crops are used for livestock feed. Demographics and sociology For thousands of years the Intermountain West has been the homeland for many Native American cultures, tribes, and bands. The 18th-century fur trade (northern areas), and 19th-century westward expansion of the United States brought irreversible cultural changes. The completion of the First transcontinental railroad through the region accelerated non-native settlements and development. Historically, the Intermountain West area centered in Utah is associated with Latter-day Saint (Mormon) settlements, and the region has the highest percentage of LDS members in the United States currently. That region is also known as the Mormon Corridor. Because of its low population density and diverse economy, the survivalist writers James Wesley Rawles and Joel Skousen both recommend the region as a preferred locale for "strategic relocation" and for building survival retreats, thus referring to it as the American Redoubt. Intermountain states The intermountain states are generally considered to be Nevada, Utah, Idaho, the western third of Montana, Arizona north of the Mogollon Rim, Colorado from the Front Range westward, New Mexico from the central mountain chain westward, and Far West Texas from the Pecos River westward. The intermountain states are so named from having all or portions between the Rockies, Sierras, and Cascades. The intermountain states are included among states classified as the Mountain States. See also Western United States Index: Regions of the Western United States References Regions of the Western United States Regions of the United States Western Canada Geology of Western Canada Geography of Western Canada Regions of Canada