No electionHardingNo electionHardingHarding
1924No electionCoolidgeNo electionCoolidgeCoolidge
1928No electionHooverNo electionHooverHoover
1932No electionRooseveltNo electionRooseveltRoosevelt
1936No electionRooseveltNo electionRooseveltRoosevelt
1940No electionRooseveltNo electionRooseveltRoosevelt
1944No electionRooseveltNo electionRooseveltRoosevelt
1948No electionTrumanNo electionDeweyTruman
1952No electionEisenhowerNo electionEisenhowerEisenhower
1956No electionEisenhowerNo electionEisenhowerEisenhower
1960NixonNixonKennedyNixonNixon
1964JohnsonJohnsonJohnsonJohnsonJohnson
1968NixonNixonHumphreyNixonHumphrey
1972NixonNixonNixonNixonNixon
1976FordFordCarterFordFord
1980ReaganReaganCarterReaganReagan
1984ReaganReaganReaganReaganReagan
1988BushBushDukakisDukakisDukakis
1992BushClintonClintonClintonClinton
1996DoleClintonClintonClintonClinton
2000BushGoreGoreGoreGore
2004BushKerryKerryKerryKerry
2008McCainObamaObamaObamaObama
2012RomneyObamaObamaObamaObama
2016TrumpClintonClintonClintonClinton
2020TrumpBidenBidenBidenBiden
2024TrumpHarrisHarrisHarrisHarris
YearAlaskaCaliforniaHawaiiOregonWashington