Utah!
a
pretty great state
Where I Used To Live!
45th State - Admitted as a State: January 4, 1896
Population: (1990) 1,722,850
Counties: 29
State Capitol: Salt Lake City - Elv. 4260 Ft - Pop. 725,956(1990)&>
State Tree: Blue Spruce
State Bird: Seagull
State Insect: Honey Bee
State Dinosaur: Utah Raptor
Highest Point: Kings Peak - 13,528 ft.
Lowest Point: Beaverwash Dam - 2000 ft.
Land Area: 82,168 sq. mi
Dimensions: N-S 345 Miles E-W 275 Miles
Utah was once covered by
water
in what is now know as "Lake Boneville".
Lake Bonnevile was about the
size of Lake Michigan & Lake Huron combined. It covered most of
Utah,
Eastern Nevada & Southern Idaho. It is believe it drain into was is
now the Snake River in Idaho. All that is lift of it now is the Great
Salt
Lake, Utah Lake, Bear Lake & Lake Sevier (which is
dry most of the time.)
Utah's average rainfall is less than 14" a year. Most of the state is desert.
Utah's Border States: North
-
Idaho & Wyoming, East - Wyoming & Colorado, South - Arizona
&
New Mexico (New Mexico's NW corner touches Utah's SE Corner, the only
point
where four states meet, in fact you can stand there and be standing in
4 states at one time) West - Nevada
1 - Executive: Governor
2 - Legesutare: House of Representatives & Senate
3 - Judicial: Supreme Court - District Court - Juvenile Court - Civil Court - Criminal Court
Governor of Utah: Jon Huntsman 1st four year term, up for re-election 2008
United States Senator: Robert (Bob) Bennett Utah's junior senator, 3rd term re-election in 2008
United States Senator: Orin Hatch Utah's senior senator, 5th term re-election in 2006
Utah has 3 members in the House Of Representatives.
2004 Presentitial Election Results: George W. Bush won Utah's 5 eltorial college votes. The last time a Democrat won in Utah was in 1964, when Lyndon Johnson carried Utah.
On or about July 24, 1847.
A
group of Mormon (the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
pioneers
lead by Brigham Young first settle in what is now Salt Lake City.
Brigham
Young the 2nd President & Prophet of the Church stood at the mouth
of Emiragation Canyon after a very long journey from upper New York
State,
and said "THIS IS THE PLACE". One of the First things they'd was dam up
a creek now known as City Creek for drinking water and irrigation. They
planted about 100 acres of spring wheat.
When the wheat was ready for
harvesting in September, a swarm of Crickets invaded the crop and
proceeded
to devour it. Young prayed, and he was supposedly answer by God sending
in a Flock of California Seagulls that nested at the Great Salt Lake to
eat the Crickets up, which the birds did. The Mormons were so thankful
to the birds, that they made the California SeaGull their State Bird.
This
is a true story!
In The following year 1848, Young sented out small groups of Mormons, know as Wards, to settle other areas of Utah, and parts of Nevada, Los Vegas was a Mormon settlement. He then applied and was turn down for statehood, in what would of have been the biggest state in land area, It would of been known as the State of Desert (Ute Indian word for Honey). It Was Composed of all of Utah, Nevada, and the SouthWest Corner of Wyoming. It took Utah 48 years to finally become a State. The reason being was that the Mormon practice polygamy, Having more than one wife. Brigham Young had 29 wives, 150 children (San Francisco 49ers Quarter Back Steve Young is a 5th great grandson of Brigham Young). It took the Mormon church to ban the pratice of polmgamy to become a state. In fact the United States built the only fort it ever built for the purpose of watching it's own citizens on the East Side of Salt Lake City. Utah Finally became a State on January 4, 1896.
Utah today is a rapidly
growing
state. It is now quite diverse in people living there. is experiencing
the growin pains that go along with it. Salt Lake City has the Same
problems
as most bigger U.S Cities.
Some of the major industries
are Computers (Novell, IBM Gateway all have plants there. Mining,
Military,
Aerospace, Transportation, and lots of other businesses. Delta Air
Lines
Western Hub is at Salt Lake International Airport. The NBA Defending
Western
Conference Champions UTAH JAZZ play their home Games in the Delta
Center
in downtown Salt Lake City.
Salt Lake City was the host
for
the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Utah has what is believe to be the
world's
best powder snow and is Famous for it's many Ski resorts.
Utah Has some of the Most awesome and diverse scenery that can be found in the lower 48 states, Utah has 5 National Parks, only state with more is Alaska. See Northern Utah Pictures and Southern Utah Pictures .
Utah has 5 National Parks: Zion's - Bryce Canyon - Arches - Capitol Reef - Caanyonlands. Utah has a lot of National Monuments, and a large but mostly undelovoped State Park System. The Major Highways in Utah are I15, I80 I70, I84, I215, US40, US6, US50 US89, US191.