Northwestern United States

See also: Pacific Northwest

The dark red states are almost always included, while the striped states are usually considered part of the Northwestern United States as well.

Seattle, the largest metropolitan area in the Northwest

Portland, the second largest metropolitan area in the Northwest

Boise, the third largest metropolitan area in the Northwest

The Northwestern United States is an informal geographic region of the United States. The region consistently includes the states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho—and usually Montana and Wyoming. Some sources include southeast Alaska in the Northwest. The related but distinct term "Pacific Northwest" generally excludes areas from the Rockies eastward.

The Northwestern United States is a subportion of the Western U.S. region (which is, itself, even more ambiguous). In contrast, states included in the neighboring regions Southwestern U.S. and Great Plains are not simultaneously considered part of both regions.

Like the southwestern United States, the Northwest definition has moved westward over time. The 19th century Northwest (usually termed the "Old Northwest") comprised the Northwest Territory and gradually migrated across the Midwest to its current definition. The current area includes the old Oregon Territory (created in 1848–Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and areas in Montana west of the Continental Divide). The region is similar to Federal Region X, which comprises Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska.

It is home to over 13 million citizens. Some of the fastest growing cities in this region and in the nation include Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, Vancouver, Kennewick, Pasco, Yakima, and Boise.

Population

Together, these states have a combined population of 13,654,456. The largest cities and metropolitan areas in the Northwest are:

Rank	City	State	Population	Metro Population
1	Seattle	Washington	7005608660000000000608,660	70063439809000000003,439,809
2	Portland	Oregon	7005583776000000000583,776	70062226009000000002,226,009
3	Boise	Idaho	7005210145000000000210,145	7005653789000000000653,789
4	Spokane	Washington	7005210103000000000210,103	7005609000000000000609,000
5	Tacoma	Washington	7005198397000000000198,397	70063439809000000003,439,809
6	Vancouver	Washington	7005161791000000000161,791	70062226009000000002,226,009
7	Eugene	Oregon	7005156185000000000156,185	7005351715000000000351,715
8	Salem	Oregon	7005154637000000000154,637	7005390738000000000390,738
9	Bellevue	Washington	7005122363000000000122,363	70063439809000000003,439,809
10	Billings	Montana	7005104170000000000104,170	7005158050000000000158,050