Regional definitions vary from source to source. The states shown in dark red are usually included, while all or portions of the striped states may or may not be considered part of the Pacific states.

The Pacific States form one of the nine geographic divisions within the United States that are officially recognized by that country's census bureau. Image File history File links US_map-Pacific. ... Image File history File links US_map-Pacific. ... 1870 US Census for New York City A census is the process of obtaining information about every member of a population (not necessarily a human population). ...

There are five states in this division — Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington — and, as its name suggests, they all have coastlines on the Pacific Ocean (and are the only states that border that ocean). Additionally, Nevada and Arizona are sometimes included despite the fact that neither of these states actually border the Pacific. This is primarily because of strong ties that each state and their respective metropolitan areas have to neighboring California. The division is one of two that are located within the United States Census Bureau's West region; the other such division is the Mountain States. Official language(s) English Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  Ranked 1st  - Total 663,267 sq mi (1,717,855 km²)  - Width 808 miles (1,300 km)  - Length 1,479 miles (2,380 km)  - % water 13. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Official language(s) (none)[1] Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 2. ... Official language(s) English Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Area  Ranked 18th  - Total 71,342 sq mi (184,827 km²)  - Width 240 miles (385 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 6. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Official language(s) English Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Area  Ranked 6th  - Total 113,998 sq mi (295,254 km²)  - Width 310 miles (500 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title ) is a part of the United States Department of Commerce. ... A compass rose with west highlighted This article refers to the cardinal direction; for other uses see West (disambiguation). ... Look up Region in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ...

Despite being slotted into the same region by the Census Bureau, the Pacific and Mountain divisions are vastly different from one another in many vital respects, most notably in the arena of politics: While nearly all of the Mountain states are regarded as being conservative "red states", all of the Pacific states except Alaska are clearly counted among the liberal "blue states." Indeed, the other division with which residents of the Pacific States are seen as most closely self-identifying is New England, where many of the Pacific States' seminal settlers actually hailed from: Portland, Oregon was named after Portland, Maine, and according to John Molloy, author of the 1980s-era bestseller Dress For Success, businessmen in San Francisco display virtually identical sartorial preferences as their counterparts in Boston. Politics is the process by which groups make decisions. ... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. ... ... Official language(s) English Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  Ranked 1st  - Total 663,267 sq mi (1,717,855 km²)  - Width 808 miles (1,300 km)  - Length 1,479 miles (2,380 km)  - % water 13. ... This article does not adequately cite its references. ... ... This article is about the region in the United States of America. ... Nickname: Location in Multnomah County and the state of Oregon Coordinates: Country United States State Oregon County Multnomah County Incorporated February 8, 1851 Government  - Mayor Tom Potter Area  - City  145. ... Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine, with a 2004 population of 63,882. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe)1, Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution, Puritan City, Americas Walking City Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ...

History

The Northwest Coast of the Early and Middle Holocene of prehistory consists of the Pacific coastline from the mouth of Copper River in Alaska to the Klamath River in northern California. The forager societies mainly consisted of hunter-gatherers whose most popular source of food was salmon. The people of this time and place lived in planked houses that were small, and rectangular in shape. As the population of the Northwest Coast grew, social hierarchies were formed. Leadership was often given to shamans or kin leaders. They also had people low enough in their society to be enslaved. A factor in the size of the population was that of temperature. Within the last 5000 years, temperature has fluctuated greatly, bringing on the Medieval Warm Period as well as the Little Ice Age. Specifically, Shaman (saman) is a term in Evenk, Manchu and other Manchu-Tungus languages for an intellectual and spiritual figure; who usually possess power and influence on other peoples in the tribe and performs several functions, one of which is analogous to the function of a healer in other cultures. ... The Medieval Warm Period (MWP) or Medieval Climate Optimum was a time of unusually warm climate in the North Atlantic region, lasting from about the tenth century to about the fourteenth century. ... The Little Ice Age (LIA) was a period of cooling occurring after a warmer era known as the Medieval climate optimum. ...

References: Ancient North America: The Archaeology of a Continent Fagan, Brian M., Thames and Hudson, Ltd. 2005

See also

• History of the west coast of North America

The west coast of North America consists of the modern American states of California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and arguably Alaska and parts of the Yukon. ...

External references

• Pacific Division Labor Statistics Bureau of Labor Statistics