What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?

Answers from the USCIS list

Give this answer. Words in light (parentheses) are optional.

• Pacific optional: (Ocean)

Our explanation

A coast is land along an ocean. The United States has an ocean on the East Coast and one on the West Coast. The Pacific Ocean is on the West Coast, where California is.

Remember it

Alphabet trick: P and W come late (Pacific, West); A and E come early (Atlantic, East).

Source

USCIS 2025 Study Guide (M-1175) p. 40: “The ocean on the West Coast of the United States is called the Pacific Ocean.” p. 57: California “was the first state … that bordered the Pacific Ocean.”

• Civics (History and Government) Questions for the Naturalization Test (2008 version), rev. 08/21 (PDF, USCIS)

Last checked on September 29, 2026.

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Easy to mix up with

• 90What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?