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Utah

March 02, 2023

This article is about the U.S. state. For other uses, see Utah (disambiguation).

Coordinates: 39°N 111°W / 39°N 111°W / 39; -111 (State of Utah)

Utah (/ˈjuːtɑː/ YOO-tah, /ˈjuːtɔː/ (listen) YOO-taw) is a landlocked state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its west by Nevada. Utah also touches a corner of New Mexico in the southeast. Of the fifty U.S. states, Utah is the 13th-largest by area; with a population over three million, it is the 30th-most-populous and 11th-least-densely populated. Urban development is mostly concentrated in two areas: the Wasatch Front in the north-central part of the state, which is home to roughly two-thirds of the population and includes the capital city, Salt Lake City; and Washington County in the southwest, with more than 180,000 residents.[8] Most of the western half of Utah lies in the Great Basin.

Utah
State
State of Utah
Flag
Seal
Nickname(s): 
"Beehive State" (official), "The Mormon State", "Deseret"
Motto: 
Industry
Anthem: "Utah...This Is the Place"
Map of the United States with Utah highlighted
CountryUnited States
Before statehoodUtah Territory
Admitted to the UnionJanuary 4, 1896 (45th)
Capital
(and largest city)		Salt Lake City
Largest metro and urban areasSalt Lake City
Government
 • GovernorSpencer Cox (R)
 • Lieutenant GovernorDeidre Henderson (R)
LegislatureState Legislature
 • Upper houseState Senate
 • Lower houseHouse of Representatives
JudiciaryUtah Supreme Court
U.S. senatorsMike Lee (R)
Mitt Romney (R)
U.S. House delegation1: Blake Moore (R)
2: Chris Stewart (R)
3: John Curtis (R)
4: Burgess Owens (R) (list)
Area
 • Total84,899 sq mi (219,887 km2)
 • Land82,144 sq mi (212,761 km2)
 • Water2,755 sq mi (7,136 km2)  3.25%
 • Rank13th
Dimensions
 • Length350 mi (560 km)
 • Width270 mi (435 km)
Elevation
6,100 ft (1,860 m)
Highest elevation
(Kings Peak[1][2][a])
13,534 ft (4,120.3 m)
Lowest elevation
(Beaver Dam Wash at Arizona border[2][a][3])
2,180 ft (664.4 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total3,271,616[4]
 • Rank30th
 • Density36.53/sq mi (14.12/km2)
  • Rank41st
 • Median household income
$60,365[5]
 • Income rank
11th
DemonymUtahn or Utahan[6]
Language
 • Official languageEnglish
Time zoneUTC−07:00 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−06:00 (MDT)
USPS abbreviation
UT
ISO 3166 codeUS-UT
Traditional abbreviationUt.
Latitude37° N to 42° N
Longitude109°3′ W to 114°3′ W
Websiteutah.gov

Utah has been inhabited for thousands of years by various indigenous groups such as the ancient Puebloans, Navajo and Ute. The Spanish were the first Europeans to arrive in the mid-16th century, though the region's difficult geography and harsh climate made it a peripheral part of New Spain and later Mexico. Even while it was Mexican territory, many of Utah's earliest settlers were American, particularly Mormons fleeing marginalization and persecution from the United States. Following the Mexican–American War in 1848, the region was annexed by the U.S., becoming part of the Utah Territory, which included what is now Colorado and Nevada. Disputes between the dominant Mormon community and the federal government delayed Utah's admission as a state; only after the outlawing of polygamy was it admitted in 1896 as the 45th.

People from Utah are known as Utahns.[9] Slightly over half of all Utahns are Mormons, the vast majority of whom are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), which has its world headquarters in Salt Lake City;[10] Utah is the only state where a majority of the population belongs to a single church.[11] The LDS Church greatly influences Utahn culture, politics, and daily life,[12] though since the 1990s the state has become more religiously diverse as well as secular.

Utah has a highly diversified economy, with major sectors including transportation, education, information technology and research, government services, mining, and tourism. Utah has been one of the fastest growing states since 2000,[13] with the 2020 U.S. census confirming the fastest population growth in the nation since 2010. St. George was the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the United States from 2000 to 2005.[14] Utah ranks among the overall best states in metrics such as healthcare, governance, education, and infrastructure.[15] It has the 14th-highest median average income and the least income inequality of any U.S. state. Over time and influenced by climate change, droughts in Utah have been increasing in frequency and severity,[16] putting a further strain on Utah's water security and impacting the state’s economy.[17]

Etymology

The name Utah is said to derive from the name of the Ute tribe, meaning 'people of the mountains'.[18] However, no such word actually exists in the Utes' language, and the Utes refer to themselves as Noochee. The meaning of Utes as 'the mountain people' has been attributed to the neighboring Pueblo Indians,[19] as well as to the Apache word Yuttahih, which means 'one that is higher up' or 'those that are higher up'.[18] In Spanish, it was pronounced Yuta; subsequently, English-speaking people may have adapted the word as Utah.[20]

History

Main article: History of Utah

Pre-Columbian

 
Map showing Utah in 1838 when it was part of Mexico, Britannica 7th edition

Thousands of years before the arrival of European explorers, the Ancestral Puebloans and the Fremont people lived in what is now known as Utah, some of which spoke languages of the Uto-Aztecan group. Ancestral Pueblo peoples built their homes through excavations in mountains, and the Fremont people built houses of straw before disappearing from the region around the 15th century.

Another group of Native Americans, the Navajo, settled in the region around the 18th century. In the mid-18th century, other Uto-Aztecan tribes, including the Goshute, the Paiute, the Shoshone, and the Ute people, also settled in the region. These five groups were present when the first European explorers arrived.[21][22]

Spanish exploration (1540)

Main articles: New Spain, The Californias § History, First Mexican Empire, Provisional Government of Mexico, First Mexican Republic, and Centralist Republic of Mexico

The southern Utah region was explored by the Spanish in 1540, led by Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, while looking for the legendary Cíbola. A group led by two Catholic priests—sometimes called the Domínguez–Escalante expedition—left Santa Fe in 1776, hoping to find a route to the coast of California. The expedition traveled as far north as Utah Lake and encountered the native residents. The Spanish made further explorations in the region but were not interested in colonizing the area because of its desert nature. In 1821, the year Mexico achieved its independence from Spain, the region became known as part of its territory of Alta California.

European trappers and fur traders explored some areas of Utah in the early 19th century from Canada and the United States. The city of Provo, Utah, was named for one Étienne Provost, who visited the area in 1825. The city of Ogden, Utah, was named after Peter Skene Ogden, a Canadian explorer who traded furs in the Weber Valley.

In late 1824, Jim Bridger became the first known English-speaking person to sight the Great Salt Lake. Due to the high salinity of its waters, he thought he had found the Pacific Ocean; he subsequently learned this body of water was a giant salt lake. After the discovery of the lake, hundreds of American and Canadian traders and trappers established trading posts in the region. In the 1830s, thousands of migrants traveling from the Eastern United States to the American West began to make stops in the region of the Great Salt Lake, then known as Lake Youta.[citation needed]

Latter Day Saint settlement (1847)

Main articles: Mexican–American War, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and Mexican Cession
 
Brigham Young led the first Mormon pioneers to the Great Salt Lake.

Following the death of Joseph Smith in 1844, Brigham Young, as president of the Quorum of the Twelve, became the leader of the LDS Church in Nauvoo, Illinois.[23] To address the growing conflicts between his people and their neighbors, Young agreed with Illinois Governor Thomas Ford in October 1845 that the Mormons would leave by the following year.[24]

Young and the first group of Mormon pioneers reached the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. Over the next 22 years, more than 70,000 pioneers crossed the plains and settled in Utah.[25] For the first few years, Brigham Young and the thousands of early settlers of Salt Lake City struggled to survive. The arid desert land was deemed by the Mormons as desirable as a place where they could practice their religion without harassment.

Settlers buried thirty-six Native Americans in one grave after an outbreak of measles occurred during the winter of 1847.[26]

The first group of settlers brought African slaves with them, making Utah the only place in the western United States to have African slavery.[27] Three slaves, Green Flake, Hark Lay, and Oscar Crosby, came west with the first group of settlers in 1847.[28] The settlers also began to purchase Indian slaves in the well-established Indian slave trade,[29] as well as enslaving Indian prisoners of war.[30][31]

Utah was Mexican territory when the first pioneers arrived in 1847. Early in the Mexican–American War in late 1846, the United States had taken control of New Mexico and California. The entire Southwest became U.S. territory upon the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, February 2, 1848. The treaty was ratified by the United States Senate on March 11. Learning that California and New Mexico were applying for statehood, the settlers of the Utah area (originally having planned to petition for territorial status) applied for statehood with an ambitious plan for a State of Deseret.

The Mormon settlements provided pioneers for other settlements in the West. Salt Lake City became the hub of a "far-flung commonwealth"[32] of Mormon settlements. With new church converts coming from the East and around the world, Church leaders often assigned groups of church members as missionaries to establish other settlements throughout the West. They developed irrigation to support fairly large pioneer populations along Utah's Wasatch front (Salt Lake City, Bountiful and Weber Valley, and Provo and Utah Valley).[33] Throughout the remainder of the 19th century, Mormon pioneers established hundreds of other settlements in Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Wyoming, California, Canada, and Mexico—including in Las Vegas, Nevada; Franklin, Idaho (the first European settlement in Idaho); San Bernardino, California; Mesa, Arizona; Star Valley, Wyoming; and Carson Valley, Nevada.

Prominent settlements in Utah included St. George, Logan, and Manti (where settlers completed the LDS Church's first three temples in Utah, each started after but finished many years before the larger and better known temple built in Salt Lake City was completed in 1893), as well as Parowan, Cedar City, Bluff, Moab, Vernal, Fillmore (which served as the territorial capital between 1850 and 1856), Nephi, Levan, Spanish Fork, Springville, Provo Bench (now Orem), Pleasant Grove, American Fork, Lehi, Sandy, Murray, Jordan, Centerville, Farmington, Huntsville, Kaysville, Grantsville, Tooele, Roy, Brigham City, and many other smaller towns and settlements. Young had an expansionist's view of the territory that he and the Mormon pioneers were settling, calling it Deseret—which according to the Book of Mormon was an ancient word for "honeybee". This is symbolized by the beehive on the Utah flag, and the state's motto, "Industry".[34]

Utah Territory (1850–1896)

Main articles: Organic act § List of organic acts, Utah Territory, Admission to the Union, and List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union
 
A sketch of Salt Lake City in 1860
 
Deseret Village recreates Utah pioneer life for tourists.
 
The Golden Spike where the First transcontinental railroad was completed in the U.S. on May 10, 1869, in Promontory, Utah

The Utah Territory was much smaller than the proposed state of Deseret, but it still contained all of the present states of Nevada and Utah as well as pieces of modern Wyoming and Colorado.[35] It was created with the Compromise of 1850, and Fillmore, named after President Millard Fillmore, was designated the capital. The territory was given the name Utah after the Ute tribe of Native Americans. Salt Lake City replaced Fillmore as the territorial capital in 1856.

By 1850, there were around 100 black people in the territory, the majority of whom were slaves.[36] In Salt Lake County, 26 slaves were counted.[26] In 1852, the territorial legislature passed the Act in Relation to Service and the Act for the relief of Indian Slaves and Prisoners formally legalizing slavery in the territory. Slavery was abolished in the territory during the Civil War.

In 1850, Salt Lake City sent out a force known as the Nauvoo Legion and engaged the Timpanogos in the Battle at Fort Utah.[30]: 71 

Disputes between the Mormon inhabitants and the U.S. government intensified due to the practice of plural marriage, or polygamy, among members of the LDS Church. The Mormons were still pushing for the establishment of a State of Deseret with the new borders of the Utah Territory. Most, if not all, of the members of the U.S. government opposed the polygamous practices of the Mormons.

Members of the LDS Church were viewed as un-American and rebellious when news of their polygamous practices spread. In 1857, particularly heinous accusations of abdication of government and general immorality were leveled by former associate justice William W. Drummond, among others. The detailed reports of life in Utah caused the administration of James Buchanan to send a secret military "expedition" to Utah. When the supposed rebellion should be quelled, Alfred Cumming would take the place of Brigham Young as territorial governor. The resulting conflict is known as the Utah War, nicknamed "Buchanan's Blunder" by the Mormon leaders.

In September 1857, about 120 American settlers of the Baker–Fancher wagon train, en route to California from Arkansas, were murdered by Utah Territorial Militia and some Paiute Native Americans in the Mountain Meadows massacre.[37]

Before troops led by Albert Sidney Johnston entered the territory, Brigham Young ordered all residents of Salt Lake City to evacuate southward to Utah Valley and sent out the Nauvoo Legion to delay the government's advance. Although wagons and supplies were burned, eventually the troops arrived in 1858, and Young surrendered official control to Cumming, although most subsequent commentators claim that Young retained true power in the territory. A steady stream of governors appointed by the president quit the position, often citing the traditions of their supposed territorial government. By agreement with Young, Johnston established Camp Floyd, 40 miles (60 km) away from Salt Lake City, to the southwest.

Salt Lake City was the last link of the First Transcontinental Telegraph, completed in October 1861. Brigham Young was among the first to send a message, along with Abraham Lincoln and other officials.

Because of the American Civil War, federal troops were pulled out of Utah Territory in 1861. This was a boon to the local economy as the army sold everything in camp for pennies on the dollar before marching back east to join the war. The territory was then left in LDS hands until Patrick E. Connor arrived with a regiment of California volunteers in 1862. Connor established Fort Douglas just 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Salt Lake City and encouraged his people to discover mineral deposits to bring more non-Mormons into the territory. Minerals were discovered in Tooele County and miners began to flock to the territory.

Beginning in 1865, Utah's Black Hawk War developed into the deadliest conflict in the territory's history. Chief Antonga Black Hawk died in 1870, but fights continued to break out until additional federal troops were sent in to suppress the Ghost Dance of 1872. The war is unique among Indian Wars because it was a three-way conflict, with mounted Timpanogos Utes led by Antonga Black Hawk fighting federal and LDS authorities.

On May 10, 1869, the First transcontinental railroad was completed at Promontory Summit, north of the Great Salt Lake.[38] The railroad brought increasing numbers of people into the territory and several influential businesspeople made fortunes there.

During the 1870s and 1880s laws were passed to punish polygamists due, in part, to stories from Utah. Notably, Ann Eliza Young—tenth wife to divorce Brigham Young, women's advocate, national lecturer and author of Wife No. 19 or My Life of Bondage and Mr. and Mrs. Fanny Stenhouse, authors of The Rocky Mountain Saints (T. B. H. Stenhouse, 1873) and Tell It All: My Life in Mormonism (Fanny Stenhouse, 1875). Both Ann Eliza and Fanny testify to the happiness of the very early Church members before polygamy. They independently published their books in 1875. These books and the lectures of Ann Eliza Young have been credited with the United States Congress passage of anti-polygamy laws by newspapers throughout the United States as recorded in "The Ann Eliza Young Vindicator", a pamphlet which detailed Ms Young's travels and warm reception throughout her lecture tour.

T. B. H. Stenhouse, former Utah Mormon polygamist, Mormon missionary for thirteen years and a Salt Lake City newspaper owner, finally left Utah and wrote The Rocky Mountain Saints. His book gives a witnessed account of life in Utah, both the good and the bad. He finally left Utah and Mormonism after financial ruin occurred when Brigham Young sent Stenhouse to relocate to Ogden, Utah, according to Stenhouse, to take over his thriving pro-Mormon Salt Lake Telegraph newspaper. In addition to these testimonies, The Confessions of John D. Lee, written by John D. Lee—alleged "Scape goat" for the Mountain Meadow Massacre—also came out in 1877. The corroborative testimonies coming out of Utah from Mormons and former Mormons influenced Congress and the people of the United States.

In the 1890 Manifesto, the LDS Church banned polygamy. When Utah applied for statehood again, it was accepted. One of the conditions for granting Utah statehood was that a ban on polygamy be written into the state constitution. This was a condition required of other western states that were admitted into the Union later. Statehood was officially granted on January 4, 1896.

20th century to present

 
Children reading in Santa Clara, Utah, in 1940

Beginning in the early 20th century, with the establishment of such national parks as Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park, Utah became known for its natural beauty. Southern Utah became a popular filming spot for arid, rugged scenes featured in the popular mid-century western film genre. From such films, most US residents recognize such natural landmarks as Delicate Arch and "the Mittens" of Monument Valley.[39] During the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, with the construction of the Interstate highway system, accessibility to the southern scenic areas was made easier.

Since the establishment of Alta Ski Area in 1939 and the subsequent development of several ski resorts in the state's mountains, Utah's skiing has become world-renowned. The dry, powdery snow of the Wasatch Range is considered some of the best skiing in the world (the state license plate once claimed "the Greatest Snow on Earth").[40][41] Salt Lake City won the bid for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, and this served as a great boost to the economy. The ski resorts have increased in popularity, and many of the Olympic venues built along the Wasatch Front continue to be used for sporting events. Preparation for the Olympics spurred the development of the light-rail system in the Salt Lake Valley, known as TRAX, and the re-construction of the freeway system around the city.

In 1957, Utah created the Utah State Parks Commission with four parks. Today, Utah State Parks manages 43 parks and several undeveloped areas totaling over 95,000 acres (380 km2) of land and more than 1,000,000 acres (4,000 km2) of water. Utah's state parks are scattered throughout Utah, from Bear Lake State Park at the Utah/Idaho border to Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum deep in the Four Corners region and everywhere in between. Utah State Parks is also home to the state's off highway vehicle office, state boating office and the trails program.[42]

During the late 20th century, the state grew quickly. In the 1970s growth was phenomenal in the suburbs of the Wasatch Front. Sandy was one of the fastest-growing cities in the country at that time. Today, many areas of Utah continue to see boom-time growth. Northern Davis, southern and western Salt Lake, Summit, eastern Tooele, Utah, Wasatch, and Washington counties are all growing very quickly. Management of transportation and urbanization are major issues in politics, as development consumes agricultural land and wilderness areas and transportation is a major reason for poor air quality in Utah.

