West Coast
From Usgs
| Capital | Sacramento, CA |
| Largest city | Los Angeles |
| Regions | States |
| California | California |
| Pacific Coast | Washington Oregon Hawaii |
| Area | Ranked 4th |
| - Total | 344,308 sq mi (?) km² |
| - % water | (?) |
| Population | Ranked 1st |
| - Total | 44,398,699 |
| - Density | 128.95/sq mi (?)/km² ((?)th) |
| Governor | Daniel Cromartie (D-CA) |
| U.S. Senators | |
| - California | Elizabeth Rosenbaum (D-CA) Thomas Byerly (D-CA) |
| - Pacific Coast | William Clarke (D-WA) Ross Kesler (D-OR) |
| Abbreviation | WCO |
| Web site | West Coast Government |
The Superregion of the West Coast the most populous in the nation, due mainly to the fact that it includes the state of California. Six of the 30 most populous urban centers in the nation lie entirely within the West Coast; by far, the most of any superregion. (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Sacramento, San Diego, and Portland). Despite this high level of urbanization, however, the West Coast is also a major rural powerhouse, representing a significant fraction of America's agricultural output.
The West Coast is named in a purely geographic sense; of the five states which border on the Pacific Ocean, four of them make up this superregion. The fifth, Alaska, is located in Big Sky Country instead.
Contents |
Adjacent Superregions
- West: Big Sky Country and Sunbelt
- North: Canada
- South: Mexico
Politics
The West Coast is a Democratic Stronghold, with Democrats holding an overall 54-46 registration advantage. The advantage is about equal in both regions of the West Coast, but the Pacific Coast region has greater variance, with Hawaii giving Democrats a nearly 2-1 advantage (63-37), Washington a more modest 54-46 advantage, and Oregon actually leaning slightly Republican with the GOP holding a slim 52-48 advantage.
Because of the blue tilt of the superregion and its constituent regions, it is relatively rare for Republicans to enjoy success here. However, both California and the Pacific Coast do contain enough independents to swing red, given the right candidate and right conditions.
Election 2008
Highlights: Jeremy Koo (D-CA) elected Governor. Sam Russell (D-CA) and Jeffrey Landon (D-WA) elected to the Senate
Election 2010
Highlights: Governor Jeremy Koo re-elected. Senator Lilliam Vanleer (D-WA) re-elected. Senator Elizabeth Rosenbaum (D-CA) re-elected to fill the remaining two years in her predecessor's term.
Election 2012
Highlights: Senator Rosenbaum re-elected to a full term.
Election 2014
Highlights: Senator Lilliam Vanleer (D-WA) elected Governor, after Governor Koo declined to run for re-election.
Special Election 2016
Highlights: Representative Daniel Cromartie (D-CA) elected Governor, to fill the vacancy in the Governor's mansion.
Election 2016
(Coming soon to a wikitable near you!)
Office Holders
Note: The Governor information is not complete: Missing Legislative Leaders, Legislative Breakdowns, and Lieutenant Governor names.
| Year | Governor | Lt. Governor | Legislature | |||||||
| Name | Party | State | Name | Party | State | GOP | DNC | Maj. Leader | Min. Leader | |
| 2009 | Jeremy Koo | Democrat | California | |||||||
| 2010 | ||||||||||
| 2011 | Jeremy Koo | Democrat | California | |||||||
| 2012 | ||||||||||
| 2013 | ||||||||||
| 2014 | ||||||||||
| 2015 | Lilliam Vanleer | Democrat | Washington | |||||||
| 2016 | ||||||||||
| Daniel Cromartie1,X | Democrat | California | ||||||||
| Senators | ||||
| Year | California | Pacific Coast | ||
| Class 2 | Class 3 | Class 1 | Class 3 | |
| 2008 | Chantoya Walker (D-CA)3 | Vacant | Lilliam Vanleer (D-WA) | Vacant |
| 2009 | Sam Russell (D-CA)3 | Jeffrey Landon (D-WA)3 | ||
| 2010 | Elizabeth Rosenbaum (D-CA)A | |||
| 2011 | Elizabeth Rosenbaum (D-CA)X | Lilliam Vanleer (D-WA) | ||
| 2012 | ||||
| 2013 | Elizabeth Rosenbaum (D-CA) | |||
| Ross Kesler (D-OR)A | ||||
| Thomas Byerly (D-CA)A | ||||
| 2014 | ||||
| 2015 | Thomas Byerly (D-CA) | Vacant | Ross Kesler (D-OR) | |
| William Clarke (D-WA)2,A | ||||
| 2016 | ||||
Footnotes
- 1 Elected in special election to fill remainder of Governor Vanleer's term
- 2 Appointed after Senator Vanleer was elected Governor.
