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Geographical Review October 1995, 85(4), pp. 417-435. -- Special Issue on Urban Geography -- Great Basin Growth & the Withering of California's Pacific Idyll Paul F. Starrs & John B. Wright Caption: Relatively few who visit Silver Peak in the west-centralpart of Nevada have any doubts as to whether or not the communityis "a virtual paradise," but the town continues itsgrowth; part of the extraordinarily rapid population increasethat has kept Nevada the fastest growing state in the United Statesfor the past 25 years. Such are the wages of fame.   ABSTRACT Virtually all western states, specifically Nevada and Utah, are gaining population at the expense of California. Social and ethnic geographies in the intermontane West are changing, and the in-migration is producing problems and new issues. The Great Basin is pivotal in the reshaping of urban, political, and natural-resource relationships in the West. This article outlines dimensions and implications of these changes. Key words: American West, California, lifestyle, migration, urban-rural conflicts, water resources. DR. STARRS is Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Nevada and in January 1996 became editor of the Geographical Review. DR. WRIGHT is Associate Professor of Geography at New Mexico State University. To contact the authors: Mail: Prof. Paul F. Starrs Department of Geography Mail Stop 154 University of Nevada Reno, NV 89557-0048 U.S.A. Phone: (702) 784-6930 (office), (702) 784-1058 (fax) Professor John B. Wright Department of Geography Box MAP New Mexico State University Las Cruces, NM 88003 U.S.A. Phone: (505) 646-3509 (office), (505) 646-7430 (fax) Electronic mail: starrs@unr.edu or jowright@nmsu.edu