On March 8, 2020, Utah suffered a 5.7 magnitude earthquake originating 3.7 mi (6.0 km) northeast of Magna, near Salt Lake City.[43]

Geography and geology

See also: List of canyons and gorges in Utah, List of Utah counties, and List of earthquakes in Utah
 
Utah county boundaries

Utah is known for its natural diversity and is home to features ranging from arid deserts with sand dunes to thriving pine forests in mountain valleys. It is a rugged and geographically diverse state at the convergence of three distinct geological regions: the Rocky Mountains, the Great Basin, and the Colorado Plateau.

Utah covers an area of 84,899 sq mi (219,890 km2). It is one of the Four Corners states and is bordered by Idaho in the north, Wyoming in the north and east, by Colorado in the east, at a single point by New Mexico to the southeast, by Arizona in the south, and by Nevada in the west. Only three U.S. states (Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming) have exclusively latitude and longitude lines as boundaries.

One of Utah's defining characteristics is the variety of its terrain. Running down the middle of the state's northern third is the Wasatch Range, which rises to heights of almost 12,000 ft (3,700 m) above sea level. Utah is home to world-renowned ski resorts made popular by light, fluffy snow and winter storms that regularly dump up to three feet of it overnight. In the state's northeastern section, running east to west, are the Uinta Mountains, which rise to heights of over 13,000 feet (4,000 m). The highest point in the state, Kings Peak, at 13,528 feet (4,123 m),[44] lies within the Uinta Mountains.

At the western base of the Wasatch Range is the Wasatch Front, a series of valleys and basins that are home to the most populous parts of the state. It stretches approximately from Brigham City at the north end to Nephi at the south end. Approximately 75 percent of the state's population lives in this corridor, and population growth is rapid.

Western Utah is mostly arid desert with a basin and range topography. Small mountain ranges and rugged terrain punctuate the landscape. The Bonneville Salt Flats are an exception, being comparatively flat as a result of once forming the bed of ancient Lake Bonneville. Great Salt Lake, Utah Lake, Sevier Lake, and Rush Lake are all remnants of this ancient freshwater lake,[45] which once covered most of the eastern Great Basin. West of the Great Salt Lake, stretching to the Nevada border, lies the arid Great Salt Lake Desert. One exception to this aridity is Snake Valley, which is (relatively) lush due to large springs and wetlands fed from groundwater derived from snow melt in the Snake Range, Deep Creek Range, and other tall mountains to the west of Snake Valley. Great Basin National Park is just over the Nevada state line in the southern Snake Range. One of western Utah's most impressive, but least visited attractions is Notch Peak, the tallest limestone cliff in North America, located west of Delta.

Much of the scenic southern and southeastern landscape (specifically the Colorado Plateau region) is sandstone, specifically Kayenta sandstone and Navajo sandstone. The Colorado River and its tributaries wind their way through the sandstone, creating some of the world's most striking and wild terrain (the area around the confluence of the Colorado and Green Rivers was the last to be mapped in the lower 48 United States). Wind and rain have also sculpted the soft sandstone over millions of years. Canyons, gullies, arches, pinnacles, buttes, bluffs, and mesas are the common sights throughout south-central and southeast Utah.

This terrain is the central feature of protected state and federal parks such as Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion national parks, Cedar Breaks, Grand Staircase–Escalante, Hovenweep, and Natural Bridges national monuments, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (site of the popular tourist destination, Lake Powell), Dead Horse Point and Goblin Valley state parks, and Monument Valley. The Navajo Nation also extends into southeastern Utah. Southeastern Utah is also punctuated by the remote, but lofty La Sal, Abajo, and Henry mountain ranges.

Eastern (northern quarter) Utah is a high-elevation area covered mostly by plateaus and basins, particularly the Tavaputs Plateau and San Rafael Swell, which remain mostly inaccessible, and the Uinta Basin, where the majority of eastern Utah's population lives. Economies are dominated by mining, oil shale, oil, and natural gas-drilling, ranching, and recreation. Much of eastern Utah is part of the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation. The most popular destination within northeastern Utah is Dinosaur National Monument near Vernal.

Southwestern Utah is the lowest and hottest spot in Utah. It is known as Utah's Dixie because early settlers were able to grow some cotton there. Beaverdam Wash in far southwestern Utah is the lowest point in the state, at 2,000 feet (610 m).[44] The northernmost portion of the Mojave Desert is also located in this area. Dixie is quickly becoming a popular recreational and retirement destination, and the population is growing rapidly. Although the Wasatch Mountains end at Mount Nebo near Nephi, a complex series of mountain ranges extends south from the southern end of the range down the spine of Utah. Just north of Dixie and east of Cedar City is the state's highest ski resort, Brian Head.

Like most of the western and southwestern states, the federal government owns much of the land in Utah. Over 70 percent of the land is either BLM land, Utah State Trustland, or U.S. National Forest, U.S. National Park, U.S. National Monument, National Recreation Area or U.S. Wilderness Area.[46] Utah is the only state where every county contains some national forest.[47]

Adjacent states

Climate

 
Köppen climate types of Utah, using 1991-2020 climate normals.

Utah features a dry, semi-arid to desert climate,[48] although its many mountains feature a large variety of climates, with the highest points in the Uinta Mountains being above the timberline. The dry weather is a result of the state's location in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada in California. The eastern half of the state lies in the rain shadow of the Wasatch Mountains. The primary source of precipitation for the state is the Pacific Ocean, with the state usually lying in the path of large Pacific storms from October to May. In summer, the state, especially southern and eastern Utah, lies in the path of monsoon moisture from the Gulf of California.

Most of the lowland areas receive less than 12 inches (305 mm) of precipitation annually, although the I-15 corridor, including the densely populated Wasatch Front, receives approximately 15 inches (381 mm). The Great Salt Lake Desert is the driest area of the state, with less than 5 inches (127 mm). Snowfall is common in all but the far southern valleys. Although St. George receives only about 3 inches (76 mm) per year, Salt Lake City sees about 60 inches (1,524 mm), enhanced by the lake-effect snow from the Great Salt Lake, which increases snowfall totals to the south, southeast, and east of the lake.

Some areas of the Wasatch Range in the path of the lake-effect receive up to 500 inches (12,700 mm) per year. This micro climate of enhanced snowfall from the Great Salt Lake spans the entire proximity of the lake. The cottonwood canyons adjacent to Salt Lake City are located in the right position to receive more precipitation from the lake.[49] The consistently deep powder snow led Utah's ski industry to adopt the slogan "the Greatest Snow on Earth" in the 1980s. In the winter, temperature inversions are a common phenomenon across Utah's low basins and valleys, leading to thick haze and fog that can last for weeks at a time, especially in the Uintah Basin. Although at other times of year its air quality is good, winter inversions give Salt Lake City some of the worst wintertime pollution in the country.

Previous studies have indicated a widespread decline in snowpack over Utah accompanied by a decline in the snow–precipitation ratio while anecdotal evidence claims have been put forward that measured changes in Utah's snowpack are spurious and do not reflect actual change. A 2012 study[50] found that the proportion of winter (January–March) precipitation falling as snow has decreased by nine percent during the last half century, a combined result from a significant increase in rainfall and a minor decrease in snowfall. Meanwhile, observed snow depth across Utah has decreased and is accompanied by consistent decreases in snow cover and surface albedo. Weather systems with the potential to produce precipitation in Utah have decreased in number with those producing snowfall decreasing at a considerably greater rate.[51]

Utah's temperatures are extreme, with cold temperatures in winter due to its elevation, and very hot summers statewide (with the exception of mountain areas and high mountain valleys). Utah is usually protected from major blasts of cold air by mountains lying north and east of the state, although major Arctic blasts can occasionally reach the state. Average January high temperatures range from around 30 °F (−1 °C) in some northern valleys to almost 55 °F (13 °C) in St. George.

Temperatures dropping below 0 °F (−18 °C) should be expected on occasion in most areas of the state most years, although some areas see it often (for example, the town of Randolph averages about fifty days per year with temperatures that low). In July, average highs range from about 85 to 100 °F (29 to 38 °C). However, the low humidity and high elevation typically leads to large temperature variations, leading to cool nights most summer days. The record high temperature in Utah was 118 °F (48 °C), recorded south of St. George on July 4, 2007,[52] and the record low was −69 °F (−56 °C), recorded at Peter Sinks in the Bear River Mountains of northern Utah on February 1, 1985.[53] However, the record low for an inhabited location is −49 °F (−45 °C) at Woodruff on December 12, 1932.[54]

Utah, like most of the western United States, has few days of thunderstorms. On average there are fewer than 40 days of thunderstorm activity during the year, although these storms can be briefly intense when they do occur. They are most likely to occur during monsoon season from about mid-July through mid-September, especially in southern and eastern Utah. Dry lightning strikes and the general dry weather often spark wildfires in summer, while intense thunderstorms can lead to flash flooding, especially in the rugged terrain of southern Utah. Although spring is the wettest season in northern Utah, late summer is the wettest period for much of the south and east of the state. Tornadoes are uncommon in Utah, with an average of two striking the state yearly, rarely higher than EF1 intensity.[55]

One exception of note, however, was the unprecedented Salt Lake City Tornado that moved directly across downtown Salt Lake City on August 11, 1999. The F2 tornado killed one person, injured sixty others, and caused approximately $170 million in damage;[56] it was the second strongest tornado in the state behind an F3 on August 11, 1993, in the Uinta Mountains.[56][57] The only other reported tornado fatality in Utah's history was a 7-year-old girl who was killed while camping in Summit County on July 6, 1884.[56] The last tornado of above (E)F0 intensity occurred on September 8, 2002, when an F2 tornado hit Manti.[56]

Wildlife

 
The Rocky Mountain elk is the Utah state mammal.
 
The California gull is the Utah state bird.
See also: List of fauna of Utah

Utah is home to more than 600 vertebrate animals[58] as well as numerous invertebrates and insects.[59]

Mammals

Main article: List of mammals of Utah

Mammals are found in every area of Utah. Non-predatory larger mammals include the plains bison,[60][61] elk,[62] moose,[63] mountain goat,[63] mule deer,[63] pronghorn,[64] and multiple types of bighorn sheep.[65][66][67] Non-predatory small mammals include muskrat,[63] and nutria.[68] Large and small predatory mammals include the black bear,[63] cougar,[63] Canada lynx,[69] bobcat,[63] fox (gray, red, and kit),[63] coyote,[63] badger,[63] black-footed ferret,[70] mink,[63] stoat,[63] long-tailed weasel,[63] raccoon,[63] and otter.[71]

The brown bear was formerly found within Utah, but has been extirpated.[72] There are no confirmed mating pairs of gray wolf in Utah, though there have been sightings in northeastern Utah along the Wyoming border.[73][74]

Birds

Main article: List of birds of Utah

As of January 2020, there were 466 species included in the official list managed by the Utah Bird Records Committee (UBRC).[75][76] Of these, 119 are classed as accidental, 29 are classed as occasional, 57 are classed as rare, and 10 have been introduced to Utah or North America. Eleven of the accidental species are also classed as provisional.

Due to the miracle of the gulls incident in 1848, the most well known bird in Utah is the California gull, which is the Utah state bird.[77][78] A monument in Salt Lake City commemorates this event, known as the "Miracle of the Gulls".[78] Other gulls common to Utah include Bonaparte's gull,[79] the ring-billed gull, and Franklin's gull.

Other birds commonly found include the American robin,[80] the common starling, finches (black rosy,[81] Cassin's,[82] and goldfinch),[83] the black-billed magpie,[84] mourning doves, sparrows (house, tree,[85] black-chinned,[86] black-throated,[87] Brewer's,[88] and chipping),[89] Clark's grebe,[90] the ferruginous hawk, geese (snow, cackling,[91] and Canada),[92] eagles (golden and bald),[93] California quail,[94] mountain bluebird, and hummingbirds (calliope,[95] black-chinned,[96] and broad-tailed).[97]

Invertebrates

 
Western black widow spider
Main articles: List of arachnids of Utah, List of butterflies and moths of Utah, and List of mollusks of Utah

Utah is host to a wide variety of arachnids, insects, mollusks, and other invertebrates. Arachnids include the Arizona bark scorpion,[98] Western black widow spiders,[99] crab spiders,[100] hobo spiders (Tegenaria agrestis),[101] cellar spiders, American grass spiders, woodlouse spiders.[99] Several spiders found in Utah are often mistaken for the brown recluse spider, including the desert recluse spider (found only in Washington County), the cellar spider, and crevice weaving spiders.[102][103][104] The brown recluse spider has not been officially confirmed in Utah as of summer 2020.[105]

One of the most rare insects in Utah is the Coral Pink Sand Dunes tiger beetle, found only in Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, near Kanab.[106] It was proposed in 2012 to be listed as a threatened species,[107] but the proposal was not accepted.[108] Other insects include grasshoppers,[109] green stink bugs,[110] the Army cutworm,[111] the monarch butterfly,[112] and Mormon fritillary butterfly.[112] The white-lined sphinx moth is common to most of the United States, but there have been reported outbreaks of large groups of their larvae damaging tomato, grape and garden crops in Utah.[113] Four or five species of firefly are also found across the state.[114]

In February 2009, Africanized honeybees were found in southern Utah.[115][116] The bees had spread into eight counties in Utah, as far north as Grand and Emery counties by May 2017.[117]

Vegetation

Main article: List of flora of Utah
 
Pando, considered one of the heaviest and oldest organisms on Earth.[118][119]
 
Joshua trees, yuccas, and cholla cactus occupy the far southwest corner of the state in the Mojave Desert

Several thousand plants are native to Utah,[120] including a variety of trees, shrubs, cacti, herbaceous plants, and grasses. As of 2018, there are 3,930 species of plants in Utah, with 3,128 of those being indigenous and 792 being introduced through various means.[121]

Common trees include pines/piñons (white fir, Colorado, single-leaf, Great Basin bristlecone, ponderosa, Engelmann spruce, Rocky Mountain white), and Acer grandidentatum, quaking aspen, bigtooth maple, Utah juniper, speckled alder, red birch, Gambel oak, desert willow, blue spruce, and Joshua trees. Utah has a number of named trees, including the Jardine Juniper, Pando,[118][119] and the Thousand Mile Tree. Shrubs include a number of different ephedras (pitamoreal, Navajo, Arizona, Nevada, Torrey's jointfir, and green Mormon tea), sagebrushes (little, Bigelow, silver, Michaux's wormwood, black, pygmy, bud, and Great Basin), blue elderberry, Utah serviceberry, chokecherry, and skunkbush sumac. Western poison oak, poison sumac, and western poison ivy are all found in Utah.[122]

There are many varieties of cacti in Utah's varied deserts, especially in the southern and western parts of the state. Some of these include desert prickly pear, California barrel cactus, fishhook cactus, cholla, beavertail prickly pear, and Uinta Basin hookless cactus. Despite the desert climate, many different grasses are found in Utah, including Mormon needlegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, western alkali grass, squirreltail, desert saltgrass, and cheatgrass.

Several invasive species of plants are considered noxious weeds by the state, including Bermuda grass, field bindweed, henbane, jointed goatgrass, Canada thistle, Balkan and common toadflax, giant cane, couch grass, St. John's wort, hemlock, sword grass, Russian olive, myrtle spurge, Japanese knotweed, salt cedar, and goat's head.[123]

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Utah
 
"Welcome to Utah" sign

At the 2020 U.S. census, Utah had a population of 3,271,616. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the population of Utah was 3,205,958 on July 1, 2019, a 16.00% increase since the 2010 U.S. census.[124] The center of population of Utah is located in Utah County in the city of Lehi.[125] Much of the population lives in cities and towns along the Wasatch Front, a metropolitan region that runs north–south with the Wasatch Mountains rising on the eastern side. Growth outside the Wasatch Front is also increasing. The St. George metropolitan area is currently the second fastest-growing in the country after the Las Vegas metropolitan area, while the Heber micropolitan area is also the second fastest-growing in the country (behind Palm Coast, Florida).[126]

Utah contains five metropolitan areas (Logan, Ogden-Clearfield, Salt Lake City, Provo-Orem, and St. George), and six micropolitan areas (Brigham City, Heber, Vernal, Price, Richfield, and Cedar City).

