The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including California California's geography ranges from the Pacific coast to the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the east, to Mojave desert areas in the southeast and the Redwood–Douglas fir forests of the northwest. The center of the state is dominated by the Central Valley, one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world. California is the most, Nevada Nevada is the seventh-largest state in area, and geographically covers the Mojave Desert in the south to the Great Basin in the north. It is the most arid state in the Union. Approximately 86% of the state's land is owned by the U.S federal government under various jurisdictions both civilian and military. As of 2008, there were about 2.6 million, Arizona Arizona is the 48th state and last of the contiguous states admitted to the Union, achieving statehood on February 14, 1912 - the 50th anniversary of Arizona's recognition as a territory of the United States. Arizona is noted for its desert climate, exceptionally hot summers, and mild winters, however it also features pine forests and mountain, New Mexico The state's total area is 121,412 square miles . The eastern border of New Mexico lies along 103° W longitude with the state of Oklahoma, and three miles (5 km) west of 103.5° W longitude with Texas. On the southern border, Texas makes up the eastern two-thirds, while the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora make up the western third, with, Utah Utah is one of the most religiously homogeneous states in the Union. Between 41% and 60% of Utahns are reported to be members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , which greatly influences Utah culture and daily life, Colorado Colorado is nicknamed the "Centennial State" because it was admitted to the Union as the 38th state in 1876, the centennial year of the United States Declaration of Independence. Colorado is bordered on the north by Wyoming and Nebraska, on the east by Nebraska and Kansas, on the south by Oklahoma and New Mexico, and on the west by Utah, Oklahoma A major producer of natural gas, oil and agriculture, Oklahoma relies on an economic base of aviation, energy, telecommunications, and biotechnology. It has one of the fastest growing economies in the nation, ranking among the top states in per capita income growth and gross domestic product growth. Oklahoma City and Tulsa serve as Oklahoma's, and Texas Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States, while San Antonio is the second largest in the state and seventh largest in the United States. Dallas–Fort Worth and Greater Houston are the fourth and sixth largest United States metropolitan areas, respectively. Other major cities include El Paso and Austin—the. Narrowly defined, the "core" Southwest might include only Arizona and New Mexico, with parts of the other states making up the beginnings and endings of the Southwest.^[1]

Regional geography

The geographer D. W. Meinig D. W. Meinig born 1924 is an American geographer, focusing on historical geography, regional geography, cultural geography, social geography, and landscape interpretation. His most ambitious and well known work is the four volume series "The Shaping of America" (published 1986, 1993, 1998, and 2004). He is a Maxwell Research Professor of defines the core of the Southwest as the portion of New Mexico west of the Llano Estacado Llano Estacado (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈʎano estaˈkaðo], , commonly known as the Staked Plains, is a region in the southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas, including the South Plains and parts of the Texas Panhandle. One of the largest mesas or tablelands on the North American continent, and the portion of Arizona east of the Mohave The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States. Named after the Mohave tribe of Native Americans, it is a typical Basin and Range topography-Sonoran Desert The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest deserts in North America, with an area of 311,000 square and south of the "canyonlands", and also including the El Paso El Paso stands on the Rio Grande , across the border from Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico. The image to the right shows Downtown El Paso and Juárez, with the Juárez Mountains in the background. The two cities form a combined international metropolitan area, sometimes called Juarez-El Paso, with Juárez being the significantly larger of the two district of western Texas and the southernmost part of Colorado.^[2] He identifies four distinct subregions with this core.

