Pacific Northwest
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: ''This page is about the region that includes parts of Canada and the United States. For the U.S.-only region, see [[Northwestern United States]].''
[[Image:PacNW satellite.JPG|right|thumb|270px|The Pacific Northwest from space]]
The '''Pacific Northwest''' is a region in the northwest of [[North America]] (the term refers to the land, not the ocean). There are several partially overlapping definitions but the term Pacific Northwest should not be confused with the [[Northwest Territory]] (aka the Great Northwest) or the [[Northwest Territories]]. The term '''Northwest Coast''' is often used when referring only to the coastal regions. The term '''Northwest Plateau''' has been used to describe the inland regions, although they are commonly referred to as "[[British Columbia Interior|the Interior]]" (which in British Columbia is by convention capitalized and is used as a proper name). The inland portion of the U.S. is called the [[Inland Empire (Pacific Northwest)|Inland Empire]].
The region's biggest cities are [[Vancouver, British Columbia]]<!-- 611,869 -->; [[Seattle, Washington]]<!-- 582,174 -->; and [[Portland, Oregon]]<!-- 568,380 -->. <!-- Sorted by size, taken from city articles as of May 18, 2008. If this is not correct, please correct these articles. -->
The area's [[biome]]s and [[ecoregions]] are distinct from the surrounding areas. The [[Georgia Strait]]-[[Puget Sound]] basin is shared between British Columbia and Washington, and the [[Pacific temperate rain forests]], comprising the world's largest [[temperate rain forest]] zone, stretch along the coast from Alaska to California. The dryland area inland from the [[Cascade Range]] and [[Coast Mountains]] is very different from the terrain and climate of the Coast, and comprises the Columbia, Fraser and Thompson Plateaus and mountain ranges contained within them. The interior regions' climates are a northward extension of the Great Western Desert which spans the Great Basin farther south, although by their northern reaches dryland and desert areas verge with boreal forest and various alpine flora regimes.
==Definitions and related terms==
[[Image:PacNWComparison.PNG|left|thumb|180px|Different definitions of Pacific Northwest and related terms. Click image for legend.]]
The Pacific Northwest, broadly defined, extends from the ocean to the [[continental divide]] and includes all of [[Washington]], [[Oregon]], and [[Idaho]], part of [[British Columbia]], and adjoining parts of [[Alaska]], [[Montana]], [[Yukon Territory]] and [[California]].<ref>{{cite news
|title=Pacific Northwest: The Complete Guide To The Pacific Northwest
|work=[[The Independent (London)]]
|date=[[May 26]], [[2001]]
|last=Orkin
|first=David
|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-75053566.html
|accessdate=2008-03-12
}}</ref><ref>http://www.sightline.org/research/cascadia_scorecard/res_pubs/cascadia <!-- cache: [http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:prFwkfFAimUJ:www.sightline.org/research/cascadia_scorecard/res_pubs/cascadia+%22Pacific+Northwest%22+watersheds+rainforest&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=16] --></ref> Both the name ''Pacific Northwest'' and the name ''[[Cascadia]]'', which is derived from the [[Cascade Range]], are commonly used without a definition, although the term "Pacific Northwest" is considerably older, having its origins in the early 19th century.
''Cascadia'' is of recent coinage (1980s) and is sometimes used in [[geology]], [[ecology]] and [[climate|climatology]] and increasingly by community members and small businesses and organizations with a regional-marketing identity. It is also the name of a two-year college in Bothell, Washington. Of the two terms, only "Pacific Northwest" is in general use throughout the region, and also encompasses more area than the Cascadia concept, which tends to be more coastal and limited to the Evergreen Triangle area of Washington and Oregon and British Columbia. As a [[bioregion]], Cascadia has been defined as "the [[Drainage basin|watersheds]] of rivers that flow into the [[Pacific Ocean]] through North America's temperate rainforest zone."
In the [[United States]], the term ''Pacific Northwest'' is also used for most of the official region of the [[Northwestern United States]], which includes the American states of the Pacific Northwest but excludes areas of it in Canada. Canadians might be forgiven for asking "Northwest of what?" since the areas popularly designated "Pacific Northwest" are actually to the South and West of central Canada; however, the dominance of US popular culture in Canada means that many Canadians accept this term as applying to British Columbia's coastal regions.
==History==
{{See also|Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast}}
The Pacific Northwest was occupied by a diverse array of Native American peoples for millennia, beginning with Paleoindians who explored and colonized the area roughly 15,000 years before Europeans arrived. The Pacific Coast is seen by a growing number of scholars as a major migration route for late Pleistocene peoples moving from northeast Asia into the Americas. Archaeological evidence for these earliest Native Americans is sketchy--in part because heavy glaciation, flooding, and post-glacial sea level rise have radically changed the landscape--but fluted Clovis-like points found in the region were probably left by Paleoindians at least 13,000 years ago. Even earlier evidence for human occupation dating back as much as 14,500 years ago is emerging from caves in central Oregon.
