Utah is a state in the Western United States. It became the 45th state admitted to the Union on January 4, 1896. Utah is the 13th most extensive, the 34th most populous, and the 10th least densely populated of the 50 United States. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,817,222 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the sixth most urbanized in the U.S. The name "Utah" is derived from the name of the Ute tribe and means "people of the mountains" in the Ute language. Utah is bordered by Arizona on the south, Colorado on the east, Wyoming on the northeast, Idaho on the north and Nevada on the west. It also touches a corner of New Mexico.
Utah is the most religiously homogeneous state in the Union. Approximately 60% of Utahns are reported to be members of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), which greatly influences Utah culture and daily life.
The state is a center of transportation, information technology and research, government services, mining, and a major tourist destination for outdoor recreation. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's population estimates, Utah was the fastest–growing state in the United States as of 2008.[11] St. George, Utah, was the fastest–growing metropolitan area in the United States from 2000 to 2005.
Cities:
Utah
Cities
Capital: Salt Lake City
State abbreviation/Postal code:
UT
U.S.
Representatives: 53
Entered Union
(rank): Jan. 4, 1896 (45)
Present constitution adopted: 1896
Motto: Industry
Source:
Wikipedia
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Nickname:
Beehive State
Origin of name:
From the Ute tribe, meaning “people of the mountains”
10 largest cities:
: Salt Lake City,186,440; West Valley City, 129,480;Provo, 112,488; West Jordan, 103,712;
Orem, 88,328; Sandy, 87,461; Ogden, 82,825; St. George, 72,897; Layton, 67,311; Taylorsville, 58,652
Land area: 82,144 sq mi. (212,753 sq km) Geographic center: In Sanpete Co., 3 mi. N. of Manti Number of counties: 29
Largest county by population and area: Salt Lake, 1,029,655 (2010); San Juan, 7,821 sq mi. National parks: 5 National monuments: 6 State parks/forests: 40 Residents: Utahan, Utahn
2010 resident population est.: 2,763,885
2010 resident census population: 2,763,885 (34). Male: 1,388,317 (50.2%); Female: 1,375,568 (49.8%). White: 2,379,560 (86.1%); Black: 29,287 (1.1%); American Indian: 32,927 (1.2%); Asian: 55,285 (2.0%); Other race: 93,405 (6.0%); Two or more races: 75,518 (2.7%); Hispanic/Latino: 358,340 (13.0%). 2010 percent population 18 and over: 68.5; 65 and over: 9.0; median age: 29.2
Utah History
The region was first explored for Spain by Franciscan friars Escalante
and Dominguez in 1776. In 1824 the famous American frontiersman Jim
Bridger discovered the Great Salt Lake.
Fleeing religious
persecution in the East and Midwest, the Mormons arrived in 1847 and began to
build Salt Lake City. The U.S. acquired the Utah region in the treaty ending the
Mexican War in 1848, and the first transcontinental railroad was completed with
the driving of a golden spike at Promontory Summit in 1869.
Mormon difficulties
with the federal government about polygamy did not end until the Mormon Church
renounced the practice in 1890, six years before Utah became a state.
Rich in natural
resources, Utah has long been a leading producer of copper, gold, silver, lead,
zinc, potassium salts, and molybdenum. Oil and natural gas have also become
major products. Utah is the only state that produces gilsonite, a pure form of
asphalt used in dark colored printing inks and paints, oil well drilling muds
and cements, asphalt modifiers, foundry sands additives, and a wide variety of
chemical products.
The state's top
agricultural commodities include cattle and calves, dairy products, hay,
greenhouse and nursery products, and hogs.
Utah's traditional
industries of agriculture and mining are complemented by increased tourism and
growing aerospace, biomedical, and computer-related businesses.
Utah is a great
vacationland with 11,000 mi of fishing streams and 147,000 acres of lakes and
reservoirs. Among the many tourist attractions are Arches, Bryce Canyon,
Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion National Parks; Cedar Breaks, Dinosaur,
Hovenweep, Natural Bridges, Rainbow Bridge, Timpanogos Cave, and Grand Staircase
(Escalante) National Monuments; the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City; and
Monument Valley. Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics.
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