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Utah is a state located in the middle of the western half of the mainland of the United States of America. It was the 45th state to join the American Union on January 4, 1896. It is the thirteenth largest US state by area, thirty-three largest by population, and tenth least dense by population density.
Utah has an area of 2,19,887 km and a total population of about 2.9 million, of which about 80% live around the Salt Lake City - centred Wasatch Front. The population density of this state is 13.2/km2. Utah borders Colorado to the east, Wyoming to the northeast, Idaho to the north.It is joined by the states of Arizona to the south, and Nevada to the west. A corner of New Mexico in the southwest also meets the border of Utah.
Creepy Facts About Utah
- UT is the official abbreviation of Utah.
- The Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City
- A railway line at Promontory Point in Utah
- Salt Lake City is named after Great Salt Lake
- Two tall stone towers in Monument Valley Utah
- The federal government owns over 50% of Utah.
- Park City, home of the Sundance Film Festival
- Promontory Point, where the railway lines met
- The Utah State Capitol was completed in 1915.
- It is one of 27 US states that are landlocked.
- People from Utah are called Utahns and Utahans.
- Utah claims to have the "Greatest Snow on Earth"
- An ancient stone house built into a cliff in Utah
- Utah is slightly larger than Guyana or Great Britain.
- Exterior of the Salt Lake Utah Temple lit up at night
- A row of shops along the street in Park City at night
- A zamboni washing polishing the ice on a skating rink
- Utah is the second-driest state in the US after Nevada.
- Utah has the highest literacy rate in the United States.
- It’s prohibited to drive on sidewalks across Utah state.
- On January 4, 1896 Utah became the 45th state of the USA.
Interesting Facts About Utah
- Aerial beach of a white salt beach on Great Salt Lake Utah
- Touched by an Angel, a popular TV series, was filmed in Utah.
- The Utah prairie dogs live in large colonies called dog towns.
- A far away view of all the buildings of the University of Utah
- More Utahans are married than the citizens in any other U.S. state
- The first European to find Great Salt Lake was Jim Bridger in 1824
- The first US senator to fly in space was Jake Garn of Utah in 1985.
- In 1919, Zion National Park, the first in the state, was established.
- Utah is the only state with an official State Cooking Pot: Dutch oven.
- Only California (9) and Alaska (8) have more national parks that Utah.
- Some ski hills on a mountain above a ski resort town in Park City Utah
- The notorious Western outlaw, Butch Cassidy, was born in Beaver, Utah.
- Utah is home to the largest open-pit mine in the world, Brigham Canyon.
- Over 2/3 of Utah land is owned by the United States' federal government.
- Only two states completely outlaw all forms of gambling, Hawaii, and Utah.
- Utah has the highest rate of online porn subscriptions in the United States.
- Utah’s summers are extremely hot and long, while its winters are cold and short.
- Salt Lake City police officer, Lester Wire, invented the electric traffic light.
- The desert bighorn sheep is uniquely adapted to surviving in hot and dry climate.
Wierd Facts About Utah
- Utah native Walter Fredrick Morrison is the man that invented the popular Frisbee.
- Utah has the highest percentage of plastic surgeons per capita than any other state
- Hill Air Force Base near Ogden, Utah, is the largest employer in the state of Utah.
- Salt Lake City, UT, is home to the nation’s leading manufacturer of rubber chickens.
- The only state in the US with parts of national forest in each of its counties is Utah.
- Utah is a state that’s located in the Mountain West region of the Western United States.
- An average of 500 inches of snow falls every year in the mountains around Salt Lake City.
- There’s actually a law against hunting elephants in Utah, not that you will see any there.
- Utah is the only state that has a cooking pot, the Dutch oven, as one of its state symbols.
- Led by Brigham Young, the first Mormon settlers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in in 1846.
- In the early 1980s, Robert K. Jarvik invented the artificial heart at the University of Utah.
- In 2004, a NASA space capsule carrying particles from the Sun crashed into the desert in Utah.
- Utah is famous for its skiing. Park City Ski Resort in Utah is the largest ski resort in the US.