Health and fertility

Utah ranks among the highest in total fertility rate, 47th in teenage pregnancy, lowest in percentage of births out of wedlock, lowest in number of abortions per capita, and lowest in percentage of teen pregnancies terminated in abortion. However, statistics relating to pregnancies and abortions may also be artificially low from teenagers going out of state for abortions because of parental notification requirements.[127][128] Utah has the lowest child poverty rate in the country, despite its young demographics.[129] According to the Gallup-Healthways Global Well-Being Index as of 2012, Utahns ranked fourth in overall well-being in the United States.[130] A 2002 national prescription drug study determined that antidepressant drugs were "prescribed in Utah more often than in any other state, at a rate nearly twice the national average".[131] The data shows that depression rates in Utah are no higher than the national average.[132]

Ancestry and race

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
185011,380—
186040,273253.9%
187086,336114.4%
1880143,96366.7%
1890210,77946.4%
1900276,74931.3%
1910373,35134.9%
1920449,39620.4%
1930507,84713.0%
1940550,3108.4%
1950688,86225.2%
1960890,62729.3%
19701,059,27318.9%
19801,461,03737.9%
19901,722,85017.9%
20002,233,16929.6%
20102,763,88523.8%
20203,271,61618.4%
Source: 1910–2020[133]
Ethnic composition as of the 2020 census
Race and Ethnicity[134] Alone Total
White (non-Hispanic) 75.3% 75.3
 
 78.9% 78.9
 
Hispanic or Latino[b] — 15.1% 15.1
 
Asian 2.4% 2.4
 
 3.6% 3.6
 
African American (non-Hispanic) 1.1% 1.1
 
 1.8% 1.8
 
Pacific Islander 1.1% 1.1
 
 1.7% 1.7
 
Native American 0.9% 0.9
 
 1.8% 1.8
 
Other 0.4% 0.4
 
 1.1% 1.1
 
 
Map of counties in Utah by racial plurality, per the 2020 US Census
Legend
Historical racial demographics
Racial composition 1970[135] 1990[135] 2000[136] 2010[137] 2020
White (non-Hispanic) 97.4% 93.8% 89.2% 86.1% 75.3%
Hispanic (of any race) 4.1% 4.9% 9.0% 13.0% 15.1%
Asian 0.6% 1.9% 1.7% 2.0% 2.4%
Native (non-Hispanic) 1.1% 1.4% 1.3% 1.2% 0.9%
Black (non-Hispanic) 0.6% 0.7% 0.8% 1.0% 1.1%
Native Hawaiian and
other Pacific Islander		 – – 0.7% 0.9% 1.1%
Other race 0.2% 2.2% 4.2% 6.0% 0.4%
Two or more races – – 2.1% 2.7% 3.7%
 
Utah population density map

The largest ancestry groups in the state are:

In 2011 one-third of Utah's workforce was reported to be bilingual, developed through a program of acquisition of second languages beginning in elementary school, and related to Mormonism's missionary goals for its young people.[138]

In 2011, 28.6% of Utah's population younger than the age of one were ethnic minorities, meaning they had at least one parent who was of a race other than non-Hispanic white.[139]

Religion

Further information: Demographics of Utah § Religion
Religion in Utah as of 2014[140]
Religion Percent
Latter-day Saints
 
 55%
Unaffiliated
 
 22%
Protestant
 
 13%
Catholic
 
 5%
Other faiths
 
 2%
Buddhist
 
 1%
Muslim
 
 1%
 
The LDS Salt Lake Temple, the primary attraction in the city's Temple Square
 
First Presbyterian Church in Salt Lake City

Mormons are the largest religious group in Utah. However, the percentage of Mormons to the overall population has been decreasing. In 2017, 62.8% of Utahns were members of the LDS Church.[141][142] This declined to 61.2% in 2018[143] and to 60.7% in 2019.[144] Members of the LDS Church currently make up between 34%–41% of the population within Salt Lake City. However, many of the other major population centers such as Provo, Logan, Tooele, and St. George tend to be predominantly LDS, along with many suburban and rural areas. The LDS Church has the largest number of congregations, numbering 4,815 wards.[145] According to results from the 2010 U.S. census, combined with official LDS Church membership statistics, church members represented 62.1% of Utah's total population. The Utah county with the lowest percentage of church members was Grand County, at 26.5%, while the county with the highest percentage was Morgan County, at 86.1%. In addition, the result for the most populated county, Salt Lake County, was 51.4%.[12]

Though the LDS Church officially maintains a policy of neutrality in regard to political parties,[146] the church's doctrine has a strong regional influence on politics.[147] Another doctrine effect can be seen in Utah's high birth rate (25 percent higher than the national average; the highest for a state in the U.S.).[148] The Mormons in Utah tend to have conservative views when it comes to most political issues and the majority of voter-age Utahns are unaffiliated voters (60%) who vote overwhelmingly Republican.[149] Mitt Romney received 72.8% of the Utahn votes in 2012, while John McCain polled 62.5% in the 2008 United States presidential election and 70.9% for George W. Bush in 2004. In 2010 the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) reported that the three largest denominational groups in Utah are the LDS Church with 1,910,504 adherents; the Catholic Church with 160,125 adherents, and the Southern Baptist Convention with 12,593 adherents.[150]

According to a Gallup poll, Utah had the third-highest number of people reporting as "Very Religious" in 2015, at 55% (trailing only Mississippi and Alabama). However, it was near the national average of people reporting as "Nonreligious" (31%), and featured the smallest percentage of people reporting as "Moderately Religious" (15%) of any state, being eight points lower than second-lowest state Vermont.[151] In addition, it had the highest average weekly church attendance of any state, at 51%.[152]

Languages

The official language in the state of Utah is English.[153] Utah English is primarily a merger of Northern and Midland American dialects carried west by LDS Church members, whose original New York dialect later incorporated features from northeast Ohio and central Illinois. Conspicuous in the speech of some in the central valley, although less frequent now in Salt Lake City, is a cord-card merger, so that the vowels /ɑ/ an /ɔ/ are pronounced the same before an /ɹ/, such as in the words cord and card.[154]

In 2000, 87.5% of all state residents five years of age or older spoke only English at home, a decrease from 92.2% in 1990.

Top 14 Non-English Languages Spoken in Utah
Language Percentage of population
(as of 2010)[155]
Spanish 7.4%
German 0.6%
Navajo 0.5%
French 0.4%
Pacific Island languages including Chamorro, Hawaiian, Ilocano, Tagalog, and Samoan 0.4%
Chinese 0.4%
Portuguese 0.3%
Vietnamese 0.3%
Japanese 0.2%
Arapaho 0.1%

Age and gender

Utah has the highest total birth rate[148] and accordingly, the youngest population of any U.S. state. In 2010, the state's population was 50.2% male and 49.8% female. The life expectancy is 79.3 years.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Utah
See also: Utah locations by per capita income
 
The Wasatch Front region has seen large growth and development despite the economic downturn. Shown is the City Creek Center project, a development in downtown Salt Lake City with a price tag of $1.5–2.5 billion.
 
One out of every 14 flash memory chips in the world is produced in Lehi, Utah.[156]
 
Zion National Park in southern Utah is one of five national parks in the state.
 
Farms and ranches

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the gross state product of Utah in 2012 was US$130.5 billion, or 0.87% of the total United States GDP of US$14.991 trillion for the same year.[157] The per capita personal income was $45,700 in 2012. Major industries of Utah include: mining, cattle ranching, salt production, and government services.

According to the 2007 State New Economy Index, Utah is ranked the top state in the nation for Economic Dynamism, determined by "the degree to which state economies are knowledge-based, globalized, entrepreneurial, information technology-driven and innovation-based". In 2014, Utah was ranked number one in Forbes' list of "Best States For Business".[158] A November 2010 article in Newsweek magazine highlighted Utah and particularly the Salt Lake City area's economic outlook, calling it "the new economic Zion", and examined how the area has been able to bring in high-paying jobs and attract high-tech corporations to the area during a recession.[159] As of September 2014, the state's unemployment rate was 3.5%.[160] In terms of "small business friendliness", in 2014 Utah emerged as number one, based on a study drawing upon data from more than 12,000 small business owners.[161]

In eastern Utah petroleum production is a major industry.[162] Near Salt Lake City, petroleum refining is done by a number of oil companies. In central Utah, coal production accounts for much of the mining activity.

According to Internal Revenue Service tax returns, Utahns rank first among all U.S. states in the proportion of income given to charity by the wealthy. This is due to the standard ten percent of all earnings that Mormons give to the LDS Church.[129] According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, Utah had an average of 884,000 volunteers between 2008 and 2010, each of whom contributed 89.2 hours per volunteer. This figure equates to $3.8 billion of service contributed, ranking Utah number one for volunteerism in the nation.[163]

Taxation

Utah collects personal income tax; since 2008 the tax has been a flat five percent for all taxpayers.[164] The state sales tax has a base rate of 6.45 percent,[165] with cities and counties levying additional local sales taxes that vary among the municipalities. Property taxes are assessed and collected locally. Utah does not charge intangible property taxes and does not impose an inheritance tax.

Tourism

Tourism is a major industry in Utah. With five national parks (Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion), Utah has the third most national parks of any state after Alaska and California. In addition, Utah features eight national monuments (Cedar Breaks, Dinosaur, Grand Staircase–Escalante, Hovenweep, Natural Bridges, Bears Ears, Rainbow Bridge, and Timpanogos Cave), two national recreation areas (Flaming Gorge and Glen Canyon), seven national forests (Ashley, Caribou-Targhee, Dixie, Fishlake, Manti-La Sal, Sawtooth, and Uinta-Wasatch-Cache), and numerous state parks and monuments.

The Moab area, in the southeastern part of the state, is known for its challenging mountain biking trails, including Slickrock. Moab also hosts the famous Moab Jeep Safari semiannually.

Utah has seen an increase in tourism since the 2002 Winter Olympics. Park City is home to the United States Ski Team. Utah's ski resorts are primarily located in northern Utah near Salt Lake City, Park City, Ogden, and Provo. Between 2007 and 2011 Deer Valley in Park City, has been ranked the top ski resort in North America in a survey organized by Ski Magazine.[166]

Utah has many significant ski resorts. The 2009 Ski Magazine reader survey concluded that six of the top ten resorts deemed most "accessible", and six of the top ten with the best snow conditions, were located in Utah.[167] In Southern Utah, Brian Head Ski Resort is located in the mountains near Cedar City. Former Olympic venues including Utah Olympic Park and Utah Olympic Oval are still in operation for training and competition and allows the public to participate in numerous activities including ski jumping, bobsleigh, and speed skating.

Utah features many cultural attractions such as Temple Square, the Sundance Film Festival, the Red Rock Film Festival, the DOCUTAH Film Festival, the Utah Data Center, and the Utah Shakespearean Festival. Temple Square is ranked as the 16th most visited tourist attraction in the United States by Forbes magazine, with more than five million annual visitors.[168]

Other attractions include Monument Valley, the Great Salt Lake, the Bonneville Salt Flats, and Lake Powell.

 
Bryce Canyon National Park Amphitheater (winter view)

Branding

The state of Utah relies heavily on income from tourists and travelers visiting the state's parks and ski resorts, and thus the need to "brand" Utah and create an impression of the state throughout the world has led to several state slogans, the most famous of which being "The Greatest Snow on Earth", which has been in use in Utah officially since 1975 (although the slogan was in unofficial use as early as 1962) and now adorns nearly 50 percent of the state's license plates. In 2001, Utah Governor Mike Leavitt approved a new state slogan, "Utah! Where Ideas Connect", which lasted until March 10, 2006, when the Utah Travel Council and the office of Governor Jon Huntsman announced that "Life Elevated" would be the new state slogan.[169]

Mining

 
Mining has been a large industry in Utah since it was first settled. The Bingham Canyon Mine in Salt Lake County is one of the largest open pit mines in the world.

Beginning in the late 19th century with the state's mining boom (including the Bingham Canyon Mine, among the world's largest open pit mines), companies attracted large numbers of immigrants with job opportunities. Since the days of the Utah Territory mining has played a major role in Utah's economy. Historical mining towns include Mercur in Tooele County, Silver Reef in Washington County, Eureka in Juab County, Park City in Summit County and numerous coal mining camps throughout Carbon County such as Castle Gate, Spring Canyon, and Hiawatha.[170]

These settlements were characteristic of the boom and bust cycle that dominated mining towns of the American West. Park City, Utah, and Alta, Utah were boom towns in the early twentieth centuries. Rich silver mines in the mountains adjacent to the towns led to many people flocking to the towns in search of wealth. During the early part of the Cold War era, uranium was mined in eastern Utah. Today mining activity still plays a major role in the state's economy. Minerals mined in Utah include copper, gold, silver, molybdenum, zinc, lead, and beryllium. Fossil fuels including coal, petroleum, and natural gas continue to play a large role in Utah's economy, especially in the eastern part of the state in counties such as Carbon, Emery, Grand, and Uintah.[170]

Incidents

In 2007, nine people were killed at the Crandall Canyon Mine collapse.

On March 22, 2013, one miner died and another was injured after they became trapped in a cave-in at a part of the Castle Valley Mining Complex, about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) west of the small mining town of Huntington in Emery County.[171]

Energy

See also: List of power stations in Utah

Utah extracts more coal and generates more electricity than it consumes.[172] The state has the potential to generate 31.6 TWh/year from 13.1 GW of wind power, and 10,290 TWh/year from solar power using 4,048 GW of photovoltaic (PV), including 5.6 GW of rooftop photovoltaic, and 1,638 GW of concentrated solar power.[173] The Blue Castle Project is working toward building the state's first nuclear power plant near Green River, Utah. It is projected to be completed in 2030.[174]

Transportation

Road

See also: List of state highways in Utah

I-15 and I-80 are the main interstate highways in the state, where they intersect and briefly merge near downtown Salt Lake City. I-15 traverses the state north-to-south, entering from Arizona near St. George, paralleling the Wasatch Front, and crossing into Idaho near Portage. I-80 spans northern Utah east-to-west, entering from Nevada at Wendover, crossing the Wasatch Mountains east of Salt Lake City, and entering Wyoming near Evanston. I-84 West enters from Idaho near Snowville (from Boise) and merges with I-15 from Tremonton to Ogden, then heads southeast through the Wasatch Mountains before terminating at I-80 near Echo Junction.

I-70 splits from I-15 at Cove Fort in central Utah and heads east through mountains and rugged desert terrain, providing quick access to the many national parks and national monuments of southern Utah, and has been noted for its beauty. The 103 mi (166 km) stretch from Salina to Green River is the country's longest stretch of interstate without services and, when completed in 1970, was the longest stretch of entirely new highway constructed in the U.S. since the Alaska Highway was completed in 1943.

Rail and transit

 
FrontRunner commuter rail runs between Ogden and Provo via Salt Lake City
 
TRAX light rail serves Salt Lake County
See also: List of Utah railroads

Utah's Class I freight railroads are the BNSF Railway and the Union Pacific Railway. Interstate passenger rail is provided by Amtrak's daily California Zephyr train, which runs between Chicago Union Station and Emeryville, California, with stops in Utah at Green River, Helper, Provo, and the Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub. The state was previously served by Amtrak's Pioneer and Desert Wind trains. Heritage railroads include the Heber Valley Railroad and the Wild Kingdom Train.

The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) operates public transport services throughout the Wasatch Front region. TRAX, the UTA's light rail system, consists of three lines. The Blue Line (formerly Salt Lake/Sandy Line) begins in the suburb of Draper and ends in Downtown Salt Lake City. The Red Line (Mid-Jordan/University Line) begins in the Daybreak Community of South Jordan, a southwestern valley suburb, and ends at the University of Utah. The Green Line begins in West Valley City, passes through downtown Salt Lake City, and ends at Salt Lake City International Airport. The UTA also operates FrontRunner, a commuter rail line running between Ogden and Provo via Salt Lake City.

The UTA's bus system stretches from the Salt Lake Valley west to Grantsville and east to Park City. Beyond UTA, the cities of Cedar City, Logan, Park City, and St. George are served by local bus operators. In the winter, the UTA and several private bus companies operate shuttle routes to Utah's ski resorts.

Air

 
Salt Lake International Airport is the largest airport in Utah
See also: List of airports in Utah

Salt Lake City International Airport is the only international airport in the state and serves as a hub for Delta Air Lines. The airport has consistently ranked first in on-time departures and had the fewest cancellations among U.S. airports.[175] The airport has non-stop service to more than a hundred destinations throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as to Amsterdam, London and Paris. Canyonlands Field (near Moab), Cedar City Regional Airport, Ogden-Hinckley Airport, Provo Municipal Airport, St. George Regional Airport, and Vernal Regional Airport all provide limited commercial air service. A new regional airport at St. George opened on January 12, 2011. SkyWest Airlines is also headquartered in St. George and maintains a hub at Salt Lake City.

Law and government

Further information: Government of Utah, List of Utah Governors, List of Utah State Legislatures, Utah State Senate, and Utah State House of Representatives
 
Jake Garn (top-right), former Senator of Utah (1974–1993), and astronaut on Space Shuttle flight STS-51-D

Utah government is divided into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The current governor of Utah is Spencer Cox,[176] who was sworn in on January 4, 2021. The governor is elected for a four-year term. The Utah State Legislature consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives. State senators serve four-year terms and representatives two-year terms. The Utah Legislature meets each year in January for an annual 45-day session.

The Utah Supreme Court is the court of last resort in Utah. It consists of five justices, who are appointed by the governor, and then subject to retention election. The Utah Court of Appeals handles cases from the trial courts.[177] Trial level courts are the district courts and justice courts. All justices and judges, like those on the Utah Supreme Court, are subject to retention election after appointment.

In a 2020 study, Utah was ranked as the 3rd easiest state for citizens to vote in.[178]

Counties

Main article: List of counties in Utah

Utah is divided into political jurisdictions designated as counties. Since 1918 there have been 29 counties in the state, ranging from 298 to 7,819 square miles (772 to 20,300 km2).

County name County seat Year founded 2020 U.S. census Largest County City Percent of total Area % of state
Beaver Beaver 1856 7,072 Beaver 0.22% 2,589 sq mi (6,710 km2) 3.2%
Box Elder Brigham City 1856 57,666 Brigham City 1.76% 5,745 sq mi (14,880 km2) 7.0%
Cache Logan 1856 133,154 Logan 4.07% 1,164 sq mi (3,010 km2) 1.4%
Carbon Price 1894 20,412 Price 0.62% 1,478 sq mi (3,830 km2) 1.8%
Daggett Manila 1918 935 Manila 0.03% 696 sq mi (1,800 km2) 0.8%
Davis Farmington 1852 362,679 Layton 11.09% 298 sq mi (770 km2) 0.4%
Duchesne Duchesne 1915 19,596 Roosevelt 0.60% 3,240 sq mi (8,400 km2) 3.9%
Emery Castle Dale 1880 9,825 Huntington 0.30% 4,462 sq mi (11,560 km2) 5.4%
Garfield Panguitch 1882 5,051 Panguitch 0.15% 5,175 sq mi (13,400 km2) 6.3%
Grand Moab 1890 9,669 Moab 0.30% 3,671 sq mi (9,510 km2) 4.5%
Iron Parowan 1852 57,289 Cedar City 1.75% 3,296 sq mi (8,540 km2) 4.0%
Juab Nephi 1852 11,786 Nephi 0.36% 3,392 sq mi (8,790 km2) 4.1%
Kane Kanab 1864 7,667 Kanab 0.23% 3,990 sq mi (10,300 km2) 4.9%
Millard Fillmore 1852 12,975 Delta 0.40% 6,572 sq mi (17,020 km2) 8.0%
Morgan Morgan 1862 12,295 Morgan 0.38% 609 sq mi (1,580 km2) 0.7%
Piute Junction 1865 1,438 Circleville 0.04% 757 sq mi (1,960 km2) 0.9%
Rich Randolph 1868 2,510 Garden City 0.08% 1,028 sq mi (2,660 km2) 1.3%
Salt Lake Salt Lake City 1852 1,185,238 Salt Lake City, State Capital. 36.23% 742 sq mi (1,920 km2) 0.9%
San Juan Monticello 1880 14,518 Blanding 0.44% 7,819 sq mi (20,250 km2) 9.5%
Sanpete Manti 1852 28,437 Ephraim 0.87% 1,590 sq mi (4,100 km2) 1.9%
Sevier Richfield 1865 21,522 Richfield 0.66% 1,910 sq mi (4,900 km2) 2.3%
Summit Coalville 1854 42,357 Park City 1.29% 1,871 sq mi (4,850 km2) 2.3%
Tooele Tooele 1852 72,698 Tooele 2.22% 6,941 sq mi (17,980 km2) 8.4%
Uintah Vernal 1880 35,620 Vernal 1.09% 4,479 sq mi (11,600 km2) 5.5%
Utah Provo 1852 659,399 Provo, third largest city in UT. 20.16% 2,003 sq mi (5,190 km2) 2.4%
Wasatch Heber 1862 34,788 Heber City 1.06% 1,175 sq mi (3,040 km2) 1.4%
Washington St. George 1852 180,279 St. George 5.51% 2,426 sq mi (6,280 km2) 3.0%
Wayne Loa 1892 2,486 Loa 0.08% 2,460 sq mi (6,400 km2) 3.0%
Weber Ogden 1852 262,223 Ogden 8.02% 576 sq mi (1,490 km2) 0.7%
  • Total Counties: 29
  • Total 2020 population: 3,271,616[179]
  • Total state area: 82,154 sq mi (212,780 km2)

Women's rights

Further information: Women's suffrage in Utah

Utah granted full voting rights to women in 1870, 26 years before becoming a state. Among all U.S. states, only Wyoming granted suffrage to women earlier.[180] However, in 1887 the initial Edmunds-Tucker Act was passed by Congress in an effort to curtail Mormon influence in the territorial government. One of the provisions of the Act was the repeal of women's suffrage; full suffrage was not returned until Utah was admitted to the Union in 1896.

Utah is one of the 15 states that have not ratified the U.S. Equal Rights Amendment.[181]

Free-range parenting

In March 2018, Utah passed the United States' first "free-range parenting" bill. The bill was signed into law by Republican Governor Gary Herbert and states that parents who allow their children to engage in certain activities without supervision are not considered neglectful.[182][183]

Constitution

Main article: Constitution of Utah

The constitution of Utah was enacted May 8, 1895.[184] Notably, the constitution outlawed polygamy, as requested by Congress when Utah had applied for statehood, and reestablished the territorial practice of women's suffrage. Utah's Constitution has been amended many times since its inception.[185]

Alcohol, tobacco and gambling laws

See also: List of alcohol laws of the United States

Utah's laws in regard to alcohol, tobacco and gambling are strict. Utah is an alcoholic beverage control state. The Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control regulates the sale of alcohol; wine and spirituous liquors may be purchased only at state liquor stores, and local laws may prohibit the sale of beer and other alcoholic beverages on Sundays. The state bans the sale of fruity alcoholic drinks at grocery stores and convenience stores. The law states that such drinks must now have new state-approved labels on the front of the products that contain capitalized letters in bold type telling consumers the drinks contain alcohol and at what percentage. Utah is the only state that imposes a maxium blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.05% for drivers, as opposed to the 0.08% limit in other states.[186] The Utah Indoor Clean Air Act is a statewide smoking ban that prohibits it in many public places.[187] Utah and Hawaii are the only two states in the United States to outlaw all forms of gambling.

Same-sex marriage

Main article: Same-sex marriage in Utah

Same-sex marriage became legal in Utah on December 20, 2013, when U.S. District Court Judge Robert J. Shelby issued a ruling in Kitchen v. Herbert.[188][189] As of close of business December 26, more than 1,225 marriage licenses were issued, with at least 74 percent, or 905 licenses, issued to gay and lesbian couples.[190] The Utah Attorney General's office was granted a stay of the ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on January 6, 2014, while the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals considered the case.[191] On October 6, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court declined a writ of certiorari, and the 10th Circuit Court issued their mandate later that day, lifting their stay. Same-sex marriages commenced again in Utah that day.[192]

Politics

Further information: Political party strength in Utah and United States presidential elections in Utah
Party registration as of October 11, 2022[193]
Party Total voters Percentage
Republican 958,846 50.43%
Unaffiliated 563,464 29.63%
Democratic 269,737 14.18%
Other 109,453 5.76%
Total 1,901,500 100%
 
The Utah State Capitol, Salt Lake City
 
The Scott Matheson Courthouse is the seat of the Utah Supreme Court.

In the late 19th century, the federal government took issue with polygamy in the LDS Church. The LDS Church discontinued plural marriage in 1890, and in 1896 Utah gained admission to the Union. Many new people settled the area soon after the Mormon pioneers. Relations have often been strained between the LDS population and the non-LDS population.[194] These tensions have played a large part in Utah's history (Liberal Party vs. People's Party).

Utah votes predominantly Republican. Self-identified Latter-day Saints are more likely to vote for the Republican ticket than non-Mormons. Utah is one of the most Republican states in the nation.[195][196] Utah was the single most Republican-leaning state in the country in every presidential election from 1976 to 2004, measured by the percentage point margin between the Republican and Democratic candidates. In 2008 Utah was only the third-most Republican state (after Wyoming and Oklahoma), but in 2012, with Mormon Mitt Romney atop the Republican ticket, Utah returned to its position as the most Republican state. However, the 2016 presidential election result saw Republican Donald Trump carry the state (marking the thirteenth consecutive win by the Republican presidential candidate) with only a plurality, the first time this happened since 1992.

Both of Utah's U.S. Senators, Mitt Romney and Mike Lee, are Republican. Three more Republicans—Rob Bishop, Chris Stewart, and John Curtis—represent Utah in the United States House of Representatives. Ben McAdams was the sole Democratic member of the Utah delegation, representing the 4th congressional district, based in Salt Lake City, from 2019 to 2021, though he lost re-election to Burgess Owens, a Republican, in 2020. After Jon Huntsman Jr. resigned to serve as U.S. Ambassador to China in 2009, Gary Herbert was sworn in as governor on August 11, 2009. Herbert was elected to serve out the remainder of the term in a special election in 2010, defeating Democratic nominee Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon with 64% of the vote. He won election to a full four-year term in 2012, defeating the Democrat Peter Cooke with 68% of the vote.

The LDS Church maintains an official policy of neutrality with regard to political parties and candidates.[146]

In the 1970s, then-Apostle Ezra Taft Benson was quoted by the Associated Press that it would be difficult for a faithful Latter-day Saint to be a liberal Democrat.[197] Although the LDS Church has officially repudiated such statements on many occasions, Democratic candidates—including LDS Democrats—believe Republicans capitalize on the perception that the Republican Party is doctrinally superior.[198] Political scientist and pollster Dan Jones explains this disparity by noting that the national Democratic Party is associated with liberal positions on gay marriage and abortion, both of which the LDS Church is against.[199] The Republican Party in heavily Mormon Utah County presents itself as the superior choice for Latter-day Saints. Even though Utah Democratic candidates are predominantly LDS, socially conservative, and pro-life, no Democrat has won in Utah County since 1994.[200]

David Magleby, dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Brigham Young University, a lifelong Democrat and a political analyst, asserts that the Republican Party actually has more conservative positions than the LDS Church. Magleby argues that the locally conservative Democrats are in better accord with LDS doctrine.[201] For example, the Republican Party of Utah opposes almost all abortions while Utah Democrats take a more liberal approach, although more conservative than their national counterparts. On Second Amendment issues, the state GOP has been at odds with the LDS Church position opposing concealed firearms in places of worship and in public spaces.

In 1998 the church expressed concern that Utahns perceived the Republican Party as an LDS institution and authorized lifelong Democrat and Seventy Marlin Jensen to promote LDS bipartisanship.[197]

Utah is much more conservative than the United States as a whole, primarily on social issues. Compared to other Republican-dominated states in the Mountain West such as Idaho and Wyoming, Utah politics have a more moralistic and less libertarian character, according to David Magleby.[202]

About 80% of Utah's Legislature are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,[203] while members account for 61 percent of the population.[204] Since becoming a state in 1896, Utah has had only two non-Mormon governors.[205]

In 2006, the legislature passed legislation aimed at banning joint-custody for a non-biological parent of a child. The custody measure passed the legislature and was vetoed by the governor, a reciprocal benefits supporter.

Carbon County's Democrats are generally made up of members of the large Greek, Italian, and Southeastern European communities, whose ancestors migrated in the early 20th century to work in the extensive mining industry. The views common amongst this group are heavily influenced by labor politics, particularly of the New Deal Era.[206]

The state's most Republican areas tend to be Utah County, which is the home to Brigham Young University in the city of Provo, and nearly all the rural counties.[207][208] These areas generally hold socially conservative views in line with that of the national Religious Right. The most Democratic areas of the state lie currently in and around Salt Lake City proper.

The state has not voted for a Democrat for president since 1964. Historically, Republican presidential nominees score one of their best margins of victory here. Utah was the Republicans' best state in the 1976,[209] 1980,[210] 1984,[211] 1988,[212] 1996,[213] 2000,[214] 2004[215] and 2012 elections. In 1992, Utah was the only state in the nation where Democratic candidate Bill Clinton finished behind both Republican candidate George HW Bush and Independent candidate Ross Perot.[216] In 2004, Republican George W. Bush won every county in the state and Utah gave him his largest margin of victory of any state. He won the state's five electoral votes by a margin of 46 percentage points with 71.5% of the vote. In the 1996 Presidential elections the Republican candidate received a smaller 54% of the vote while the Democrat earned 34%.[217]

In 2020, the Associated Press wrote a piece profiling Utah's political culture during that year's presidential election. The article noted a more bipartisan and cooperative environment, along with conservative support of liberal causes such as LGBT rights and marijuana use, despite the Republican dominance in the state and the political polarization seen in other parts of the U.S. at the time.[218]

Major cities and towns

Main article: List of municipalities in Utah
See also: Utah locations by per capita income

Utah's population is concentrated in two areas, the Wasatch Front in the north-central part of the state, with over 2.6 million residents; and Washington County, in southwestern Utah, locally known as "Dixie", with more than 175,000 residents in the metropolitan area.

According to the 2010 census, Utah was the second fastest-growing state (at 23.8 percent) in the United States between 2000 and 2010 (behind Nevada). St. George, in the southwest, is the second fastest-growing metropolitan area in the United States, trailing Greeley, Colorado.

The three fastest-growing counties from 2000 to 2010 were Wasatch County (54.7%), Washington County (52.9%), and Tooele County (42.9%). However, Utah County added the most people (148,028). Between 2000 and 2010, Saratoga Springs (1,673%), Herriman (1,330%), Eagle Mountain (893%), Cedar Hills (217%), South Willard (168%), Nibley (166%), Syracuse (159%), West Haven (158%), Lehi (149%), Washington (129%), and Stansbury Park (116%) all at least doubled in population. West Jordan (35,376), Lehi (28,379), St. George (23,234), South Jordan (20,981), West Valley City (20,584), and Herriman (20,262) all added at least 20,000 people.[219]

Utah
Rank		 City Population
(2020)
within
city limits		 Land
area		 Population
density
(/mi2)		 Population
density
(/km2)		 County
1 Salt Lake City 199,723 109.1 sq mi (283 km2) 1,830.6 706 Salt Lake
2 West Valley City 140,230 35.4 sq mi (92 km2) 3,961.3 1,524 Salt Lake
3 West Jordan 116,961 30.9 sq mi (80 km2) 3,785.1 1,462 Salt Lake
4 Provo 115,162 39.6 sq mi (103 km2) 2,908.1 1,118 Utah County
5 Orem 98,129 18.4 sq mi (48 km2) 5,333.1 2,044 Utah County
6 Sandy 96,904 22.3 sq mi (58 km2) 4,345.5 1,671 Salt Lake
7 St. George 95,342 64.4 sq mi (167 km2) 1,480.5 571 Washington
8 Ogden 87,321 26.6 sq mi (69 km2) 3,282.7 1,266 Weber
9 Layton 81,773 22.0 sq mi (57 km2) 3,717 1,434 Davis
10 South Jordan 77,487 22.05 sq mi (57 km2) 3,514.1 1,359 Salt Lake
11 Lehi 75,907 26.3 sq mi (68 km2) 2,886.2 1,116 Utah
12 Millcreek 63,380 13.7 sq mi (35 km2) 4,626.3 1,811 Salt Lake
13 Taylorsville 60,448 10.7 sq mi (28 km2) 5,649.3 2,159 Salt Lake
Combined statistical area Population
(2010)
Salt Lake City-Ogden-Clearfield
comprises:
Salt Lake City and Ogden-Clearfield Metropolitan Areas and
Brigham City and Heber Micropolitan Areas (as listed below)		 1,744,886
Utah
Rank		 Metropolitan area Population
(2017)		 Counties
1 Salt Lake City* 1,203,105 Salt Lake, Tooele, Summit
2 Ogden-Clearfield* 665,358 Weber, Davis, Morgan
3 Provo-Orem 617,675 Utah
4 St. George 165,662 Washington
5 Logan 138,002 Cache, Franklin (Idaho)
  • Until 2003, the Salt Lake City and Ogden-Clearfield metropolitan areas were considered as a single metropolitan area.[citation needed]
Utah
Rank		 Micropolitan area Population
(2010)
1 Brigham City 49,015
2 Cedar City 44,540
3 Vernal 29,885
4 Heber 21,066
5 Price 19,549
6 Richfield 18,382

Colleges and universities

Main article: List of colleges and universities in Utah

Culture

Sports

See also: List of professional sports teams in Utah
 
The Utah Jazz playing against the Houston Rockets

Utah is the second-least populous U.S. state to have a major professional sports league franchise, after the Vegas Golden Knights joined the National Hockey League in 2017. The Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association play at Vivint Arena[221] in Salt Lake City. The team moved to the city from New Orleans in 1979 and has been one of the most consistently successful teams in the league (although they have yet to win a championship). Salt Lake City was previously host to the Utah Stars, who competed in the ABA from 1970 to 1976 and won one championship, and to the Utah Starzz of the WNBA from 1997 to 2003.

Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer was founded in 2005 and play their home matches at Rio Tinto Stadium (now known as America First Field in Sandy. RSL remains the only Utah major league sports team to have won a national championship, having won the MLS Cup in 2009.[222] RSL currently operates three adult teams in addition to the MLS side. Real Monarchs, competing in the third-tier MLS Next Pro, is the official reserve side for RSL. The team began play in the 2015 season at Rio Tinto Stadium,[223] remaining there until moving to Zions Bank Stadium, located at RSL's training center in Herriman, for the 2018 season and beyond.[224] Utah Royals FC, which shares ownership with RSL and also plays at America First Field, has played in the National Women's Soccer League, the top level of U.S. women's soccer, since 2018.[225] Before the creation of the Royals, RSL's main women's side had been Real Salt Lake Women, which began play in the Women's Premier Soccer League in 2008 and moved to United Women's Soccer in 2016. RSL Women currently play at Utah Valley University in Orem.

Utah's highest level Minor League Baseball team is the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees, who play at Smith's Ballpark in Salt Lake City as a part of the Pacific Coast League. Utah also has one minor league hockey team, the Utah Grizzlies, who play at the Maverik Center and compete in the ECHL.

Utah has seven universities that compete in Division I of the NCAA. Three of the schools have football programs that participate in the top-level Football Bowl Subdivision: Utah in the Pac-12 Conference, Utah State in the Mountain West Conference, and BYU as an independent (although BYU competes in the non-football West Coast Conference for most other sports). In addition, Weber State and Southern Utah (SUU) compete in the Big Sky Conference of the FCS. Utah Tech, with an FCS football program, and Utah Valley, with no football program, are members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics. After early financial struggles and scandal, the 2002 Olympics eventually became among the most successful Winter Olympics in history from a marketing and financial standpoint. Watched by more than two billion viewers, the Games ended up with a profit of $100 million.[226]

Utah has hosted professional golf tournaments such as the Uniting Fore Care Classic and currently the Utah Championship.

Rugby has been growing quickly in the state of Utah, growing from 17 teams in 2009 to 70 as of 2013 with more than 3,000 players, and more than 55 high school varsity teams.[227][228] The growth has been inspired in part by the 2008 movie Forever Strong.[228] Utah fields two of the most competitive teams in the nation in college rugby—BYU and Utah.[227] BYU has won the National Championship in 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. Formed in 2017, the Utah Warriors are a Major League Rugby team based in Salt Lake City.[229]

Entertainment

See also: List of appearances of Monument Valley in the media and Category:Films shot in Utah

Utah is the setting of or the filming location for many books, films,[230] television series,[230] music videos, and video games.

Utah's capitol Salt Lake City is the final location in the video game The Last of Us.[231]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b Elevation adjusted to North American Vertical Datum of 1988.
  2. ^ Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin are not distinguished between total and partial ancestry.

