CALIFORNIAUTAH

ALASKAHAWAIIOREGON

WASHINGTON

The Western United States

Manifest Destiny

The belief that America should expand westward.

From “sea to shining sea”

Here we see manifest destiny personified as a woman.

Who do you see in the picture?

Utah

Utah can be considered part of the southwest or western United States

I have included it because our guest speaker on Friday has been there.

Why did people come?

One of the main reasons to move to Utah in the past was religion.

Mormons are a religious group that was being persecuted in the east.

They found a safe haven in Utah.

Monument Valley

Once at the bottom of an inland ocean, monument valley is a national park in Utah.

The ocean evaporated and left the sea floor exposed.

Over time, erosion has given birth to these unique figures.

Bonneville Salt Flats

When the ocean finally dried up, the water disappeared, but the salt stayed.

The salt is flat and there is miles and miles of open space.

It has become a place to test out cars for speed records.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_622rP7bqI

Hill Air Force Base

Because of its location away from highly populated cities, Utah is home to a large air force base.

These are F-16s flying over Utah

The Great Salt LakeLargest Salt Water Lake in the Americas

Water flows in from rivers with small amounts of salt.

As before, the hot climate causes water to evaporate and salt to stay

Over time the water has become incredibly salty, no fish live in the lake.

Salty water is heavier than regular water, so people float more easily.

California

Basic Information

The largest state by population

The third largest by size

Home to 1 in 8 Americans

Cities grew to finding of gold in 1849

Immigration from central and south America, as well as Asia.

Leading America in Natural Energyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG0asFfmO-Y

Los Angeles

Second Largest City in the United States

Prone to earthquakes so there are few tall buildings

Hollywood film industry has slumped because of costs to film in California

Home to many schools including UCLA, the largest university in America

San Francisco

Again, prone to earthquakes

Huge hills

Home to Alcatraz

One of the best natural harbors in the world, allowing for great growth during the 1800s.

Transamerica Pyramid

Golden Gate Bridge

Yosemite

Thanks to President Teddy Roosevelt and conservationist John Muir, the iconic Yosemite Valley is protected.

Yosemite Granite is the hardest granite in the world, lava cannot penetrate through it.

The rock is pushed up from the ground.

Yes, like Yosemite Sam

Death Valley

One of the most barren places in the world.

The lowest, hottest and driest place in America.

National Park

120 degree temperatures during the day.

Northern California

Home to huge forests

Giant Sequoias the largest trees in the world.

Why would the largest trees in the world be found in California?

Washington

FactsNamed after our first president

Produces seafood, aerospace information, and technology.

Crops include timber, apples and potatoes

Microsoft is headquartered here

Dumb Laws:

No person may walk about in public if he or she has the common cold.

It is illegal to paint polka dots on the American flag.

People may not buy a mattress on Sunday.

It is illegal to pretend that one’s parents are rich.

Tlingit

One of the major native American groups from Washington State

Totem poles

We can still see their artistic influence in modern times.

Their homes were made of timber and they relied on fishing…just like modern times.

Seattle

The largest city in Washington is Seattle.

It rains often in Seattle because Mt. Rainier traps clouds, forcing heavy rain on one side while the other side of the mountain remains dry.

Home to the NFL Seahawks, MLB Mariners and formerly the NBA Supersonics (now OKC)

Safeco Park/Space Needle

Seattle Mariners baseball field.

Unique roof closes on rainy days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKJ4F8KgRL0

The Most Iconic building in Seattle is the Space Needle

An Observation Deck

Oregon

Oregon FactsHome of Nike

Major exports of dairy products and timber

Dumb Laws

Canned corn is not to be used as bait for fishing.

Dishes must drip dry.

The “Peer Review Statute” prohibits you from finding out details of any written or oral discussion about your medical treatment.

Ice cream may not be eaten on Sundays.

Crater LakeIt is a crater caused by a collapsed volcano

Due to the wet climate it has filled with fresh water.

It is the deepest freshwater lake in America (almost 2000ft deep)

National Park

“The Old Man of the Lake” is a tree stump that has been floating in the lake for over 100 years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3LtMF0aV54

Fishing

Oregon, along with Washington are well known for their fishing.

This is a salmon, a choice food for many.

Oregon State Flag

Oregon is the only state in America that has two different sides of their flag.

One side shows settlers who took the “Oregon Trail”

The other shows the beaver, the state animal.

Alaska

Alaska FactsLargest State by size.

Purchased from Russia before the Civil War, but not made a state until after WWII

Dumb Laws

It is considered an offense to push a live moose out of a moving airplane.

Moose may not be viewed from an airplane.

While it is legal to shoot bears, waking a sleeping bear for the purpose of taking a photograph is prohibited

Natural Wilderness

Known for its seclusion, Alaska is known for its natural beauty.

Because of the tilt of the earth, at some parts of Alaska summers have “never ending days” and winters have “never ending nights” for about a month.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdTduSstXVM

Home to the highest point in the US Mt. McKinley

Resources

Alaska was originally known for its gold deposits.

Gold traders would sail from Alaska to San Francisco

Now, the main industry is oil, which has led to controversy over wildlife preserves and invasion of the land held by native tribes.

Hawaii

Hawaii FactsOnly state with two official languages

Hawaiian language has only 12 letters and all words end in a vowel.

Having no defense against the diseases brought by foreigners, the native population of Hawaii dropped from around 300,000 in 1779 to about 40,000 in 1890.

Some of the most isolated islands in the world.

Sights to See

The USS Arizona is a sunken battleship from the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Nearby is the USS Missouri, where the Japanese surrendered

After over 70 years, the ship is still leaking oil.

Native vs Non Native

Surfing was invented by the Hawaiian people and took America by storm in the 1950s

The pineapple is native to south America but survives well and is grown en masse in Hawaii.

Economy

The main economic staple in Hawaii is tourism, and for obvious reasons.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ4WsRolZ4E