- Newspaper rock – the symbols etched in sandstone act as a 2,000 year old newspaper of native cultures.
- Levan, Utah is considered the state’s navel. Interestingly enough, “Levan” spelt backwards is “navel”.
Fun Facts About Utah
- Utah has the highest consumption of Jell-O in the United States. In fact, Jell-O is Utah’s state snack.
- Utah is a leader in the defense system and aerospace technology because of its vast expanses of desert.
- The most generous state in America is Utah, which has the highest percentage of volunteers in the country.
- Utah is one of the Four Corners states. It meets up with Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico at a single point.
- Frank Zamboni of Utah invented the zamboni (the machine that drives around and polishes ice rinks) in 1901.
- Skullcandy, the popular maker of headphones, earphones and other hands free devices is based in Park City, Utah.
- If you hit a person in Porvo with a stick, rock, snowball, or any other object, you could technically be arrested.
- The name “Utah” is derived from the name of the Ute Native American tribe. The name means “people of the mountains.”
- Utah is the second-driest state in the United States after Nevada. On average, Utah has about 300 sunny days a year.
- The Four Corners Monument, where Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona meet, is at the southeastern corner of Utah.
- In 1966, construction of the Glen Canyon Dam in Arizona was completed, creating Lake Powell, which is mostly in Utah.
- The Golden Spike represents the spot at Promontory Summit where the East and West Coast railroads were finally joined.
- The Cottonwood Canyons in Utah is one of the snowiest places on earth, with Alta receiving 551 inches of snow annually.
Cool Facts About Utah
- The state of Utah could fit inside California two times with a little left over. Only half of Utah could fit in Virginia.
- Utah has the youngest population in the nation, with 33% of residents being under the age of 18, and mean age being 31.3.
- In Utah there is a town called “Levan.” Levan is “navel” backwards—and Levan is in the center, or is the “navel,” of Utah.
- The snow density in Utah's famous Cottonwood Canyons is 8.5%, which is the perfect "body" for a perfect ski powder day.
- Utah is rich in natural resources, including potassium, molybdenum, lead, zinc, copper, gold, silver, natural gas, and oil.
- Aspen trees, part of the Pando Clone, grow near Fish Lake in Utah. The Pando Clone is the heaviest living organism on earth.
- Aspen trees, part of the Pando Clone, grow near Fish Lake in Utah. The Pando Clone is the heaviest living organism on earth.
- The highest point in Utah is 13,528 ft (4120 m) at Kings Peak, while the lowest point is 2180 ft (664 m) at Beaver Dam Wash.
- The state has been inhabited for thousands of years by various Native American tribes such as the Ute, Puebloans, and Navajo.
- The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo was signed and the US gained control of Utah in 1848 as a result of the Mexican-American War.
- Utah borders Idaho to the north, Wyoming to the northeast, Colorado to the east, Arizona to the south, and Nevada to the west.
- Utah is also home to six national forests (Uinta, Dixie, Fishlake, Wasatch-Cache, Ashley, and Manti-LaSal) and 43 state parks.
- In 2015, Gary Herbert, the governor of Utah, gave approval to bringing back the firing squad for executing those on death row.
Scary Facts About Utah
- Robert B. Ingebretsen didn’t just invent the DVD; he was also awarded a special Oscar for it by the Academy of Motion Pictures.
- Utah is home to the United States' first department store, Zions Co-operative Mercantile Institution. Today it is known as ZCMI.
- Utah has one of the highest rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States. Over the past decade, it has increase by 800%.
- The man that invented the first prototype for the all-electric television is Philo T. Farnsworth, who was also from Beaver, Utah.
- Loraine Day was a well-known film actress from Roosevelt, Utah. From the Late 1930s to 1960, she starred in over four dozen films.
- Utah covers 84,899 mi², (219,887 km²), making it the 13th largest state in the US, sitting between Minnesota and Idaho in terms of size.
- Utah, along with Mississippi, South Carolina, and Oklahoma, are the only states that allow death by firing squad for inmates on death row.
