THE NORTH PACIFIC COAST
(CHAPTER 16: PART 1)
INTRODUCTION
• The North Pacific Coast has also been
labeled as "Ecotopia."
• Strongly subjected to a Maritime
influence and dominated by rugged
terrain
• Relatively isolated from the rest of North
America, much to the satisfaction of its
inhabitants
• The region is mapped on page 367.
NORTH PACIFIC COAST
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
• CLIMATE
 The region of heaviest annual precipitation amounts
on the continent
 Average precipitation >75 inches/year is common.
 150 inches/year is the norm on the western side of
the coastal ranges.
 Parts of Vancouver Island receives about 230
inches/ year
 Winter precipitation exceeds summer amounts
throughout the region.
PRECIPITATION
PATTERNS
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
 CLIMATE (continued)
 Abundant rainfall supports tremendous
tree growth in areas such as the Olympic
Peninsula.
 Orographic Rainfall (precipitation that
results when moist air is lifted over a
topographic barrier) is the dominant source
of precipitation in the region.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
• TOPOGRAPHY
 The Coast Ranges-Oregon and Washington
 Reach elevations of 4,000 feet
 Responsible for the rain shadow effect (see map
on page 368).
 Further inland are the rugged Cascades
 Extend north into British Columbia
 Merge with the Insular Mountains, and are
known as the Coast Mountains
PHYSIOGRAPHIC
PROVINCES
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
 TOPOGRAPHY (continued)
 Mt. McKinley is located at the region's northern
extremity
 20,320 feet in elevation- the highest point in North
America
 The mountain's vertical rise (in excess of 18,000 feet) is
the highest in the world.
 The St. Elias Mountains in Canada are the world's
highest coastal mountains
 Mt. Logan reaches a height of 19,700 feet.
SETTLEMENT PATTERNS
• AMERICAN INDIANS
 Pre-European population of the area - relatively large
 Based on a simple hunting and gathering economy
 Depended largely on deer and salmon, and
supplemented by berries, roots, and shellfish
 Large concentrations of Indians were found along the coast,
particularly in coastal valleys.
 Some tribes constructed large dugout canoes of cedar
and became notable seafarers.
 The Puyallups are one of the few remaining tribes
 Fairly well known because of recent legislation granting
them “salmon rights”
SETTLEMENT PATTERNS
• EUROPEANS
 Russians were the first Europeans to establish
settlements along the coast.
 Initially established settlements during the late 1700s
 Consisted mainly of fur-trading posts ranging from
Southeast Alaska to Northern California.
 U.S./Canadian boundary @ 49 North -1846
 Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867 for the
paltry sum of 7.2 million dollars.
 Oregon's population - strong New England heritage
 Washington - large number of people with
Scandinavian roots
SETTLEMENT PATTERNS
• MAJOR CITIES TODAY
 VANCOUVER
 Canada's third largest city
 More than 1.2 million people
 Planners expect the city to double is size within
30 years.
 Vancouver serves as the western outlet for
Interior Canada.
 Canada's busiest port, focused on wood products
and wheat that is destined for Asian markets.
VANCOUVER
SETTLEMENT PATTERNS
 MAJOR CITIES TODAY (continued)
 SEATTLE
 Largest city of the North Pacific Coast - late 1800s
 Founded as a logging center.
 Since WWI, it has been the home of Boeing Aircraft
 Sometimes referred to as the world's largest
"company town," as Boeing had 103,000 employees
during the 1960's.
 Employment at Boeing subsequently fell to about
50,000 by the early 70s
 Rebounded in the 1980s, providing more than
106,000 jobs by the end of the decade.
 Today, a middle-class city, appealing by any survey.
SEATTLE
SETTLEMENT PATTERNS
 MAJOR CITIES TODAY (continued)
 PORTLAND
 Serves as the agricultural focus and shipment
point for western grain.
 Food processing and the manufacturing of
wood products are key industries to the city.
 Boasts a more diversified economy than
Seattle’s.
REGIONAL ECONOMY
• FORESTRY
 British Columbia produces 45% of Canada's timber.
 Washington, Oregon, and California account for
more than 50% of the U.S. total.
 Douglas Fir is the species that is currently of prime
importance.
 Although the region's first major industry, forestry
was not nationally important until the early 1900s.
 Current cutting techniques include "selective
cutting," "shelterwood cutting," and "clear cutting".
 Japan has been a major market for North America
timber, especially from Alaska and British Columbia.
REGIONAL ECONOMY
• FORESTRY (continued)
•
 Controversy surrounds the use of "clear cutting"
and the harvesting of Northern California redwoods,
the world's tallest (and among the oldest) trees.
 A target for preservationists, the Redwood National
Park was established in the late 1960s.
POWER AND DAMS
 The plentiful precipitation and rugged topography of
the area provides hydroelectric potential unmatched
anywhere in North America.
 The rivers of Oregon and Washington account for
over 40% of the U.S.'s hydroelectric potential.
REGIONAL ECONOMY
 POWER AND DAMS
 Columbia River has the greatest power generating potential
in the region
 A flow volume greater than the Mississippi River
 A drop of nearly 1,000 feet during the course of its 750 mi
route from U.S./Canadian border to the sea.
 Grand Coulee - the region's largest dam
 Completed in 1933, and ten more dams have since been
constructed downstream.
 Recent addition of new generators at Grand Coulee Dam
have tripled its capacity
 The world's largest single power producer.
REGIONAL ECONOMY
 POWER AND DAMS
 Cheap power has succeeded in attracting a number
of heavy power-using industries to the region,
similar to scenarios with the TVA or Niagara River
Project.
 No dams are permitted in Hell's Canyon
 World's deepest gorge, cut by the Snake River
between Oregon and Idaho
 This section of the Snake was classified as a
"Wild and Scenic River" in 1975.
AGRICULTURE
•
•
Most of the region's crops are grown for local markets.
Impacts of transferability & intervening opportunity
 Producing areas and products
 Willamett River Valley- forage crops, dairy
products, and strawberries
 Puget Sound Lowlands (Washington)- dairy
products and peas
 Yakima and Wenatchee Valley- apples via
irrigation from the streams and rivers of the
Cascades
 "Hilly Country" (east-central Washington)- wheat
via dry farming
THE NORTH PACIFIC COAST
(CHAPTER 16: PART 1)