With a history of human occupation spanning many millennia, and the incredible richness of Pacific Northwest fisheries ([[salmon]], etc.), it is not surprising that the Indian Tribes who occupied the area historically were some of the most complex hunter-gatherer-fishers in history. They lived in large villages or towns, built plank houses and large canoes, and had sophisticated artistic and technological traditions. In British Columbia and Southeast Alaska, for instance, maritime tribes like the [[Tlingit]] and [[Haida]] erected the large and elaborately carved [[totem pole]]s that are iconic of Pacific Northwest artistic traditions. Throughout the area, thousands of descendants of these proud Pacific Northwest tribes still live and many of their cultural traditions continue to be practiced.
===Initial European Exploration===
[[Image:Oregonrussell.jpg|thumb|right|Landscape in Oregon Country, by [[Charles Marion Russell]].]]
British Captain and erstwhile [[privateer]] [[Francis Drake]] sailed off the Oregon coast in 1579. [[Juan de Fuca]], [[Greece|Greek]] captain in the employ of [[Spain]], might have found the [[Strait of Juan de Fuca]] around 1592. The strait was named for him, but whether he discovered it or not has long been questioned. During the early 1740s, [[Imperial Russia]] sent the [[Denmark|Dane]] [[Vitus Bering]] to the region. By the late 1700s and into the mid-19th century, Russian settlers had established several posts and communities on northeast Pacific coast, eventually reaching as far south as [[Fort Ross, California]].
In 1774 the viceroy of [[New Spain]] sent [[Juan Pérez]] in the ship ''Santiago'' to the Pacific Northwest. Peréz made landfall on the [[Queen Charlotte Islands]] on July 18, 1774. The northernmost latitude he reached was 54° 40' N. This was followed, in 1775, by another [[Spain|Spanish]] expedition, under the command of [[Bruno de Heceta]] and including Juan Peréz and [[Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra]] as officers. On July 14, 1775 they landed on the [[Olympic Peninsula]] near the mouth of the [[Quinault River]]. Due to an outbreak of scurvy, Heceta returned to Mexico. On August 17, 1775 he sighted the mouth of the [[Columbia River]] but could not tell if it was a river or a major strait. His attempt to sail in failed due to overly strong currents. He named it ''Bahia de la Asúnciõn''. While Heceta sailed south, Quadra continued north in the expedition's second ship, the ''Sonora''. He reached 59° N, before turning back.<ref name="hayes">{{cite book |last= Hayes |first= Derek |title= Historical Atlas of the Pacific Northwest: Maps of exploration and Discovery |year= 1999 |publisher= Sasquatch Books |isbn= 1-57061-215-3}}</ref>
In 1776 English mariner [[Captain James Cook]] visited [[Nootka Sound]] on [[Vancouver Island]] and also voyaged as far as [[Prince William Sound]]. In 1779 a third Spanish expedition, under the command of Ignacio de Artega in the ship ''Princesa'', and with Quadra as captain of the ship ''Favorite'', sailed from Mexico to the coast of Alaska, reaching 61° N. Two further Spanish expeditions, in 1788 and 1789, both under Esteban Jose Martínez and [[Gonzalo López de Haro]], sailed to the Pacific Northwest. During the second expedition they met the American captain [[Robert Gray (sea-captain)|Robert Gray]] near [[Nootka Sound]]. Upon entering Nootka Sound, they found William Douglas and his ship the ''Iphigenia''. There followed the [[Nootka Crisis]], which was resolved by agreements known as the [[Nootka Convention]]. In 1790 the Spanish sent three ships to Nootka Sound, under the command of [[Francisco de Eliza]]. After establishing a base at Nootka, Eliza sent out several exploration parties. [[Salvador Fidalgo]] was sent north to the Alaska coast. [[Manuel Quimper]], with Gonzalo López de Haro as pilot, explored the Strait of Juan de Fuca, discovering the [[San Juan Islands]] and [[Admiralty Inlet]] in the process. Francisco de Eliza himself took the ship ''San Carlos'' into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. From a base at Port Discovery, he explores the San Juan Islands, Haro Strait, Rosario Strait, and Bellingham Bay. In the process he discovered the [[Strait of Georgia]], exploring it as far north as Texada Island. He returned to Nootka Sound by August of 1791. [[Alessandro Malaspina]], sailing for Spain, explored and mapped the coast from [[Yakutat Bay]] to Prince William Sound in 1791, then sailed to Nootka Sound. A scientific expedition in the manner of James Cook, Malaspina's scientists studied the [[Tlingit]] and [[Nuu-chah-nulth]] peoples before returning to Mexico. Another Spanish explorer, Jacinto Caamaño, sailed the ship ''Aranzazu'' to Nootka Sound in May of 1792. There he met Quadra, who was in command of the Spanish settlement. Quadra sent Caamaño north, where he explored the region of today's Alaska panhandle. Various Spanish maps, including Caamaño's, were given to [[George Vancouver]] in 1792, as the Spanish and British worked together to chart the complex coastline.<ref name="hayes"/>
