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Utah is a western state of the United States, in the Rocky Mountains region.
The name Utah is from the Southern Ute language. The Paiute and Goshute nations also inhabit portions of the state. Residents are called Utahns.
 Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, Utah
History
Native Americans have lived in Utah for several thousand years; most archeological evidence dates such habitation about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. Some left petroglyphs and pictographs which exist throughout the state.
Francisco Vásquez de Coronado may have crossed into what is now southern Utah in 1540, when he was seeking the legendary Cibola.
A group led by two Roman Catholic priests--sometimes called the Dominguez-Escalante Expedition--left Santa Fe in 1776, hoping to find a route to the California coast. The expedition travelled as far north as Utah Lake and encountered the native residents.
Fur trappers--including Jim Bridger--explored some regions of Utah in the early 1800's. The city of Provo, Utah was named for one such man, Étienne Provost, who visited the area in 1825.
Mormon settlers first came to the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. At the time, Utah was still Mexican territory. As a consequence of the Mexican-American War, the land became the territory of the United States upon the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, February 2, 1848. The Treaty was ratified by the United States Senate on March 10.
Utah's bid for statehood was accepted January 4, 1896, after over forty years of initial request and struggles. The delay was largely due to disputes between the Mormon inhabitants--who had settled in the area in 1847 and were pushing for the establishment of the State of Deseret. The western half of Deseret was admitted to the Union after the discovery of silver, but was split off from Utah as Nevada in 1864. The US Government which was reluctant to admit a state the size of the proposed Deseret into the union, opposed the polygamous practices of the Mormons taught by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and observed that the region lacked the necessary 60,000 voters required for statehood. One of the conditions to granting Utah's statehood was that a ban on polygamy be written into the Utah Constitution. This was a condition required of other western states that were also admitted later into the Union.
Law and government
- See: List of Utah Governors, Utah State Senate, Utah State House of Representatives
The capital and largest city is Salt Lake City.
Utah constitution
The constitution of Utah was enacted in 1895. Among other things, the constitution outlawed polygamy and continued the territorial practice of women's suffrage.
In 2004, three proposed amendments[1] (http://elections.utah.gov/ConstitutionalAmendments.htm) were put on the Utah election ballot, including the controversial Amendment 3, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman, as well as providing no legal recognition for other forms of civil union. On November 2, 2004, Amendment 3 was overwhelmingly approved by Utah's citizens.
Geography
Utah is one of the Four Corners states and is bordered by Idaho and Wyoming in the north, by Colorado in the east, by New Mexico to the southeast across the Four Corners, by Arizona in the south, and by Nevada in the west. It covers an area of 84,899 sq miles (219,887 sq km).
One of Utah's defining characteristics is the variety of its terrain. Running down the center of the state is the Wasatch Range, which rises to heights of about 11,500 feet. These mountains receive 500 or more inches of snow a year and are home to world-renowned ski resorts, made popular by the light, fluffy snow, which is considered good for skiing. In the northeastern section of the state, running east to west, are the Uinta Mountains, which rise to heights of 13,000 feet or more. The highest point in the state, Kings Peak, at an elevation of 13,526 feet (4,123 meters), lies within the Uinta Mountains. Other popular ski resorts lie at the very western edge of the Uintas. Popular recreational destinations within the mountains besides the ski resorts include Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, Timpanogas Cave National Monument, Bear Lake, and Jordanelle, Strawberry, and Rockport reservoirs. The mountains are popular camping, rock-climbing, skiing, snowboarding, and hiking destinations.
At the 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. The major cities of Salt Lake City, Layton, Ogden, West Valley City, Sandy, West Jordan, Orem, and Provo are located within this region.
Western Utah is mostly arid desert with a basin and range geology. Small mountain ranges and rugged terrain punctuate the landscape. However, the Bonneville Salt Flats are an exception, being comparetively flat. Most of western Utah was once covered in Lake Bonneville. The Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake are the only two significant remains of this ancient freshwater lake which once covered most of the eastern Great Basin. West of the Great Salt Lake, stretching to the Nevada border, lies the Great Salt Lake Desert, the driest, most arid area in Utah.
Much of the scenic southern landscape is sandstone, more specifically Kayenta sandstone and Navajo sandstone. The Colorado River and its tributaries wind their way through the sandstone, creating some of the most striking and wild terrain in the world. Wind and rain have also scuplted the soft sandstone over millions of years. Canyons, gullies, arches, pinnacles, buttes, bluffs, and mesas are the common sight throughout south-central and southeast Utah. This terrain is accentuated in protected 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 State Park, and Monument Valley, a popular photographic and filming site. Southwestern Utah is low in elevation and is the hottest spot in Utah. It is known as Dixie because early settlers mitakenly belived that cotton could grow there. Beaverdam Wash in far southwestern Utah is the lowest elevation in Utah, at an elevation of exactly 2,000 ft (610 m).
Eastern Utah is a high elevation area covered mostly by plateaus and basins. These areas are snowy, cold, and for the most part very barren. It has an economy mostly driven by mining and ranching. Much of eastern Utah is covered in the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation. The most popular destination within eastern Utah is Dinosaur National Monument.
Like most of the west and southwest states, the federal government owns much of the land in Utah. In Utah over seventy percent of the land is either BLM land or U.S. National Forest, park, U.S. National Monument, National Recreation Area or U.S. Wilderness Area area. Under Article IV, § 3, cl. 2 of the United States Constitution, the federal government has plenary and supreme--although concurrent--civil and criminal jurisdiction over these federal lands within the borders of each state.