- About 13% of Utah’s children live in households headed by a woman with no husband present, which is lower than the national average of 25%.
- Apple Beer, the famous American variant of the German drink fassbrause, is produced by The Apple Beer Corporation based in Salt Lake, Utah.
- In 2013, the ban on same-sex marriages was scrapped by a US federal judge. Earlier in 2004, 66% of Utahns had voted in approval of the ban.
- Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah all meet at four corners. This is the only place in the United States where four states come together.
- A 2012 Gallup poll found that Utah, overall, was the best state to live in. West Virginia, Mississippi, and Kentucky were in the bottom three.
Historical Facts About Utah
- Utah is the only state to have a cooking pot among its state symbols. The Dutch oven was approved as a state symbol by the legislature in 1997.
- In 2002, Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Olympic Games. It was the 8th and most recent time the US hosted the Olympics (until LA hosts in 2028).
- On May 10, 1869, the First Transcontinental Railroad was completed at Promontory Summit, Utah. The event was billed as the “Wedding of the Rails.”
- Nicknames for Utah include the “Beehive State” (used early on by Mormons to represent cooperative work), “The Mormon State”, and “Salt Lake State”.
- Mexico claimed Utah after gained independence from Spain in 1821, along with parts of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, and Nevada.
- Great Salt Lake is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere, and one of the largest terminal lakes (lakes with no outflow) in the world.
- The first European to arrive in Utah was Spanish explorer Juan Antonio de Rivera in 1765. He found the Colorado River and claimed the land for Spain.
- With 31% of the population under the age of 18, Utah has the youngest population in the United States. It also has the highest birth rate in the nation.
- Due to Utah’s desert-like climate and high elevation, it’s snow is usually powdery and dry. Hence the states claim to have the “greatest snow on Earth”.
- According to historical data, January 13 is the golden winter day, perfect for skiing in Utah. This day has the highest likelihood of receiving snowfall.
- The first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant was opened in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1952. The founder, Colonel Harland Sanders, was of course from Kentucky.
Mind-Blowing Facts About Utah
- Because of the state of Utah’s high elevation and desert-like climate, its snow is dry and powdery. Hence, Utah claims to have the “Greatest Snow on Earth.”
- Utah is the only state whose capital is three words long. Salt Lake City was originally named Great Salt Lake City. Great was dropped from the name in 1868.
- Utah is the only state in the US that produces gilsonite, a pure form of asphalt which is used in a variety of chemical products, drilling cements and more.
- Utah is home to the largest independent film festival in the country, the Sundance Film Festival. In fact, it was originally known as the Utah Film Festival.
- The Rocky Mountain elk is the state animal of Utah, while the state firearm (yes, it has one) is the Browning M1911, due to the inventor’s ties to the state.
- The Anasazi people lived in the Utah region for just over one thousand years before disappearing. They lived in Utah in the 500s and disappeared in the 1300s.
- Other famous people from Utah include actress Roseanne Barr, actor James Woods, singer-songwriter Jewel, basketball player and coach Byron Scott, and the band The Used.
- Rainbow Bridge (290 feet/88 meters tall and 270 feet/83 meters across), by Lake Powell, is the world’s largest natural bridge. It is considered sacred by Navajo culture.
- The Sundance Film Festival takes place every January in Park City, Utah. It’s one of the world’s top independent film festivals and the largest one in the United States.
- According to Webster’s, “Utahans” is the grammatically correct way to refer to residents of Utah; however, most people from Utah stubbornly refer to themselves as “Utahns.”
- Salt Lake City is the capital of Utah. With 201,600 people, it is the 122nd largest city in the US. It is located beside and named after Great Salt Lake, which is sits beside.
Dark Facts About Utah
- Monument Valley, or Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park in Utah and Arizona, is one of the state’s most famous scenes, with its massive stone towers ranging from 400 to 1000 ft.
- Lagoon—located in Farmington, Utah—is the oldest operating amusement park in the American West, and its original roller coaster, named “Old Woodie,” is the 3rd oldest in the nation.