George Vancouver charted the Pacific Northwest on behalf of [[Great Britain]], including the bays and inlets of [[Puget Sound]], the [[Strait of Georgia]] and the [[Johnstone Strait]]-[[Queen Charlotte Strait]] and the much of the rest of the [[British Columbia Coast]] and [[Alaska Panhandle]] shorelines. From Mexico Malaspina dispatched last Spanish exploration expedition in the Pacific Northwest, under [[Dionisio Alcalá Galiano]] and [[Cayetano Valdés y Flores|Cayentano Valdes]] aboard the schooners ''Sutíl'' and ''Mexicana''.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.mala.bc.ca/www/discover/capt/capt.htm |title= Captain Alexandro Malaspina |accessdate= 2008-02-05 | publisher= Malaspina University-College}}</ref> They met Vancouver in the Strait of Georgia on June 21, 1792. Vancouver had explored Puget Sound just previously. The Spanish explorers knew of Admiralty Inlet and the unexplored region to the south, but decided to sail north. They discovered and entered the [[Fraser River]] shortly before meeting Vancouver. After sharing maps and agreeing to cooperate, Galiano, Valdés, and Vancouver sailed north, charting the coastline together. They passed through Johnstone Strait and returned to Nootka Sound. As a result, the Spanish explorers, who had set out from Nootka, became the first Europeans to circumnavigate Vancouver Island. Vancouver himself had entered the Strait of Juan de Fuca directly without going to Nootka first, so had not sailed completedly around the island.<ref name="hayes"/>
In 1786 [[Jean François La Pérouse]], representing [[France]], sailed to the [[Queen Charlotte Islands]] after visiting [[Nootka Sound]] but any possible French claim to this region were lost when La Pérouse and his men and journals were lost in a shipwreck near [[Australia]]. Captain [[James Barclay]] (also spelled Barkley) also visited the area flying the flag of the [[Austrian Empire]]. American merchant sea-captain [[Robert Gray (sea-captain)|Robert Gray]] traded along the coast and discovered the mouth of the [[Columbia River]].
===Territorial disputes===
[[Image:Pacific-Northwest.jpg|thumb|275px|US Navy Admiral [[Charles Wilkes]]' 1841 Map of the [[Oregon Territory]] from "Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition." Philadelphia: 1845]]
Initial formal claims to the region were asserted by Spain, based on the [[Treaty of Tordesillas]] which, in the Spanish Empire's interpretation, endowed that empire with the Pacific Ocean as a "Spanish lake". Russian maritime fur trade activity extending from the farther side of the Pacific prompted Spain to send expeditions north to assert Spanish ownership, while at the same time British claims were made and advanced by Captain James Cook and subsequent expeditions by [[George Vancouver]]. Potential French, Austrian and Portuguese claims were never advanced. As of the [[Nootka Convention]]s, the last in 1794, Spain gave up its exclusive ''a priori'' claims and agreed to share the region with the other [[Historical powers|Powers]], giving up its garrison at [[Nootka Sound]] in the process.
The [[United States]] later established a claim following the exploration of the region by the [[Lewis and Clark Expedition]], partly through the negotiation of former Spanish claims north of the Oregon-California boundary. From the 1810s until the 1840s, modern-day Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and western Montana, along with most of [[British Columbia]], were part of what Americans called the [[Oregon Country]] and the British called the Columbia District. This region was jointly claimed by the [[United States]] and [[Great Britain]] after the [[Treaty of 1818]], which established a condominium of interests in the region in lieu of a settlement. In 1840 American [[Charles Wilkes]] explored in the area. [[John McLoughlin]], Chief Factor of the [[Hudson's Bay Company]], headquartered at [[Fort Vancouver]], was the ''de facto'' local political authority for most of this time.
This arrangement ended as U.S. settlement grew and President [[James K. Polk]] was elected on a platform of calling for annexation of the entire Oregon Country and of Texas. After his election, supporters coined the famous slogan "Fifty-four Forty or Fight", referring to 54 degrees latitude, 40 minutes north - the northward limit of the region. After a war scare with the [[United Kingdom]], the [[Oregon boundary dispute]] was settled in the 1846 [[Oregon Treaty]], partitioning the region along the [[49th parallel]] and resolving most but not all of the border disputes (see [[Pig War]]).
The mainland territory north of the [[49th Parallel]] remained unincorporated until 1858, when a mass influx of Americans and others during the [[Fraser Canyon Gold Rush]] forced the hand of [[Colony of Vancouver Island]]'s Governor [[James Douglas]], who declared the mainland a [[Crown Colony]], although official ratification of his unilateral action was several months in coming. The two colonies were amalgamated in 1866 to cut costs, and joined the [[Canada|Dominion of Canada]] in 1871. The U.S. portion became the [[Oregon Territory]] in 1848; it was later subdivided into territories that were eventually admitted as states, the first of these being Oregon itself in 1859. ''See [[Washington Territory]]''.
