THE EMPTY INTERIOR

The Empty Interior
By Stephen S. Birdsall and John Florin

Stretching from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains westward to the Sierra Nevada of California, to the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest and into Alaska, is the largest area of sparse population in America. Its low average population density is the key identifying feature of this region. Indeed, there is much variation in other elements of the territory's geography. Portions have rugged terrain interspersed with a series of plateaus, many of which contain extensive flat areas. Annual precipitation ranges from more than 125 centimeters in northern Idaho to less than 25 centimeters in the plateau country. The population of the region is mostly of European origin, although Hispanic-Americans and American Indians are found in significant proportions in the south. Irrigated agriculture is important in some areas, as is ranching, whereas in other areas, lumbering, tourism, and mining are dominant.

SIERRA NEVADA CALIFORNIA

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK PART OF THE SIERRA NEVADA

IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO ENCOUNTEER WITH NATURE.

 

THE GREAT PLAINS AND PRAIRIES

The great plains extends form Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Canada thru all the mid section of the United States. The states are parts of Montana, all North Dakota, and South Dakota, parts of Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and most of Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and a great part of Texas.

The book mentions that the earliest large-scale wind farms were erected in California, but Texas has far exceeded California's wind power capacity. Late 2007, wind power capacities in place or under construction in Texas alone was greater than the combined equivalent capacities in California, Oregon, and Washington.  Here is a link of the California wind energy.

http://www.energy.ca.gov/wind/overview.html