- Approximately 62% of Utahans are Mormons, or members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Utah is the most homogeneous state in the United States in terms of religion.
- On March 22, 1882, polygamy (a common practice among Mormons) was outlawed by the US Congress. In order to suppress polygamy in the territories, the US adopted the Edmunds-Tucker Act.
- Utah Lake is 24 miles long and 12 miles across. Almost 41% of the lake evaporates each year. There used to be a showboat on the lake that included on-deck dancing and a full orchestra.
- Walter Frederick Morrison, the man credited with inventing the Frisbee, was born in Richfield, Utah. He said he got the idea for the “Pluto Platter” after throwing cake tins on the beach.
- Utah has a population of 3.42 million, the 30th largest in the US in terms of population. It sits between Connecticut and Iowa in terms of population, or roughly equivalent to Puerto Rico.
- In 1896, Martha Hughes Cannon was elected the first woman senator. Interestingly, one of her opponents was her husband. She received 10,288 votes while her husband only received 8,054 votes.
- On October 8, 1981 there was an attack at the University of Utah in which an explosive device was defused. The attack was later discovered to be by Theodore Kaczynski, dubbed “the Unabomber.”
- Utah is also considered one of the Mountain States, which contain the Rocky Mountains, along with Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming. Arizona and New Mexico are sometimes also included.
Crazy Facts About Utah
- Salt Lake City hosted the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics, 2002. Americans won a total of 34 medals in the event. Utah became the fifth state in the United States to host the Olympic Games.
- Salt Lake Utah Temple on Temple Square near the capitol building is the largest Mormon church in the world by floor area. The LDS headquarters, the Church Office Building, is also in Salt Lake City.
- Several land speed records have been set at Bonneville Salt Flats. On October 23, 1970, when Gary Gabelich’s rocket-powered Blue Flame peaked at 1,014.656kph, he became the first to exceed 1,000 kph.
- About 75 million years ago, the Utah region was part of a landmass called Laramidia. It was swampy, hot, and full of dinosaurs. Naturally, Utah is one of the best places in the US to find dinosaur fossils.
- In 2012, Utah had the fourth highest bankruptcy filing in the United States, with 5.99 petitions for every 1,000 people. The average nationwide per capita filing rate was 3.97 petitions for every 1,000 people.
- The first departmental store in the country was established in Utah. The Zion Cooperative Mercantile Store was established in 1868, and was successfully run until 1999, when the store was bought over by Macy’s.
- Moses Malone of Virginia was the first basketball player to go directly from high school to the pros when he was signed on by the Utah Stars. He is considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
- The highest temperature ever to be recorded in Utah was 118°F (48°C) in Saint George on July 4, 2007, while the lowest temperature ever to be recorded in Utah was -69°F (-56°C) in Peter Sinks on February 1, 1985.
- A higher percentage of Utahans are married than in any other state in the United States. According to the 2012 American Community Survey, 57% of Utah’s women (15 years and older) are married, down from 69% in 1950.
- Two dates appear on Utah’s state seal: 1847, the date Mormon settlers arrived in Utah, and 1896, the year Utah became the 45th state. Also on the seal are sego lilies, which stand for peace and are the state flower.
Random Facts About Utah
- The Provisional State of Deseret was rejected by the US federal government in 1850. Instead, they organized the Territory of Utah; originally, the territory included parts of present-day Colorado, Wyoming, and Nevada.
- While presidential hopeful Mitt Romney was born in Detroit, Michigan, he calls Utah home. His new 5,900-square-foot home in Holliday will include high ceilings, a hot tub, a secret door/room, an exercise room, and more.
- 55% of the people in Utah are Mormons. With more than 2 million members in the Church Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Utah has more Mormons than any other state. California is in the 2nd spot, with less than a million.
- Between 1974 and 1975, several women disappeared in Utah. The women were all believed to be victims of Theodore “Ted” Bundy, the Green River Murderer. The women included Nancy Wilcox, Laura Aime, Debi Kent, and Nancy Baird.
