The Mountain states (also known as the Mountain West or the Interior West) form one of the nine geographic divisions of the United States that are officially recognized by the United States Census Bureau. It is a subregion of the Western United States.
The Mountain states are considered to include: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. The words "Mountain states" generally refer to the U.S. states which encompass the U.S. Rocky Mountains. These are oriented north-south through portions of the states of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. Arizona and Nevada, as well as other parts of Utah and New Mexico, have other smaller mountain ranges and scattered mountains located in them as well. Sometimes, the Trans-Pecos area of West Texas is considered part of the region. The land area of the eight states together is some .
It is the fastest-growing region in the United States, with Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Colorado, and Arizona ranking among the fastest-growing states in the country. Phoenix is its largest city.
A few subregions exist within this region:
The Southwest region, consisting of Arizona, New Mexico, Southern Nevada, and Far West Texas The Intermountain region, consisting of Utah, Nevada, and Idaho, along with portions of other states The Front Range region, consisting of Northern New Mexico, Colorado, and Southeast Wyoming
Regional geography The Mountain West is one of the largest and most diverse regions in the United States. Most regional boundaries of the Mountain West are often looked at the area from the High Plains to the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range. The southern and northern portions of the Mountain West are often split into two separate regions. The southern portion (Arizona and New Mexico) is often called the Southwest region, while the northern portion (Idaho and Montana) is often included in either the Northwest states or called the "Northern Rockies".
Terrain
Together with the Pacific States of Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington, the Mountain states constitute the broader region of the West, one of the four regions the United States Census Bureau formally recognizes (the Northeast, South, and Midwest being the other three). The terrain of the Mountain West is more diverse than any other region in the United States. Its physical geography ranges from some of the highest mountain peaks in the continental United States to large desert lands and rolling plains in the eastern portion of the region. The Great Basin Desert is located in almost all of Nevada, western Utah, and southern Idaho. Portions of the Mojave Desert are located in California, but over half of the desert is located in southern Nevada, in the Mountain West. Meanwhile, the Sonoran Desert is located in much of Arizona, and the Chihuahuan Desert is located in most of southwestern and southern New Mexico, including White Sands and Jornada del Muerto. Colorado also has scattered desert lands in the southern and northwestern portions of the state, including the expansive San Luis Valley.
Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona have other smaller desert lands, part of the Colorado Plateau. The Painted Desert is located in northern and northeastern Arizona, and the San Rafael Desert is located in eastern Utah. New Mexico has other desert lands located in the northern and northwest. Colorado has large desert lands on the colorado plateau in the northwestern, western, and southern parts of the state. These desert lands in Colorado are located in and around areas such as Royal Gorge, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Pueblo, the San Luis Valley, Cortez, Dove Creek, Delta, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, the Roan Plateau, Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado National Monument, and the Grand Mesa.The Shifting Terrain of the Mountain West . Research.allacademic.com (May 7, 2013). Retrieved on 2013-07-17. The San Luis Valley is the largest high valley desert in the world.
In the far-eastern portions of the Mountain West are the High Plains, a portion of the Great Plains. These plains mainly consist of flat rolling land, with scattered buttes, canyons, and forests located in these areas. The High Plains receive very little rainfall, and sit at high elevations, usually about . Many people view the High Plains as the point where one begins to enter the greater Mountain West region.Welcome - High Plains Regional Climate Center. Hprcc.unl.edu (June 13, 2013). Retrieved on 2013-07-17.
Mountain ranges are located throughout the Mountain West, although the highest mountains are located in the Southern Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
+The 10 highest summits of the Mountain WestRankMountain peakStateMountain rangeElevationProminenceIsolationLocation1Sawatch Range2Sawatch Range3Sawatch Range4Sangre de Cristo Mountains5Sawatch Range6San Juan Mountains7Sangre de Cristo Range8Mosquito Range9Elk Mountains10Front Range
Climate
The climate of the Mountain West is one of the more diverse climates in the United States. The entire region generally features a semi-arid or arid climate, with somе alpine climates in the mountains of each state. Some parts of the tall mountains can receive very large amounts of snow and rain, while other parts of the region received very little rain, and virtually no snow at all. The High Plains in the eastern portion of the region receive moderate snowfalls, but very little rain.
The states of Nevada and Arizona are generally filled with desert lands and scattered mountain ranges. Much of Nevada receives little to no snow in the southern portion of the state, while northern Nevada can receive large amounts of snow in and around the mountains, and even in the desert lands in Nevada. Arizona generally receives little rain or snow, but high elevations in and near mountains receive extremely large amounts of rain and snow. Northern and northeastern Arizona display characteristics of a "High Desert", where the summers are very hot and dry, while the winters can become very cold, and it can snow as well.
Utah is also generally large desert lands, with mountains as well. However, the desert lands in Utah receive significant snowfall, and there are large amounts of snowfall on and around the mountains. Colorado and New Mexico have very similar climates. Both states can receive significant snowfalls off the mountains, while the mountains in both states receive extremely large amounts of snow. However, southern and southwestern New Mexico generally does not receive much snow at all, similar to southern Nevada and southern Arizona. The desert lands found in northeastern Arizona, eastern Utah, northern New Mexico, and western and southern Colorado are generally referred to as the "High Desert" lands.
