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51-564: The rationale for internment was fear of the threat of sabotage on the West Coast by the large Japanese American population. Immediately following the attack on Pearl Harbor , President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 . This order authorized the Secretary of War and military commanders to designate areas to detain people living in the United States who might be a threat to

102-562: A 2019 Pew Research Center poll, 72% of adults in Pacific states said that "climate change is affecting their local community at least some", higher than in any other region in the country. Since 1992 , the three states have voted for Democrats in presidential elections without interruption, but Oregon and Washington also voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in 1988 . In the 2010s, Democrats strengthened their political power along

153-495: A few months after the issue of the order. Living quarters across all camps resembled military style barracks as they were constructed from military surplus equipment. Living space was generally tight and incredibly cramped among families. The forced removal of Japanese Americans from the "affected areas" of California , Oregon , Washington , and Arizona started from April to May 1942. Families were given just under one week to get their personal and professional affairs in order. As

204-584: A professional baseball player, and considered to be the best in the WRA system. Incarcerees also built a theater for plays and films, and playgrounds , and planted trees to relieve the desolation of the arid site. Gila River had a communal medical facility at Butte Hospital. Canal Camp had 404 buildings with 232 barracks and 24 separate schoolhouses. Butte Camp contained 821 buildings with 627 residential barracks. These barracks were made of wood and fireproof shingles that were of limited effectiveness in blocking out

255-474: A resolution of official apology and authorization to provide compensation to survivors and descendants of inmates. On December 21, 2006, President George W. Bush signed H.R. 1492 into law guaranteeing $ 38,000,000 in federal money to restore the Gila River relocation center, along with nine other former American concentration camps used to house Japanese Americans. West Coast of the United States in

306-405: A result, individual families lost thousands of dollars from having to hastily sell off properties severely under market value. After the war, many Japanese Americans who had been interned had to start over to build their businesses and livelihoods from scratch. In the 1980s, the federal government acknowledged that it had committed an injustice against Japanese Americans with this act. Congress passed

357-430: Is considered a Democratic stronghold. Before achieving statehood in 1959, Hawaii became a state favorable to Democrats to the point that they sought statehood for the territory. Southern Democrats opposed the move because it would mean additional votes against their region on several issues. Since achieving statehood, Hawaii consistently voted for Democrats in presidential elections, except in 1972 and 1984 . Unlike

408-608: Is part of the West Coast, along with the other four states. Encyclopædia Britannica refers to the North American region as part of the Pacific Coast, including Alaska and British Columbia . Although the encyclopedia acknowledges the inclusion of Hawaii in some capacity as part of the region, the editors wrote that "it has little in common geologically with the mainland states." Several dictionaries offer different definitions of

459-488: Is the 13th largest city, and Alaska's largest city, Anchorage , is 17th on the West Coast. California's history first as a major Spanish colony, and later Mexican territory, has given the lower West Coast a distinctive Hispanic American tone, which it also shares with the rest of the Southwest. Similarly, two of the three cities in which Asian Americans have concentrated, San Francisco and Los Angeles, are located on

510-603: The American Legion lobbied relentlessly for a trial, prompting the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to renew its investigation of Toguri's wartime activities. Her 1949 trial resulted in a conviction on one of eight counts of treason. In 1974, investigative journalists found that important witnesses had asserted that they were forced to lie during testimony. They stated that FBI and US occupation police had coached them for more than two months about what they should say on

561-597: The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 , an official apology and authorization to provide restitution to survivors and descendants of inmates. In total 119,000 Americans of Japanese descent were incarcerated throughout World War II . Gila River War Relocation Center was one of ten internment camps, operated by the WRA located throughout the American interior west. The Gila River camp was one of two internment camps located in Arizona,

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612-570: The Jerome War Relocation Center in Arkansas when that facility closed in 1944. It became Arizona's fourth-largest city, with a peak population of 13,348. Some of the incarcerees died en route to Gila River or shortly after arrival in the harsh desert environment. One of these was the mother of Iva Toguri . Toguri was an American woman of Japanese descent who broadcast for the Japanese and

663-636: The Pacific Northwest , Portland and Seattle are both considered among the coffee capitals of the world. While Starbucks originated in Seattle, both cities are known for small-scale coffee roasters and independent coffeeshops. The culture has also been significantly shaped by the environment, especially by its forests, mountains, and rain. This may account for the fact that the Northwest has many high-quality libraries and bookshops (most notably Powell's Books and

714-591: The Pacific coast and valleys of North America and possibly by sea. Alaska Natives , Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast , and California indigenous peoples eventually descended from the Paleo-Indians . They developed various languages and established trade routes . Later, Spanish, British, French, Russian, and American explorers and settlers began colonizing the area . On May 10, 1869,

765-523: The Seattle Central Library ) and a "bibliophile soul". The region also has a marginal, but growing independence movement based on bioregionalism and a Cascadian identity. The Cascadian flag has become a popular image at Seattle Sounders FC and Portland Timbers games. Alaska is widely known for its outdoors and its inhabitants engage in a range of activities that are unique to the state. Some of these activities can be experienced through

816-522: The U.S. Census Bureau considers both states to be part of a larger U.S. geographic division. There are conflicting definitions of which states comprise the West Coast of the United States, but the West Coast always includes California , Oregon , and Washington as part of that definition. Under most circumstances, however, the term encompasses the three contiguous states and Alaska , as they are all located in North America. For census purposes, Hawaii

867-520: The first transcontinental railroad was completed joining the West Coast to the East of the United States. The West Coast of the United States has an oceanic climate in its Northwestern, Northern, and Eastern edge towards the U.S.-Canada border, but from Northern California, towards the U.S.-Mexico border the climate is Mediterranean . While the northern half of the west coast, particularly coastal Washington and Oregon has moderate rainfall, particularly during

918-582: The 2020 United States Census, 16 of the 20 largest cities on the West Coast exist in California. Los Angeles , San Diego , and San Jose , all among the top 10 most populous cities in the country, lead the West Coast in population with more than a million people in each city, with Los Angeles being nearly three times the size of San Diego's population. Behind these three cities, San Francisco , Seattle and Portland are respectively fourth, fifth and sixth in population. Hawaii's capital and largest city, Honolulu ,

969-638: The Japanese Empire. In the years soon after the war, the character "Tokyo Rose" – whom the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) now avers to be "mythical" – became an important symbol of Japanese villainy for the United States . American cartoons, movies, and propaganda videos between 1945 and 1960 tend to portray her as sexualized, manipulative, and deadly to American interests in the South Pacific, particularly by revealing intelligence of American losses in radio broadcasts. Similar accusations concern

1020-800: The Pacific Ocean to points throughout North America, and are often described as gateways to the Pacific Rim . Tokyo Rose Tokyo Rose (alternative spelling Tokio Rose ) was a name given by Allied troops in the South Pacific during World War II to all female English-speaking radio broadcasters of Japanese propaganda . The programs were broadcast in the South Pacific and North America to demoralize Allied forces abroad and their families at home by emphasizing troops' wartime difficulties and military losses. Several female broadcasters operated using different aliases and in different cities throughout

1071-651: The United States  (tan) The West Coast of the United States , also known as the Pacific Coast and the Western Seaboard , is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean . The term typically refers to the contiguous U.S. states of California , Oregon , and Washington , but it occasionally includes Alaska and Hawaii in bureaucratic usage. For example,

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1122-583: The West Coast begins with the arrival of the earliest known humans of the Americas, Paleo-Indians , crossing the Bering Strait from Eurasia into North America over a land bridge, Beringia , that existed between 45,000 BCE and 12,000 BCE (47,000–14,000 years ago). Small isolated groups of hunter-gatherers migrated alongside herds of large herbivores far into Alaska . Between 16,500 BCE and 13,500 BCE (18,500–15,500 years ago), ice-free corridors developed along

1173-434: The West Coast usually refers to the contiguous coastal states of California, Oregon, and Washington because of their similar political leanings. In 2017, The Oregonian columnist David Sarasohn described the West Coast as a " blue wall " of shared values on immigration , abortion , climate change , and civil liberties . By 2016, the West Coast states legalized marijuana after California voted to do so. According to

1224-428: The West Coast, with significant populations in other West Coast cities. San Francisco's Chinatown , the oldest in North America, is a noted cultural center. The West Coast also has a proportionally large share of green cities within the United States, which manifests itself in different cultural practices such as bicycling and organic gardening. Greater Los Angeles, in particular, has immense global influence due to

1275-523: The West Coast. Lexico restricts the West Coast's definition to "the western seaboard of the U.S. from Washington to California." However, Macmillan Dictionary provides a less specific definition as "the western coast of the U.S., along the Pacific Ocean ." As for the Cambridge Dictionary , the West Coast is "the area of the Pacific coast in the U.S. that includes California." The history of

1326-454: The West Coast. After winning a special election for a seat in the Washington state senate in 2017, Democrats built a government trifecta in all three West Coast states. After the 2022 U.S. House of Representatives elections , Democrats controlled all congressional districts touching the Pacific. Hawaii is not usually considered part of the West Coast in the political definition, though it

1377-643: The camp sites is owned by the Gila River Indian Tribe and is considered sacred by them. They have restricted public access to the historic sites. All the main structures are long gone. Remaining are such elements as the road grid, concrete slab foundations, manholes, cisterns, several rock alignments, and dozens of small ponds. During the Ronald Reagan Administration, the federal government acknowledged that it had committed an injustice against Japanese Americans with this program. Congress passed

1428-432: The coast. Interstate travel is also served by roads such as Interstate 5 , the main high-speed north–south freeway along the West Coast. Interstate 5 follows the coast only as far north as Dana Point, California , before turning inland for much of its route. The main coastal scenic route throughout most of California is California State Route 1 . From the end of SR 1 at Leggett, California , U.S. Route 101 serves as

1479-931: The coastline, and could partially be explained by the cold currents in the Pacific Ocean moderating coastal temperatures and the mountain ranges blocking the maritime air from moving farther inland than its foothills during summer. Coastal fog is also prevalent in keeping shoreline temperatures cool. While famous in the San Francisco Bay Area , coastal fog also affects Santa Monica in Los Angeles , Southern California , leading to May gray and June gloom conditions. Coastal California has very little yearly temperature differences with cool summers similar to those expected in parts of Northern Europe in San Francisco but warmer temperatures year-round further south. A short journey inland and summer temperatures are comparable with

1530-525: The country and its interests. Though it did not expressly name Japanese Americans (or anyone of Japanese ancestry) to be detained, it was implied due to the outbreak of war with Japan . The Secretary of War was also told to make accommodation for those held by the government. The order stated: "The Secretary of War is hereby authorized to provide for residents of any such area who are excluded therefrom, such transportation, food, shelter, and other accommodations as may be necessary". The order also gave authority of

1581-439: The daughter of Japanese immigrants, Toguri traveled to Japan to tend to a sick aunt just prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor . Unable to leave the country when war began with the United States, unable to stay with her aunt's family as an American citizen, and unable to receive any aid from her parents who were placed in internment camps in Arizona, Toguri eventually accepted a job as a part-time typist at Radio Tokyo (NHK). She

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1632-539: The desert heat. Each barrack was made to house four single families in separate apartments. But, the camp exceeded its capacity: it was designed for 10,000 residents, and held more than 13,000. Because of this, some families were housed in the mess hall or recreation buildings, where they had to use hanging blankets as makeshift walls for visual privacy. Water shortages also plagued the camp. Inmates' encounters with venomous rattlesnakes and scorpions resulted in bites that kept Butte Hospital extremely busy. The land for

1683-469: The main scenic route along the coast in far Northern California, Oregon, and Washington state. Sierra High Route is a popular trekking route. Several of the most important international airports in the United States are located along the West Coast, including Seattle–Tacoma International Airport , San Francisco International Airport , and Los Angeles International Airport . Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles all connect numerous destinations around

1734-488: The men listened because the program had "good entertainment," and one G.I. remarked, "[l]ots of us thought she was on our side all along." After World War II ended in 1945, the U.S. military detained Toguri for a year before releasing her due to lack of evidence. Department of Justice officials agreed that her broadcasts were "innocuous". But when Toguri tried to return to the United States, an uproar ensued because Walter Winchell (a powerful broadcasting personality) and

1785-399: The other West Coast states, Alaska has been a reliable state for Republicans in presidential elections. Since achieving statehood, Alaska has voted for the Democratic presidential candidate only once in 1964 . In 1960 , the state narrowly voted for Republican Richard Nixon over Democrat John F. Kennedy and had voted for Republicans uninterrupted since 1968 . According to the results of

1836-484: The other being Poston War Relocation Center . Most camps including Gila River were chosen due to their solitary geographic locations, many of which were located in the middle of deserts. The camp was located on the Gila River Indian Reservation , near an irrigated agricultural center. It comprised two separate camps, named 'Canal' and 'Butte'. Construction began on May 1, 1942, over the strong objections of

1887-554: The prescribed areas to the Secretary of War ahead of other departments in the government and allowed the use of federal troops to enforce compliance with government rules in those areas. Placed in command of issuing the forced removal of Japanese Americans from their homes and businesses in the West Coast was commander of the Western Defense Command Lt. Gen. John L. DeWitt . The internment camps were hastily constructed within

1938-450: The presence of the Hollywood film industry , and is considered the creative capital of the world due to the proportion of its population involved in the entertainment industry. Meanwhile, parts of the San Francisco Bay Area are also known as Silicon Valley , due to the tremendous presence of software companies in the area, including tech giants like Apple , Meta , and Alphabet Inc . In

1989-506: The propaganda broadcasts of Lord Haw-Haw and Axis Sally , and in 1949 the San Francisco Chronicle described Tokyo Rose as the " Mata Hari of radio". Tokyo Rose ceased to be merely a symbol during September 1945 when Iva Toguri D'Aquino , a Japanese-American disc jockey for a propagandist radio program, attempted to return to the United States. Toguri was accused of being the "real" Tokyo Rose, arrested, tried, and became