- Because it is centrally located in the Intermountain West, Utah is often called the “Crossroads of the West.” Its geography has three major land areas: the Rocky Mountains, the Basin and Ridge Region, and the Colorado Plateau.
- Utah’s divorce rate is slightly higher than the U.S. average and has been that way for decades. However, while Utahans are more likely than their national counterparts to divorce, they are also more likely to marry or remarry.
- Polygamy was practiced in Utah until it was banned in 1890 as a condition of being granted statehood. Today there are roughly 40,000 polygamous marriages in the state of Utah, mostly among breakaway Mormon fundamentalist groups.
- If you are an avid reader, note that the famous book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” was written by Utah businessman Stephan R. Covey. The book’s principal message is that there is an abundance of success for everyone.
- There are two theories behind Utah’s name. The first is that the name originates from the Native American “Ute” tribe, or “people of the mountains”. The second is that it comes from “yuttahih” an Apache word for “one that is higher up”.
- In 2014, 1,039 people dressed as angels, wise men, and other religious figures broke the Guinness World Record for the largest live nativity scene. Also in attendance in the Provo, Utah, park event were a camel, a donkey, and some sheep.
Unique Facts About Utah
- Approximately 82% of Utahans are of European descent. Hispanics or Latinos are the next largest ethic group in the state, making up almost 12% of the population. Utah has smaller populations of Asians, African Americans, and Native Americans.
- Fillmore, Utah, is named after President Millard Fillmore and was initially designated as the capital. Salt Lake City replaced it as the territorial capital in 1856. Additionally, Salt Lake City was referred to as Great Salt Lake City until 1868.
- There are over 2,000 naturally formed arches at the Arches National Park in Utah. The arches are in natural sandstone and offer spectacular views of the surrounding areas. Folks who have found undocumented arches have had the honor of naming them.
- The largest raptor to be unearthed in the world was in Utah. The 23 foot long predatory dinosaur was named Utahraptor. It had curved claws that were about 24 centimeters long, and a preserved claw that was recovered had a length of 22 centimeters.
- The Kentucky Fried Chicken was first sold in Utah, and not in Kentucky. Utahans were the first to buy and get a taste of KFC. It was at the Harman Cafe in Salk Lake City that Colonel Sanders experienced his first success with the fried chicken recipe.
- Utah couples marry at a younger age than in any other state in the country. The median age for a first marriage in Utah is 26.2 for the groom and 24.1 for the bride. The average for the rest of the United States is 29.1 for the groom and 27.1 for the bride.
- The first transcontinental railroad line was completed on May 10, 1869. It was completed when the Central Pacific Railroads and Union joined rails at Promontory Summit in the Utah Territory. Today the site is preserved at Golden Spike National Historic Park.
- Lake Powell, Utah is the second largest water reservoir in the US after Lake Mead in Nevada. It is also a popular tourist attraction. It is created by the Glen Canyon Dam in neighborhing Arizona. It is on the Colorado River, just like Hoover Dam and many others.
- Famous Utahans include David Archuleta, Butch Cassidy, Shannon Hale, Karl Malone, Donny and Marie Osmond, Robert Redford, Julianne and Derek Houghs, Roseanne Barr, Loretta Young, James Woods, Chrissy Teigen, Orson Scott Card, Terry Tempest Williams, and Steve Young.
Amazing Facts About Utah
- In Utah, it is illegal to hire trombone players to play on the street to advertise an auction. Additionally, it is illegal to fish while on horseback and to hunt whales. In Salt Lake City it is illegal to walk down the street carrying a paper bag containing a violin.
- Kanab, Utah, is also known as “Little Hollywood” because over 100 movies (mostly Westerns) and many T.V. series have been filmed there since 1924. Famous movies include Stage Coach, The Lone Ranger, Gunsmoke, Planet of the Apes, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and Sergeants 3.
- Utah’s first Mormon (Latter-Day Saints) settlement was made by Brigham Young when he arrived in Salt Lake Valley with 148 Mormons. On July 24, 1847 when he first saw the Salt Lake valley he said “This is the place.” They came to Utah to escape persecution in Illinois.
