Chapter 9 Section 4 – The West https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Moraine_Lake_17092005.jpg

Natural Resources of the West The Spanish were the first to settle in the area of the west In 1848 the gold rush began and people from all over the world came west hoping to strike it rich, but few did San Francisco grew from 800 people in 1848 to 25,000 in 1850 Many of these people stayed even if they did not discover gold and many states were created The states of Colorado, Nevada, Idaho, and Montana all grew because of the interest in mining as well Once the gold dried up people found silver and copper All of these people needed housing and the timber resources of Washington, Oregon, and Northern California seemed unlimited Unfortunately, we were slow to learn that this was not true

Managing Resources With all of the people coming to California there was a great need for resources, like timber and water These resources were being used up at an alarming rate Decisions were made to limit the cutting of forests and National Parks were created Hydroelectric dams were built and fresh water was piped from other parts of the country to meet demand While the dams did supply the people with electricity, they also created yet another problem by flooding whole valley’s of the Sierras Today dam building has been put on hold

The Urban West – Portland, Oregon Located where the Willamette and Columbia Rivers come together this city was named after Portland, Maine Francis Pettygrove, a land developer, won a coin toss in 1845 and named it after his home town Today it is an important trade center for lumber, fur, grain, salmon, and wool Back in the 1930’s newly build dams provided cheap electricity so many manufacturing companies moved to the area to take advantage of this

The Urban West - Seattle Named after Chief Seattle, a former Native American leader from the area, and founded in the 1850’s Years of growth led to many problems in the 1960’s The local economy was then revitalized, bridges were built, and clean up efforts were made Neighborhood parks were also created and the oldest continuously run market in the country, Pike Place Market, was saved so that local farmers could sell their crops and produce

The Urban West – San Jose Many years ago this area had beautiful orchards and farms However, today it has the nickname “Silicon Valley” because of the important role it plays in the computer industry Today the most valuable resource is the people of San Jose who come from all over the world This city has grown so big that there are crowded highways and smog issues San Jose has built a light-rail mass transit system to try and help with this situation

The Urban West – Los Angeles Yet another city in California in which the people of the city are its most valuable resource Was a small Mexican village in the 1780’s, but is now the second most populated city in America Both the gold rush and the building of the transcontinental railroad allowed this city to grow greatly 1920’s the city was driven by the petroleum, manufacturing, and movie industries Today L.A. is a center for banking, & aircraft manufacturing Probably most known for Hollywood and the movie, television, and radio shows produced in this place Two largest ethnic groups are Hispanics and Asians in L.A.