West vs the States

West and the States both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
West	Yes	No	No	No
the States	Yes	No	No	No

West (noun)	the States (noun)
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America	North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
the region of the United States lying to the west of the Mississippi River
English painter (born in America) who became the second president of the Royal Academy (1738-1820)
United States film actress (1892-1980)
British writer (born in Ireland) (1892-1983)