American expansionist pressure on British Columbia persisted after the colony became a province of [[Canada]], even though Americans living in the province did not harbor [[Annexationist movements of Canada|annexationist]] inclinations. The [[Fenian Brotherhood]] openly organized and drilled in Washington, particularly in the 1870s and the 1880s, though no cross-border attacks were experienced. During the [[Alaska Boundary Dispute]], U.S. President [[Teddy Roosevelt]] threatened to invade and annex British Columbia if Britain would not yield on the question of the [[Yukon]] ports. In more recent times, during the so-called "[[Salmon War]]" of the 1990s, Washington Senator [[Slade Gorton]] called for the [[U.S. Navy]] to "force" the [[Inside Passage]], even though it is not an official international waterway. Disputes between British Columbia and Alaska over the [[Dixon Entrance]] of the [[Hecate Straight]] between [[Prince Rupert, British Columbia|Prince Rupert]] and the [[Queen Charlotte Islands]] still continue.
==Geology==
''See the main article at [[Geology of the Pacific Northwest]].''
The Northwest is still geologically active, with both active [[volcano]]es and [[geologic fault]]s.
==Geography==
The Pacific Northwest is a diverse geographic region, dominated by several mountain ranges, including the [[Coast Mountains]], the [[Cascade Range]], the [[Olympic Mountains]], the [[Columbia Mountains]] and the [[Rocky Mountains]]. The highest peak in the Pacific Northwest is Mt. Rainier, in the Washington Cascades, at {{convert|14410|ft|m|0}}. Immediately inland from the Cascade Range there is a broad plateau, narrowing progressively northwards, and also getting higher. In the US this region, semi-arid and often completely arid, is known as the [[Columbia Plateau]], while in British Columbia it is the [[Interior Plateau]], also called the Fraser Plateau. The Columbia Plateau was the scene of massive ice-age floods, as a consequence there are many coulees, canyons, and plateaus. The [[Columbia River]] cuts a deep and wide gorge around the rim of the Columbia Plateau, and through the Cascade Range on its way to the Pacific Ocean. After the Mississippi, more water flows through the Columbia than any other river in the lower 48 states.
Because many areas have plentiful rainfall, the Pacific Northwest has:
* some of North America's most lush and extensive [[forest]]s, and at one time, the largest trees in the world. Coastal forests in some areas are classified as temperate rain forest, or in some local slang, "cold jungle".
The major cities of [[Vancouver, British Columbia|Vancouver]], [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], and [[Seattle, Washington|Seattle]] all began as [[seaport]]s supporting the logging, mining, and farming industries of the region, but have developed into major technological and industrial centers (such as the [[Silicon Forest]]), which benefit from their location on the [[Pacific Rim]].
The region has four [[United States|U.S.]] [[National Parks]]: [[Crater Lake]] in Oregon, and [[Olympic National Park|Olympic]], [[Mount Rainier]], and [[North Cascades]] in Washington. Other outstanding natural features include the Oregon Coast, the [[Columbia River Gorge]], The [[Columbia River]], [[Mt. St. Helens]], and [[Hells Canyon]] on the [[Snake River]] between Oregon and Idaho. There are several Canadian National Parks in the Pacific Northwest, from [[Pacific Rim National Park]] on the west coast of [[Vancouver Island]], and [[Mount Revelstoke National Park]] and [[Glacier National Park (Canada)|Glacier National Park]] in the Selkirk Range alongside [[Rogers Pass]], as well as [[Kootenay National Park]] and [[Yoho National Park]] on the British Columbia flank of the Rockies. Although unprotected by national parks and only a handful of provincial parks, the south-central Coast Mountains in British Columbia contain the five largest mid-latitude [[icefield]]s in the world.
==Climate==
The Pacific Northwest experiences a wide variety of climates. [[Oceanic climate]] ("marine west coast climate") occurs in many coastal areas, typically between the ocean and high mountain ranges. [[Alpine climate]] dominates in the high mountains. [[Semi-arid]] and [[Arid]] climate is found east of the higher mountains, especially in [[rainshadow]] areas. The [[Harney Basin]] of Oregon is an example of arid climate in the Pacific Northwest. [[Hemiboreal]] climate occurs in places such as [[Revelstoke, British Columbia]]. [[Subarctic climate]] occurs farther north. [[Mediterranean climate]] occurs in various areas such as [[Victoria, British Columbia]].
==Population==
[[Image:Cascadia megacity map.png|thumb|180px|right|Map of Cascadia megacity, showing population density (shades of yellow/brown), highways (red), and major railways (black). Public land shown in shades of green.]]
