1. The Pacific Northwest

2. Physical Geography Topography The Coast Ranges-Oregon and Washington
Reach elevations of 4,000 feet
Responsible for the rain shadow effect
Further inland, rugged Cascades
Extend north into British Columbia
Merge with the Insular Mountains = Coast Mountains

3. Volcanism

4. Crater Lake, OR

5. Physical Geography Mt. McKinley: the region's northern extremity
20,320 feet in elevation
The St. Elias Mountains in Canada are the world's highest coastal mountains
Mt. Logan = 19,700 feet!

6. Physical Geography Climate Heaviest annual precipitation on continent!
Average precipitation >75 inches/year
West = ~150 inches/year
Parts of Vancouver Island ~ 230 inches/year
Winter precipitation > summer
Microclimates, but Maritime (Cfb & Cfc) dominate

9. Historical Settlement
Native Americans
Pre-European population = large
Based on a simple hunting and gathering economy
Large concentrations along the coast and coastal valleys
The Puyallups are one of the few remaining tribes

11. Historical Settlement
Early Europeans
Russians 1st!
Initially during late 1700s; Mainly fur-trading posts
1846: US/Canadian 49 North
Post 1846
Alaska purchased from Russia (1867) for $7.2 million
Railroads
Asian
Latinos

12. Primary Sector Activities
Most crops grown for local markets
Production areas: Willamette Valley, Puget Sound Lowlands, Yakima and Wenatchee Valley, Hill Country
Willamette River and Valley

14. Forestry British Columbia = 45% of Canada's timber
CA, OR, WA = ~50% of US timber
First major industry, but not nationally important until the early 1900s
“Selective cutting,” “shelterwood cutting,” and “clear cutting”
Redwood National Park, 1960s, for preservationists
Japan = major market

15. Power and Dams
High precipitation and rugged topography = great hydroelectric potential
Rivers in OR & WA = > 40% of the US’s hydroelectric potential
Columbia River dam: greatest power generating potential
Grand Coulee = largest
Cheap power attracts heavy power-using industries to the region
No dams are permitted in Hell’s Canyon (along Snake River gorge)

16. Tertiary & Quaternary Sectors
Services, tourism, and high-technology industry buttress Primary & Secondary sectors
Microsoft
Starbucks
Boeing
Places in the Pacific Northwest
Vancouver, BC
Seattle, WA
Portland, OR
Alaska
Next lecture!

17. Seattle, WA from Space Needle
Portland, OR and Mt. Hood
Vancouver, BC

18. Final Thoughts…

19. Readings & Resource
Anderson, Kay J “The Idea of Chinatown: The Power of Place and Institutional Practice in the Making of a Racial Category,” Annals of the Association of American Geographers 77: 580–598.
A great sense of place article based in Western Canada’s largest city.
Ley, David “Myths and Meanings of Immigration and the Metropolis,” Canadian Geographer 43:2–18.
David does a brilliant job assessing and analyzing immigration as only a geographer could.
Presentation: David Fronander, Biogeographer. Salmon and the Pacific Northwest.

20. Discussion
Given its relative isolation from the rest of the country, how does the Pacific Northwest continue to thrive? Is this an exclusive behavior?
How does Oregon’s motto, Alis Volat Propiis (She Flies with Her Own Wings) reflect the region’s sense of place?

21. Related Books
Ashbaugh, James G., ed The Pacific Northwest: Geographical Perspectives. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company.
Meinig, D.W The Great Columbian Plain: A Historical Geography, 1805–1910. Seattle: University of Washington Press.
Regional geography doesn’t get much better than Meinig.

22. WebSources Earthquake and Geologic Hazard Information:
Oregon and Washington
Alaska
Interactive Real-time Earthquakes!
Cascadia Times Newspaper
Pacific Northwest Outdoor Recreation
City of Vancouver, Canada