He calls the first subregion "Northern New Mexico Northern New Mexico may simply mean the northern part of New Mexico, but in cultural terms it usually means the area of heavy Spanish settlement in the north-central part", and describes it as focused on Albuquerque Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 521,999 as of July 1, 2008, according to U.S. census estimates, and ranks as the 34th-largest city in the U.S. As of June 2007, and Santa Fe Santa Fe is the capital of the state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of Santa Fe County. Santa Fe (literally 'holy faith' in Spanish) had a population of 62,203 at the April 1, 2000 census; the estimate for July 1, 2006, is 72,056. It is the principal city of the Santa Fe, New Mexico Metropolitan. It extends from the San Luis Valley The San Luis Valley is an extensive alpine valley in the United States states of Colorado and New Mexico covering approximately 8,000 square miles and sitting at an average elevation of 7,500 feet (2,300 m) above sea level. The valley sits atop the Rio Grande Rift and is drained to the south by the Rio Grande River, which rises in the San Juan of southern Colorado to south of Socorro Socorro is a city in Socorro County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It stands in the Rio Grande Valley at an elevation of 4579 feet . The population was 8,879 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Socorro County and including the Manzano Mountains The Manzano Mountains are a small mountain range in the central part of the US State of New Mexico. They are oriented north-south and are about 40 miles long. The center of the range lies about 25 miles (40 km) southeast of Albuquerque, and the northern foothills (termed the Manzanitas) are just a few miles east of the edge of the city. The name &, with an east-west breadth in the north stretching from the upper Canadian River The Canadian River is the largest tributary of the Arkansas River. It is about 906 miles long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and most of Oklahoma to the upper San Juan River. Important ethnic groups include Hispanos Portuguese Americans · Mexican Americans · Native Americans in the United States to some extent, Anglo-Americans Anglo-America is a region in the Americas in which English is a main language, or one which has significant British historical, ethnic, linguistic, and cultural links. Anglo-America is distinct from Latin America, a region of the Americas where Romance languages are prevalent, and the Puebloan peoples The Pueblo people are a Native American people in the Southwestern United States. Their traditional economy is based on agriculture and trade. When first encountered by the Spanish in the 16th century, they were living in villages that the Spanish called pueblos, meaning "villages". Of the 21 pueblos that exist today, Taos, Acoma, Zuni,. The area around Albuquerque is sometimes called Central New Mexico Central New Mexico is the central region of the U.S. state of New Mexico. In the center of this region is Albuquerque, New Mexico, the largest city in the state. During the Spanish era the term Rio Abajo and Rio Arriba were used for the settled areas around Albuquerque and Santa Fe, respectively.^[3] During the 19th century Hispano people expanded north into the San Luis Valley west of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains The Sangre de Cristo Mountains are the southernmost subrange of the Rocky Mountains. They are located in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado in the United States. The mountains run from Poncha Pass in South-Central Colorado, trending southeast and south, ending at Glorieta Pass, southeast of Santa Fe, New Mexico. The mountains contain a, and east of the mountains along the Purgatoire River The Purgatoire River is a river in southeastern Colorado, United States. The river is also known locally as the Picketwire River. The Purgatoire River originates at the confluence of the North Fork Purgatoire River and Middle Fork Purgatoire River near Weston in Las Animas County, Colorado, and flows generally east-northeastward approximately 282 in Colorado. Hispano expansion to the east reached into the Texas Panhandle The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east. The southern border of Swisher County is considered to be the southern boundary of the region, though some consider the region and, to the west, along the San Juan River and Little Colorado River The Little Colorado River is a river in the U.S. state of Arizona, providing the principal drainage from the Painted Desert region. Together with its major tributary, the Puerco River, it drains an area of about 26,500 square miles in eastern Arizona and western New Mexico. This Colorado River tributary is over 315 miles (507 km) long, but being a into Arizona.^[4]

"Central Arizona" is vast metropolitan area spread across one contiguous sprawling oasis, essentially equivalent to the Phoenix metropolitan area The Phoenix metropolitan area, often referred to as The Valley of the Sun, is a metropolitan area, centered on the city of Phoenix, that includes much of the central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. Also known as the "Phoenix, Arizona Metropolitan Statistical Area," a designation given by the United States Census Bureau, it includes. The city of Phoenix Phoenix is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the fifth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to approximately 1.5 million people, and is the anchor of the Phoenix metropolitan area (also known as the Valley of the Sun), the 12th largest metro area by population in the United States with is the largest urban center, and located in the approximate center of the area, but it is just one of many urban centers, such as Tempe Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with a 2008 population of 175,523. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale on the north, Chandler on the south, and Mesa on the east. Tempe is, Mesa Mesa is a city in Maricopa County, in the U.S. state of Arizona and is a suburb located about 20 miles east of Phoenix. Mesa is in the East Valley section of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is bordered by Tempe on the west, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community on the north, Chandler and Gilbert on the south, and Apache Junction on the, and many others. None are clearly dominant although the whole can be considered the greater metropolitan area of Phoenix.^[5]

