Wikipedia source excerpts
s largest metropolitan areas are Greater Seattle, Washington, with 4 million people; Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, with 3.4 million people; Greater Portland, Oregon, with 2.5 million people; the Boise, Idaho metropolitan area with 845,877 people, and the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene combined statistical area with 793,285 people.
The culture of the Pacific Northwest is influenced by the Canada–United States border, which had been established at a time when the region's inhabitants were composed mostly of indigenous peoples. Two sections of the border—one along the 49th parallel south of British Columbia and one between the Alaska Panhandle and northern British Columbia—have left a great impact on the region.
The overwhelming majority of the population of the Pacific Northwest is concentrated in an urban megaregion, typically identified with its three major cities (Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver) but extending south from Vancouver to the Eugene, Oregon area, following the path of U.S. Interstate 5. Most of this urban megaregion is located between 40–90 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean coast.
As of 2021, the combined populations of the Lower Mainland region (which includes the Metro Vancouver Regional District), the Puget Sound region (which includes the Seattle metropolitan area), and the Willamette Valley (which includes the Portland metropolitan area) totaled more than ten million people. However, beyond these three urban areas, the PNW region is characterized by a very low density population distribution. Large geographical areas may only have one mid-sized to small-sized city as a regional center (often a county seat), with smaller cities and towns scattered around. Vast areas of the region may have little or no population at all, largely due to the presence of extensive mountains and forests, and plateaus containing both extensive farm and range lands, much of which is protected from development in large parks and preserves, or by zoning use regulations related to traditional land use. For example, all cities within the vast coastal area between Eugene, Oregon and San Francisco, California, including Southern Oregon and far northern California (often included in the "Pacific Northwest") have populations less than 100,000, with that portion of the state containing millions of acres of national forests and parks.
The most densely populated region west of the Cascade Range outside this corridor is Southern Vancouver Island near British Columbia's Pacific coast, including Victoria and Nanaimo, (with a population of approximately 500,000). In contrast, most of the coastal areas of Washington and Oregon are sparsely populated.
East of the Cascades, populated areas include the Okanagan Valley in the British Columbia interior centered around the city of Kelowna, the Yakima Valley and Kennewick in Washington, the Bend-Redmond area just east of the Cascades in Central Oregon.
Economy
Agriculture (fruit, potatoes, Tillamook cheese, dairy, wine, vegetables, wheat, Cascade hops, barley, hazelnuts)
Aerospace (Boeing Commercial Airplane unit, Air Canada, Alaska Air, CHC Helicopter, Esterline, Glasair Aviation, Precision Castparts Corporation)
Diversified (Jim Pattison Group, Finning, Washington Marine Group)
Entertainment industry (film and television, Lions Gate Entertainment, Lionsgate Studios, Lionsgate Television, Vancouver Film Studios, Bridge Studios)
Finance and banking (RBC, HSBC Bank Canada, Russell Investments, Umpqua Holdings Corporation)
Forestry (Weyerhaeuser, Canfor, Tolko, Boise Cascade, Mendocino Redwood Company, Green Diamond Resource Company)
Fishing and canning (salmon, halibut, herring, geoducks and other clams, crab, sea-urchin, oyster)
High technology and e-commerce (Microsoft, Intel, F5, Nintendo of America, Nintendo of Canada, Tektronix, Amazon, Expedia, Ballard Power Systems, MacDonald Dettwiler, EA Vancouver, Cymax Stores, Micron Technology, T-Mobile US, Electronic Arts)
Hydroelectric power (Grand Coulee Dam, Bonneville Dam, BC Hydro)
Mass retail (London Drugs, Costco, Blenz, Starbucks, Tullys, Nordstrom, Zumiez, Albertsons)
Microbrewing (BridgePort, Deschutes, Lost Coast Brewery, MacTarnahan's, Nelson, Ninkasi, Pyramid, Widmer Brothers, Yukon)
Mining (Goldcorp, Teck Resources)
Outdoor tourism (alpine skiing, snowboarding, hiking, kayaking, rafting, fishing, mountain biking, water sports)
Shoes and apparel (Nike, Nordstrom, Adidas North America, Brooks Sports, Columbia, REI, Lululemon Athletica, Eddie Bauer, Mountain Equipment Co-op)
Real estate marketing and construction (Zillow)
Aluminum smelting was once an important part of the region's economy due to the abundance of cheap hydroelectric power. Hydroelectric power generated by the hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River powered at least ten aluminum smelters during the mid-20th century. By the end of World War II these smelters were producing over a third of the United States' aluminum. Production rose during the 1950s and 1960s, then declined. By the first decade of the 21st century the aluminum industry in the Pacific Northwest was essentially defunct. The Alcan smelter at Kitimat continues in operation and is fed by the diversion of the Nechako River (a tributary of the Fraser) to a powerhouse on the coast at Kemano, near Kitimat.
The region as a whole, but especially several specific areas, are concentrated high-tech areas: Seattle eastern suburbs, the Portland Silicon Forest area, and Vancouver, British Columbia.