Most of the population of the Pacific Northwest is concentrated in the [[Vancouver]]-[[Seattle]]-[[Portland, Oregon|Portland]] corridor. This area is sometimes seen as a [[megacity]] (also known as a [[conurbation]], an [[agglomeration]], or a [[megalopolis (term)|megalopolis]]). This megacity stretches along [[Interstate 5]] in the states of [[Oregon]] and [[Washington]] and [[British Columbia Highway 99|Hwy 99]] in the province of [[British Columbia]]. As of 2004, the combined populations of the [[Greater Vancouver]] [[Lower Mainland]], the [[Seattle metropolitan area]] and the [[Portland metropolitan area]] totaled almost nine million people. [[Boise, Idaho]], the region's fastest growing city, is the most secluded metropolis in the United States.
Population is expected to increase steadily.
==Politics==
A major divide in political opinion separates the region's greatly more populous urban core and Western rural areas from its less populated Eastern rural areas. The former - especially in the cities of Vancouver, Bellingham, Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Portland, Corvallis and Eugene - is one of the most politically liberal parts of North America, consistently supporting left-wing political candidates and causes by significant majorities, while the latter tends to be more conservative and consistently supports right-wing candidates and causes (though it should be noted that the [[religious right]] has far less influence throughout the region than elsewhere in Canada and the U.S.).
The urban core is known for supporting liberal political views of a controversial nature. Many jurisdictions have relatively liberal [[abortion rights|abortion]] laws, gender equality laws, legalized [[medical marijuana]], and are supportive of [[LGBT rights]]. Due to the urban core's size and voting impact, their counties and states as a whole have generally followed their leads (often to the disgruntlement of the more conservative rural areas). Oregon was the first (and remains the only) U.S. state to legalize [[physician-assisted suicide]], with the [[Oregon Ballot Measure 16 (1994)|Death with Dignity Act]] of 1994. [[Colegio Cesar Chavez]], the nation's first fully accredited Hispanic college, was founded in [[Mount Angel, Oregon]] in 1973. King County, Washington, of which Seattle is a part, rebranded itself in honor of Martin Luther King.
These areas, especially around Puget Sound, have a long history of political radicalism. The radical labor organizers called [[Wobblies]] were particularly strong there in the mines, lumber camps and shipyards. A number of [[anarchist]] communes sprung up there in the early 1900s (see Charles Pierce LeWarne's Utopias on Puget Sound, 1885-1915 for an excellent overview of this popular yet forgotten movement). Seattle is still the only major city in North America in which the populace engaged in a [[Seattle General Strike|general strike]] and was the first major American city to elect a woman mayor, [[Bertha Landes]]. [[Socialist]] beliefs were once widespread (thanks in large part to the area's large numbers of Scandinavian immigrants) and the region has had a number of Socialist elected officials: so great was its influence that the U.S. Postmaster General, James Farley, jokingly toasted the "forty-seven states of the Union, and the Soviet of Washington," at a gala dinner in 1936 <ref>[http://depts.washington.edu/labhist/cpproject/ Communism in Washington State - History and Memory Project<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>.
The region also has a long history of starting cooperative and communal businesses and organizations, including [[Group Health]] <ref>[http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=7531 HistoryLink Essay: Group Health Cooperative - Part 1: Planting the Seeds, 1911-1945<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>, [[REI]], Puget Consumer's Co-ops and numerous granges and mutual aid societies. It also has a long history of publicly-owned power and utilities, with many of the region's cities owning their own [[public utility|public utilities]]. In part as a result, the region enjoys the lowest electrical power rates on the continent.
==Economy==
<!--annoyingly US-oriented content here; would somebody please transborderize this; and yourselves also maybe-->
Some of the notable industries and products from the region:
* Agriculture (Washington Apples, Idaho potatoes, [[Tillamook Cheese]], [[wine]])
* Aerospace ([[Boeing]], [[Alaska Air]], [[CHC Helicopter]])
* Diversified ([[Jim Pattison Group]], [[Finning]], [[Washington Marine Group]])
* Entertainment industry (film and television, [[Lions Gate Entertainment]], [[Lionsgate Studios]], [[Lionsgate Television]], [[Vancouver Film Studios]], [[Bridge Studios]])
* Finance and Banking ([[Washington Mutual]], [[HSBC Bank Canada]])
* Fishing and canning (salmon, halibut, herring, geoducks and other clams, crab, sea-urchin)
* High Technology and E-commerce ([[Microsoft]], [[Intel]], [[Tektronix]], [[Amazon.com]], [[Expedia]], [[Ballard Power Systems]], [[MacDonald Dettwiler]], [[EA Canada|Electronic Arts Canada]])
* Higher Education ([[University of Washington]], [[University of British Columbia]], [[University of Idaho]], [[Simon Fraser University]], Trinity Western University, [[University of Victoria]], [[Western Washington University]],[[Central Washington University]], [[Eastern Washington University]], [[University of Puget Sound]], [[Seattle University]], [[Portland State University]], [[Reed College]], [[Lewis & Clark College]], [[Washington State University]], [[Oregon State University]], [[University of Oregon]], [[University College of the Fraser Valley]], [[Vancouver Island University]])
* Hydroelectric power ([[Grand Coulee Dam]], [[Bonneville Dam]], [[Bridge River Power Project]])
* Lumber ([[Weyerhaeuser]], [[Canfor]], [[Tolko]], [[Pope & Talbot, Inc.]])
