West Coast of the United States

West Coast of the United States

The "West Coast", "Western Seaboard", or "Pacific Seaboard" are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the Western United States, comprising most often California, Oregon and Washington. Arizona and Nevada, while not coastal states, are also often included in the West Coast due to their proximity to the Pacific Coast and their economic and cultural ties to California (such as Arizona's two largest universities which are members of the Pacific 10 Conference). Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean and could be included in the West Coast. As of 2007, the estimated population of the West Coast ranged from approximately 50–60 million, depending on which states are included in the estimate. [ [http://factfinder.census.gov/jsp/saff/SAFFInfo.jsp?_pageId=gn10_select_state United States Census Bureau, 2005 American Community Survey. Summed estimates for CA, OR, WA and CA, OR, WA, AZ, NV, AK, HI] ]

An older term, thought to have arisen in the Northeastern United States, refers to the West Coast simply as "the Coast." The West Coast can also be referred to jokingly as the "Left Coast," a pun based on its reputation for being more politically left-wing than some other parts of the United States. The term "Left Coast" is more likely attributed to its visual location on a map of North America.

Major coastal cities on the West Coast include San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. Major non-coastal cities include Phoenix, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, Portland, Oregon, Sacramento, California and Fresno, California

References


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