2040-516: The propaganda broadcasts of Tokyo Rose and then as a parody to entertain U.S. troops abroad. In U.S.-occupied Japan, his "Moshi, Moshi Ano-ne" jingle was sung to the tune of "London Bridge is Falling Down" and became so popular with Japanese children and G.I.s that the U.S. military's Stars and Stripes newspaper called it "the Japanese occupation theme song." In 1946, Elsa Maxwell referred to Kaner as "the breath of home to unknown thousands of our young men when they were lonely." Tokyo Rose has been

2091-495: The reservation's Pima Indian government. The official opening took place less than two months later, on July 20. Canal Camp closed on September 28, 1945. Butte Camp was shut down on November 10, 1945; and the Gila River Relocation Center was officially closed on November 16, 1945. Gila River received incarcerees from California ( Fresno , Sacramento , and Los Angeles ). In addition, it took in 2,000 people from

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2142-609: The rest of the United States on the same latitudes, sometimes warmer due to prevailing winds from the Nevada and Arizona hot desert climate . With the exception of Alaska , the Democratic Party has dominated West Coast politics in contemporary history, with the states consistently voting for Democrats in elections at various levels. Four out of five West Coast states have voted for Democrats in presidential elections since 1992 , three of which have done so since 1988 . In politics,

2193-401: The seventh person in U.S. history to be convicted of treason . Toguri was eventually paroled from prison in 1956, but it was more than twenty years later that she received an official presidential pardon for her role in the war. Although she broadcast using the name "Orphan Ann", Iva Toguri has been known as "Tokyo Rose" since her return to the United States in 1945. An American citizen and

2244-458: The stand, and that they had been threatened with treason trials themselves if they did not cooperate. U.S. President Gerald Ford pardoned Toguri in 1977 based on these revelations and earlier issues with the indictment. Walter Kaner (May 5, 1920 – June 26, 2005) was a journalist and radio personality who broadcast using the name Tokyo Mose during and after World War II. Kaner broadcast on U.S. Army Radio, at first to offer comic rejoinders to

2295-668: The state's annual events, such as the Iron Dog snowmobile race from Anchorage to Nome and on to Fairbanks . Other events include the World Ice Art Championships (Fairbanks) and the Sitka Whalefest ( Sitka ). The Coast Starlight is the main interstate passenger railroad route provided by Amtrak along the coast. BNSF Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad own and operate railroads that connect cities on

2346-591: The subject of songs, movies, and documentaries: The first registered rock group using the name Tokyo Rose was formed in the summer of 1980. They are most known for their video which tells the story of the war time Tokyo Rose. Tokyo Rose is also the name of an emo/pop band hailing from New Jersey. In 2019, Burnt Lemon Theatre brought the musical theatre production Tokyo Rose to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and New Diorama Theatre. An extended version toured in 2021 in several UK cities, accompanied by

2397-483: The territories occupied by the Japanese Empire , including Tokyo , Manila , and Shanghai . The name "Tokyo Rose" was never actually used by any Japanese broadcaster, but it first appeared in U.S. newspapers in the context of these radio programs during 1943. During the war, Tokyo Rose was not any one individual, but rather a group of largely unassociated women working for the same propagandist effort throughout

2448-466: The winter months, much of coastal California is drier year-round. The coastline sees significantly milder temperatures compared to inland areas during summer. In far Northern California there is a difference of 17 °C (30 °F) between Eureka and Willow Creek in spite of only 25 miles (40 km) separating the locations and Willow Creek being located at a 500 metres (1,600 ft) elevation. Slightly narrower fluctuations can be seen all through

2499-401: Was later condemned as " Tokyo Rose "; she was convicted of treason, based on perjured testimony. Gila River was considered one of the least oppressive camps of its kind. It had only a single watchtower , and its fences were among the few that lacked barbed wire . The administrators of the camps seemed to care for the incarcerees, and allowed them access to the amenities of Phoenix. Gila River

2550-456: Was one of the first WRA camps to have a local "democratic" governing body of internees for the camp, supervised closely by the WRA. A representative of every block was nominated to the council however, only Nisei (second generation U.S. born Japanese Americans) were allowed to hold the offices. They also encouraged recreational activities such as sports and arts . Butte camp contained a 6,000-seat baseball field , designed by Kenichi Zenimura ,

2601-409: Was quickly recruited as a broadcaster for the 75-minute propagandist program The Zero Hour , which consisted of skits, news reports, and popular American music. According to studies conducted during 1968, of the 94 men who were interviewed and who recalled listening to The Zero Hour while serving in the Pacific, 89% recognized it as "propaganda", and less than 10% felt "demoralized" by it. 84% of

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