* Mass Retail ([[Starbucks]], [[Tullys]], [[Blenz]], [[Nordstrom]], [[Zumiez]])
* Mining ([[Goldcorp]], [[Cominco]])
* Outdoor Tourism ([[Alpine Skiing]] ([[Whistler-Blackcomb]]), [[Snowboarding]], [[Hiking]], [[Kayaking]], [[Mountain Biking]], sport fishing, big-game hunting, ATVing and 4x4ing, surfing)
* Shoes & Apparel ([[Nike, Inc.|Nike]], [[Columbia Sportswear|Columbia]], [[R.E.I.]], [[lululemon athletica|Lululemon]])
[[Aluminium smelting]] was once an important part of the region's economy. [[Hydroelectricity|Hydroelectric power]] generated by the [[hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River]] powered at least ten aluminium smelters during the mid-20th century. By the end of [[World War II]] these smelters were producing over a third of the United States' aluminium. Production rose during the 1950s and 1960s, then declined. By the first decade of the 21st century the aluminium industry in the Pacific Northwest was essentially defunct.<ref>[http://www.nwcouncil.org/history/Aluminum.asp Aluminum, Columbia River History], Northwest Power & Conservation Council</ref>
The region as a whole, but especially Seattle, is a hot-bed of high-tech business. It is also a leading "creative class" economic driver, with a thriving cultural sector, many knowledge workers and numerous international advertising, media and design firms.
B.C., Washington and Oregon together generate more than $450 billion worth of goods and services annually. If the three were a separate country, their GDP would be in the top 20 economies of the world.
==Culture==
The Pacific Northwest's culture is quite varied, and to a certain degree reflects the varied geography of the region.
[[Environmentalism]] is prominent throughout the region. Ecologically conscious services such as [[recycling]] and [[public transportation]] are fairly well-developed and generally available in the more populated areas. The international organization [[Greenpeace]] was born in Vancouver in 1970 as part of a large public opposition movement in British Columbia to US nuclear weapons testing on Amchitka Island in the Aleutians. Conservative Northwesterners, like U.S. Senator [[Slade Gorton]], are prominent in the development of conservative approaches to environmental protection. Seattle, in particular, is an epicenter of environmentalism, with a mayor who has lead the national movement of cities ratifying the [[Kyoto Protocol]], large philanthropic institutions like the Bullitt, Brainerd and Glazer Foundations, the sustainability thinktank [[Alan Durning|Sightline]], and two of the nation's leading online environmental journalism magazines, [[Grist]] and [[Worldchanging]].
Skiing, snowboarding, climbing, hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, boating and water sports are popular outdoor activities. In general, residents appreciate the region's varied geography, and enjoy spending time in the great outdoors. The region is noted for a large number of gardening clubs as well.
In his book ''[[Nine Nations of North America]]'', author [[Joel Garreau]] claimed that the [[Pacific Rim]] region he called "Ecotopia" after [[Ecotopia|the novel of the same name]] had a different culture from that of what he called [[Empty Quarter (North America)|The Empty Quarter]] to the east, and was necessarily different economically as well as ecologically. It must be noted that "Ecotopia," and "[[Cascadia]]," vary in definition and can be used to signify a large array of concepts.
Video game usage is higher per-capita than any other region of the country<ref name=vg>{{cite news|url=http://news.digitaltrends.com/article10268.html|publisher=Digital Trends|title=Seattle Top Gaming City?|date=[[May 2]] [[2006]]}}</ref>.
The Pacific Northwest is also known for [[indie (music)|indie music]], especially [[grunge]] and [[alternative rock]] as well as historically-strong [[folk music]] and [[world music]] traditions. This area is where bands like [[Pearl Jam]], [[Soundgarden]], [[Presidents of The United States of America]], [[Heart (band)]], [[Death Cab For Cutie]], [[Modest Mouse]], [[Nickelback]], [[Nelly Furtado]], [[Swollen Members]], [[Alice in Chains]] and [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] got their start and became essential rock bands of their times. [[KEXP]].org is a popular and nationally-noted Seattle-based public indie music radio station.
Cuisine of the area include [[Salmon|wild salmon]], [[huckleberry|huckleberries]], and locally-produced fruits, vegetables, and cheeses. A distinct version of West Coast [[fusion cuisine]] more influenced by Asian and Mid-East influences than its Californian counterpart. Due to the close proximity of locally-grown fruit and vegetables, weekly and monthly [[farmers market]]s are popular during the growing season.
Northwest craft beers and premium Northwest wines are popular with alcohol consumers.
Cannabis use is relatively popular and tolerated, especially around Vancouver, Bellingham, Seattle, Olympia, Portland, and Eugene.