- 3 Resigned from office.
- A Appointed to the remainder of a predecessor's term
- X Elected to fill a vacancy for the remainder of a predecessor's term.
Notable Metropolitan Areas
The following table is based on the US Census definitions of Combined Statistical Areas (CSAs), Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and Micropolitan Statistical Areas (μSAs) of the United States. As such, the urban areas often combine multiple "cities", including many not specifically listed in the table.
| Rank | Name | State(s) | Type (CSA/MSA/μSA) | Population (Census 2000) | Notes | |
| In Region | In Nation | |||||
| 1 | 2 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside | CA | CSA | 16,373,645 | |
| 2 | 6 | San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland | CA | CSA | 7,092,596 | |
| 3 | 13 | Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia | WA | CSA | 3,707,144 | |
| 4 | 17 | San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos | CA | MSA | 2,813,833 | Even if San Diego and L.A. merged, would still be a bit smaller than the New York City metro area. |
| 5 | 23 | Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Yuba City | CA-NV | CSA | (2,069,298) | Most of the population is in California |
| 6 | 25 | Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton | OR-WA | MSA | 1,927,881 | Both states are WCO, thus entire poplation is as well |
| 7 | 54 | Fresno-Madera | CA | CSA | 922,516 | |
| 8 | 56 | Honolulu | HI | MSA | 876,156 | Covers essentially the entire island of Oahu |
| 9 | 70 | Bakersfield | CA | MSA | 661,645 | |
| 10 | 77 | Stockton | CA | MSA | 563,598 | |
| 11 | 97 | Modesto | CA | MSA | 446,997 | |
| 12 | 103 | Spokane | WA | MSA | 417,939 | |
| 13 | 108 | Salinas | CA | MSA | 401,762 | |
| 14 | 110 | Santa Barbera-Santa Maria-Goleta | CA | MSA | 399,347 | |
| 15 | 118 | Visalia-Porterville | CA | MSA | 368,021 | |
| 16 | 123 | Salem | OR | MSA | 347,214 | |
| 17 | 129 | Eugene-Springfield | OR | MSA | 322,959 | |
| 18 | 153 | San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | CA | MSA | 246,681 | |
| 19 | 164 | Yakima | WA | MSA | 222,581 | |
| 20 | 169 | Merced | CA | MSA | 210,554 | |
| 21 | 172 | Chico | CA | MSA | 203,171 | |
| 22 | 181 | Kennewick-Richland-Pasco | WA | MSA | 191,822 | |
| 23 | 187 | Medford | OR | MSA | 181,269 | |
| 24 | 188 | Albany-Corvallis-Lebanon | OR | CSA | 181,222 | |
| 25 | 198 | Bellingham | WA | MSA | 166,814 | |
| 26 | 203 | Redding | CA | MSA | 163,256 | The largest city in the once proposed State of Jefferson |
| 27 | 229 | Hilo | HI | μSA | 148,677 | Essentially, the Island of Hawai'i |
| 28 | 239 | El Centro | CA | MSA | 142,361 | |
| 29 | 251 | Bend-Prineville | OR | MSA | 134,549 | |
| 30 | 258 | Hanford-Corcoran | CA | MSA | 129,461 | |
| 31 | 261 | Kahului-Wailuku | HI | μSA | 128,094 | Maui County, Hawaii |
| 32 | 265 | Eureka-Arcata-Fortuna | CA | μSA | 126,518 | |
| 33 | 307 | Roseburg | OR | μSA | 100,399 | |
| 34 | 309 | Wenatchee | WA | MSA | 99,219 | |
| 35 | 319 | Longview | WA | MSA | 92,948 | |
| 36 | 331 | Ukiah | CA | μSA | 86,265 | |
| 37 | 348 | Pendleton-Hermiston | OR | μSA | 81,543 | |
| 38 | 359 | Grants Pass | OR | μSA | 75,726 | |
| 39 | 365 | Moses Lake | WA | μSA | 74,698 | |
| 40 | 378 | Centralia | WA | μSA | 68,600 | |
| 41 | 384 | Aberdeen | WA | μSA | 67,194 | |
| 42 | 392 | Port Angeles | WA | μSA | 64,525 | |
| 43 | 395 | Klamath Falls | OR | μSA | 63,775 | |
| 44 | 402 | Coos Bay | OR | μSA | 62,779 | |
| 45 | 417 | Kapaa | HI | μSA | 58,463 | Kauaʻi County, Hawaii |
