There are four mountain ranges dominating the Pacific Northwest. They are the Cascade Range, the Olympic Range, the Coast Range and parts of the Rocky Mountains. Mount Rainier is the highest mountain in the Pacific Northwest at 14,410 feet (4,392 m).
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Extending from the vast Pacific Ocean to the west all the way to the Cascade Mountain Range to the east, the Pacific Northwest is dotted with a number of majestic mountain peaks. Each of these iconic mountains provide endless opportunities for outdoor recreation, especially during the winter and early spring!
The Pacific Northwest is considered an educational center for both the United States and Canada as large universities such as the University of Washington, the University of Oregon and the University of British Columbia are located there. The dominant ethnic groups of the Pacific Northwest are Caucasian, Mexican and Chinese.
The Pacific Northwest: Growth of a Regional Identity (McFarland, 2010) 221 pp. ISBN 978-0-7864-4540-0 Inglis, Robin. Historical Dictionary of the Discovery and Exploration of the Northwest Coast of America (Scarecrow, 2008) lxxvi+429 pp. ISBN 978-0-8108-5551-9
The Pacific Northwest Coast is one of the few places where politically complex hunter-gatherers evolved and survived to historic contacts, and therefore has been vital for anthropologists and archaeologists seeking to understand how complex hunter and gatherer societies function.
Situated about 52 miles east of Bellingham, Mount Baker is one of the snowiest places on earth. In fact, statistically speaking, Mount Baker is the second-most heavily glaciated of the Cascade Range volcanoes, and the volume of snow and ice on the mountain is greater than that of all other Cascade volcanoes combined.
Mount Rainier is a massive, active stratovolcano situated about 60 southeast of Seattle. With a summit elevation of 14,411 feet, it is the highest mountain in the state of Washington and the entire Cascade Range.
Most known for its destructive eruption on May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens is an active stratovolcano situated in Southwest Washington about 60 miles northeast of Vancouver. Visitors travel from all over the country to witness this popular mountain at the Mt. St. Helens Visitor Center, which explains the full story of this fascinating volcano.
Considered a sister mountain to Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams is a potentially active stratovolcano in the Cascades. With an elevation of 12,281 feet, Mount Adams is the second-highest mountain in the state of Washington, after Mount Rainier. The mountain is open nearly year-round, but due to its higher elevation compared to Mount St.
Reaching an elevation of 11,249 feet, Mount Hood is the highest point in all of Oregon and the fourth highest in the Cascade Range. Plus, Mount Hood is one of the most climbed mountains in the world, making it a prominent and must-see mountain for Pacific Northwesterners.
Named Mount Bachelor because it “stands apart” from its nearby Three Sisters, Mount Bachelor is one of our favorite destinations for wintertime fun in Central Oregon. This stratovolcano in Bend is home to the largest ski resort (by area) in the state of Oregon and the second-largest single-mountain ski resort in the country.
Situated in the Southern Cascades, Mount Thielsen is a lesser-known mountain with no shortage of scenic beauty and opportunity for outdoor adventure. Reaching an elevation of 9,184 feet, Mount Thielsen features a dramatic horn-shaped peak, extending to a steep and pointy spire.
The highest peak in the Pacific Northwest is Mount Rainier, in the Washington Cascades, at 14,410 feet (4,392 m).
The Pacific Northwest ( PNW ), sometimes referred to as Cascadia, is a geographic region in western North America bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common conception includes ...
The major cities of Vancouver, Portland, Seattle, and Tacoma all began as seaports supporting the logging, mining, and farming industries of the region, but have developed into major technological and industrial centers (such as the Silicon Forest ), which benefit from their location on the Pacific Rim .
Coastal forests in some areas are classified as temperate rain forest . Coastal features are defined by the interaction with the Pacific and the North American continent. The coastline of the Pacific Northwest is dotted by numerous fjords, bays, islands, and mountains.
Early settlements. New Archangel (present-day Sitka, Alaska ), the capital of Russian America. Noteworthy Russian settlements still in place include: Unalaska (1774), Kodiak 1791 and Sitka (1804) making them the oldest permanent non-Indigenous settlements in the Pacific Northwest.
The culture of the Pacific Northwest is influenced by the Canada–United States border, which the United States and the United Kingdom established at a time when the region's inhabitants were composed mostly of indigenous peoples.
