User:EmmaCoop/sandbox/West Coast of the United States
West Coast of the United States | |
|---|---|
 Location of the West Coast (dark green) in United States (light green) | |
| Country |  United States |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,009,688 sq mi (2,615,080 km2) |
| • Land | 895,287 sq mi (2,318,780 km2) |
| • Water | 21,433 sq mi (55,510 km2) |
| • Coastal | 28,913 sq mi (74,880 km2) |
| Highest elevation (Denali) | 20,310 ft (6,190.5 m) |
| Lowest elevation | −279 ft (−85 m) |
| Population (2019 estimate) | |
| • Total | 53,492,270[a] |
| Time zone | |
| Pacific | UTC−8:00 |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7:00 |
| Alaska | UTC−9:00 |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−8:00 |
| Hawaii | UTC−10:00 |
The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast, Pacific states, 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 sometimes includes Alaska and Hawaii, especially by the United States Census Bureau as a U.S. geographic division.
With the exclusion of Alaska, the U.S. 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.
Definition
[edit]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 some circumstances, the term encompasses the three mainland states and Alaska. For census purposes, Hawaii is part of the West Coast, along with the other four states.[2] Encyclopædia Britannica refers to the 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."[3]
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."[4] However, Macmillan Dictionary provides a less specific definition as "the western coast of the U.S., along the Pacific Ocean."[5] As for the Cambridge Dictionary, the West Coast is "the area of the Pacific coast in the U.S. that includes California."[6]
History
[edit]Geography and environment
[edit]Climate
[edit]
Government and politics
[edit]State governments
[edit]| State | Governor | Party | Term | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | ||||
| Republican | December 3, 2018 | 2022 | |||
| Gavin Newsom | Democratic | January 7, 2019 | 2023 | ||
| Democratic | December 1, 2014 | 2022 | |||
| Democratic | February 18, 2015 | 2023 | |||
| Democratic | January 16, 2013 | 2025 | |||
Ideology and party strength
[edit]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.[7] By 2016, the West Coast states legalized marijuana after California voted to do so.[8] 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.[9]
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.[10] Although the three states have reliably voted Democratic, no Democratic presidential candidate from any of the three states has won their party's nomination as of 2020.[11]
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.[12] After the 2018 U.S. House of Representatives elections, Democrats controlled all West Coast congressional districts except Washington's 3rd, with one Republican representing that district.[13]
Even though Hawaii is not usually part of the West Coast in the political definition, it has been 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. However, Southern Democrats opposed the move because it would mean additional votes against their region on several issues.[14] Since achieving statehood, Hawaii consistently voted for Democrats in presidential elections, except in 1972 and 1984.[15] In 2016, the Democratic Party unseated the lone Republican in the Hawaii Senate and controlled all seats in the state's upper house, which had not occurred anywhere in the country since 1980.[16]
Dissimilar to the rest of the West Coast, 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.[17]
Demographics
[edit]| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 2,634,285 | — | |
| 1910 | 4,448,534 | 68.9% | |
| 1920 | 5,877,788 | 32.1% | |
| 1930 | 8,622,011 | 46.7% | |
| 1940 | 10,228,556 | 18.6% | |
| 1950 | 15,114,964 | 47.8% | |
| 1960 | 21,198,044 | 40.2% | |
| 1970 | 26,524,131 | 25.1% | |
| 1980 | 31,799,705 | 19.9% | |
| 1990 | 39,127,306 | 23.0% | |
| 2000 | 45,025,637 | 15.1% | |
| 2010 | 49,880,102 | 10.8% | |
| 2019 (est.) | 53,492,270 | 7.2% | |
| Source: 1910–2010[18] 2019 estimate[19] | |||
According to the 2019 population estimates from the United States Census Bureau, 16 of the 20 largest cities on the West Coast exist in California. Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Jose lead the West Coast in population with more than a million people in each city, with Los Angeles being nearly three times the size of San Diego's population. Behind four California cities, Seattle and Portland are respectively fifth and sixth in population. Hawaii's capital, Honolulu, is the 13th largest city, and Alaska's largest city, Anchorage, is 17th on the West Coast.[20]
Culture
[edit]See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ The population total consists of the combined population of Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington, according to 2019 population estimates provided by the United States Census Bureau.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ "Table 1. Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ Kiprop, Victor (11 January 2019). "Which States Are on the West Coast?". World Atlas. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ "Pacific Coast". Encyclopædia Britannica. 28 December 2015. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ "West Coast". Lexico. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ "the West Coast". Macmillan Dictionary. Macmillan Education. Archived from the original on 26 August 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; 14 May 2018 suggested (help) - ^ "the West Coast". Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge University Press. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ Sarasohn, David (3 December 2017). "David Sarasohn: Trump batters against West coast blue wall". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 14 November 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; 14 November 2020 suggested (help) - ^ Fuller, Thomas; Healy, Jack; Johnson, Kirk (11 November 2016). "Amid Tide of Red on Electoral Map, West Coast Stays Defiantly Blue". San Francisco: The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ Hefferon, Meg (2 December 2019). "Most Americans say climate change impacts their community, but effects vary by region". Pew Research Center. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ Monkovic, Toni (22 August 2016). "50 Years of Electoral College Maps: How the U.S. Turned Red and Blue". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ Sarasohn, David (26 September 2018). "The Rise of West Coast Democrats". The New Republic. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ Weigel, David (9 November 2017). "Democrats now control all branches of state government along the West Coast". Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ Bump, Philip (12 November 2018). "With the exception of 38 miles in Washington, the entire continental West Coast is now blue". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ Sprunt, Barbara (21 August 2020). "Simmering Disputes Over Statehood Are About Politics And Race. They Always Have Been". NPR. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ Eagle, Nathan (7 August 2018). "The Hawaii Republican Party's Slow Path To Extinction". Honolulu Civil Beat. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ Bussewitz, Cathy (9 November 2016). "Chang wins seat, securing all-Democrat Hawaii Senate". Honolulu: Associated Press. Archived from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ Martinson, Erica (5 November 2016). "Alaska has a long history of voting strongly Republican for president. Will it continue?". Anchorage Daily News. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ "Resident Population Data – 2010 Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 20 December 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
- ^ "QuickFacts Nevada; United States". United States Census Bureau. 2 March 2019. Archived from the original on 27 December 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places of 50,000 or More, Ranked by July 1, 2019". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 14 November 2020.