- Utah’s nickname “Beehive State” honors its Mormons settlers. The community people wanted the state to enter the Union with the name Deseret, meaning “honeybee.” However, Congress thought that the name sounded like desert so the state was named after the native Ute people.
- Utah restaurants and bars have a unique partition that separates restaurant bartenders who are preparing drinks from the customers who order them. Their aim is to prevent excessive drinking by keeping alcohol out of sight. These partitions are called “Zion Curtains” by locals.
- The state of Utah has an interesting geography. It features three distinct land forms. These include the Rocky Mountains, the Colorado Plateau and the Basin and Ridge Region. It also has some distinguished geographical features such as an enormous salt water lake and salt flats.
- In 1912, the first electric traffic light was developed by a policeman Lester F. Wire in Salt Lake City. It was first installed at the intersection of 200 South and Main Street in Salt Lake City. However, in 1914, the first traffic signal system was installed in Cleveland, Ohio.
- The 30,000 acres of the Bonneville Salt Flats offer an incredible sight. The smooth and densely packed salt terrain makes this area of great interest to speed racers. In 1964, when a speed racer lost control of his vehicle, it resulted in skid marks that stretched across six miles.
- One of the most unique places in Utah is the Bonneville Salt Flats, named after the ancient sea that covered the area. Stretching over 30,000 acres, the white salt is millions of years old. Thousands of tourists, filmmakers, and land speed racers make it famous throughout the world.
Geographical Facts About Utah
- It is Utah’s unique geographical features that make it of great interest to film and documentary makers. It was found to offer the perfect backdrop to shoot Westerns such as The Lone Ranger and Stagecoach. Other films including the Planet of the Apes and Arabian Nights were shot here.
- In 1846, after the death of their religious leader and prophet, Latter Day Saints or Mormons began their journey from Illinois to Utah. Today, more than 60% of Utah residents are Mormons. This makes Utah, the only American state where most of the population belongs to the same church.
- Utah is home to 25 colleges and universities. Two universities, Brigham Young University and the University of Utah are traditionally rivals in several athletic fields. Their annual college game is nicknamed the “Holy War,” mainly because the LDS church owns BYU, while the U is a secular university.
- The nation’s first transcontinental rail road was completed in Utah. The Golden Spike National Memorial Site at Promontory commemorates the event. The project took seven years to complete in 1869, and stretched from Sacramento to Omaha. It was part of the Pacific Railroad, also known as the Overland Route.
- The Great Salt Lake is the largest of its kind in the Western world. Though the size of the lake keeps changing, based on the season, it is spread across about 1700 square miles. The water in the lake has nine times more salt than that found in oceans. Great Salt Lake is salty because it does not have an outlet.
- Utah is home to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. This 35-acre center for LDS (Mormon) missionaries can house 3,800 missionaries and it serves 10,000 meals a day. It is the nation’s second largest on-site language school, after the U.S. Defense Department’s Language Institute in Monterrey, California.
- In 1824, Jim Bridger was the first Caucasian person to see the Great Salt Lake. He initially thought he had found the Pacific Ocean because it was so salty, but soon realized it was a giant salt lake. In the 1830s, thousands of people travelling from the East made stops in the Great Salt Lake region, which was then known as Lake Youta.
- Utah is called the “Beehive State” because most of Utah’s early white settlers belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who follow the Book of Mormon. They were hard workers and envisioned themselves as a “hive of industry.” They wanted to call their new state “Deseret,” which is the word for “honey bee” in the Book of Mormon.
- There are five national parks in Utah: Zion (famous for its red cliffs), Bryce Canyon (known for its hoodoos and natural amphitheaters), Canyonlands (canyons, mesas, and buttes), Capitol Reef (more lunar landscapes), and Arches (with over 2000 natural sandstone arches) National Parks. Here’s an itinerary for visiting all of Utah’s national parks!
