As one of the least populous states and one of the most geologically diverse, Utah is one of the most astoundingly beautiful areas in the southwest. Utah consists of three geologic regions: Great Basin, Rocky Mountains and Colorado Plateau. The Great Basin is a large arid region of the U.S., and in Utah, transpires in the Great Salt Lake and its miles of deserts. The Rocky Mountains in Utah contain world-class ski resorts, and contributed to the appeal of Utah as host of the 2002 Winter Olympics. The Colorado Plateau is centered around the Four Corners region in the southwestern corner of the state and consists of many picturesque mesas and abundant mineral deposits.
      Although Europeans may have ventured into the area as early as 1540, a group led by two Catholic priests left from Santa Fe in 1776 hoping to find a route to the Pacific coast certainly traveled as far north as Utah Lake. In 1847, when the region was still a Mexican territory, Mormons settled in the area to escape disputes with the U.S. government stemming from the Mormon practice of polygamy. Utah was declared a U.S. territory in 1850, after the land became part of the United States in 1848 upon the signing of the treaty ending the Mexican-American War. After many skirmishes over polygamy between Mormons and the federal government, as well as the Civil War and many conflicts with Native Americans, Utah obtained statehood in January 1896.

Did You Know...

State Nickname: The Beehive State State Capital: Salt Lake City State Flower: Sego Lily State Bird: California Seagull

Today, approximately 60 percent of the state’s residents are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Much of Utah’s population is centered along the Wasatch Front, a region that runs along the Wasatch Mountains from north to south and encompasses the Logan, Salt Lake City, Provo-Orem, St. George and Ogden-Clearfield metropolitan areas. Much of the rest of the state is sparsely populated and extremely rural.
      From the mining boom in the late 1800s until present day, mining has played a large part in Utah’s economy.

Today, it is home to the world’s largest open pit mine, the Kennecott Copper Mine, also the second largest copper producer in the U.S. Other major state industries include cattle ranching, salt production (due to the Great Salt Lake and Bonneville Salt Flats), government services and tourism.
      In addition to being the site of the 2002 Winter Olympics, Utah also hosts the Sundance Film Festival and the Utah Shakespearean Festival, both of which attract many attendees. It also has countless natural attractions, including Bonneville Salt Flats, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (where the popular tourist destination Lake Powell is located) and Dead Horse Point State Park, all of which contain landscapes one is unlikely to duplicate anywhere else.
      Skiing is also a big attraction for visitors and residents alike, and millions of people each year visit Alta, Snowbird, Sundance, Park City, Solitude and Brighton. Many people boast that these locales possess the best snow on earth due to the combination of low relative humidity in winter and the effect of the Great Salt Lake, creating a dry, powdery-textured snow. Although peaks in this region are not as high in elevation as other places in the Rocky Mountains, Utah experiences fairly heavy snowfall annually, with many places recording over 500 inches. The mountains are also popular for rock climbing, hiking and snowboarding.

Utah plays host to many sports teams, including the Utah Jazz of the NBA and the Real Salt Lake of the MLS, making it the least populous state to have professional sports organizations. Other sports, including minor league baseball and college sports, are also very popular.
      Utah has many high-quality colleges and universities, many of which rank competitively in academics and athletics. Brigham Young University, the flagship university of the LDS (Mormon) Church, is probably the most well-known and also operates campuses, study centers and facilities in Hawaii, Idaho, London, Washington, D.C. and Israel. The University of Utah, one of only 88 colleges and universities in the nation that are classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as Research I universities, operates out of Salt Lake City, as does Westminster College. Utah State University is based in Logan and conducts premier research into many natural resource and agricultural areas.
      Utah is the fourth fastest growing state in the nation and contains the second fastest-growing metropolitan area in the nation, St. George, as well as the 8th and 12th fastest-growing counties in the nation. Countless new residents each year are discovering why Utah offers the perfect combination of recreation, natural beauty and metropolitan amenities.