{{Refimprove|section|date=December 2006}}
[[Latino]]s make up much of the agricultural labor force and population east of the Cascade Range in the U.S. states, and are an increasing presence in the general labor force in the western regions as well. [[African Americans]] are less numerous than either Asians or Latinos in many communities in the American Pacific Northwest, however the overall [[African American]] population has been on an upwards growing trend in other smaller urban areas throughout the American portion of the region, such as Spokane and Eugene.<ref>[http://uwnews.washington.edu/ni/article.asp?articleID=2817 uwnews.washington.edu]</ref> They are concentrated in western urban areas such as Seattle and Portland, though unlike other regions, there are fewer majority black communities than the majority Asian communities that can be found in Vancouver and Seattle. Nonetheless, blacks still have a large presence in Tacoma's [[Hilltop]] and [[South Tacoma]] neighborhoods, Seattle's [[Central District]] and [[Rainier Valley]] neighborhoods and in Portland's Northeast Quadrant. As of the 2000s, many Asians were moving out and into middle class suburbs, though some would voice concern about preserving historical communities. African-Americans have held the positions of Mayor and King County executive, while Washington state elected a [[Chinese American]] Governor during the 1990s, [[Gary Locke (politician)|Gary Locke]]. British Columbians of many ethnicities are prominent in all levels of politics and government there, and the province has a number of "firsts" in Canadian political history, including the first non-white [[Premier of British Columbia|Premier]], [[Ujjal Dosanjh]] (who is [[Indo-Canadian]]) and the first non-white [[Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia|Lieutenant-Governor]], the Hon. [[David Lam]].
===Language===
The [[Pacific Northwest English]] accent is considered to be "very neutral" to most Americans and Canadians. Although it does possess the low back vowel merger, or the [[Cot-caught merger]], it is one of the closest living accents to conservative [[General American]] English. It lacks the [[Northern Cities Vowel Shift]], and does not participate as strongly in the [[California English|California Vowel Shift]] or the [[Canadian raising]] as do other regional accents. Because of its lack of any distinguishing vowel shift, the accent is very similar to and hard to distinguish from conservative speakers in other dialect regions especially the Northern Midlands, California, and the prairies.
[[Chinook Jargon]] was a [[pidgin]] or [[trade language]] established among the [[Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast|indigenous inhabitants of the region]]. After contact with Europeans, French, English and [[Cree language|Cree]] words entered the language, and "eventually Chinook became the lingua franca for as many as 250,000 people along the Pacific Slope from Alaska to Oregon". [http://thetyee.ca/Life/2006/01/10/StillSpeakChinook/] Chinook Jargon reached its height of usage in the 19th century though remained common in resource and wilderness areas, particularly but not exclusively by [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]]s and [[First Nations|Canadian First Nations]] people, well into the 20th century. Today its influence is felt mostly in [[place name]]s and a handful of localized [[slang]] terms, particularly the word [[skookum]], which remains hallmark of people raised in the region.
Besides English and indigenous languages, [[Chinese language|Chinese]] has been common since the [[gold rush]]es of the mid-19th century, particularly in British Columbia. Since the 1980s the [[Taishan|Toishan]], a Cantonese-based dialect which was predominant in the area, has been replaced by mainstream [[Cantonese (linguistics)|Cantonese]] and by [[Mandarin (linguistics)|Mandarin]] because of large-scale immigration from Asia. [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] is also common in British Columbia, which has a large [[Sikh]] community.
===Spirituality and religion===
[[Image:Religions of the US.PNG|thumb|400px|[[Plurality]] of religious preference by state, 2001. The Pacific Northwest is the only part of the U.S. where the largest plurality of citizens report no religion.]]
The Pacific Northwest is the least church-going part of [[North America]] and consistently reports the highest percentage of [[atheists|atheism]]<ref>http://www.religionatlas.org/religion_region/COASTALNORTHWEST.htm</ref> and religious non-affiliation<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/life/2002/2002-03-07-no-religion.htm</ref>; this is most pronounced on the part of the region west of the Cascades<ref>http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_prac2.htm</ref>. Religious views are very much less commonly expressed in Northwest American politics than in the rest of the United States, and conservative Christians have considerably less political influence than in other regions<ref>[http://www.crosscut.com/politics-government/5511/ Crosscut Seattle - Why Washington Republicans got creamed in 2006 and what they can do about it<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>.
However, the region is certainly not without religion, and three of the four large international [[charities]] in the region are faith-based: [[Northwest Medical Teams International]], [[World Concern]], [[World Vision International]], and [[Mercy Corps]]. The archetype of the [[Skid Road]] mission, a shelter offering soup and sermons to down-and-out workers and inebriates, was launched on the skid roads of Seattle and Vancouver, with the [[Salvation Army]] having deep roots in Vancouver's [[Gastown]] district, dating back to the era of the construction of the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] (1880s) and attained prominence in the same centers during the [[Klondike Gold Rush]].