See also List of Utah counties
Climate
Most of Utah is arid and high in elevation. Most of eastern and southern Utah receive 12 or less inches (30 or less cm) of precipitation per year, while many mountain areas receive more than 40 in (100 cm) per year. Much of western Utah recieves less than 10 in (25 cm), while the Wasatch Front receives approximately 15 in (38 cm). The Great Salt Lake Desert is especially dry, receiving less than 5 in (12 cm) a year. Snowfall is common in Winter everywhere except the southwest. Saint George rarely recieves more than an inch or two of snow per year, while Salt Lake City receives almost 60 in (150 cm) a year (amplified by the lake effect from the Great Salt Lake). Many areas of the Wasatch Range receive 500+ in (1,250+ cm) of snow in a year. Snowfall is common from November to March in the lower elevations and from September to May in the mountains. The mountains often remain snow-covered into July. Fog and haze often caused by temperature inversions are common in the valleys and basins during Winter.
During Summer and Autumn most of the precipitation is received from the monsoon coming from the south and consists of short, sporadic, and intense thunderstorms that can cause wildfires and flash floods. Most precpitation in the rest of the year is received from the Pacific Ocean. Spring is the wettest season and summer the driest season across Utah.
Temperatures during the winter across much of Utah are below freezing. High temperatures average between 30°F (-1°C) and 40°F (4°C) across most of the state, although in the south average high temperatures reach 50°F (10°C) or more. Days below 0°F (-18°C) are common only in the mountains and high plateaus. In the summer high temperatures average between 85°F (29°C) and 95°F (35°C), although reach almost 100°F (38°C) in the south. Days over 100°F (38°C) can be expected in most areas a few times per year, and can be expected frequently in the south. The record high temperature in Utah was 117°F (47°C), recorded at Saint George on July 5, 1985, and the record low was -69°F (-56°C), recorded at Peter's Sink in the Bear River Mountains of northern Utah on February 1, 1985.
Parks and monuments
The desert plateaus of Southern Utah contain five U.S. National Parks:
U.S. National Monuments in Utah include:
In addition, Utah contains several notable state parks and monuments:
Major roads and highways in Utah Transportation
Interstate 15 is the main interstate highway in the state, stretching from Arizona to Idaho and servicing such cities as Saint George, Provo, Salt Lake City, and Ogden. Interstate 84 enters from Idaho at Snowville and merges with I-15 at Tremonton, staying merged until Roy. I-84 then heads southeast through the mountains, terminating at Interstate 80 at Echo. I-80 enters Nevada at Wendover and heads east through Salt Lake City, breifly merging with I-15 before climbing into the mountains and weaving through canyons and across plateaus into Wyoming just before reaching Evanston. Interstate 70 begins at Cove Fort and heads east through mostly uninhabited areas, providing access to many of southern Utah's recreation areas before entering Colorado. The stretch of I-70 between Salina and Green River is the longest stretch of interstate in the nation without any services.
A light rail system in the Salt Lake Valley known as TRAX provides access between downtown Salt Lake City and Sandy and the University of Utah. The Utah Transity Authority (UTA) operates a bus sytem stretching across the Wasatch Front and into Tooele, and also provides winter service to the ski resorts above Salt Lake City. Several bus companies provide access to the ski resorts in winter, and local bus services also serve Logan and Saint George. The Legacy Highway is a controversial freeway that is planned to eventually run down the entire length of the Wasatch Front. A commuter rail is planned to also eventually run the length of the Wasatch Front.
Demographics
 Utah's Population density.  Utah's County Boundaries. The population of Utah in 2000 was 2,233,169. In 2003, the population was estimated at 2,351,467 people, a growth of more than 120,000 since 2000
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. The rest of the state is mostly rural or wilderness. Utah has the highest percentage of people adhering to one religious denomination than any other state in the nation.
The racial makeup of Utah is:
The five largest ancestry groups in Utah are:
The religious affiliations of the people of Utah are:
The age distribution in Utah is:
- 9.4% under age 5
- 32.2% under age 18
- 8.5% 65 or older
The gender makeup of Utah is:
Important cities and towns
See: List of cities in Utah
25 Richest Places in Utah
Ranked by per capita income
- Alta, Utah $66,566
- Park City, Utah $45,164
- Mount Olympus, Utah $44,286
- Granite, Utah $40,098
- Summit Park, Utah $37,941
- Little Cottonwood Creek Valley, Utah $37,669
- Holladay, Utah $35,685
- South Snyderville Basin, Utah $35,405
- North Snyderville Basin, Utah $34,794
- Brian Head, Utah $32,647
- Ophir, Utah $29,906
- Cache, Utah $27,083
- Cottonwood West, Utah $27,023
- Cottonwood Heights, Utah $26,935
- Springdale, Utah $25,593
- Woodland, Utah $25,392
- East Millcreek, Utah $25,206
- Woodland Hills, Utah $25,184
- Kanarraville, Utah $24,773
- Farmington, Utah $24,407
- Fruit Heights, Utah $24,188
- River Heights, Utah $24,068
- Bountiful, Utah $23,967
- Canyon Rim, Utah $23,587
- Laketown, Utah $23,519
See complete list of Utah places
Colleges and universities
Cultural institutions and events
Professional sports teams
Miscellaneous information
External links
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