The Northwest Coast is the coastal region of the Pacific Northwest, and the Northwest Plateau (also commonly known as "the Interior " in British Columbia and the Inland Northwest in the United States) is the inland region.
The region of the Pacific Northwest has a long history that was mainly occupied by various Indigenous groups. Most of these groups are believed to have been engaged in hunting and gathering as well as fishing.
Such volcanoes include such Mount Shasta in northern California, Mount Hood in Oregon, Mount Saint Helens and Rainier in Washington and Mount Garibaldi in British Columbia. There are four mountain ranges dominating the Pacific Northwest.
The Columbia River, which begins in the Columbia Plateau in western Idaho and flows through the Cascades to the Pacific Ocean, has the second-largest flow of water (behind the Mississippi River) than any other river in the lower 48 states. In general, the Pacific Northwest has a wet and cool climate which has led to the growth ...
In general, the Pacific Northwest has a wet and cool climate which has led to the growth of extensive forests featuring some of the largest trees in the world. The region's coastal forests are considered temperate rainforests. More inland, however, the climate can be drier with more harsh winters and warmer summers.
Idaho, parts of Montana, northern California, and southeastern Alaska are also listed as parts of the Pacific Northwest in some accounts. Much of the Pacific Northwest consists of rural forested land; however, there are several large population centers which include Seattle and Tacoma, Washington, Vancouver, British Columbia, and Portland, Oregon.
Today , there are still visible artifacts from the Pacific Northwest's early inhabitants as well as thousands of descendants that still practice historic Indigenous culture.
More inland, however, the climate can be drier with more harsh winters and warmer summers. The economy of the Pacific Northwest is varied , but some of the world's largest and most successful technology companies such as Microsoft, Intel, Expedia, and Amazon.com are located in the region.
The Pacific Northwest extends from Yakutat Bay, Alaska, in the north to roughly the California-Oregon border in the south. There are over three dozen separate identifiable groups in the Pacific Northwest culture area, representing a variety of different language groups and cultures. Living between the Pacific Ocean and the coastal mountain ranges, the Native people of the Pacific Northwest are traditionally oriented towards coastal and riverine (full of rivers) areas. Their oral traditions and religious expression emphasize the importance that the resources of these environments have held in their cultures.
Pacific Northwest religion is animistic, meaning that the people traditionally believe in the existence of spirits and souls in all living, and in some non-living, objects. While these beliefs are acted out in ceremony and ritual, they also find constant expression in everyday life. Winter ceremonies are an important series of events that celebrate the religious belief system. These cermonies may involve the expression of a personal relationship with a spiritual entity, or it may involve a community expression of supernatural understanding.
The traditional Pacific Northwest style of garb included cedar-bark skirts and capes and, during cold weather, a blanket worn around the shoulders. Cedar bark was either shredded or woven into material used for clothing. Leather clothing was used by some groups. Most made rain hats out of cedar bark or spruce root. Blankets were items of wealth as well as clothing and bedding. Blankets were made of cedar bark, other plant fibers, mountain goat wool, or dog fur. As cloth blankets became available through trade with whites in the late 1700s and early 1800s, they largely replaced the blankets of Native manufacture.
The most important source of sustenance throughout the Pacific Northwest are the salmon runs, in which the fish swim up into the rivers from the ocean. Several different species of salmon are native to the west coast of North America, but not all species are available in all local areas. Fishing in the Pacific Northwest involved a variety of techniques ranging from simple spears and dip-nets to complex weirs (traps) and seines (nets). Salmon provided a staple food and also a surplus for trade and ceremony.
Pacific Northwest oral traditions are as varied as the numerous tribes that live in this area. All groups have origin myths, which tell of the first people, migrations, or the origin of kin groups. Each group in the Pacific Northwest differentiates between oral traditions that tell of mythical times and those that tell of historical events. Among northern Pacific Northwest tribes these traditions may be displayed on totem poles or in other art forms. Raven, as trickster (a culture hero), is common as a character responsible for much of the natural world. The transformer (one who can change something’s outward form) also plays an important role in the oral traditions of many Pacific Northwest tribes as a sometimes benevolent teacher and a sometimes harmful or evil transformer of people into natural objects.
In fact, several languages and language groups have no known relation to any other language.