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March 02, 2023
utah, this, article, about, state, other, uses, disambiguation, coordinates, state, juː, ɑː, juː, ɔː, listen, landlocked, state, mountain, west, subregion, western, united, states, bordered, east, colorado, northeast, wyoming, north, idaho, south, arizona, wes. This article is about the U S state For other uses see Utah disambiguation Coordinates 39 N 111 W 39 N 111 W 39 111 State of Utah Utah ˈ juː t ɑː YOO tah ˈ juː t ɔː listen YOO taw is a landlocked state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States It is bordered to its east by Colorado to its northeast by Wyoming to its north by Idaho to its south by Arizona and to its west by Nevada Utah also touches a corner of New Mexico in the southeast Of the fifty U S states Utah is the 13th largest by area with a population over three million it is the 30th most populous and 11th least densely populated Urban development is mostly concentrated in two areas the Wasatch Front in the north central part of the state which is home to roughly two thirds of the population and includes the capital city Salt Lake City and Washington County in the southwest with more than 180 000 residents 8 Most of the western half of Utah lies in the Great Basin UtahStateState of UtahFlagSealNickname s Beehive State official The Mormon State Deseret Motto IndustryAnthem Utah This Is the Place Map of the United States with Utah highlightedCountryUnited StatesBefore statehoodUtah TerritoryAdmitted to the UnionJanuary 4 1896 45th Capital and largest city Salt Lake CityLargest metro and urban areasSalt Lake CityGovernment GovernorSpencer Cox R Lieutenant GovernorDeidre Henderson R LegislatureState Legislature Upper houseState Senate Lower houseHouse of RepresentativesJudiciaryUtah Supreme CourtU S senatorsMike Lee R Mitt Romney R U S House delegation1 Blake Moore R 2 Chris Stewart R 3 John Curtis R 4 Burgess Owens R list Area Total84 899 sq mi 219 887 km2 Land82 144 sq mi 212 761 km2 Water2 755 sq mi 7 136 km2 3 25 Rank13thDimensions Length350 mi 560 km Width270 mi 435 km Elevation6 100 ft 1 860 m Highest elevation Kings Peak 1 2 a 13 534 ft 4 120 3 m Lowest elevation Beaver Dam Wash at Arizona border 2 a 3 2 180 ft 664 4 m Population 2020 Total3 271 616 4 Rank30th Density36 53 sq mi 14 12 km2 Rank41st Median household income 60 365 5 Income rank11thDemonymUtahn or Utahan 6 Language Official languageEnglishTime zoneUTC 07 00 Mountain Summer DST UTC 06 00 MDT USPS abbreviationUTISO 3166 codeUS UTTraditional abbreviationUt Latitude37 N to 42 NLongitude109 3 W to 114 3 WWebsiteutah wbr govState symbols of UtahList of state symbolsFlag of UtahSeal of UtahLiving insigniaBirdCalifornia gullFishBonneville cutthroat trout 7 FlowerSego lilyGrassIndian ricegrassMammalRocky Mountain ElkReptileGila monsterTreeQuaking aspenInanimate insigniaDanceSquare danceDinosaurUtahraptorFirearmBrowning M1911FossilAllosaurusGemstoneTopazMineralCopper 7 RockCoal 7 TartanUtah State Centennial TartanState route markerState quarterReleased in 2007Lists of United States state symbolsUtah has been inhabited for thousands of years by various indigenous groups such as the ancient Puebloans Navajo and Ute The Spanish were the first Europeans to arrive in the mid 16th century though the region s difficult geography and harsh climate made it a peripheral part of New Spain and later Mexico Even while it was Mexican territory many of Utah s earliest settlers were American particularly Mormons fleeing marginalization and persecution from the United States Following the Mexican American War in 1848 the region was annexed by the U S becoming part of the Utah Territory which included what is now Colorado and Nevada Disputes between the dominant Mormon community and the federal government delayed Utah s admission as a state only after the outlawing of polygamy was it admitted in 1896 as the 45th People from Utah are known as Utahns 9 Slightly over half of all Utahns are Mormons the vast majority of whom are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints LDS Church which has its world headquarters in Salt Lake City 10 Utah is the only state where a majority of the population belongs to a single church 11 The LDS Church greatly influences Utahn culture politics and daily life 12 though since the 1990s the state has become more religiously diverse as well as secular Utah has a highly diversified economy with major sectors including transportation education information technology and research government services mining and tourism Utah has been one of the fastest growing states since 2000 13 with the 2020 U S census confirming the fastest population growth in the nation since 2010 St George was the fastest growing metropolitan area in the United States from 2000 to 2005 14 Utah ranks among the overall best states in metrics such as healthcare governance education and infrastructure 15 It has the 14th highest median average income and the least income inequality of any U S state Over time and influenced by climate change droughts in Utah have been increasing in frequency and severity 16 putting a further strain on Utah s water security and impacting the state s economy 17 Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 2 1 Pre Columbian 2 2 Spanish exploration 1540 2 3 Latter Day Saint settlement 1847 2 4 Utah Territory 1850 1896 2 5 20th century to present 3 Geography and geology 3 1 Adjacent states 3 2 Climate 3 3 Wildlife 3 3 1 Mammals 3 3 2 Birds 3 3 3 Invertebrates 3 4 Vegetation 4 Demographics 4 1 Health and fertility 4 2 Ancestry and race 4 3 Religion 4 4 Languages 4 5 Age and gender 5 Economy 5 1 Taxation 5 2 Tourism 5 2 1 Branding 5 3 Mining 5 3 1 Incidents 5 4 Energy 6 Transportation 6 1 Road 6 2 Rail and transit 6 3 Air 7 Law and government 7 1 Counties 7 2 Women s rights 7 3 Free range parenting 7 4 Constitution 7 5 Alcohol tobacco and gambling laws 7 6 Same sex marriage 7 7 Politics 8 Major cities and towns 9 Colleges and universities 10 Culture 10 1 Sports 10 2 Entertainment 11 See also 12 Notes 13 References 14 Further reading 15 External links 15 1 General 15 2 Government 15 3 Military 15 4 Maps and demographics 15 5 Tourism and recreation 15 6 OtherEtymologyThe name Utah is said to derive from the name of the Ute tribe meaning people of the mountains 18 However no such word actually exists in the Utes language and the Utes refer to themselves as Noochee The meaning of Utes as the mountain people has been attributed to the neighboring Pueblo Indians 19 as well as to the Apache word Yuttahih which means one that is higher up or those that are higher up 18 In Spanish it was pronounced Yuta subsequently English speaking people may have adapted the word as Utah 20 HistoryMain article History of Utah Pre Columbian Map showing Utah in 1838 when it was part of Mexico Britannica 7th edition Thousands of years before the arrival of European explorers the Ancestral Puebloans and the Fremont people lived in what is now known as Utah some of which spoke languages of the Uto Aztecan group Ancestral Pueblo peoples built their homes through excavations in mountains and the Fremont people built houses of straw before disappearing from the region around the 15th century Another group of Native Americans the Navajo settled in the region around the 18th century In the mid 18th century other Uto Aztecan tribes including the Goshute the Paiute the Shoshone and the Ute people also settled in the region These five groups were present when the first European explorers arrived 21 22 Spanish exploration 1540 Main articles New Spain The Californias History First Mexican Empire Provisional Government of Mexico First Mexican Republic and Centralist Republic of Mexico The southern Utah region was explored by the Spanish in 1540 led by Francisco Vazquez de Coronado while looking for the legendary Cibola A group led by two Catholic priests sometimes called the Dominguez Escalante expedition left Santa Fe in 1776 hoping to find a route to the coast of California The expedition traveled as far north as Utah Lake and encountered the native residents The Spanish made further explorations in the region but were not interested in colonizing the area because of its desert nature In 1821 the year Mexico achieved its independence from Spain the region became known as part of its territory of Alta California European trappers and fur traders explored some areas of Utah in the early 19th century from Canada and the United States The city of Provo Utah was named for one Etienne Provost who visited the area in 1825 The city of Ogden Utah was named after Peter Skene Ogden a Canadian explorer who traded furs in the Weber Valley In late 1824 Jim Bridger became the first known English speaking person to sight the Great Salt Lake Due to the high salinity of its waters he thought he had found the Pacific Ocean he subsequently learned this body of water was a giant salt lake After the discovery of the lake hundreds of American and Canadian traders and trappers established trading posts in the region In the 1830s thousands of migrants traveling from the Eastern United States to the American West began to make stops in the region of the Great Salt Lake then known as Lake Youta citation needed Latter Day Saint settlement 1847 Main articles Mexican American War Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and Mexican Cession Brigham Young led the first Mormon pioneers to the Great Salt Lake Following the death of Joseph Smith in 1844 Brigham Young as president of the Quorum of the Twelve became the leader of the LDS Church in Nauvoo Illinois 23 To address the growing conflicts between his people and their neighbors Young agreed with Illinois Governor Thomas Ford in October 1845 that the Mormons would leave by the following year 24 Young and the first group of Mormon pioneers reached the Salt Lake Valley on July 24 1847 Over the next 22 years more than 70 000 pioneers crossed the plains and settled in Utah 25 For the first few years Brigham Young and the thousands of early settlers of Salt Lake City struggled to survive The arid desert land was deemed by the Mormons as desirable as a place where they could practice their religion without harassment Settlers buried thirty six Native Americans in one grave after an outbreak of measles occurred during the winter of 1847 26 The first group of settlers brought African slaves with them making Utah the only place in the western United States to have African slavery 27 Three slaves Green Flake Hark Lay and Oscar Crosby came west with the first group of settlers in 1847 28 The settlers also began to purchase Indian slaves in the well established Indian slave trade 29 as well as enslaving Indian prisoners of war 30 31 Utah was Mexican territory when the first pioneers arrived in 1847 Early in the Mexican American War in late 1846 the United States had taken control of New Mexico and California The entire Southwest became U S territory upon the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo February 2 1848 The treaty was ratified by the United States Senate on March 11 Learning that California and New Mexico were applying for statehood the settlers of the Utah area originally having planned to petition for territorial status applied for statehood with an ambitious plan for a State of Deseret The Mormon settlements provided pioneers for other settlements in the West Salt Lake City became the hub of a far flung commonwealth 32 of Mormon settlements With new church converts coming from the East and around the world Church leaders often assigned groups of church members as missionaries to establish other settlements throughout the West They developed irrigation to support fairly large pioneer populations along Utah s Wasatch front Salt Lake City Bountiful and Weber Valley and Provo and Utah Valley 33 Throughout the remainder of the 19th century Mormon pioneers established hundreds of other settlements in Utah Idaho Nevada Arizona Wyoming California Canada and Mexico including in Las Vegas Nevada Franklin Idaho the first European settlement in Idaho San Bernardino California Mesa Arizona Star Valley Wyoming and Carson Valley Nevada Prominent settlements in Utah included St George Logan and Manti where settlers completed the LDS Church s first three temples in Utah each started after but finished many years before the larger and better known temple built in Salt Lake City was completed in 1893 as well as Parowan Cedar City Bluff Moab Vernal Fillmore which served as the territorial capital between 1850 and 1856 Nephi Levan Spanish Fork Springville Provo Bench now Orem Pleasant Grove American Fork Lehi Sandy Murray Jordan Centerville Farmington Huntsville Kaysville Grantsville Tooele Roy Brigham City and many other smaller towns and settlements Young had an expansionist s view of the territory that he and the Mormon pioneers were settling calling it Deseret which according to the Book of Mormon was an ancient word for honeybee This is symbolized by the beehive on the Utah flag and the state s motto Industry 34 Utah Territory 1850 1896 Main articles Organic act List of organic acts Utah Territory Admission to the Union and List of U S states by date of admission to the Union A sketch of Salt Lake City in 1860 Deseret Village recreates Utah pioneer life for tourists The Golden Spike where the First transcontinental railroad was completed in the U S on May 10 1869 in Promontory Utah The Utah Territory was much smaller than the proposed state of Deseret but it still contained all of the present states of Nevada and Utah as well as pieces of modern Wyoming and Colorado 35 It was created with the Compromise of 1850 and Fillmore named after President Millard Fillmore was designated the capital The territory was given the name Utah after the Ute tribe of Native Americans Salt Lake City replaced Fillmore as the territorial capital in 1856 By 1850 there were around 100 black people in the territory the majority of whom were slaves 36 In Salt Lake County 26 slaves were counted 26 In 1852 the territorial legislature passed the Act in Relation to Service and the Act for the relief of Indian Slaves and Prisoners formally legalizing slavery in the territory Slavery was abolished in the territory during the Civil War In 1850 Salt Lake City sent out a force known as the Nauvoo Legion and engaged the Timpanogos in the Battle at Fort Utah 30 71 Disputes between the Mormon inhabitants and the U S government intensified due to the practice of plural marriage or polygamy among members of the LDS Church The Mormons were still pushing for the establishment of a State of Deseret with the new borders of the Utah Territory Most if not all of the members of the U S government opposed the polygamous practices of the Mormons Members of the LDS Church were viewed as un American and rebellious when news of their polygamous practices spread In 1857 particularly heinous accusations of abdication of government and general immorality were leveled by former associate justice William W Drummond among others The detailed reports of life in Utah caused the administration of James Buchanan to send a secret military expedition to Utah When the supposed rebellion should be quelled Alfred Cumming would take the place of Brigham Young as territorial governor The resulting conflict is known as the Utah War nicknamed Buchanan s Blunder by the Mormon leaders In September 1857 about 120 American settlers of the Baker Fancher wagon train en route to California from Arkansas were murdered by Utah Territorial Militia and some Paiute Native Americans in the Mountain Meadows massacre 37 Before troops led by Albert Sidney Johnston entered the territory Brigham Young ordered all residents of Salt Lake City to evacuate southward to Utah Valley and sent out the Nauvoo Legion to delay the government s advance Although wagons and supplies were burned eventually the troops arrived in 1858 and Young surrendered official control to Cumming although most subsequent commentators claim that Young retained true power in the territory A steady stream of governors appointed by the president quit the position often citing the traditions of their supposed territorial government By agreement with Young Johnston established Camp Floyd 40 miles 60 km away from Salt Lake City to the southwest Salt Lake City was the last link of the First Transcontinental Telegraph completed in October 1861 Brigham Young was among the first to send a message along with Abraham Lincoln and other officials Because of the American Civil War federal troops were pulled out of Utah Territory in 1861 This was a boon to the local economy as the army sold everything in camp for pennies on the dollar before marching back east to join the war The territory was then left in LDS hands until Patrick E Connor arrived with a regiment of California volunteers in 1862 Connor established Fort Douglas just 3 miles 4 8 km east of Salt Lake City and encouraged his people to discover mineral deposits to bring more non Mormons into the territory Minerals were discovered in Tooele County and miners began to flock to the territory Beginning in 1865 Utah s Black Hawk War developed into the deadliest conflict in the territory s history Chief Antonga Black Hawk died in 1870 but fights continued to break out until additional federal troops were sent in to suppress the Ghost Dance of 1872 The war is unique among Indian Wars because it was a three way conflict with mounted Timpanogos Utes led by Antonga Black Hawk fighting federal and LDS authorities On May 10 1869 the First transcontinental railroad was completed at Promontory Summit north of the Great Salt Lake 38 The railroad brought increasing numbers of people into the territory and several influential businesspeople made fortunes there During the 1870s and 1880s laws were passed to punish polygamists due in part to stories from Utah Notably Ann Eliza Young tenth wife to divorce Brigham Young women s advocate national lecturer and author of Wife No 19 or My Life of Bondage and Mr and Mrs Fanny Stenhouse authors of The Rocky Mountain Saints T B H Stenhouse 1873 and Tell It All My Life in Mormonism Fanny Stenhouse 1875 Both Ann Eliza and Fanny testify to the happiness of the very early Church members before polygamy They independently published their books in 1875 These books and the lectures of Ann Eliza Young have been credited with the United States Congress passage of anti polygamy laws by newspapers throughout the United States as recorded in The Ann Eliza Young Vindicator a pamphlet which detailed Ms Young s travels and warm reception throughout her lecture tour T B H Stenhouse former Utah Mormon polygamist Mormon missionary for thirteen years and a Salt Lake City newspaper owner finally left Utah and wrote The Rocky Mountain Saints His book gives a witnessed account of life in Utah both the good and the bad He finally left Utah and Mormonism after financial ruin occurred when Brigham Young sent Stenhouse to relocate to Ogden Utah according to Stenhouse to take over his thriving pro Mormon Salt Lake Telegraph newspaper In addition to these testimonies The Confessions of John D Lee written by John D Lee alleged Scape goat for the Mountain Meadow Massacre also came out in 1877 The corroborative testimonies coming out of Utah from Mormons and former Mormons influenced Congress and the people of the United States In the 1890 Manifesto the LDS Church banned polygamy When Utah applied for statehood again it was accepted One of the conditions for granting Utah statehood was that a ban on polygamy be written into the state constitution This was a condition required of other western states that were admitted into the Union later Statehood was officially granted on January 4 1896 20th century to present Children reading in Santa Clara Utah in 1940 Beginning in the early 20th century with the establishment of such national parks as Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park Utah became known for its natural beauty Southern Utah became a popular filming spot for arid rugged scenes featured in the popular mid century western film genre From such films most US residents recognize such natural landmarks as Delicate Arch and the Mittens of Monument Valley 39 During the 1950s 1960s and 1970s with the construction of the Interstate highway system accessibility to the southern scenic areas was made easier Since the establishment of Alta Ski Area in 1939 and the subsequent development of several ski resorts in the state s mountains Utah s skiing has become world renowned The dry powdery snow of the Wasatch Range is considered some of the best skiing in the world the state license plate once claimed the Greatest Snow on Earth 40 41 Salt Lake City won the bid for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games and this served as a great boost to the economy The ski resorts have increased in popularity and many of the Olympic venues built along the Wasatch Front continue to be used for sporting events Preparation for the Olympics spurred the development of the light rail system in the Salt Lake Valley known as TRAX and the re construction of the freeway system around the city In 1957 Utah created the Utah State Parks Commission with four parks Today Utah State Parks manages 43 parks and several undeveloped areas totaling over 95 000 acres 380 km2 of land and more than 1 000 000 acres 4 000 km2 of water Utah s state parks are scattered throughout Utah from Bear Lake State Park at the Utah Idaho border to Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum deep in the Four Corners region and everywhere in between Utah State Parks is also home to the state s off highway vehicle office state boating office and the trails program 42 During the late 20th century the state grew quickly In the 1970s growth was phenomenal in the suburbs of the Wasatch Front Sandy was one of the fastest growing cities in the country at that time Today many areas of Utah continue to see boom time growth Northern Davis southern and western Salt Lake Summit eastern Tooele Utah Wasatch and Washington counties are all growing very quickly Management of transportation and urbanization are major issues in politics as development consumes agricultural land and wilderness areas and transportation is a major reason for poor air quality in Utah On March 8 2020 Utah suffered a 5 7 magnitude earthquake originating 3 7 mi 6 0 km northeast of Magna near Salt Lake City 43 Geography and geologySee also List of canyons and gorges in Utah List of Utah counties and List of earthquakes in Utah Utah county boundaries Utah is known for its natural diversity and is home to features ranging from arid deserts with sand dunes to thriving pine forests in mountain valleys It is a rugged and geographically diverse state at the convergence of three distinct geological regions the Rocky Mountains the Great Basin and the Colorado Plateau Utah covers an area of 84 899 sq mi 219 890 km2 It is one of the Four Corners states and is bordered by Idaho in the north Wyoming in the north and east by Colorado in the east at a single point by New Mexico to the southeast by Arizona in the south and by Nevada in the west Only three U S states Utah Colorado and Wyoming have exclusively latitude and longitude lines as boundaries One of Utah s defining characteristics is the variety of its terrain Running down the middle of the state s northern third is the Wasatch Range which rises to heights of almost 12 000 ft 3 700 m above sea level Utah is home to world renowned ski resorts made popular by light fluffy snow and winter storms that regularly dump up to three feet of it overnight In the state s northeastern section running east to west are the Uinta Mountains which rise to heights of over 13 000 feet 4 000 m The highest point in the state Kings Peak at 13 528 feet 4 123 m 44 lies within the Uinta Mountains At the western base of the Wasatch Range is the Wasatch Front a series of valleys and basins that are home to the most populous parts of the state It stretches approximately from Brigham City at the north end to Nephi at the south end Approximately 75 percent of the state s population lives in this corridor and population growth is rapid Western Utah is mostly arid desert with a basin and range topography Small mountain ranges and rugged terrain punctuate the landscape The Bonneville Salt Flats are an exception being comparatively flat as a result of once forming the bed of ancient Lake Bonneville Great Salt Lake Utah Lake Sevier Lake and Rush Lake are all remnants of this ancient freshwater lake 45 which once covered most of the eastern Great Basin West of the Great Salt Lake stretching to the Nevada border lies the arid Great Salt Lake Desert One exception to this aridity is Snake Valley which is relatively lush due to large springs and wetlands fed from groundwater derived from snow melt in the Snake Range Deep Creek Range and other tall mountains to the west of Snake Valley Great Basin National Park is just over the Nevada state line in the southern Snake Range One of western Utah s most impressive but least visited attractions is Notch Peak the tallest limestone cliff in North America located west of Delta Much of the scenic southern and southeastern landscape specifically the Colorado Plateau region is sandstone specifically Kayenta sandstone and Navajo sandstone The Colorado River and its tributaries wind their way through the sandstone creating some of the world s most striking and wild terrain the area around the confluence of the Colorado and Green Rivers was the last to be mapped in the lower 48 United States Wind and rain have also sculpted the soft sandstone over millions of years Canyons gullies arches pinnacles buttes bluffs and mesas are the common sights throughout south central and southeast Utah This terrain is the central feature of protected state and federal parks such as Arches Bryce Canyon Canyonlands Capitol Reef and Zion national parks Cedar Breaks Grand Staircase Escalante Hovenweep and Natural Bridges national monuments Glen Canyon National Recreation Area site of the popular tourist destination Lake Powell Dead Horse Point and Goblin Valley state parks and Monument Valley The Navajo Nation also extends into southeastern Utah Southeastern Utah is also punctuated by the remote but lofty La Sal Abajo and Henry mountain ranges Eastern northern quarter Utah is a high elevation area covered mostly by plateaus and basins particularly the Tavaputs Plateau and San Rafael Swell which remain mostly inaccessible and the Uinta Basin where the majority of eastern Utah s population lives Economies are dominated by mining oil shale oil and natural gas drilling ranching and recreation Much of eastern Utah is part of the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation The most popular destination within northeastern Utah is Dinosaur National Monument near Vernal Southwestern Utah is the lowest and hottest spot in Utah It is known as Utah s Dixie because early settlers were able to grow some cotton there Beaverdam Wash in far southwestern Utah is the lowest point in the state at 2 000 feet 610 m 44 The northernmost portion of the Mojave Desert is also located in this area Dixie is quickly becoming a popular recreational and retirement destination and the population is growing rapidly Although the Wasatch Mountains end at Mount Nebo near Nephi a complex series of mountain ranges extends south from the southern end of the range down the spine of Utah Just north of Dixie and east of Cedar City is the state s highest ski resort Brian Head Like most of the western and southwestern states the federal government owns much of the land in Utah Over 70 percent of the land is either BLM land Utah State Trustland or U S National Forest U S National Park U S National Monument National Recreation Area or U S Wilderness Area 46 Utah is the only state where every county contains some national forest 47 Arches National Park Pariette Wetlands Little Cottonwood Canyon Deer Creek Reservoir American Fork Canyon Kolob Canyons at Zion National ParkAdjacent states Idaho north Wyoming east and north Colorado east Nevada west Arizona south Climate Koppen climate types of Utah using 1991 2020 climate normals Utah features a dry semi arid to desert climate 48 although its many mountains feature a large variety of climates with the highest points in the Uinta Mountains being above the timberline The dry weather is a result of the state s location in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada in California The eastern half of the state lies in the rain shadow of the Wasatch Mountains The primary source of precipitation for the state is the Pacific Ocean with the state usually lying in the path of large Pacific storms from October to May In summer the state especially southern and eastern Utah lies in the path of monsoon moisture from the Gulf of California Most of the lowland areas receive less than 12 inches 305 mm of precipitation annually although the I 15 corridor including the densely populated Wasatch Front receives approximately 15 inches 381 mm The Great Salt Lake Desert is the driest area of the state with less than 5 inches 127 mm Snowfall is common in all but the far southern valleys Although St George receives only about 3 inches 76 mm per year Salt Lake City sees about 60 inches 1 524 mm enhanced by the lake effect snow from the Great Salt Lake which increases snowfall totals to the south southeast and east of the lake Some areas of the Wasatch Range in the path of the lake effect receive up to 500 inches 12 700 mm per year This micro climate of enhanced snowfall from the Great Salt Lake spans the entire proximity of the lake The cottonwood canyons adjacent to Salt Lake City are located in the right position to receive more precipitation from the lake 49 The consistently deep powder snow led Utah s ski industry to adopt the slogan the Greatest Snow on Earth in the 1980s In the winter temperature inversions are a common phenomenon across Utah s low basins and valleys leading to thick haze and fog that can last for weeks at a time especially in the Uintah Basin Although at other times of year its air quality is good winter inversions give Salt Lake City some of the worst wintertime pollution in the country Previous studies have indicated a widespread decline in snowpack over Utah accompanied by a decline in the snow precipitation ratio while anecdotal evidence claims have been put forward that measured changes in Utah s snowpack are spurious and do not reflect actual change A 2012 study 50 found that the proportion of winter January March precipitation falling as snow has decreased by nine percent during the last half century a combined result from a significant increase in rainfall and a minor decrease in snowfall Meanwhile observed snow depth across Utah has decreased and is accompanied by consistent decreases in snow cover and surface albedo Weather systems with the potential to produce precipitation in Utah have decreased in number with those producing snowfall decreasing at a considerably greater rate 51 Snow in Rose Park Salt Lake City Utah s temperatures are extreme with cold temperatures in winter due to its elevation and very hot summers statewide with the exception of mountain areas and high mountain valleys Utah is usually protected from major blasts of cold air by mountains lying north and east of the state although major Arctic blasts can occasionally reach the state Average January high temperatures range from around 30 F 1 C in some northern valleys to almost 55 F 13 C in St George Temperatures dropping below 0 F 18 C should be expected on occasion in most areas of the state most years although some areas see it often for example the town of Randolph averages about fifty days per year with temperatures that low In July average highs range from about 85 to 100 F 29 to 38 C However the low humidity and high elevation typically leads to large temperature variations leading to cool nights most summer days The record high temperature in Utah was 118 F 48 C recorded south of St George on July 4 2007 52 and the record low was 69 F 56 C recorded at Peter Sinks in the Bear River Mountains of northern Utah on February 1 1985 53 However the record low for an inhabited location is 49 F 45 C at Woodruff on December 12 1932 54 Utah like most of the western United States has few days of thunderstorms On average there are fewer than 40 days of thunderstorm activity during the year although these storms can be briefly intense when they do occur They are most likely to occur during monsoon season from about mid July through mid September especially in southern and eastern Utah Dry lightning strikes and the general dry weather often spark wildfires in summer while intense thunderstorms can lead to flash flooding especially in the rugged terrain of southern Utah Although spring is the wettest season in northern Utah late summer is the wettest period for much of the south and east of the state Tornadoes are uncommon in Utah with an average of two striking the state yearly rarely higher than EF1 intensity 55 One exception of note however was the unprecedented Salt Lake City Tornado that moved directly across downtown Salt Lake City on August 11 1999 The F2 tornado killed one person injured sixty others and caused approximately 170 million in damage 56 it was the second strongest tornado in the state behind an F3 on August 11 1993 in the Uinta Mountains 56 57 The only other reported tornado fatality in Utah s history was a 7 year old girl who was killed while camping in Summit County on July 6 1884 56 The last tornado of above E F0 intensity occurred on September 8 2002 when an F2 tornado hit Manti 56 Wildlife The Rocky Mountain elk is the Utah state mammal The California gull is the Utah state bird See also List of fauna of Utah Utah is home to more than 600 vertebrate animals 58 as well as numerous invertebrates and insects 59 Mammals Main article List of mammals of Utah Mammals are found in every area of Utah Non predatory larger mammals include the plains bison 60 61 elk 62 moose 63 mountain goat 63 mule deer 63 pronghorn 64 and multiple types of bighorn sheep 65 66 67 Non predatory small mammals include muskrat 63 and nutria 68 Large and small predatory mammals include the black bear 63 cougar 63 Canada lynx 69 bobcat 63 fox gray red and kit 63 coyote 63 badger 63 black footed ferret 70 mink 63 stoat 63 long tailed weasel 63 raccoon 63 and otter 71 The brown bear was formerly found within Utah but has been extirpated 72 There are no confirmed mating pairs of gray wolf in Utah though there have been sightings in northeastern Utah along the Wyoming border 73 74 Birds Main article List of birds of Utah As of January 2020 there were 466 species included in the official list managed by the Utah Bird Records Committee UBRC 75 76 Of these 119 are classed as accidental 29 are classed as occasional 57 are classed as rare and 10 have been introduced to Utah or North America Eleven of the accidental species are also classed as provisional Due to the miracle of the gulls incident in 1848 the most well known bird in Utah is the California gull which is the Utah state bird 77 78 A monument in Salt Lake City commemorates this event known as the Miracle of the Gulls 78 Other gulls common to Utah include Bonaparte s gull 79 the ring billed gull and Franklin s gull Other birds commonly found include the American robin 80 the common starling finches black rosy 81 Cassin s 82 and goldfinch 83 the black billed magpie 84 mourning doves sparrows house tree 85 black chinned 86 black throated 87 Brewer s 88 and chipping 89 Clark s grebe 90 the ferruginous hawk geese snow cackling 91 and Canada 92 eagles golden and bald 93 California quail 94 mountain bluebird and hummingbirds calliope 95 black chinned 96 and broad tailed 97 Invertebrates Western black widow spider Main articles List of arachnids of Utah List of butterflies and moths of Utah and List of mollusks of Utah Utah is host to a wide variety of arachnids insects mollusks and other invertebrates Arachnids include the Arizona bark scorpion 98 Western black widow spiders 99 crab spiders 100 hobo spiders Tegenaria agrestis 101 cellar spiders American grass spiders woodlouse spiders 99 Several spiders found in Utah are often mistaken for the brown recluse spider including the desert recluse spider found only in Washington County the cellar spider and crevice weaving spiders 102 103 104 The brown recluse spider has not been officially confirmed in Utah as of summer 2020 update 105 One of the most rare insects in Utah is the Coral Pink Sand Dunes tiger beetle found only in Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park near Kanab 106 It was proposed in 2012 to be listed as a threatened species 107 but the proposal was not accepted 108 Other insects include grasshoppers 109 green stink bugs 110 the Army cutworm 111 the monarch butterfly 112 and Mormon fritillary butterfly 112 The white lined sphinx moth is common to most of the United States but there have been reported outbreaks of large groups of their larvae damaging tomato grape and garden crops in Utah 113 Four or five species of firefly are also found across the state 114 In February 2009 Africanized honeybees were found in southern Utah 115 116 The bees had spread into eight counties in Utah as far north as Grand and Emery counties by May 2017 117 Vegetation Main article List of flora of Utah Pando considered one of the heaviest and oldest organisms on Earth 118 119 Joshua trees yuccas and cholla cactus occupy the far southwest corner of the state in the Mojave Desert Several thousand plants are native to Utah 120 including a variety of trees shrubs cacti herbaceous plants and grasses As of 2018 update there are 3 930 species of plants in Utah with 3 128 of those being indigenous and 792 being introduced through various means 121 Common trees include pines pinons white fir Colorado single leaf Great Basin bristlecone ponderosa Engelmann spruce Rocky Mountain white and Acer grandidentatum quaking aspen bigtooth maple Utah juniper speckled alder red birch Gambel oak desert willow blue spruce and Joshua trees Utah has a number of named trees including the Jardine Juniper Pando 118 119 and the Thousand Mile Tree Shrubs include a number of different ephedras pitamoreal Navajo Arizona Nevada Torrey s jointfir and green Mormon tea sagebrushes little Bigelow silver Michaux s wormwood black pygmy bud and Great Basin blue elderberry Utah serviceberry chokecherry and skunkbush sumac Western poison oak poison sumac and western poison ivy are all found in Utah 122 There are many varieties of cacti in Utah s varied deserts especially in the southern and western parts of the state Some of these include desert prickly pear California barrel cactus fishhook cactus cholla beavertail prickly pear and Uinta Basin hookless cactus Despite the desert climate many different grasses are found in Utah including Mormon needlegrass bluebunch wheatgrass western alkali grass squirreltail desert saltgrass and cheatgrass Several invasive species of plants are considered noxious weeds by the state including Bermuda grass field bindweed henbane jointed goatgrass Canada thistle Balkan and common toadflax giant cane couch grass St John s wort hemlock sword grass Russian olive myrtle spurge Japanese knotweed salt cedar and goat s head 123 DemographicsMain article Demographics of Utah Welcome to Utah sign At the 2020 U S census Utah had a population of 3 271 616 The U S Census Bureau estimated that the population of Utah was 3 205 958 on July 1 2019 a 16 00 increase since the 2010 U S census 124 The center of population of Utah is located in Utah County in the city of Lehi 125 Much of the population lives in cities and towns along the Wasatch Front a metropolitan region that runs north south with the Wasatch Mountains rising on the eastern side Growth outside the Wasatch Front is also increasing The St George metropolitan area is currently the second fastest growing in the country after the Las Vegas metropolitan area while the Heber micropolitan area is also the second fastest growing in the country behind Palm Coast Florida 126 Utah contains five metropolitan areas Logan Ogden Clearfield Salt Lake City Provo Orem and St George and six micropolitan areas Brigham City Heber Vernal Price Richfield and Cedar City Health and fertility Utah ranks among the highest in total fertility rate 47th in teenage pregnancy lowest in percentage of births out of wedlock lowest in number of abortions per capita and lowest in percentage of teen pregnancies terminated in abortion However statistics relating to pregnancies and abortions may also be artificially low from teenagers going out of state for abortions because of parental notification requirements 127 128 Utah has the lowest child poverty rate in the country despite its young demographics 129 According to the Gallup Healthways Global Well Being Index as of 2012 update Utahns ranked fourth in overall well being in the United States 130 A 2002 national prescription drug study determined that antidepressant drugs were prescribed in Utah more often than in any other state at a rate nearly twice the national average 131 The data shows that depression rates in Utah are no higher than the national average 132 Ancestry and race This article contains too many pictures that are sandwiching text or an indiscriminate collection of Image galleries for its overall length Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page Please help to improve this article by removing or adjusting images in accordance with the Manual of Style on use of images November 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Historical population CensusPop Note 185011 380 186040 273253 9 187086 336114 4 1880143 96366 7 1890210 77946 4 1900276 74931 3 1910373 35134 9 1920449 39620 4 1930507 84713 0 1940550 3108 4 1950688 86225 2 1960890 62729 3 19701 059 27318 9 19801 461 03737 9 19901 722 85017 9 20002 233 16929 6 20102 763 88523 8 20203 271 61618 4 Source 1910 2020 133 Ethnic composition as of the 2020 census Race and Ethnicity 134 Alone TotalWhite non Hispanic 75 3 75 3 78 9 78 9 Hispanic or Latino b 15 1 15 1 Asian 2 4 2 4 3 6 3 6 African American non Hispanic 1 1 1 1 1 8 1 8 Pacific Islander 1 1 1 1 1 7 1 7 Native American 0 9 0 9 1 8 1 8 Other 0 4 0 4 1 1 1 1 Map of counties in Utah by racial plurality per the 2020 US CensusLegend Non Hispanic White 60 70 70 80 80 90 90 Native American 50 60 Historical racial demographics Racial composition 1970 135 1990 135 2000 136 2010 137 2020White non Hispanic 97 4 93 8 89 2 86 1 75 3 Hispanic of any race 4 1 4 9 9 0 13 0 15 1 Asian 0 6 1 9 1 7 2 0 2 4 Native non Hispanic 1 1 1 4 1 3 1 2 0 9 Black non Hispanic 0 6 0 7 0 8 1 0 1 1 Native Hawaiian andother Pacific Islander 0 7 0 9 1 1 Other race 0 2 2 2 4 2 6 0 0 4 Two or more races 2 1 2 7 3 7 Utah population density map The largest ancestry groups in the state are 26 0 English 11 9 German 11 8 Scandinavian 5 4 Danish 4 0 Swedish 2 4 Norwegian 9 0 Mexican 6 6 