- Approximately 75 million years ago, Utah was part of a landmass called Laramidia. This land mass was hot, swampy, and full of dinosaurs, which makes Utah one of the best places in the U.S. to find dinosaur fossils. In fact, the world’s largest raptor lived in Utah. Known as the “Utahraptor,” it measured over 23 feet long, making it larger than any other known raptor.
- The Bingham Canyon Mine is considered to be the biggest man-made pit in the world. For over a century, miners have been at work here. Every day the pit gets bigger as the mining company continues to take out about 250,000 tons of rock from it. The enormous crater created by mining activity is visible from space. The mine is restricted to visitors due to safety issues.
- Utah has an average of only 32 people per square mile and is one of the most thinly populated states in the nation. Most Utahans live in the towns and cities along the Wasatch Front, which is the western side of the Wasatch Mountains (which is a range of the Rocky Mountains). Utah is the 13th largest, the 33rd most populous, and the 10th least densely populated state in the U.S.
- The FBI holds various Utah “secrets” in its vault, including UFO sightings in Utah, snooping into whether the Utah NAACP had been infiltrated by communists, a death threat in Utah against Lady Bird Johnson, information on serial killer Ted Bundy, and former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover’s dislike of Cleon Skousen (who has become an important figure in today’s Tea Party movement).
- Kraft Foods, the makers of Jell-O, revealed that the residents of Utah consume more Jell-O than any other state in the country. In fact, people here consume twice the national average consumption of the dessert. The lime-flavored product seems to be a crowd-pleaser and is often had with shredded carrot. Furthermore, Utahans love ice creams and candy, and consume more than most Americans do.
- Utah’s Great Salt Lake is about four times saltier than any of the world’s oceans. If a person boiled 1 quart of water from the saltiest part of the lake, a half cup of salt would remain. It is so salty because as the ancient Lake Bonneville dried up, salt and other minerals were left behind. Because the shrinking lake had no stream out to sea, the salt deposits became concentrated in the lake.
- The state of Utah lies on the Western side of the United States of America, and in the Rocky Mountain Region. Its unique location has blessed the state with magnificent mountains and canyons. Kings Peak (13,534 feet (4,125 m)), in the Uinta Mountains is Utah’s highest peak. The state has five national parks. It is interesting to note that every Utah County has some portion of national forest land.
- The state flag features the Utah state seal on a solid-blue background. There’s a beehive at the center of the seal. A sego lily is growing on either side of the beehive, representing peace. A national flag represents the state’s support for the US, with the eagle representing protection in peace and in war. The dates 1847 and 1896 represent the reestablishing of the state and Utah gaining admission to the Union.
- Archaeological evidence supports the fact that the Utah region has been inhabited by Native Americans for about 12,000 years. The archaeological ruins at Range Creek are an archaeologist and historian’s delight. The remains of dugout pit houses date back to over a millennium. It is the geographical location of the settlement that helped preserve the ancient site. Furthermore, the rancher who bought the land kept it a secret for half a century.
- Utah gets its name from the Native American tribe, Ute. The tribe has lived here for centuries, much before the first Europeans arrived in America. While traditionally the Ute tribe hunted, fished and gathered food, they also traded with other Native American tribes and with the Spanish. In fact, after they bought horses from the Spanish, the manner in which the tribe functioned changed dramatically. The state now has three tribal reservations.
- During the Utah War (1857–1858), over 120 unarmed settlers, including women and children, were murdered by a group of Mormon militiamen. The militia initially claimed Native Americans killed the settlers. The motives behind the massacre remain unclear, though historians point to war hysteria and a fear of outsiders. Scholars still debate whether the Mormon leader, Brigham Young, ordered the massacre or if the responsibility lies with local leaders in southern Utah.
- Utah is home to one of the oldest living organisms in the world. Located in the Fishlake National Forest, the trembling giant is a grove of Aspen trees. What makes these trees interesting is that they have a single root system. And this also means that the trees are genetically identical. It is also referred to as Pando. This Latin word means ‘I spread’, and is quite appropriate for the Aspens. The leaves of the trees begin to flutter, even with a slight breeze, and rightly grant the trees their moniker of quaking aspens.
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