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.