American 6 2 Irish 4 6 Scottish 2 7 Italian 2 4 Dutch 2 2 French 2 2 Welsh 1 4 Scotch Irish 1 3 SwissIn 2011 one third of Utah s workforce was reported to be bilingual developed through a program of acquisition of second languages beginning in elementary school and related to Mormonism s missionary goals for its young people 138 In 2011 28 6 of Utah s population younger than the age of one were ethnic minorities meaning they had at least one parent who was of a race other than non Hispanic white 139 Religion Further information Demographics of Utah Religion Religion in Utah as of 2014 update 140 Religion PercentLatter day Saints 55 Unaffiliated 22 Protestant 13 Catholic 5 Other faiths 2 Buddhist 1 Muslim 1 The LDS Salt Lake Temple the primary attraction in the city s Temple Square First Presbyterian Church in Salt Lake City Sri Sri Radha Krishna Hindu Temple Mormons are the largest religious group in Utah However the percentage of Mormons to the overall population has been decreasing In 2017 62 8 of Utahns were members of the LDS Church 141 142 This declined to 61 2 in 2018 143 and to 60 7 in 2019 144 Members of the LDS Church currently make up between 34 41 of the population within Salt Lake City However many of the other major population centers such as Provo Logan Tooele and St George tend to be predominantly LDS along with many suburban and rural areas The LDS Church has the largest number of congregations numbering 4 815 wards 145 According to results from the 2010 U S census combined with official LDS Church membership statistics church members represented 62 1 of Utah s total population The Utah county with the lowest percentage of church members was Grand County at 26 5 while the county with the highest percentage was Morgan County at 86 1 In addition the result for the most populated county Salt Lake County was 51 4 12 Though the LDS Church officially maintains a policy of neutrality in regard to political parties 146 the church s doctrine has a strong regional influence on politics 147 Another doctrine effect can be seen in Utah s high birth rate 25 percent higher than the national average the highest for a state in the U S 148 The Mormons in Utah tend to have conservative views when it comes to most political issues and the majority of voter age Utahns are unaffiliated voters 60 who vote overwhelmingly Republican 149 Mitt Romney received 72 8 of the Utahn votes in 2012 while John McCain polled 62 5 in the 2008 United States presidential election and 70 9 for George W Bush in 2004 In 2010 the Association of Religion Data Archives ARDA reported that the three largest denominational groups in Utah are the LDS Church with 1 910 504 adherents the Catholic Church with 160 125 adherents and the Southern Baptist Convention with 12 593 adherents 150 According to a Gallup poll Utah had the third highest number of people reporting as Very Religious in 2015 at 55 trailing only Mississippi and Alabama However it was near the national average of people reporting as Nonreligious 31 and featured the smallest percentage of people reporting as Moderately Religious 15 of any state being eight points lower than second lowest state Vermont 151 In addition it had the highest average weekly church attendance of any state at 51 152 Languages The official language in the state of Utah is English 153 Utah English is primarily a merger of Northern and Midland American dialects carried west by LDS Church members whose original New York dialect later incorporated features from northeast Ohio and central Illinois Conspicuous in the speech of some in the central valley although less frequent now in Salt Lake City is a cord card merger so that the vowels ɑ an ɔ are pronounced the same before an ɹ such as in the words cord and card 154 In 2000 87 5 of all state residents five years of age or older spoke only English at home a decrease from 92 2 in 1990 Top 14 Non English Languages Spoken in Utah Language Percentage of population as of 2010 update 155 Spanish 7 4 German 0 6 Navajo 0 5 French 0 4 Pacific Island languages including Chamorro Hawaiian Ilocano Tagalog and Samoan 0 4 Chinese 0 4 Portuguese 0 3 Vietnamese 0 3 Japanese 0 2 Arapaho 0 1 Age and gender Utah has the highest total birth rate 148 and accordingly the youngest population of any U S state In 2010 the state s population was 50 2 male and 49 8 female The life expectancy is 79 3 years EconomyMain article Economy of Utah See also Utah locations by per capita income The Wasatch Front region has seen large growth and development despite the economic downturn Shown is the City Creek Center project a development in downtown Salt Lake City with a price tag of 1 5 2 5 billion One out of every 14 flash memory chips in the world is produced in Lehi Utah 156 Zion National Park in southern Utah is one of five national parks in the state Farms and ranches According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis the gross state product of Utah in 2012 was US 130 5 billion or 0 87 of the total United States GDP of US 14 991 trillion for the same year 157 The per capita personal income was 45 700 in 2012 Major industries of Utah include mining cattle ranching salt production and government services According to the 2007 State New Economy Index Utah is ranked the top state in the nation for Economic Dynamism determined by the degree to which state economies are knowledge based globalized entrepreneurial information technology driven and innovation based In 2014 Utah was ranked number one in Forbes list of Best States For Business 158 A November 2010 article in Newsweek magazine highlighted Utah and particularly the Salt Lake City area s economic outlook calling it the new economic Zion and examined how the area has been able to bring in high paying jobs and attract high tech corporations to the area during a recession 159 As of September 2014 update the state s unemployment rate was 3 5 160 In terms of small business friendliness in 2014 Utah emerged as number one based on a study drawing upon data from more than 12 000 small business owners 161 In eastern Utah petroleum production is a major industry 162 Near Salt Lake City petroleum refining is done by a number of oil companies In central Utah coal production accounts for much of the mining activity According to Internal Revenue Service tax returns Utahns rank first among all U S states in the proportion of income given to charity by the wealthy This is due to the standard ten percent of all earnings that Mormons give to the LDS Church 129 According to the Corporation for National and Community Service Utah had an average of 884 000 volunteers between 2008 and 2010 each of whom contributed 89 2 hours per volunteer This figure equates to 3 8 billion of service contributed ranking Utah number one for volunteerism in the nation 163 Taxation Utah collects personal income tax since 2008 the tax has been a flat five percent for all taxpayers 164 The state sales tax has a base rate of 6 45 percent 165 with cities and counties levying additional local sales taxes that vary among the municipalities Property taxes are assessed and collected locally Utah does not charge intangible property taxes and does not impose an inheritance tax Tourism Tourism is a major industry in Utah With five national parks Arches Bryce Canyon Canyonlands Capitol Reef and Zion Utah has the third most national parks of any state after Alaska and California In addition Utah features eight national monuments Cedar Breaks Dinosaur Grand Staircase Escalante Hovenweep Natural Bridges Bears Ears Rainbow Bridge and Timpanogos Cave two national recreation areas Flaming Gorge and Glen Canyon seven national forests Ashley Caribou Targhee Dixie Fishlake Manti La Sal Sawtooth and Uinta Wasatch Cache and numerous state parks and monuments The Moab area in the southeastern part of the state is known for its challenging mountain biking trails including Slickrock Moab also hosts the famous Moab Jeep Safari semiannually Utah has seen an increase in tourism since the 2002 Winter Olympics Park City is home to the United States Ski Team Utah s ski resorts are primarily located in northern Utah near Salt Lake City Park City Ogden and Provo Between 2007 and 2011 Deer Valley in Park City has been ranked the top ski resort in North America in a survey organized by Ski Magazine 166 Utah has many significant ski resorts The 2009 Ski Magazine reader survey concluded that six of the top ten resorts deemed most accessible and six of the top ten with the best snow conditions were located in Utah 167 In Southern Utah Brian Head Ski Resort is located in the mountains near Cedar City Former Olympic venues including Utah Olympic Park and Utah Olympic Oval are still in operation for training and competition and allows the public to participate in numerous activities including ski jumping bobsleigh and speed skating Utah features many cultural attractions such as Temple Square the Sundance Film Festival the Red Rock Film Festival the DOCUTAH Film Festival the Utah Data Center and the Utah Shakespearean Festival Temple Square is ranked as the 16th most visited tourist attraction in the United States by Forbes magazine with more than five million annual visitors 168 Other attractions include Monument Valley the Great Salt Lake the Bonneville Salt Flats and Lake Powell Bryce Canyon National Park Amphitheater winter view Branding The state of Utah relies heavily on income from tourists and travelers visiting the state s parks and ski resorts and thus the need to brand Utah and create an impression of the state throughout the world has led to several state slogans the most famous of which being The Greatest Snow on Earth which has been in use in Utah officially since 1975 although the slogan was in unofficial use as early as 1962 and now adorns nearly 50 percent of the state s license plates In 2001 Utah Governor Mike Leavitt approved a new state slogan Utah Where Ideas Connect which lasted until March 10 2006 when the Utah Travel Council and the office of Governor Jon Huntsman announced that Life Elevated would be the new state slogan 169 Mining Mining has been a large industry in Utah since it was first settled The Bingham Canyon Mine in Salt Lake County is one of the largest open pit mines in the world Beginning in the late 19th century with the state s mining boom including the Bingham Canyon Mine among the world s largest open pit mines companies attracted large numbers of immigrants with job opportunities Since the days of the Utah Territory mining has played a major role in Utah s economy Historical mining towns include Mercur in Tooele County Silver Reef in Washington County Eureka in Juab County Park City in Summit County and numerous coal mining camps throughout Carbon County such as Castle Gate Spring Canyon and Hiawatha 170 These settlements were characteristic of the boom and bust cycle that dominated mining towns of the American West Park City Utah and Alta Utah were boom towns in the early twentieth centuries Rich silver mines in the mountains adjacent to the towns led to many people flocking to the towns in search of wealth During the early part of the Cold War era uranium was mined in eastern Utah Today mining activity still plays a major role in the state s economy Minerals mined in Utah include copper gold silver molybdenum zinc lead and beryllium Fossil fuels including coal petroleum and natural gas continue to play a large role in Utah s economy especially in the eastern part of the state in counties such as Carbon Emery Grand and Uintah 170 Incidents In 2007 nine people were killed at the Crandall Canyon Mine collapse On March 22 2013 one miner died and another was injured after they became trapped in a cave in at a part of the Castle Valley Mining Complex about 16 kilometres 9 9 mi west of the small mining town of Huntington in Emery County 171 Energy See also List of power stations in Utah Utah extracts more coal and generates more electricity than it consumes 172 The state has the potential to generate 31 6 TWh year from 13 1 GW of wind power and 10 290 TWh year from solar power using 4 048 GW of photovoltaic PV including 5 6 GW of rooftop photovoltaic and 1 638 GW of concentrated solar power 173 The Blue Castle Project is working toward building the state s first nuclear power plant near Green River Utah It is projected to be completed in 2030 174 TransportationRoad Utah State Route 12 through Red Canyon in Dixie National Forest See also List of state highways in Utah I 15 and I 80 are the main interstate highways in the state where they intersect and briefly merge near downtown Salt Lake City I 15 traverses the state north to south entering from Arizona near St George paralleling the Wasatch Front and crossing into Idaho near Portage I 80 spans northern Utah east to west entering from Nevada at Wendover crossing the Wasatch Mountains east of Salt Lake City and entering Wyoming near Evanston I 84 West enters from Idaho near Snowville from Boise and merges with I 15 from Tremonton to Ogden then heads southeast through the Wasatch Mountains before terminating at I 80 near Echo Junction I 70 splits from I 15 at Cove Fort in central Utah and heads east through mountains and rugged desert terrain providing quick access to the many national parks and national monuments of southern Utah and has been noted for its beauty The 103 mi 166 km stretch from Salina to Green River is the country s longest stretch of interstate without services and when completed in 1970 was the longest stretch of entirely new highway constructed in the U S since the Alaska Highway was completed in 1943 Rail and transit FrontRunner commuter rail runs between Ogden and Provo via Salt Lake City TRAX light rail serves Salt Lake County See also List of Utah railroads Utah s Class I freight railroads are the BNSF Railway and the Union Pacific Railway Interstate passenger rail is provided by Amtrak s daily California Zephyr train which runs between Chicago Union Station and Emeryville California with stops in Utah at Green River Helper Provo and the Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub The state was previously served by Amtrak s Pioneer and Desert Wind trains Heritage railroads include the Heber Valley Railroad and the Wild Kingdom Train The Utah Transit Authority UTA operates public transport services throughout the Wasatch Front region TRAX the UTA s light rail system consists of three lines The Blue Line formerly Salt Lake Sandy Line begins in the suburb of Draper and ends in Downtown Salt Lake City The Red Line Mid Jordan University Line begins in the Daybreak Community of South Jordan a southwestern valley suburb and ends at the University of Utah The Green Line begins in West Valley City passes through downtown Salt Lake City and ends at Salt Lake City International Airport The UTA also operates FrontRunner a commuter rail line running between Ogden and Provo via Salt Lake City The UTA s bus system stretches from the Salt Lake Valley west to Grantsville and east to Park City Beyond UTA the cities of Cedar City Logan Park City and St George are served by local bus operators In the winter the UTA and several private bus companies operate shuttle routes to Utah s ski resorts Air Salt Lake International Airport is the largest airport in Utah See also List of airports in Utah Salt Lake City International Airport is the only international airport in the state and serves as a hub for Delta Air Lines The airport has consistently ranked first in on time departures and had the fewest cancellations among U S airports 175 The airport has non stop service to more than a hundred destinations throughout the United States Canada and Mexico as well as to Amsterdam London and Paris Canyonlands Field near Moab Cedar City Regional Airport Ogden Hinckley Airport Provo Municipal Airport St George Regional Airport and Vernal Regional Airport all provide limited commercial air service A new regional airport at St George opened on January 12 2011 SkyWest Airlines is also headquartered in St George and maintains a hub at Salt Lake City Law and governmentFurther information Government of Utah List of Utah Governors List of Utah State Legislatures Utah State Senate and Utah State House of Representatives Jake Garn top right former Senator of Utah 1974 1993 and astronaut on Space Shuttle flight STS 51 D Utah government is divided into three branches executive legislative and judicial The current governor of Utah is Spencer Cox 176 who was sworn in on January 4 2021 The governor is elected for a four year term The Utah State Legislature consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives State senators serve four year terms and representatives two year terms The Utah Legislature meets each year in January for an annual 45 day session The Utah Supreme Court is the court of last resort in Utah It consists of five justices who are appointed by the governor and then subject to retention election The Utah Court of Appeals handles cases from the trial courts 177 Trial level courts are the district courts and justice courts All justices and judges like those on the Utah Supreme Court are subject to retention election after appointment In a 2020 study Utah was ranked as the 3rd easiest state for citizens to vote in 178 Counties Main article List of counties in Utah Utah is divided into political jurisdictions designated as counties Since 1918 there have been 29 counties in the state ranging from 298 to 7 819 square miles 772 to 20 300 km2 County name County seat Year founded 2020 U S census Largest County City Percent of total Area of stateBeaver Beaver 1856 7 072 Beaver 0 22 2 589 sq mi 6 710 km2 3 2 Box Elder Brigham City 1856 57 666 Brigham City 1 76 5 745 sq mi 14 880 km2 7 0 Cache Logan 1856 133 154 Logan 4 07 1 164 sq mi 3 010 km2 1 4 Carbon Price 1894 20 412 Price 0 62 1 478 sq mi 3 830 km2 1 8 Daggett Manila 1918 935 Manila 0 03 696 sq mi 1 800 km2 0 8 Davis Farmington 1852 362 679 Layton 11 09 298 sq mi 770 km2 0 4 Duchesne Duchesne 1915 19 596 Roosevelt 0 60 3 240 sq mi 8 400 km2 3 9 Emery Castle Dale 1880 9 825 Huntington 0 30 4 462 sq mi 11 560 km2 5 4 Garfield Panguitch 1882 5 051 Panguitch 0 15 5 175 sq mi 13 400 km2 6 3 Grand Moab 1890 9 669 Moab 0 30 3 671 sq mi 9 510 km2 4 5 Iron Parowan 1852 57 289 Cedar City 1 75 3 296 sq mi 8 540 km2 4 0 Juab Nephi 1852 11 786 Nephi 0 36 3 392 sq mi 8 790 km2 4 1 Kane Kanab 1864 7 667 Kanab 0 23 3 990 sq mi 10 300 km2 4 9 Millard Fillmore 1852 12 975 Delta 0 40 6 572 sq mi 17 020 km2 8 0 Morgan Morgan 1862 12 295 Morgan 0 38 609 sq mi 1 580 km2 0 7 Piute Junction 1865 1 438 Circleville 0 04 757 sq mi 1 960 km2 0 9 Rich Randolph 1868 2 510 Garden City 0 08 1 028 sq mi 2 660 km2 1 3 Salt Lake Salt Lake City 1852 1 185 238 Salt Lake City State Capital 36 23 742 sq mi 1 920 km2 0 9 San Juan Monticello 1880 14 518 Blanding 0 44 7 819 sq mi 20 250 km2 9 5 Sanpete Manti 1852 28 437 Ephraim 0 87 1 590 sq mi 4 100 km2 1 9 Sevier Richfield 1865 21 522 Richfield 0 66 1 910 sq mi 4 900 km2 2 3 Summit Coalville 1854 42 357 Park City 1 29 1 871 sq mi 4 850 km2 2 3 Tooele Tooele 1852 72 698 Tooele 2 22 6 941 sq mi 17 980 km2 8 4 Uintah Vernal 1880 35 620 Vernal 1 09 4 479 sq mi 11 600 km2 5 5 Utah Provo 1852 659 399 Provo third largest city in UT 20 16 2 003 sq mi 5 190 km2 2 4 Wasatch Heber 1862 34 788 Heber City 1 06 1 175 sq mi 3 040 km2 1 4 Washington St George 1852 180 279 St George 5 51 2 426 sq mi 6 280 km2 3 0 Wayne Loa 1892 2 486 Loa 0 08 2 460 sq mi 6 400 km2 3 0 Weber Ogden 1852 262 223 Ogden 8 02 576 sq mi 1 490 km2 0 7 Total Counties 29 Total 2020 population 3 271 616 179 Total state area 82 154 sq mi 212 780 km2 Women s rights Further information Women s suffrage in Utah Utah granted full voting rights to women in 1870 26 years before becoming a state Among all U S states only Wyoming granted suffrage to women earlier 180 However in 1887 the initial Edmunds Tucker Act was passed by Congress in an effort to curtail Mormon influence in the territorial government One of the provisions of the Act was the repeal of women s suffrage full suffrage was not returned until Utah was admitted to the Union in 1896 Utah is one of the 15 states that have not ratified the U S Equal Rights Amendment 181 Free range parenting In March 2018 Utah passed the United States first free range parenting bill The bill was signed into law by Republican Governor Gary Herbert and states that parents who allow their children to engage in certain activities without supervision are not considered neglectful 182 183 Constitution Main article Constitution of Utah The constitution of Utah was enacted May 8 1895 184 Notably the constitution outlawed polygamy as requested by Congress when Utah had applied for statehood and reestablished the territorial practice of women s suffrage Utah s Constitution has been amended many times since its inception 185 Alcohol tobacco and gambling laws See also List of alcohol laws of the United States Utah s laws in regard to alcohol tobacco and gambling are strict Utah is an alcoholic beverage control state The Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control regulates the sale of alcohol wine and spirituous liquors may be purchased only at state liquor stores and local laws may prohibit the sale of beer and other alcoholic beverages on Sundays The state bans the sale of fruity alcoholic drinks at grocery stores and convenience stores The law states that such drinks must now have new state approved labels on the front of the products that contain capitalized letters in bold type telling