- Utah's state seal reflects its unique Mormon heritage. The Territory of Utah, originally called …
Each year on July 24, the state of Utah celebrates Pioneer Day. This holiday marks the day in 1847 when a group of Mormons seeking religious freedom entered the Great Salt Lake valley. These pioneers, led by a man named Brigham Young, made their home at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains and began turning a desert valley into a thriving settlement. The hard work that these settlers did to build a community is reflected in the state's nickname, the Beehive State. Today Mormons make up about 70 percent of Utah's population. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon church, still has a strong influence on life in the state. Salt Lake City, the state capital, is home to the world headquarters of the Mormon church. GeographyUtah is a Western state with an area of 84,904 square miles (219,902 square kilometers), including water. It is bordered on the north by Idaho and Wyoming, on the east by Colorado, on the south by Arizona, and on the west by Nevada. At its southeast corner Utah meets Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico at what is called the Four Corners. This is the only place in the United States where four states touch. Utah has a very uneven landscape. Plateaus cover the southeastern part of the state. This is an area of high mesas (flat-topped hills) and brightly colored canyons. Western Utah is a broad, flat area with deserts and some mountain peaks. The main features of this region are the Great Salt Lake and the Great Salt Lake Desert. The northeastern part of the state is part of the Rocky Mountains. The two major mountain ranges in this region are the Wasatch and the Uinta. In the Uinta Mountains is Kings Peak, the highest point in Utah at 13,528 feet (4,123 meters). The major rivers in eastern Utah are the Colorado and the Green. Rivers in the western part of the state include the Bear, the Weber, the Provo, the Jordan, and the Sevier. Utah has four distinct seasons, which is unusual for a desert region. The climate is dry, with warm summers and cold winters. Plants and animalsMore than 4,000 kinds of plants grow in Utah. The desert vegetation includes cactus and mesquite. Juniper, sagebrush, cedar, and native grasses grow in the foothills and mountain valleys. In the mountains are pines, firs, and blue spruce. Wildlife thrives in Utah because much of the state has not been settled by people. Among the large animals are deer, elk, black bears, bobcats, cougars, coyotes, and bighorn sheep. Small herds of bison also live in the state. Smaller animals include porcupines, beavers, mink, prairie dogs, lizards, horned toads, and rattlesnakes. Millions of birds stop each year to feed near the Great Salt Lake. People and cultureUtah was named for the Ute Indians, one of the tribes that lived in the region when European explorers arrived. The other major tribes in the area were the Paiute and the Shoshone. Many of the Native Americans moved to reservations in the 1860s. At the start of the 21st century about 30,000 Native Americans lived in the state. Mormons made up most of the non-Indian settlers of the region for decades after their arrival in 1847. A steady stream of non-Mormons entered the region after 1869, however. In that year a railroad stretching from Nebraska to California was completed at Promontory, Utah. The number of non-Mormons in the state increased greatly in the 20th century. Utah is one of the nation's most sparsely populated states. This means that the number of people living in the state is low in comparison to the amount of available land. Most of the people are of European heritage, though the number of minorities is growing. Hispanic Americans, the largest minority group, made up about 9 percent of the population in the year 2000. Less than 1 percent of the population is African American. CitiesThe majority of Utah's people live on a short strip of land stretching from Ogden in the north to Provo in the south. Salt Lake City, the state's largest city, is in this area. It is the political, cultural, and religious capital of Utah. Other large communities in this area include West Valley City and Sandy. RecreationUtah is a popular vacation spot. The state has five national parks: Bryce Canyon, Zion, Canyonlands, Arches, and Capitol Reef. Nearly one third of the state is covered by forests, which attract many campers and hikers in the summer. Utah is also well known for its skiing facilities, and Salt Lake City was chosen to host the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. The city also is home to two professional basketball teams: the Utah Jazz (men) and the Utah Starzz (women). The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is perhaps the best-known performing-arts group in the state. EducationMormons set up schools soon after they arrived in Utah. Settlers of other religions did the same. The great distances between communities made it hard to establish a public-school system, however. A law passed in 1890 set up a system of free schools, and the state legislature authorized tax-supported high schools in 1910. Major state-supported institutions of higher learning include the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and Utah State University in Logan. Mormon-operated Brigham Young University in Provo is the largest church-related university in the nation. EconomyMiningBeginning in 1847 the Mormons developed an economy based on agriculture, handicrafts, and small industry. The non-Mormon settlers who began arriving in 1869 started a new industry—mining. Although mining is now only a small part of Utah's economy, the state is still a national leader in mineral production. Its major mining products include beryllium, copper, potash, gold, silver, magnesium, molybdenum, salt, sand, and gravel. Coal, oil, and natural gas are also produced. IndustryService industries are the fastest-growing part of Utah's economy. They include health care, engineering, telemarketing, and computer-related services. Banking and tourism are also important in the state. Among the items manufactured in Utah are transportation equipment, computer hardware and software, machinery, metals, processed foods, rocket engines, and instruments such as surgical tools. AgricultureThe majority of Utah's farm income comes from livestock and their products. Beef and dairy cattle, hogs, sheep, and turkeys are raised. Because of the dry climate, irrigation (bringing in water) is important for farming in Utah. Crops grown include hay, wheat, barley, corn, oats, tomatoes, and fruit such as cherries, melons, apricots, apples, peaches, and pears. HistorySmall groups of hunters and gatherers lived in caves in the Utah region as early as 10,000 BC. In about AD 400 Indians of the Anasazi culture entered the area. They built cliff dwellings and raised corn (maize), squash, and beans. The Ute, Shoshone, and Paiute arrived hundreds of years later. ExplorationIt is believed that the first Europeans to enter the region were a group sent by Spanish explorer Francisco Coronado in 1540. Coronado believed that they would find cities of great wealth in the area. More than 200 years later Spanish priests explored parts of Utah. Mexico claimed the land in 1821 when that country gained independence from Spain. The United States gained control of the land after it defeated Mexico in the Mexican War in 1848. Around this time adventurers known as mountain men arrived in the Utah region to take part in the fur trade. Trappers set up trading posts in the area in the 1820s and 1830s. Arrival of MormonsThe first group of Mormons entered Utah in July 1847. Thousands more followed. In 1849 the colonists formed the State of Deseret, with Brigham Young as the first governor. A year later the United States created Utah Territory. Mormon customs differed from those of most other religious groups. Many non-Mormons disagreed especially with the Mormon practice of polygamy, by which people are allowed to marry more than one person. Conflicts often arose between Mormons and non-Mormons. In 1857 United States President James Buchanan sent about 2,500 soldiers to take control of the region. Young was removed from the governorship. This conflict is called the Utah War even though no armed fighting took place. StatehoodThe Mormons applied for statehood six times between 1849 and 1887. The federal government would not allow Utah to become a state, however, until the Mormons changed some of their customs. In 1890 the Mormons agreed to stop practicing polygamy. Six years later Utah was admitted to the Union as the 45th state. In the following decades non-Mormons took larger roles in the state's government and economy. Modern stateDuring World War II Utah's mining industry increased to meet war needs. The mining of uranium in particular gave a boost to the state's income. In the 1960s the state became a center for defense industries, both for research and for manufacturing. Utah's population grew quickly in the last decades of the 20th century. Between 1990 and 2000 alone the population increased by almost 30 percent, a rate that was much higher than the national average. To handle this population growth and to prepare for the 2002 Winter Olympics, Utah made improvements to its highways and rail lines. Population (2000 census), 2,233,169. |