Despite its low rate of church attendance, the region is also known as a magnet for unique [[Christian]] groups, ranging from the [[Doukhobors]] to the [[Mennonites]] of [[British Columbia]], and countless religiously-based communal efforts by ethnic groups such as Finns, Norwegians, Danes and others. The [[Mennonite Central Committee]] Supportive Care Services is based in Abbotsford, BC.<ref>[http://www.mccscs.com/cms/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=9 Mennonite Central Committee Supportive Care Services]</ref> Mennonite Central Committee and [[Mennonite Disaster Service]] enjoy a heavy rate of enlistment and donations from the strong Mennonite community in BC's [[Fraser Valley]]. Also within the region there is a fairly strong representation of [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] churches (Greek, Russian, Serbian and others) as well as the Ukrainian Uniate Catholic church.
[[Image:Portrait of american buddhist with thai buddha.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"American Buddhist with Thai Buddha", [[Living Enrichment Center]], Wilsonville, Oregon, 1998.]]
Eastern religions (especially Buddhism and Taoism) have been adopted by an unusual number of people in the Pacific Northwest, and [[Tibetan Buddhism]] in particular has a strong local following<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/11/us/11seattle.html?_r=1&oref=slogin NY Times Advertisement<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. The [[Northwest Tibetan Cultural Association]], claimed to be the largest organization of its kind in the world, was founded in Portland in 1993. Yogic teachings, Sufism, tribal and ancient beliefs and other philosophies are widely studied and appreciated. Because of immigration to Canada the [[Lower Mainland]] of [[British Columbia]] has a very large [[Sikh]] community and cultural presence as well as a major growth in [[Chinese Buddhism|Chinese Buddhist]] temples and congregations since the increase in immigration from Asia in the 1980s. There is a small [[Hindu]] population, a number of Parsee ([[Zoroastrian]]s), and an emerging [[Muslim]] population from India, the Middle East, Africa, the Balkans, Southeast Asia and elsewhere.
Some people in the area also embrace alternative [[religion]]s and [[spirituality]], such as [[New Age]] spirituality and [[Neo-Paganism]]<ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/US/Story?id=184701&page=1 ABC News: School Says Halloween Disrespectful to Witches<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. Before its closure in 2004, [[Mary Manin Morrissey]]'s "megachurch" called [[Living Enrichment Center]], located in [[Wilsonville, Oregon]], was one of the biggest [[New Thought]] churches in the entire world, with a congregation estimated at between two thousand and five thousand members. Morrissey's "Life Keys" religious program was broadcast to several major networks around the U.S. West Coast. [[Neale Donald Walsch]], author of ''[[Conversations with God]]'', lives in [[Ashland, Oregon]], where he runs a retreat center. [[Gangaji]], an internationally recognized spiritual teacher and disciple of [[H. W. L. Poonja|Poonjaji]], lives in Ashland, Oregon. Established in more recent times, the training school of the immortal (according to the organization) being [[Ramtha]] is headquartered in [[Yelm, Washington]]. The followers of the Guru [[Rajneesh]], the ''[[sannyasin]]''s, established a center for their beliefs and lifestyle near [[Antelope, Oregon]], which included an [[ashram]] complex as well as, for a while, an attempted takeover of the local economy. The [[Emissaries of the Divine Light]] are a notable presence in the region of 100 Mile House, BC. More controversially, the commune run by [[Brother Twelve]] in the [[Gulf Islands]] of [[British Columbia]] early in the 20th century. Oregon's [[Willamette Valley]] has a large population of [[Old Believers|Russian Old Believers]]. <ref>[http://www.ohs.org/education/oregonhistory/historical_records/dspDocument.cfm?doc_ID=764E6BED-FFC4-C034-9A5563F41CE37080 Oregon Historical Society article about Old Believers] Retrieved [[February 9]] [[2007]]</ref>
==See also==
* [[Cascadia]]
* [[Oregon Country]]
* [[Oregon boundary dispute]]
* [[Alaska Boundary Dispute]]
* [[History of the west coast of North America]]
* [[Chinook Jargon]]
* [[Atlantic Northeast]], another region shared between Canada and the US
* [[Climate change in Washington]]
* [[Northwest Coast art]]
* [[Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
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* [http://www.washington.edu/uwired/outreach/cspn/Website/index.html Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest]
* [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award98/wauhtml/aipnhome.html American Indians of the Pacific Northwest] from the [[Library of Congress]]
* [http://www.gonorthwest.com/Visitor/about/northwest.htm What is the Northwest?] and [http://www.gonorthwest.com/Visitor/about/culture.htm a "Provocative description"], articles from a commercial website
*[http://www.columbiana.org/cascadia_institute.htm The Cascadia Institute] promotes consciousness of a bioregion extending along the coast from northern California up to northern British Coumbia and extending east into parts of Idaho and Alberta.
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[[Category:Pacific Northwest| ]]
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[[fr:Nord-Ouest Pacifique]]
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[[zh:太平洋西北地區]]