Regional definitions vary from source to source. The states shown in dark red are usually included, while all or portions of the striped states may or may not be considered part of the Northwestern United States.
The Northwestern United States comprise the northwestern states up to the western Great Plains regions of the United States, and consistently include the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, to which Southeast Alaska is sometimes added. Occasionally parts of Northern California are included in the Northwest.
"The Northwest" is home to over 10 million citizens, and is sometimes referred to as the "the Pacific Northwest" (abbreviated PNW or PacNW) is often used to mean Oregon and Washington and sometimes Idaho, northwestern Montana and northern California.[1] Internationally, however, this term includes parts of Canada - see Pacific Northwest.
Like the Southwestern United States, the idea of what comprised the Northwest was pushed farther west over time. The original Northwest (usually termed the "Old Northwest") comprised the Northwest Territory and gradually pushed across the Midwest to its current definition. The current area can generally be understood to include the old Oregon Territory (created in 1848 - Oregon, Washington, Idaho and areas in Montana west of the Continental Divide).citation needed
While other states are occasionally included, Washington and Oregon are almost always included. Together, these states have a combined population of 10,215,879. The 10 largest cities in the region are:
