89-730: Albertsons Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in the Western United States , located on the campus of Boise State University in Boise, Idaho . It is the home of the Boise State Broncos of the Mountain West Conference . Known as Bronco Stadium for its first 44 seasons, it was renamed in May 2014 when Albertsons , a chain of grocery stores founded by Boise area resident Joe Albertson , purchased
178-484: A seating capacity of 14,500 and a green AstroTurf playing field, configured in the traditional north–south direction, and an all-weather running track. For its first five seasons, the stadium consisted of two sideline grandstands, the west side having an upper deck and the press box. (photo – 1971) Boise State became a charter member of Division II when the NCAA reorganized the former College Division in 1973 . Following
267-655: A 28–7 lead at halftime and won handily 42–14 and a rivalry game was born.) The Boise College football program upgraded from junior college to four-year status in 1968 and competed as an NAIA independent for two seasons. The school became Boise State College in 1969 and the Broncos were accepted into the NCAA in October. A month later the school was voted into the Big Sky Conference , effective fall 1970. Following
356-623: A fauna resembling its position in the dry deserts with temperature extremes. The western continental coast of the U.S., just as the East Coast, varies from a colder-to-warmer climate from north to south. Few species live throughout the entire West Coast, however, there are some, including the bald eagle that inhabits both the Alaskan Aleutian Islands and the California Channel Islands . In most of
445-409: A home field with alternating maroon and gray stripes. The blue turf at Boise State remained the only non-traditionally colored field used by a Division I FBS program until June 2014, when Eastern Michigan announced it would install a gray FieldTurf surface at Rynearson Stadium in time for the 2014 season. Another myth is that, mistaking the blue field for a large body of water, birds have flown into
534-467: A joking reference to "the frozen tundra" of Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin . After sixteen seasons of playing on standard green AstroTurf , athletic director Gene Bleymaier came up with the idea to install the blue turf. If BSU was going to spend $ 750,000 on a new surface, he didn't want to install yet another green field, and that a blue field might provide some national notoriety for
623-414: A myth of the west which has shaped much of American popular culture since the late 19th century. Writers as diverse as Bret Harte and Zane Grey celebrated or derided cowboy culture, while artists such as Frederic Remington created western art as a method of recording the expansion into the west. The American cinema , in particular, created the genre of the western movie , which, in many cases, use
712-884: A national issue, agencies of the federal government own and manage vast areas of land. (The most important among these are the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management within the Interior Department , and the U.S. Forest Service within the Agriculture Department .) National parks are reserved for recreational activities such as fishing , camping , hiking , and boating , but other government lands also allow commercial activities like ranching , logging , and mining . In recent years, some local residents who earn their livelihoods on federal land have come into conflict with
801-463: A possible shift in the popular understanding of the West as a region in the early 1990s, historian Walter Nugent conducted a survey of three groups of professionals with ties to the region: a large group of Western historians (187 respondents), and two smaller groups, 25 journalists and publishers and 39 Western authors. A majority of the historian respondents placed the eastern boundary of the West east of
890-460: A revised expansion which was completed by June 2013. During Boise State's recent streak of conference championships, Albertsons Stadium has proven to be a tough place for opponents. As of November 25, 2022, the end of the 2022 regular season, the Broncos are a sensational 136–13 (.913) at home since the 1999 season . The Broncos won 47 straight home conference games from 1999 to 2011 and were undefeated in home conference games during their 10 years in
979-578: A sharp decline in citrus production in Arizona. Many varieties of chile peppers are grown in the valleys of New Mexico . Starting in 1902, Congress passed a series of acts authorizing the establishment of the United States Bureau of Reclamation to oversee water development projects in seventeen western states. During the first half of the 20th century, dams and irrigation projects provided water for rapid agricultural growth throughout
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#17327731312461068-464: A total 2020 population of 78,588,572. The West is one of the most sparsely settled areas in the United States with 49.5 inhabitants per square mile (19.1 inhabitants/km ). Only Texas with 78.0 inhabitants/sq mi (30.1 inhabitants/km ), Washington with 86.0 inhabitants/sq mi (33.2 inhabitants/km ), and California with 213.4 inhabitants/sq mi (82.4 inhabitants/km ) exceed
1157-410: A total of 37,000. In late August 2010, the athletic department revealed expansion plans for Albertsons Stadium. The first stages were to include adding a new facility to the north end zone to house the football offices, weight room, training room, equipment room and locker room. Plans also included a 13,200 seat grandstand. The later stages of the expansion plan included removal of the track, lowering of
1246-754: A volcano in Washington , is also over 14,000 feet (4,300 m). Mount St. Helens , a volcano in the Cascades , erupted explosively in 1980 . A major volcanic eruption at Mount Mazama around 4860 BC formed Crater Lake . These mountain ranges see heavy precipitation, capturing most of the moisture that remains after the Coast Ranges, and creating a rain shadow to the east forming vast stretches of arid land. These dry areas encompass much of Nevada , Utah , and Arizona . The Mojave Desert and Sonoran Desert along with other deserts are found here. Beyond
1335-443: Is best known for its distinctive blue playing surface, which was the only non-green football playing surface among Division I FBS programs from Boise State's entry in 1996 until Eastern Michigan installed a gray surface at Rynearson Stadium in 2014 . The best-known nickname for the surface is " Smurf Turf." Players refer to it simply as "The Blue." Chris Berman of ESPN has also called Boise's turf "The Blue Plastic Tundra",
1424-489: Is in the Western states. Public lands account for 25 to 75 percent of the total land area in these states. The climate of the West is semi-arid , yet parts of the region get high amounts of rain or snow. Other parts are true desert which receive less than 5 inches (130 mm) of rain per year. The climate is increasingly unstable, and subject to periods of severe drought. The seasonal temperatures vary greatly throughout
1513-689: Is predicted to experience drought-like conditions for much of the 21st century. Violent thunderstorms occur east of the Rockies . Tornadoes occur every spring on the southern plains, with the most common and most destructive centered on Tornado Alley , which covers eastern portions of the West, ( Texas to North Dakota ), and all states in between and to the east. Agriculture varies depending on rainfall, irrigation, soil, elevation, and temperature extremes. The arid regions generally support only livestock grazing, chiefly beef cattle. The wheat belt extends from Texas through The Dakotas , producing most of
1602-436: Is the first venue to hold its name. However, when it was Bronco Stadium, it was the fourth venue and second of the same name at Boise State; the three on-campus stadiums were built in 1940, 1950, and 1970, respectively. During its first years at its original campus, BJC football was played at "Public School Field," the home field of Boise High School , located three blocks north-northeast of today's Albertsons Stadium. The site
1691-734: Is the largest region of the country, covering nearly half the land area of the contiguous United States . It is also the most geographically diverse, incorporating geographic regions such as the temperate rainforests of the Northwest , the highest mountain ranges, including the Rocky Mountains , the Sierra Nevada , and the Cascade Range , numerous glaciers , and the western edge of the Great Plains . It also contains
1780-566: Is widely known for its unusual blue playing surface, installed in 1986 , while Boise State was in the Big Sky Conference . It was the first non-green playing surface (outside of painted end zones) in football history and remained the only one among NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision schools for almost 20 years. Since 1997 , it has hosted the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (known as the Humanitarian Bowl and
1869-417: The 1974 season , the school's first as Boise State University, an upper deck was added to the east side (photo – 1971) – (photo −1975) , adding 5,500 seats as well as symmetry to the stadium. The permanent seating capacity grew to 20,000 for its Bronco Stadium's sixth season in 1975 , with up to 2,600 temporary seats available in the north end zone seating for bigger games. The original green artificial turf
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#17327731312461958-816: The American West , the Western States , the Far West , the Western territories , and the West ) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau . As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward , the meaning of the term the West changed. Before around 1800, the crest of the Appalachian Mountains was seen as the western frontier . The frontier moved westward and eventually
2047-634: The Big Sky in 1970 , and Idaho discontinued its practice of scheduling home games in Boise, sometimes referred to as "southern homecoming ." (Idaho did use the new Bronco Stadium for a "home" game in 1971 , but it was against Boise State in the first football game ever played between the schools. Idaho's new stadium on campus in Moscow was behind schedule, so the university rented Bronco Stadium for its opening game. The underdog "visitors" of Boise State built
2136-534: The Big West and Division I-A in 1996 , which resulted in another stadium expansion. The two-tier grandstands were extended around the corners of the south end zone, raising the permanent seating capacity to 30,000 in 1997 . The latest stadium expansion was completed in time for the 2008 season, with the addition of the Stueckle Sky Club press box, luxury suites, loge boxes, and club seating; raising
2225-577: The Cenozoic era. Salt flats and salt lakes reveal a time when the great inland seas covered much of what is now the West. The Pacific states are the most geologically active areas in the United States. Earthquakes cause damage every few to several years in California . While the Pacific states are the most volcanically active areas, extinct volcanoes and lava flows are found throughout most of
2314-590: The East . During the latter half of the 20th century, several transcontinental interstate highways crossed the West bringing more trade and tourists from the East. Oil boom towns in Texas and Oklahoma rivaled the old mining camps for their rawness and wealth. The Dust Bowl forced children of the original homesteaders even further west. The movies became America's chief entertainment source featuring western fiction , later
2403-693: The Grand Canyon . The Colorado River is a major source of water in the Southwest and many dams, such as the Hoover Dam , form reservoirs along it. So much water is drawn for drinking water throughout the West and irrigation in California that in most years, water from the Colorado River no longer reaches the Gulf of California . The Columbia River , the largest river in volume flowing into
2492-544: The Gulf of Mexico . The Mississippi River forms the easternmost possible boundary for the West today. The Missouri River , a tributary of the Mississippi , flows from its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains eastward across the Great Plains , a vast grassy plateau, before sloping gradually down to the forests and hence to the Mississippi . The Colorado River snakes through the Mountain states , at one point forming
2581-703: The Las Vegas Valley and Los Angeles . Plains make up much of the eastern portion of the West, underlain with sedimentary rock from the Upper Paleozoic , Mesozoic , and Cenozoic eras. The Rocky Mountains expose igneous and metamorphic rock both from the Precambrian and from the Phanerozoic eon. The Inter-mountain States and Pacific Northwest have huge expanses of volcanic rock from
2670-413: The Mississippi , Ohio , Missouri , Illinois , Tennessee , Cumberland , Arkansas , and White Rivers and their tributaries, and certain other rivers that flow towards the Gulf of Mexico ." The Ohio River portion of the system includes parts of several Atlantic coastal states, from Georgia to New York. Most of the public land held by the U.S. National Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management
2759-529: The Mormon Trail , made its fortunes on outfitting settlers; St. Louis built itself upon the vast fur trade in the West before its settlement. The 1850s were marked by political battles over the expansion of slavery into the western territories, issues leading to the Civil War . Between 1863 and 1869, North America's first transcontinental railroad was constructed to connect the eastern US with
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2848-593: The Mountain States include Denver , Colorado Springs , Phoenix , Tucson , Albuquerque , Las Vegas , Reno , Salt Lake City , Boise , El Paso , and Billings . Along the Pacific Ocean coast lie the Coast Ranges , which, while not approaching the scale of the Rocky Mountains , are formidable nevertheless. They collect a large part of the airborne moisture moving in from the ocean. East of
2937-549: The NFL banned any playing surface color other than green, naming the rule the "Boise Rule" in reference to the university, though this was more a reaction to sponsor influence as no team had ever proposed a different turf color for its field. Also in 2011, the Mountain West Conference banned Boise from wearing its all-blue uniforms during home conference games, after complaints from other Mountain West coaches that it
3026-882: The Northern Mariana Islands ) are sometimes considered part of the Western United States. American Samoa is in Polynesia in the South Pacific Ocean , while Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are in the Mariana Islands in the western North Pacific Ocean . Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands have district courts within the 9th Circuit , which includes western states such as California and Nevada. (See District Court of Guam and District Court for
3115-634: The Oklahoma panhandle are typically considered to be the Southwest states. Meanwhile, the states of Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington can be considered part of the Northwest or Pacific Northwest . The term West Coast is commonly used to refer to just California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska, whereas Hawaii is more geographically isolated from the continental U.S. and does not necessarily fit in any of these subregions . The three inhabited Pacific U.S. territories ( American Samoa , Guam and
3204-648: The Pacific Ocean from North America , and its tributary, the Snake River , water the Pacific Northwest. The Platte runs through Nebraska and was known for being a mile (2 km) wide but only a half-inch (1 cm) deep. The Rio Grande forms the border between Texas and Mexico before turning due north and splitting New Mexico in half. According to the United States Coast Guard , "The Western Rivers System consists of
3293-536: The Pacific coast . The resulting railroad connection revolutionized the settlement and economy of the American West by making the transportation of passengers and freight quicker, safer, and cheaper. The history of the American West in the late 19th and early 20th centuries has acquired a cultural mythos in the literature and cinema of the United States. The image of the cowboy , the homesteader , and westward expansion took real events and transmuted them into
3382-561: The University of Idaho in the 1968 NCAA College Division football season . The Vandals were led by first-year head coach Y C McNease and played in the Big Sky Conference . Home games were played on campus at Neale Stadium in Moscow , with one home game in Boise at old Bronco Stadium at Boise Junior College . This was the last season for Neale Stadium, which opened 31 years earlier in 1937 . It hosted only two games in 1968, and
3471-554: The Virginia opossum , which occurs throughout California and coastal areas in Oregon and Washington. The North American beaver and mountain beaver live in forested areas of Washington, Oregon and Northern California. The kit fox lives throughout Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, while the gray fox occurs throughout the Western U.S. The Western United States has been populated by Native Americans since at least 11,000 years ago, when
3560-547: The WAC (40–0). The Broncos are 130–11 (.922) in regular season home games since 1999, and had a winning streak of 65 regular season home games from 2001 to 2011. The stadium expanded to 36,387 in 2012 and the highest attendances have all come since. The attendance on September 29, 2024 for the game against visiting Washington State University was listed as 37,711, making it the largest attendance in stadium history. Western United States The Western United States (also called
3649-522: The university division in 1969 . Hired in early January, McNease was previously an assistant coach at Michigan under Bump Elliott . For the second straight season, Idaho allowed 77 points at the Astrodome in Houston . Wide receiver Jerry Hendren and linebacker Joe Tasby were unanimous selections to the all-conference team, and were joined by running back Rob Young. Two juniors from
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3738-494: The 1950s, it became the baseball field, aligned southeast, until right field was displaced by the construction of the Student Union Building, which opened in 1967. The baseball field migrated slightly east, then north, with a new northeast alignment and home plate at ( 43°36′11″N 116°12′02″W / 43.60317°N 116.20043°W / 43.60317; -116.20043 ). It was eliminated in 1980 by
3827-400: The 1958 national junior college championship , and compiled an overall record of 156–26–8 (.842), which included five undefeated seasons and 16 conference titles. He was also the baseball coach for 17 seasons and served as basketball coach for a season at the school. Smith hired Tony Knap to replace himself as football coach in 1968, and Jim Criner to replace Knap in 1976 . In 2015,
3916-544: The 1969 football season, the first Bronco Stadium was razed in November and the new concrete stadium was ready for play in less than ten months. Boise State began NCAA competition in 1970 in the College Division (became Division II in 1973 ) in a brand new venue. The first game at the new Bronco Stadium was on September 11, a 49–14 victory over Chico State . The $ 2.2 million concrete stadium opened with
4005-548: The Caven-Williams Sports Complex, officially opened in February 2006, and is located immediately northwest of Albertsons Stadium. The university added additional temporary seating for 1,500 prior to the 2009 season . The removable bleachers increased capacity to 33,500. It also added permanent bleachers to the north and south end zones prior to the 2012 season , raising Albertsons Stadium's capacity to
4094-525: The Census definition out on the eastern edge of the Great Plains or on the Mississippi River . The survey respondents as a whole showed just how little agreement there was on the boundaries of the West. The region is split into two smaller units or divisions, by the U.S. Census Bureau: Other classifications distinguish between Southwest and Northwest . Arizona, New Mexico, West Texas , and
4183-559: The Coast Ranges lie several cultivated fertile valleys , notably the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys of California and the Willamette Valley of Oregon . Beyond the valleys lie the Sierra Nevada in the south and the Cascade Range in the north. Mount Whitney , at 14,505 feet (4,421 m) the tallest peak in the contiguous 48 states, is in the Sierra Nevada . The Cascades are also volcanic. Mount Rainier ,
4272-591: The MPC Computers Bowl prior to 2011), which is the longest-running outdoor bowl game in a cold-weather venue. Albertsons Stadium is located at the east end of the BSU campus, bordered by Broadway Avenue to the east, University Drive to the south, and the Boise River to the north. The playing field is aligned north-south at an elevation of 2,695 feet (820 m) above sea level . Albertsons Stadium
4361-427: The Northern Mariana Islands ). American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands are also considered part of the western U.S. by the U.S. National Park Service , the Federal Reserve Bank system, FEMA , and the USGS . The population distribution by race in the Western United States (2022): As defined by the United States Census Bureau , the Western region of the United States includes 13 states, with
4450-516: The Pacific Coast where it increases again. In fact, the greatest annual rainfall in the United States falls in the coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest . Drought is much more common in the West than the rest of the United States. The driest place recorded in the U.S. is Death Valley , California. In Western states, drought is closely associated with fire risk, and there have been a number of notable wildfires causing extensive property damage and wildlife habitat destruction . The Western United States
4539-402: The Rockies , 54 of which are over 14,000 feet (4,300 m), are found in central and western Colorado . East of the Rocky Mountains is the Great Plains, the western portions (for example, the eastern half of Colorado) of which are generally considered to be part of the western United States. The West has several long rivers that empty into the Pacific Ocean , while the eastern rivers run into
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#17327731312464628-429: The West and California , whites and blacks together are less than half the population because of the preference for the region by Hispanics and Asians . African and European Americans, however, continue to wield a stronger political influence because of the lower rates of citizenship and voting among Asians and Hispanics . According to 2022 estimates from the Census Bureau, the largest ancestries reported in
4717-440: The West and brought prosperity for several states, where agriculture had previously only been subsistence level. Following World War II , the West's cities experienced an economic and population boom. The population growth, mostly in the Southwest states of New Mexico , Utah , Colorado , Arizona , and Nevada , has strained water and power resources, with water diverted from agricultural uses to major population centers, such as
4806-517: The West are Mexican (24.2%), German (10.1%), English (9.5%), Irish (7.2%), Italian (3.5%), Filipino (3.4%), and Chinese (3.3%). The West also contains much of the Native American population in the U.S., particularly in the large reservations in the Mountain and Desert States . As of 2022, the West is home to 365,351 Navajo , 109,208 Apache , and 78,364 Blackfeet , as well as 276,082 people identifying as Indigenous Mexican . The largest concentrations for African-Americans in
4895-453: The West as a metaphor for the virtue of self-reliance and an American ethos. The contrast between the romanticism of culture about the West and the actuality of the history of the westward expansion has been a theme of late 20th and early 21st century scholarship about the West. Cowboy culture has become embedded in the American experience as a common cultural touchstone, and modern forms as diverse as country and western music have celebrated
4984-409: The West can be found in San Diego , Los Angeles , Oakland , Sacramento , Fresno , San Francisco , Seattle , Tacoma , Phoenix , Las Vegas , Denver , and Colorado Springs . The Western United States has a higher sex ratio (more males than females ) than any other region in the United States. Because the tide of development had not yet reached most of the West when conservation became
5073-662: The West. The ecoregions and ecology found in the Western United States are extremely varied. For instance, large areas of land are made up of everything from sand dunes in the Central Basin and Range ecoregion , which makes up much of the State of Nevada , to the ecology of the North Cascades in Washington state , which has the largest concentration of active alpine glaciers in the lower 48 . The densely forested areas found in Northern California , Oregon , Washington, Idaho , and Montana have mostly species adapted to living in temperate climates , while Southern California , Nevada , Arizona , southern Utah , and New Mexico have
5162-444: The West. Low elevations on the West Coast have warm summers and mild winters with little to no snow. The desert southwest has very hot summers and mild winters. While the mountains in the southwest receive generally large amounts of snow. The Inland Northwest has a continental climate of warm to hot summers and cold to bitterly cold winters. Annual rainfall is greater in the eastern portions, gradually tapering off until reaching
5251-438: The blue turf and to their deaths. Although Bronco head coach Chris Petersen claimed to have found a dead duck on the field in 2007 , the origin of the duck on the field has never been confirmed. BSU's blue turf has become such a highly visible icon for the Broncos that BSU obtained a U.S. trademark registration for a blue athletics field in November 2009. In 2010, this trademark was extended to any non-green field. In 2011 ,
5340-415: The capacity to 32,000. In the summer of 2009 , 1,500 additional bleacher seats were added to the south end zone to bring capacity up to 33,500. Prior to the 2012 season, expanded bleacher sections were added to the north and south end zones, expanding capacity to a total of 36,387. The current attendance record is 37,711, set against Washington State Cougars September 28th, 2024. During its 11th season,
5429-450: The community of Hollywood in Los Angeles became the headquarters of the mass media such as radio and television production. California has emerged as the most populous state and one of the top 10 economies in the world. Massive late 19th–20th century population and settlement booms created two megalopolis areas of the Greater Los Angeles / Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area / Northern California regions, one of
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#17327731312465518-428: The construction of the BSU Pavilion and the relocation of the tennis courts. (Baseball was dropped by both BSU and Idaho following the 1980 season; the Broncos played home games at Borah Field during their final season.) The first "Bronco Stadium" was built in three months in 1950 at the east end of campus, with wooden grandstands, a natural grass playing field, lights, and a cinder running track; seating capacity
5607-478: The contiguous Western U.S. are mule deer , white-tailed antelope squirrels , cougars , American badgers , coyotes , hawks and several species of snakes and lizards are common. While the American black bear lives throughout the U.S., the brown bears and grizzly bears are more common in the northwest and in Alaska. Along the West Coast there are several species of whales, sea otters , California sea lions , eared seals and northern elephant seals . In
5696-459: The deserts lie the Rocky Mountains . In the north, they run almost immediately east of the Cascade Range , so that the desert region is only a few miles wide by the time one reaches the Canada–US border. The Rockies are hundreds of miles wide and run uninterrupted from New Mexico to Alaska . The Rocky Mountain Region is the highest overall area of the United States, with an average elevation of above 4,000 feet (1,200 m). The tallest peaks of
5785-463: The dry, inland desert areas of states such as California, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico there are some of the world's most venomous lizards, snakes and scorpions. The most notorious might be the Gila monster and Mohave rattlesnake , both found in deserts in the Southwest . The Sonoran Desert has eleven species of rattlesnakes - more than anywhere else in the world. Along the southwestern border there are jaguars and ocelots . Other mammals include
5874-515: The early 2000s, Albertsons Stadium became increasingly insufficient. The school completed a three-story complex on the stadium's west side called the Stueckle Sky Club (pronounced Stickle ). Construction began on February 11, 2007, and the facility officially opened on August 27, 2008 with a gala for ticket holders prior to the first game on August 30. It features levels for a new press box, luxury suites, loge boxes, and club seating and increased seating capacity to 32,000. The practice facility, named
5963-426: The field free of charge. The fifth blue turf was installed in the summer of 2010 . The unique blue turf has spawned several myths. The most prevalent is that the NCAA subsequently banned playing surface colors other than green, but allowed Albertsons Stadium's field to remain blue under a grandfather clause . In reality, the NCAA has never adopted such a rule. Any school may color its playing surface (or any part of
6052-416: The field, and adding 3,300 seats in front of the first deck of the stadium, completion of the south end zone horseshoe, building of an east side skybox, and renovation of the east side concourse. The total cost for all planned expansions was around $ 100 million. The total seating capacity for a fully expanded Albertsons Stadium was estimated to be around 53,000. In April 2012, the university broke ground on
6141-411: The final one was a win over Weber State on November 2. Due to soil erosion, the wooden grandstands were deemed unsafe the following summer and home games were moved to Rogers Field in Pullman for two seasons. After fullback Ray McDonald won the NCAA rushing title in 1966 , the Vandals were involuntarily dropped by the NCAA to the college division in 1967 . After two seasons, Idaho returned to
6230-412: The first Paleo-Indians arrived. Pre-Columbian trade routes to kingdoms and empires such as the Mound Builders existed in places such as Yellowstone National Park since around 1000 AD. Major settlement of the western territories developed rapidly in the 1840s, largely through the Oregon Trail and the California Gold Rush of 1849. California experienced such a rapid growth in a few short months that it
6319-436: The first blue AstroTurf with the same in 1995 , then with blue Astroplay (a grass-like synthetic surface that is more forgiving than traditional AstroTurf) in 2002 . The AstroPlay field lasted just six seasons and was replaced in the summer of 2008 with blue FieldTurf surface. Due to complaints by fans that the reflection and glare off the field gave the new field a dull and uneven shade of blue, FieldTurf agreed to replace
6408-491: The land's managers, who are required to keep land use within environmentally acceptable limits. The largest city in the region is Los Angeles , located on the West Coast . Other West Coast cities include San Diego , San Bernardino , San Jose , San Francisco , Oakland , Bakersfield , Fresno , Sacramento , Seattle , Tacoma , Anchorage , and Portland – some of which are dozens of miles inland. Prominent cities in
6497-680: The lands west of the Mississippi River were considered the West . The U.S. Census Bureau's definition of the 13 westernmost states includes the Rocky Mountains and the Great Basin to the Pacific Coast , and the mid-Pacific islands state, Hawaii. To the east of the Western United States is the Midwestern United States and the Southern United States , with Canada to the north and Mexico to
6586-455: The majority of the desert areas located in the United States. The Mojave and the Great Basin deserts lie entirely within the Western region, along with parts of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts (the latter extends significantly into Texas, while both extend into Mexico ). Given this expansive and diverse geography it is no wonder that the region is difficult to define precisely. Sensing
6675-448: The naming rights. Opened 54 years ago in 1970 , it was also a track & field stadium and hosted the NCAA track & field championships twice, in 1994 and 1999 . The stadium was used extensively for local high school football for decades until August 2012, when games were transferred a few blocks northeast to the new Dona Larsen Park, which is also the new home venue of Boise State's track & field team. Albertsons Stadium
6764-665: The nation's largest metropolitan areas and in the top 25 largest urban areas in the world. Five more metropolitan areas of San Bernardino - Riverside , San Diego , Denver , Phoenix , and Seattle have over a million residents, while the three fastest growing metro areas were the Salt Lake City metropolitan area , the Las Vegas metropolitan area ; and the Portland metropolitan area . 1968 Idaho Vandals football team The 1968 Idaho Vandals football team represented
6853-638: The national average of 77.98 inhabitants/sq mi (30.11 inhabitants/km ). As of 2022, just under half of the 78.7 million residents of the West live in California . The entire Western region has also been strongly influenced by European , Hispanic or Latino , Asian and Native Americans ; it contains the largest number of minorities in the U.S. While most of the studies of racial dynamics in America such as riots in Los Angeles have been written about European and African-Americans , in many cities in
6942-524: The playing field at Bronco Stadium was named Lyle Smith Field during the I-AA national championship season of 1980 . Ceremonies during halftime of the 14–3 victory over Nevada on November 8 marked the event. It honors Lyle H. Smith , the head coach from 1947 to 1967 and athletic director from 1968 to 1981, overseeing BSU's rise from the junior college ranks to Division I-AA champions in 1980. Smith led Boise, as BJC, to multiple post-season bowls, including
7031-469: The school, then a member of the Big Sky Conference . Bleymaier gained the support of BSU President John Keiser, and on September 13, 1986 , Bronco Stadium introduced its unique playing surface to the world with a 74–0 victory over Division II Humboldt State . (BSU was 4–2 at home in 1986, but managed just one road victory and posted its first losing record in four decades, resulting in the resignation of fourth-year head coach Lyle Setencich .) BSU replaced
7120-503: The sense of isolation and independence of spirit inspired by the frontiersmen on "virgin land". The advent of the automobile enabled the average American to tour the West. Western businessmen promoted Route 66 as a means to bring tourism and industry to the West. In the 1950s, representatives from all the western states built the Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center to showcase western culture and greet travelers from
7209-672: The south. The West contains several major biomes , including arid and semi-arid plateaus and plains , particularly in the American Southwest ; forested mountains , including three major ranges, the Sierra Nevada , the Cascades , and Rocky Mountains; the long coastal shoreline of the American Pacific Coast ; and the rainforests of the Pacific Northwest . The Western United States
7298-530: The stadium played host to a soccer friendly on July 18, named the Basque Soccer Friendly, between Athletic Bilbao of La Liga vs Club Tijuana of Liga MX . To accommodate the game, a natural grass surface was laid on top of the famous blue turf to conform to La Liga rules. It was the first time since 1985 that the stadium featured a green surface for any sporting event. Before a crowd of 21,948, Athletic Bilbao won 2–0. Albertsons Stadium
7387-503: The surface, such as the end zones) any color it wishes. Indeed, since 1986 other schools have non-green football fields including the University of New Haven (blue) and Eastern Washington University ( red ). On April 1, 2011, the University of Central Arkansas announced it would install a purple and grey striped field to Estes Stadium . In 2012, Lindenwood University in Belleville, Illinois , played their first football season, on
7476-590: The wheat and soybeans in the U.S. and exporting more to the rest of the world. Irrigation in the Southwest allows the growth of great quantities of fruits, nuts, and vegetables as well as grain, hay, and flowers. Texas is a major cattle and sheep raising area, as well as the nation's largest producer of cotton. Washington is famous for its apples, and Idaho for its potatoes. California and Arizona are major producers of citrus crops, however, declining supplies of water, as well as urban sprawl have contributed to
7565-475: Was 10,000. It was in approximately the same location as the present stadium, but aligned northwest to southeast. (photo – 1964) The 45° offset was designed to keep the mid-afternoon sun of mid-October out of the players' eyes (but put it into the eyes of half of the spectators). From the 1920s through 1968 , the University of Idaho Vandals of Moscow usually played one home game per season in Boise, often against schools from Oregon or Utah. Boise State joined
7654-726: Was admitted to statehood in 1850 without the normal transitory phase of becoming an official territory. One of the largest migrations in American history occurred in the 1840s as the Latter Day Saints left the Midwest to build a theocracy in Utah . Both Omaha, Nebraska and St. Louis, Missouri laid claim to the title, "Gateway to the West" during this period. Omaha , home to the Union Pacific Railroad and
7743-510: Was an unfair advantage. However, the uniform restriction was removed from the 2013 season forward, as part of the deal that kept Boise State in the MW after it had originally planned to leave the conference. In October 2014, Boise State's blue field topped USA Today's Fan Index list of top 10 best fields in college football. As the Boise State football program rose to national prominence in
7832-472: Was replaced with the same in 1978 as the Big Sky and the Broncos moved up to the newly formed Division I-AA . (photo – mid 1980s) With the largest seating capacity in the conference, Boise State led the Big Sky in attendance; the conference's highest-attended games were when BSU hosted Idaho (even-numbered years), followed by Idaho State at Boise (odd-numbered years in the 1980s). The Broncos moved to
7921-483: Was the home of East Junior High School from 1953 to 2009; it was demolished and rebuilt further down Warm Springs Avenue, and the previous area became Dona Larsen Park in 2012. After the college moved to its present campus in 1940, "College Field" opened in September 1940 with lights and a seating capacity of 1,000. Also called "Chaffee Field", it was used through 1949 for junior college football (photo – 1940s) . In
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