Meinig calls the third subregion "El Paso, Tucson, and the Southern Borderlands". While El Paso El Paso stands on the Rio Grande , across the border from Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico. The image to the right shows Downtown El Paso and Juárez, with the Juárez Mountains in the background. The two cities form a combined international metropolitan area, sometimes called Juarez-El Paso, with Juárez being the significantly larger of the two and Tucson Tucson is the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States, located 118 miles (188 km) southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles (98 km) north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2008 Census Bureau estimate puts the city's population at 541,811, with a metropolitan area population at 1,023,320 as of July 1, 2008. In 2005, Tucson ranked as the 32nd are distinctly different cities they share a similar and somewhat overlapping hinterland between them. El Paso is about half Hispano and, with Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez , also known as Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez has an estimated population of 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande (Río Bravo del Norte), across from El Paso, Texas. El Paso and Ciudad Juárez comprise one, just half of the largest metropolitan area along the Mexico – United States border. Tucson Tucson is the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States, located 118 miles (188 km) southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles (98 km) north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2008 Census Bureau estimate puts the city's population at 541,811, with a metropolitan area population at 1,023,320 as of July 1, 2008. In 2005, Tucson ranked as the 32nd occupies a large oasis at the western end of the El Paso-Tucson corridor. The region between the two cities is a major transportation trunk with settlements servicing both highway and railway needs. There are also large mining operations, ranches, and agricultural oases. Both El Paso and Tucson have large military installations nearby; Fort Bliss 11th, ADA Brigades and White Sands Missile Range White Sands Missile Range is a rocket range of almost 3,200 square miles (8,300 km2) in area, the largest military installation in the United States. WSMR includes the Oscura Range and the WSMR Otera Mesa bombing range. WSMR and the 600,000-acre Fort Bliss Range Complex' to the south, form a contiguous swath of territory[clarification needed] for north of El Paso, and, near Tucson, the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base Davis–Monthan Air Force Base (IATA: CBM, ICAO: KDMA, FAA LID: CBM) is a United States Air Force base located approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) south-southeast of Tucson, Arizona. About 70 miles (110 km) to the southeast are the research facilities at Fort Huachuca Fort Huachuca is a United States Army installation under the command of the United States Army Installation Management Command. It is located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about 15 miles north of the border with Mexico. Sierra Vista, which annexed the fort in 1971, is located south and east of the post, and Huachuca City, is to the. These military installations form a kind of hinterland around the El Paso-Tucson region, and are served by scientific and residential communities such as Sierra Vista Sierra Vista is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, USA. According to 2007 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 43,044. Fort Huachuca, a U.S. Army post, is included in City population estimates and is located in the northwest part of the city, Las Cruces Las Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 74,267 as of the 2000 Census, and was estimated at 91,865 as of July 1, 2008, making it the second largest city in the state. Las Cruces is the economic and geographic center of the fertile Mesilla, and Alamogordo Alamogordo is the county seat of Otero County and a city in south-central New Mexico, United States. A desert community lying in the Tularosa Basin, it is bordered on the east by the Sacramento Mountains. It is the nearest city to Holloman Air Force Base. The population was 35,582 as of the 2000 census. Alamogordo is known for The Atari video game. El Paso's influence extends north into the Mesilla Valley The Mesilla Valley is a geographic feature of Southern New Mexico and far West Texas. It was formed by repeated heavy spring floods of the Rio Grande, and southeast along the Rio Grande into the Trans-Pecos The term Trans-Pecos, as originally defined in 1887 by the Texas geologist Robert T. Hill, refers to the portion of Texas that lies west of the Pecos River. The term is considered synonymous with "Far West Texas", a subdivision of West Texas. The Trans-Pecos lies within the Chihuahuan Desert, the most mountainous and arid portion of the region of Texas. The entire region has a large Hispano population. The Native American Tohono O'odham The Tohono O'odham are a group of aboriginal Americans who reside primarily in the Sonoran Desert of the southeastern Arizona and northwest Mexico. "Tohono O'odham" means "People of the Desert." Although they were previously known as the Papago, they have largely rejected this name , which was applied to them by conquistadores, and Yaqui The Yoeme or Yaqui are a Native American tribe who originally lived in the valley of the Río Yaqui in the northern Mexican state of Sonora and throughout the Sonoran Desert region into the southwestern U.S. state of Arizona. The Yaqui call themselves "Yoeme," the Yaqui word for person . The Yaqui call their homeland "Hiakim," Native Americans continue to preserve cultural traditions and link Tucson with native lands to the west and south.^[6]

The fourth subregion Meinig calls the "Northern Corridor and Navaholands". A major highway and railway trunk connects Albuquerque and Flagstaff. Just north of the transportation trunk are large blocks of Native American land. Once regarded as a bleak wasteland populated by a dying culture, the native cultures, especially the Navajo Nation, have undergone a strong resurgence and is playing an increasingly important role. Other tribes such as the Hopi and Zuni have also experienced a similar resurgence. Several towns and cities serve as contact points between the native peoples and other groups. Notable examples include Farmington, New Mexico, Gallup, Window Rock, Arizona, Flagstaff, Arizona, and, to a lesser degree, Prescott, Arizona. In the Little Colorado River and Mogollon Rim country there is an old and continuing Mormon influence. Many old Mormon settlements have grown rapidly with the arrive of migrants mainly from Texas, the American South, and the Pacific Northwest. Districts around old Mormon villages such as Ramah, New Mexico are often populated by a mix of at least five ethnic groups and culture, such as Mormons, Pueblo Zunis, Navajos, Hispanos, and Texans.^[7]

