The United States, Chapter 9, Section 4The West, Using and Preserving Resources
The incredible wealth of natural
resources has drawn people to the West for well over 400 years.
With the California Gold Rush of 1849, population
exploded in the region.
Settlers from the mining towns built their homes with timber from the
Pacific Northwest
In order to save parts of the West as natural wilderness, Congress created several national parks
and forests.
The large number of visitors to Yosemite National
Park causes traffic jams
and air pollution.
Westerners are trying to find responsible ways to balance
the needs of the environment, the community
and the economy.
Today, most Westerners work in the cities.
(San Francisco, top left, Seattle, top right,
Los Angeles, bottom right)
The area around San Jose, California, is called Silicon Valley,
because there are so many computer companies there.
Reviewing Key Terms:
forty-niner
mass transit
responsible development
THE nickname of miners of the
California Gold Rush of 1849 is forty-niner.
A system of subways, buses, and commuter
trains used to transport large
numbers of people is called mass transit.
Limiting the number of campers allowed in Yosemite National Park is an example
of responsible development.
