50 Interesting Facts About Utah

Facts About Utah

Facts About Utah

  • Utah’s nickname “Beehive State” honours its Mormons settlers.
  • Utah covers 84,900 square miles of land and is ranked 11th largest state in the United States.
  • Utah is the only state where every county contains at least part of a national forest.
  • Utah is home to the largest independent film festival in the country, the Sundance Film Festival.
  • The Cottonwood Canyons in Utah is one of the snowiest places on earth, with Alta receiving 551 inches of snow annually.
  • The name “Utah” is derived from the name of the Ute Native American tribe. The name means “people of the mountains.”
  • The Kentucky Fried Chicken was first sold in Utah.
  • 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 has the highest literacy rate in the United States.
  • Utah is one of the Four Corners states. It meets up with Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico at a single point.
  • The most generous state in America is Utah, which has the highest percentage of volunteers in the country.
  • Utah has the third most national parks of any state after Alaska and California.
  • Utah is the second-driest state in the United States after Nevada. On average, Utah has about 300 sunny days a year.
  • Utah is the only state with an official State Cooking Pot: Dutch oven.
  • Utah is home to the largest open-pit mine in the world, Brigham Canyon.
  • In 1912, the first electric traffic light was developed by a policeman Lester F. Wire in Salt Lake City.
  • The national state bird of Utah is California Gull.
  • Utah’s traditional industries of agriculture and mining are complemented by increased tourism and growing aerospace, biomedical, and computer-related businesses.
  • The National state bird of Utah is Sego Lily.
  • Over 2/3 of Utah land is owned by the United States federal government.
  • Utah’s Arches National Park is known for containing more than 2000 natural sandstone arches.
  • The highest point in Utah is the King’s Peak at 13,528 ft.
  • Archaeologists know that people have lived in the land now called Utah for more than 12,000 years, thanks to a recently discovered Ice Age campsite.
  • The lowest point in Utah is the Beaverdam Wash at 2,000 ft.
  • Utah has the highest consumption of Jell-O in the United States. Jell-O is Utah’s state snack.
  • The Utahraptor, one of the largest raptors ever known to exist, was discovered in Utah and named after the state.
  • Utah was the site of the nation’s first department store. The Mormon leader Brigham Young founded the Zions Cooperative Mercantile Institution, or ZCMI, in 1868 in Salt Lake City.
  • The Great Salt Lake covers 2,100 square miles, with an average depth of 13 feet. The deepest point is 34 feet.
  • State symbol: The Beehive symbolizes thrift and industry.
  • The largest public employer in Utah is the Utah State Government.
  • Utah has five national parks: Arches, Canyonlands, Zion, Bryce and Capitol Reef.
  • The first Mormon settlers, led by Brigham Young, settled in the Salt Lake area in 1847 after leaving Illinois.
  • The estimated population of Utah is 3.206 million, as of 2019.
  • Utah officially recognized Coal as the State Rock in 1991. Big coal deposits around the state have given Utahns a lot of electricity, and it even gave Carbon County its name.
  • State animal: The Rocky Mountain Elk.
  • Approximately 4,000 plant species grow in Utah’s widely varying climatic zones, from the deserts of the southwest, the Great Basin, and the Canyonlands to the tundra of the high mountain peaks.
  • Utah was acquired by the United States in 1848 in the treaty ending the Mexican War.
  • The Utah prairie dogs live in large colonies called dog towns.
  • Utah became the 45th member of the union on January 4, 1896.
  • Utah has two national recreation areas: Flaming Gorge and Glen Canyon.
  • The Mormon Temple located in Salt Lake City is considered to be the largest and most popular place of worship of its kind. It took a total of 40 years for construction on the building to be completed.
  • State fish: The Rainbow Trout.
  • Utah has six national forests: Ashley, Dixie, Fishlake, Manti-LaSal, Uinta, and Wasatch-Cache.
  • Utah’s residents are known as Utahns or Utahans.
  • 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.
  • Thousands of years ago, a majority of Utah was covered by Lake Bonneville. Fortunately for the residents of Utah, this large water mass dried up about 14,000 years ago.
  • Utah’s state fruit is the cherry.
  • Rainbow Bridge, 290 feet tall and 270 feet across, by Lake Powell, is the world’s largest natural bridge. It is considered sacred by Navajo culture.
  • Utah is considered the second most financially literate state in the nation.
  • In 2002, Utah became the fifth state in the United States to host the Olympics, Salt lake city hosted the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics.

 

Facts About Utah
Facts About Utah