The northern portion of the Mountain West tends to be a bit cooler than the southwestern areas. Idaho and Montana both receive significant snowfalls off the mountains and very large snowfalls in the mountains. The High Desert also exists in the northern Mountain West. Southeastern Oregon and southern Idaho have the Great Basin Desert lands located in them, which is part of the high desert.North American Deserts. DesertUSA. Retrieved on July 17, 2013.
The eight Mountain states have the highest mean elevations of all 50 U.S. states.
States
+The Mountain states by mean elevationSee the List of U.S. states by elevation.RankStateHighest pointHighest elevationLowest pointLowest elevationMean elevationElevation span1ColoradoMount Elbert Arikaree River at Kansas border2WyomingGannett Peak Belle Fourche River at South Dakota border3UtahKings Peak Beaver Dam Wash at Arizona border
. 4New MexicoWheeler Peak Red Bluff on Texas border5NevadaBoundary Peak Colorado River at California border6IdahoBorah Peak Snake River at Washington border7ArizonaHumphreys Peak Colorado River at Sonora border8MontanaGranite Peak Kootenai River at Idaho border. Mount ElbertColorado River at Sonora border.
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Demographics
The Phoenix metropolitan area is the most populous metropolitan area of the Mountain states, followed by Denver, Las Vegas, and Salt Lake City. Phoenix is also the most populous city.
The following table is a ranking of cities within the Mountain states region, by city population. +The 30 most populous cities of the Mountain statesRankCityState2020 pop2010 popChange1PhoenixArizona 2DenverColorado 3Las VegasNevada 4AlbuquerqueNew Mexico 5TucsonArizona 6MesaArizona 7Colorado SpringsColorado 8AuroraColorado 9HendersonNevada 10ChandlerArizona 11GilbertArizona 12RenoNevada 13North Las VegasNevada 14GlendaleArizona 15ScottsdaleArizona 16BoiseIdaho 17Salt Lake CityUtah 18PeoriaArizona 19TempeArizona 20Fort CollinsColorado 21LakewoodColorado 22SurpriseArizona 23ThorntonColorado 24West Valley CityUtah 25ArvadaColorado 26MeridianIdaho 27BillingsMontana 28West JordanUtah 29WestminsterColorado 30ProvoUtah
Census statistical areas
+The 30 most populous Core Based Statistical Areas of the Mountain states Rank CBSA2020 pop2010 pop Change1Phoenix–Mesa–Scottsdale, AZ MSA 2Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA 3Las Vegas, NV MSA 4Salt Lake City, UT MSA 5Tucson, AZ MSA 6 Albuquerque, NM MSA 7Boise City, ID MSA 8 Colorado Springs, CO MSA 9 Ogden-Clearfield, UT MSA 10 Provo-Orem, UT MSA 11 Reno, NV MSA 12 Fort Collins, CO MSA 13 Boulder, CO MSA 14 Greeley, CO MSA 15 Prescott, AZ MSA 16 Las Cruces, NM MSA 17 Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ MSA 18Yuma, AZ MSA 19Billings, MT MSA 20 Saint George, UT MSA 21 Coeur d'Alene, ID MSA 22Pueblo, CO MSA 23Idaho Falls, ID MSA 24Grand Junction, CO MSA 25 Santa Fe, NM MSA 26Logan, UT-ID MSA 27 Flagstaff, AZ MSA 28Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ MSA 29Farmington, NM MSA 30Missoula, MT MSA
+The twelve combined statistical areas of the Mountain statesRankCSA2014 pop2010 popChangeComponent CBSAs1Denver-Aurora-Greeley, CO CSA Boulder, CO MSADenver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSAGreeley, CO MSA2Salt Lake City-Provo-Orem, UT CSA Heber, UT μSAOgden-Clearfield, UT MSAProvo-Orem, UT MSASalt Lake City, UT MSA3Las Vegas, NV CSA Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ MSALas Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV MSAPahrump, NV μSA4Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas, NM Combined Statistical Area Albuquerque MSAEspanola, NM μSAGrants, NM μSALas Vegas, NM μSALos Alamos, NM μSASanta Fe, NM MSA5Tucson-Nogales, AZ CSA Nogales, AZ μSATucson, AZ MSA6Boise City-Mountain Home-Ontario, ID-OR CSA Boise City, ID MSAMountain Home, ID μSAOntario, OR-ID μSA7Reno-Carson City-Fernley, NV CSA Carson City, NV MSAFernley, NV μSAGardnerville Ranchos, NV μSAReno-Sparks, NV MSA8Idaho Falls-Rexburg-Blackfoot, ID CSA Idaho Falls, ID MSABlackfoot, ID μSARexburg, ID μSA9Pueblo-Cañon City, CO CSA Cañon City, CO μSAPueblo, CO MSA10Edwards-Glenwood Springs, CO CSA Edwards, CO μSAGlenwood Springs, CO μSA11Clovis-Portales, NM CSA Clovis, NM μSAPortales, NM μSA12Steamboat Springs-Craig, CO Combined Statistical Area Craig, CO μSASteamboat Springs, CO μSA
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