The Phoenix metropolitan area dominates the western half of the Southwest's core region, so much so that it subordinates the subregions around Flagstaff and Tucson. Thus the basic spatial structure of the Southwest can be seen as focused on the three largest metropolitan areas of Phoenix, Albuquerque, and El Paso. This core of the Southwest is directly linked to other regions. The Mojave Desert separates it from Southern California. Several corridors and urban centers in the desert link the two region, most significantly at Las Vegas, Nevada, where the Arizona and California systems interlock. The Mormon Corridor links the Southwest to the main body of Mormon settlements in Utah. Mormons have colonized areas of Arizona and New Mexico since the 19th century, especially in the San Juan Basin near Farmington and along the Mogollon Rim and Little Colorado River in Arizona. Las Vegas also served as a pivotal point of Mormon Corridor between Utah, northern Arizona, and southern California. These areas link the Southwest with the main concentration of Mormon settlements in Utah and eastern Idaho. New Mexico is directly linked with Colorado, with cities such as Durango, Alamosa, Walsenburg, and Trinidad having characteristics of both regions. The Southwest is loosely linked with the Midwest in northeast New Mexico, into which the grain farming system of Kansas had been extended. The Southwest-Midwest link via the Santa Fe Trail was historically of enormous importance. The Southwest is linked to Texas in eastern New Mexico, especially along the Pecos River and on the Llano Estacado, where an early mass influx of Texan farmers was later reinforced by the oil industry. Roswell, New Mexico occupies a border position between Albuquerque and the Texan system. Finally, the Southwest is intimately linked to Mexico, most tightly at El Paso and Ciudad Juarez and secondarily at Tucson and Nogales.^[8]

History

With the European colonization of the Americans, New Spain, later to become Mexico was dominant until the 19th century. With Manifest Destiny, United States gradually gained control over the west. Pro-Confederate Texas and Pro-Union Utah were important at this point, although California rapidly became the main western power. Utahns moved west into Nevada and Northern California, whereas Texans moved into New Mexico and Arizona. Parts of New Mexico and Arizona were briefly a Confederate territory, then were transformed into a Union territory, then Union state. Arizona's original government and military were similar to those Texas at the time had. Arizona, in the form of the Gadsden Purchase also has connections to the Republic of Sonora.

Vegetation and Terrain

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Vegetation of the Southwest generally includes various types of yucca, along with Saguaro Cactus, Barrel Cactus, Prickly Pear Cactus, Desert Spoon, and Creosote Bush to name a few. These examples (minus the Saguaro Cactus), can be seen growing natively and in large numbers more east throughout the Texas Hill Country and South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley. Therefore some may consider the Southwest to begin in these areas since they not only share culture with the rest of the Southwest, but a lot of the native vegetation as well. However, none of the vegetation discussed grows natively the further east one gets past San Antonio, Austin, and even the western outskirts of Fort Worth. Dallas and Houston, for example, with regards to vegetation and terrain resemble more the American South (along with their culture as well). Landscape features of the core Southwestern areas of New Mexico and Arizona usually include mountains, and semi-arid to arid terrain. The eastern part of the Southwest, for example the Texas Hill Country, consists of dry, tall and rugged rocky hills of limestone and granite. South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley is mostly flat with many places consisting of scrub and bare topsoil, much like the deserts further west.

Ethnicity

The Southwest is ethnically varied, with significant European American (especially in the Texas Hill Country) and Hispanic American (in New Mexico, Arizona, California, and South Texas/Rio Grande Valley) populations in addition to more regional African American, Asian American, and American Indian populations.

Cities and urban areas

The area also contains many of the nation's largest cities and metropolitan areas, despite relatively low population density in rural areas. Phoenix and San Antonio are among the top ten most populous cities in the country^[9] and two of the fastest-growing cities in America. Many of the states in this region, such as Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas have witnessed some of the highest population growth in the United States; and according to the U.S. Census bureau, in 2008-2009, Utah was the fastest growing state in America. Other urban areas in this region, like Albuquerque, Austin, El Paso, Las Vegas, and Tucson are some of the fastest-growing cities in the country as well.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ Meinig, Donald W. (1971), Southwest: Three Peoples in Geographical Change, 1600-1970, New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 3–8, ISBN 0195012887
2. ^ Southwest, pp. 3-8
3. ^ Southwest, pp. 95-101
4. ^ Southwest, pp. 28-29
5. ^ Southwest, pp. 103-106
6. ^ Southwest, pp. 112-114
7. ^ Southwest, pp. 114-119
8. ^ Southwest, pp. 123-136
9. ^ 50 most populous cities in the U.S., Infoplease.com

External links

• American Southwest, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary

Categories: Southwestern United States | Regions of the Western United States

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• State: Dictionary
• U.S. State: Encyclopedia
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