As you move west from the Rockies, the landscape changes from mountains to plateaus and basins. Nevada is known as the "Great Basin" and, if you aren't sure what that implies, imagine a seemingly endless expanse of desert or grassy plains with far-off, unreachable mountains lingering in the background, interrupted by the glittering neon lights of the Vegas strip. Road trip through Arizona and take in a mix of canyons, desert, and mountains. (Hey, if it was good enough for Georgia O'Keefe, it's definitely worth a look.) California, Oregon, and Washington State all border the Pacific Ocean, offering miles of dramatic and diverse ocean vistas. Alaska is untamed wilderness at its best (it boasts an average of just one person per square mile!) and Hawaii, well…Hawaii is beaches, volcanoes, sun, and surf. And leis. Enough said about that.

Check out a map of the region and eye-popping national parks seem to be just about everywhere: Yellowstone (Wyoming), Yosemite (California), Glacier (Montana), Canyonlands (Utah), Olympic (Washington), and the Grand Canyon (Arizona), just to name-drop a few. And don't forget the redwood forest and the inspiring rocks at Joshua Tree, both in California (north and south, respectively).

During the period of U.S. expansion into the Wild West, the Spanish, Mexicans, and Native Americans were the primary forces to be reckoned with and the cultural influence of both is still obvious, particularly in Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.

Asian influence is obvious in Northern California, the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii, where large immigrant populations from all over Asia settled. Native American life--past and present--can be experienced by visiting Anasazi ruins or stopping on reservation land. The American frontier feel is still going strong in areas of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Texas, and Nevada.

If urban life is what you crave, big cities like Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake City, and Denver each have a flavor of their own. The cities of Texas, and indeed the entire Lone Star State, have created their own culture distinct from the rest of American culture (if you're not from Texas, you're a "foreigner" say some).

In general, a person can fit any mold and be happy in the West. Whether you are a new age type (check out Sedona, Arizona), feel at home with a backpack (see any national park area), have a future as a high-roller (viva Las Vegas), dig the alternative life (check out Seattle or Portland) or want to be a movie star (stop by Hollywood or even Aspen) you can find a comfortable niche here.