consumers the drinks contain alcohol and at what percentage Utah is the only state that imposes a maxium blood alcohol content BAC of 0 05 for drivers as opposed to the 0 08 limit in other states 186 The Utah Indoor Clean Air Act is a statewide smoking ban that prohibits it in many public places 187 Utah and Hawaii are the only two states in the United States to outlaw all forms of gambling Same sex marriage Main article Same sex marriage in Utah Same sex marriage became legal in Utah on December 20 2013 when U S District Court Judge Robert J Shelby issued a ruling in Kitchen v Herbert 188 189 As of close of business December 26 more than 1 225 marriage licenses were issued with at least 74 percent or 905 licenses issued to gay and lesbian couples 190 The Utah Attorney General s office was granted a stay of the ruling by the U S Supreme Court on January 6 2014 while the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals considered the case 191 On October 6 2014 the U S Supreme Court declined a writ of certiorari and the 10th Circuit Court issued their mandate later that day lifting their stay Same sex marriages commenced again in Utah that day 192 Politics Further information Political party strength in Utah and United States presidential elections in Utah Party registration as of October 11 2022 193 Party Total voters PercentageRepublican 958 846 50 43 Unaffiliated 563 464 29 63 Democratic 269 737 14 18 Other 109 453 5 76 Total 1 901 500 100 The Utah State Capitol Salt Lake City The Scott Matheson Courthouse is the seat of the Utah Supreme Court In the late 19th century the federal government took issue with polygamy in the LDS Church The LDS Church discontinued plural marriage in 1890 and in 1896 Utah gained admission to the Union Many new people settled the area soon after the Mormon pioneers Relations have often been strained between the LDS population and the non LDS population 194 These tensions have played a large part in Utah s history Liberal Party vs People s Party Utah votes predominantly Republican Self identified Latter day Saints are more likely to vote for the Republican ticket than non Mormons Utah is one of the most Republican states in the nation 195 196 Utah was the single most Republican leaning state in the country in every presidential election from 1976 to 2004 measured by the percentage point margin between the Republican and Democratic candidates In 2008 Utah was only the third most Republican state after Wyoming and Oklahoma but in 2012 with Mormon Mitt Romney atop the Republican ticket Utah returned to its position as the most Republican state However the 2016 presidential election result saw Republican Donald Trump carry the state marking the thirteenth consecutive win by the Republican presidential candidate with only a plurality the first time this happened since 1992 Both of Utah s U S Senators Mitt Romney and Mike Lee are Republican Three more Republicans Rob Bishop Chris Stewart and John Curtis represent Utah in the United States House of Representatives Ben McAdams was the sole Democratic member of the Utah delegation representing the 4th congressional district based in Salt Lake City from 2019 to 2021 though he lost re election to Burgess Owens a Republican in 2020 After Jon Huntsman Jr resigned to serve as U S Ambassador to China in 2009 Gary Herbert was sworn in as governor on August 11 2009 Herbert was elected to serve out the remainder of the term in a special election in 2010 defeating Democratic nominee Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon with 64 of the vote He won election to a full four year term in 2012 defeating the Democrat Peter Cooke with 68 of the vote The LDS Church maintains an official policy of neutrality with regard to political parties and candidates 146 In the 1970s then Apostle Ezra Taft Benson was quoted by the Associated Press that it would be difficult for a faithful Latter day Saint to be a liberal Democrat 197 Although the LDS Church has officially repudiated such statements on many occasions Democratic candidates including LDS Democrats believe Republicans capitalize on the perception that the Republican Party is doctrinally superior 198 Political scientist and pollster Dan Jones explains this disparity by noting that the national Democratic Party is associated with liberal positions on gay marriage and abortion both of which the LDS Church is against 199 The Republican Party in heavily Mormon Utah County presents itself as the superior choice for Latter day Saints Even though Utah Democratic candidates are predominantly LDS socially conservative and pro life no Democrat has won in Utah County since 1994 200 David Magleby dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Brigham Young University a lifelong Democrat and a political analyst asserts that the Republican Party actually has more conservative positions than the LDS Church Magleby argues that the locally conservative Democrats are in better accord with LDS doctrine 201 For example the Republican Party of Utah opposes almost all abortions while Utah Democrats take a more liberal approach although more conservative than their national counterparts On Second Amendment issues the state GOP has been at odds with the LDS Church position opposing concealed firearms in places of worship and in public spaces In 1998 the church expressed concern that Utahns perceived the Republican Party as an LDS institution and authorized lifelong Democrat and Seventy Marlin Jensen to promote LDS bipartisanship 197 Utah is much more conservative than the United States as a whole primarily on social issues Compared to other Republican dominated states in the Mountain West such as Idaho and Wyoming Utah politics have a more moralistic and less libertarian character according to David Magleby 202 About 80 of Utah s Legislature are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints 203 while members account for 61 percent of the population 204 Since becoming a state in 1896 Utah has had only two non Mormon governors 205 In 2006 the legislature passed legislation aimed at banning joint custody for a non biological parent of a child The custody measure passed the legislature and was vetoed by the governor a reciprocal benefits supporter Carbon County s Democrats are generally made up of members of the large Greek Italian and Southeastern European communities whose ancestors migrated in the early 20th century to work in the extensive mining industry The views common amongst this group are heavily influenced by labor politics particularly of the New Deal Era 206 The state s most Republican areas tend to be Utah County which is the home to Brigham Young University in the city of Provo and nearly all the rural counties 207 208 These areas generally hold socially conservative views in line with that of the national Religious Right The most Democratic areas of the state lie currently in and around Salt Lake City proper The state has not voted for a Democrat for president since 1964 Historically Republican presidential nominees score one of their best margins of victory here Utah was the Republicans best state in the 1976 209 1980 210 1984 211 1988 212 1996 213 2000 214 2004 215 and 2012 elections In 1992 Utah was the only state in the nation where Democratic candidate Bill Clinton finished behind both Republican candidate George HW Bush and Independent candidate Ross Perot 216 In 2004 Republican George W Bush won every county in the state and Utah gave him his largest margin of victory of any state He won the state s five electoral votes by a margin of 46 percentage points with 71 5 of the vote In the 1996 Presidential elections the Republican candidate received a smaller 54 of the vote while the Democrat earned 34 217 In 2020 the Associated Press wrote a piece profiling Utah s political culture during that year s presidential election The article noted a more bipartisan and cooperative environment along with conservative support of liberal causes such as LGBT rights and marijuana use despite the Republican dominance in the state and the political polarization seen in other parts of the U S at the time 218 Major cities and townsMain article List of municipalities in Utah See also Utah locations by per capita income Utah s population is concentrated in two areas the Wasatch Front in the north central part of the state with over 2 6 million residents and Washington County in southwestern Utah locally known as Dixie with more than 175 000 residents in the metropolitan area According to the 2010 census Utah was the second fastest growing state at 23 8 percent in the United States between 2000 and 2010 behind Nevada St George in the southwest is the second fastest growing metropolitan area in the United States trailing Greeley Colorado The three fastest growing counties from 2000 to 2010 were Wasatch County 54 7 Washington County 52 9 and Tooele County 42 9 However Utah County added the most people 148 028 Between 2000 and 2010 Saratoga Springs 1 673 Herriman 1 330 Eagle Mountain 893 Cedar Hills 217 South Willard 168 Nibley 166 Syracuse 159 West Haven 158 Lehi 149 Washington 129 and Stansbury Park 116 all at least doubled in population West Jordan 35 376 Lehi 28 379 St George 23 234 South Jordan 20 981 West Valley City 20 584 and Herriman 20 262 all added at least 20 000 people 219 UtahRank City Population 2020 withincity limits Landarea Populationdensity mi2 Populationdensity km2 County1 Salt Lake City 199 723 109 1 sq mi 283 km2 1 830 6 706 Salt Lake2 West Valley City 140 230 35 4 sq mi 92 km2 3 961 3 1 524 Salt Lake3 West Jordan 116 961 30 9 sq mi 80 km2 3 785 1 1 462 Salt Lake4 Provo 115 162 39 6 sq mi 103 km2 2 908 1 1 118 Utah County5 Orem 98 129 18 4 sq mi 48 km2 5 333 1 2 044 Utah County6 Sandy 96 904 22 3 sq mi 58 km2 4 345 5 1 671 Salt Lake7 St George 95 342 64 4 sq mi 167 km2 1 480 5 571 Washington8 Ogden 87 321 26 6 sq mi 69 km2 3 282 7 1 266 Weber9 Layton 81 773 22 0 sq mi 57 km2 3 717 1 434 Davis10 South Jordan 77 487 22 05 sq mi 57 km2 3 514 1 1 359 Salt Lake11 Lehi 75 907 26 3 sq mi 68 km2 2 886 2 1 116 Utah12 Millcreek 63 380 13 7 sq mi 35 km2 4 626 3 1 811 Salt Lake13 Taylorsville 60 448 10 7 sq mi 28 km2 5 649 3 2 159 Salt LakeCombined statistical area Population 2010 Salt Lake City Ogden Clearfieldcomprises Salt Lake City and Ogden Clearfield Metropolitan Areas andBrigham City and Heber Micropolitan Areas as listed below 1 744 886UtahRank Metropolitan area Population 2017 Counties1 Salt Lake City 1 203 105 Salt Lake Tooele Summit2 Ogden Clearfield 665 358 Weber Davis Morgan3 Provo Orem 617 675 Utah4 St George 165 662 Washington5 Logan 138 002 Cache Franklin Idaho Until 2003 the Salt Lake City and Ogden Clearfield metropolitan areas were considered as a single metropolitan area citation needed UtahRank Micropolitan area Population 2010 1 Brigham City 49 0152 Cedar City 44 5403 Vernal 29 8854 Heber 21 0665 Price 19 5496 Richfield 18 382 Salt Lake City Logan Ogden Park City Provo Sandy St George LaytonColleges and universitiesMain article List of colleges and universities in Utah The Huntsman Cancer Institute on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City The Eyring Science Center on the campus of Brigham Young University in Provo Utah Bridgerland Technical College in Logan Broadview College in West Jordan Brigham Young University in Provo satellite campus in Salt Lake City Davis Technical College in Kaysville Eagle Gate College in Murray and Layton Ensign College formerly LDS Business College in Salt Lake City Joyce University of Nursing and Health Sciences formerly Ameritech College of Healthcare in Draper Mountainland Technical College in Lehi Neumont College of Computer Science in South Jordan Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine in Provo Ogden Weber Technical College in Ogden Provo College in Provo Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in Provo Roseman University in South Jordan Utah Salt Lake Community College in Taylorsville Snow College in Ephraim and Richfield Southern Utah University in Cedar City Southwest Technical College in Cedar City Tooele Technical College in Tooele Uintah Basin Technical College in Roosevelt University of Phoenix at various locations statewide University of Utah in Salt Lake City Utah State University in Logan satellite campuses at various state locations Utah State University Eastern in Price Utah Tech University in St George formerly Dixie State University as of May 2022 and legal effect in July 2022 220 Utah Valley University in Orem Weber State University in Ogden Western Governors University an online only university headquartered in Salt Lake City Westminster College in Salt Lake CityCultureSports See also List of professional sports teams in Utah The Utah Jazz playing against the Houston Rockets Robbie Russell playing for Real Salt Lake Utah is the second least populous U S state to have a major professional sports league franchise after the Vegas Golden Knights joined the National Hockey League in 2017 The Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association play at Vivint Arena 221 in Salt Lake City The team moved to the city from New Orleans in 1979 and has been one of the most consistently successful teams in the league although they have yet to win a championship Salt Lake City was previously host to the Utah Stars who competed in the ABA from 1970 to 1976 and won one championship and to the Utah Starzz of the WNBA from 1997 to 2003 Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer was founded in 2005 and play their home matches at Rio Tinto Stadium now known as America First Field in Sandy RSL remains the only Utah major league sports team to have won a national championship having won the MLS Cup in 2009 222 RSL currently operates three adult teams in addition to the MLS side Real Monarchs competing in the third tier MLS Next Pro is the official reserve side for RSL The team began play in the 2015 season at Rio Tinto Stadium 223 remaining there until moving to Zions Bank Stadium located at RSL s training center in Herriman for the 2018 season and beyond 224 Utah Royals FC which shares ownership with RSL and also plays at America First Field has played in the National Women s Soccer League the top level of U S women s soccer since 2018 225 Before the creation of the Royals RSL s main women s side had been Real Salt Lake Women which began play in the Women s Premier Soccer League in 2008 and moved to United Women s Soccer in 2016 RSL Women currently play at Utah Valley University in Orem Utah s highest level Minor League Baseball team is the Triple A Salt Lake Bees who play at Smith s Ballpark in Salt Lake City as a part of the Pacific Coast League Utah also has one minor league hockey team the Utah Grizzlies who play at the Maverik Center and compete in the ECHL Utah has seven universities that compete in Division I of the NCAA Three of the schools have football programs that participate in the top level Football Bowl Subdivision Utah in the Pac 12 Conference Utah State in the Mountain West Conference and BYU as an independent although BYU competes in the non football West Coast Conference for most other sports In addition Weber State and Southern Utah SUU compete in the Big Sky Conference of the FCS Utah Tech with an FCS football program and Utah Valley with no football program are members of the Western Athletic Conference WAC Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics After early financial struggles and scandal the 2002 Olympics eventually became among the most successful Winter Olympics in history from a marketing and financial standpoint Watched by more than two billion viewers the Games ended up with a profit of 100 million 226 Utah has hosted professional golf tournaments such as the Uniting Fore Care Classic and currently the Utah Championship Rugby has been growing quickly in the state of Utah growing from 17 teams in 2009 to 70 as of 2013 update with more than 3 000 players and more than 55 high school varsity teams 227 228 The growth has been inspired in part by the 2008 movie Forever Strong 228 Utah fields two of the most competitive teams in the nation in college rugby BYU and Utah 227 BYU has won the National Championship in 2009 2012 2013 2014 and 2015 Formed in 2017 the Utah Warriors are a Major League Rugby team based in Salt Lake City 229 Entertainment See also List of appearances of Monument Valley in the media and Category Films shot in Utah Utah is the setting of or the filming location for many books films 230 television series 230 music videos and video games Utah s capitol Salt Lake City is the final location in the video game The Last of Us 231 Monument Valley in southeastern Utah This area was used to film many Hollywood Westerns The otherworldly look of the Bonneville Salt Flats has been used in many movies and commercials See also Utah portal United States portal Latter Day Saint movement portalIndex of Utah related articles Outline of UtahNotes a b Elevation adjusted to North American Vertical Datum of 1988 Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin are not distinguished between total and partial ancestry References This article incorporates public domain material from the website of the Division of Utah State Parks and Recreation Kings Peak Target NGS Data Sheet National Geodetic Survey National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration United States Department of Commerce Retrieved October 24 2011 a b Elevations and Distances in the United States United States Geological Survey 2001 Archived from the original on November 9 2013 Retrieved October 24 2011 Arave Lynn August 31 2006 Utah s basement Beaver Dam Wash is state s lowest elevation Deseret Morning News Archived from the original on January 22 2015 Bureau US Census April 26 2021 2020 Census Apportionment Results The United States Census Bureau Retrieved April 27 2021 United States Median Household Income United States Census Bureau United States Census Bureau Retrieved April 27 2021 Utah Merriam Webster com Online Dictionary ed Merriam Webster archived from the original on November 4 2014 a b c Utah State Facts and Symbols Utah com Retrieved April 26 2021 Introduction Urban Growth in Utah QGET Databook Quality Growth Efficiency Tools QGET Technical Committee Governor s Office of Management amp Budget State of Utah 1997 archived from the original on November 4 2014 retrieved November 4 2014 see also Figures Population Growth 1940 2020 slide 3 QGET Databook 1997 archived from the original on November 4 2014 retrieved November 4 2014 Deseret News Opinion Utahns are highly taxed and not stressed How is that even possible published 30 March 2022 accessed 1 April 2022 Adults in Utah Religion in America Pew Research Center Retrieved June 28 2020 American Religious Identification Survey 2001 ISSSC Archived from the original on November 3 2011 Retrieved October 31 2011 a b Canham Matt April 17 2012 Census Share of Utah s Mormon residents holds steady The Salt Lake Tribune Archived from the original on November 4 2014 The Fastest Growing States in America and Why They re Booming Jordan Weissmann Archived May 25 2017 at the Wayback Machine The Atlantic December 22 2012 Retrieved on July 12 2013 Appendix E Ranking Tables PDF State and Metropolitan Area Data Book 2006 U S Census Bureau December 22 2008 Archived PDF from the original on March 25 2009 Retrieved April 29 2009 Best States Rankings U S News amp World Report 2021 Amy Joi O Donoghue February 14 2022 How bad is the Western drought New study says worst in 1 200 years You read that right Deseret News Retrieved February 18 2022 If we want growth we need water solutions www utahbusiness com May 11 2022 Retrieved July 13 2022 a b Utah Quick Facts Archived February 22 2007 at the Wayback Machine at Utah gov Utah The Riddle Behind The Name Deseret News July 10 1994 Archived from the original on October 13 2018 Retrieved May 21 2019 Carvajal Guillermo January 13 2014 El desconocido origen espanol del nombre de ocho Estados de Norteamerica The unknown Spanish origin of the name of eight States of North America ABC Archived from the original on June 3 2016 Retrieved May 8 2016 Native Americans in Utah historytogo utah gov Archived from the original on June 25 2017 Retrieved July 9 2017 Utah s American Indians ilovehistory utah gov Archived from the original on June 25 2017 Retrieved July 9 2017 Leonard J Arrington and Davis Bitton The Mormon Experience page 22 Vintage Random House 1979 Richard N Ostling and Joan K Ostling Mormon America page 38 39 Harper Collins 2000 William W Slaughter and Michael Landon Trail of Hope The Story of the Mormon Trail Shadow Mountain 1997 a b Arave Lynn January 5 2007 Tidbits of history Unusual highlights of Salt Lake County Deseret News Retrieved May 6 2020 Negro Slaves in Utah by Jack Beller Utah Historical Quarterly vol 2 no 4 1929 pp 124 126 Slavery in Utah Involved Blacks Whites Indians and Mexicans The History Blazer No April 1995 Utah State Historical Society Retrieved May 6 2020 Martha C Knack Boundaries Between The Southern Paiutes 1775 1995 a b Farmer Jared 2008 On Zion s Mount Mormons Indians and the American Landscape Harvard University Press ISBN 9780674027671 Andres Resendez The Other Slavery The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America Arrington and Bitton p 118 William Clayton edited by George D Smith An Intimate Chronicle The Journals of William Clayton p 300 Signature Books 1991 Corporation of the President of The Church 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