Intermountain West
Encyclopedia
The Intermountain West is a region of North America
lying between the Rocky Mountains
to the east and the Cascades
and Sierra Nevada to the west. It is also called the Intermountain Region.
and rivers never reach the sea. Instead they flow into brackish lakes or into desert
sinks. Only some rivers are able to reach the ocean
. Some portions are made agriculturally productive by irrigation systems. Cattle ranching is practiced in the region as well.
of the Intermountain Region is affected by location and elevation. The winters depend on location. In the southern parts, the winters are short, and have little precipitation
, with not as much snow. In the northern portions, the winters are cold and can have significant snow, with hot and dry summers. This portion lacks precipitation as well, but the weather
is moderate.
s and sagebrush
to other plants that are able to survive in desert or semi-desert conditions in basin-lands. Some higher elevation areas have isolated stands of pine
, cedar
, and aspen tree forests. Cultivated crops include corn
, potatoes, sugar beets, grass hay, and alfalfa
. The latter two crops are used for livestock feed.
.
Because of its low population density and diverse economy, the survivalist writers James Wesley Rawles
and Joel Skousen
both recommend the region as a preferred locale for "strategic relocation" and for building survival retreats.
south of the Salmon River
, Utah
, Nevada
, as well as the area of Arizona
north of the Colorado River, and the parts of Colorado
that are just west of the rockies. The intermountain states are so named because they lie between (or at least amidst) the Rocky Mountains
, the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades
. Large areas of these states are less mountainous than the typical mountains found in these states. The intermountain states are included among those states considered as the Mountain States
.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
lying between the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
to the east and the Cascades
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
and Sierra Nevada to the west. It is also called the Intermountain Region.
Topography
Many of the Intermountain Region's mountains' streamsSTREAMS
In computer networking, STREAMS is the native framework in Unix System V for implementing character devices.STREAMS was designed as a modular architecture for implementing full-duplex I/O between kernel or user space processes and device drivers. Its most frequent uses have been in developing...
and rivers never reach the sea. Instead they flow into brackish lakes or into desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
sinks. Only some rivers are able to reach the ocean
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
. Some portions are made agriculturally productive by irrigation systems. Cattle ranching is practiced in the region as well.
Climate
The climateClimate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
of the Intermountain Region is affected by location and elevation. The winters depend on location. In the southern parts, the winters are short, and have little precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
, with not as much snow. In the northern portions, the winters are cold and can have significant snow, with hot and dry summers. This portion lacks precipitation as well, but the weather
Weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
is moderate.
Vegetation
The vegetation ranges from sparse grasslandGrassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
s and sagebrush
Sagebrush
Sagebrush is a common name of a number of shrubby plant species in the genus Artemisia native to western North America;Or, the sagebrush steppe ecoregion, having one or more kinds of sagebrush, bunchgrasses and others;...
to other plants that are able to survive in desert or semi-desert conditions in basin-lands. Some higher elevation areas have isolated stands of pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
, cedar
Cedar wood
Cedar wood comes from several different trees that grow in different parts of the world, and may have different uses.* California incense-cedar, from Calocedrus decurrens, is the primary type of wood used for making pencils...
, and aspen tree forests. Cultivated crops include corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, potatoes, sugar beets, grass hay, and alfalfa
Alfalfa
Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop in the US, Canada, Argentina, France, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, and many other countries. It is known as lucerne in the UK, France, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and known as...
. The latter two crops are used for livestock feed.
Demographics and sociology
A large portion of the Intermountain West is most associated with Latter-day Saint (LDS) settlements, and the region now has the highest ratio of LDS members in the United States. That particular portion of the Intermountain West is sometimes called the Mormon CorridorMormon Corridor
The Mormon Corridor is a term for the areas of Western North America that were settled between 1850 and approximately 1890 by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , who are commonly known as Mormons....
.
Because of its low population density and diverse economy, the survivalist writers James Wesley Rawles
James Wesley Rawles
James Wesley, Rawles is a New York Times best-selling survivalist-fiction author, blogger, and survival retreat consultant. Rawles is a Christian conservative. He is the editor of SurvivalBlog.com, a blog on survival and preparedness topics...
and Joel Skousen
Joel Skousen
Joel M. Skousen is an American conservative political commentator non-fiction Survivalist author, and retreat consultant who specializes in preparedness topics, particularly survival retreat and fallout shelter design and construction, as well as in what he calls "strategic relocation." Skousen is...
both recommend the region as a preferred locale for "strategic relocation" and for building survival retreats.
Intermountain states
The intermountain states are generally considered to be the area of IdahoIdaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
south of the Salmon River
Salmon River (Idaho)
The Salmon River is located in Idaho in the northwestern United States. The Salmon is also known as The River of No Return. It flows for through central Idaho, draining and dropping more than between its headwaters, near Galena Summit above the Sawtooth Valley in the Sawtooth National...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, as well as the area of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
north of the Colorado River, and the parts of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
that are just west of the rockies. The intermountain states are so named because they lie between (or at least amidst) the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
, the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
. Large areas of these states are less mountainous than the typical mountains found in these states. The intermountain states are included among those states considered as the Mountain States
Mountain States
thumb|300px|Regional definitions vary from source to source. The states shown in dark red are always included, while the striped states are usually considered part of the same region called the Mountain States....
.