Facts about Utah

The Nazi Party employed it extensively—twenty guillotines were in use in Germany which, from 1938, included Austria.

Utah was granted statehood 1896, six years after the manifesto was issued.

Utah has ten public degree-granting universities and colleges, and three private higher learning institutions which offer training in a multitude of subject areas.

Utah's name originates from the Native American tribe known as the Ute, who ranged across much of the northern Colorado Plateau from at least 2,000 years B.C.E.

Two years after the map was printed, the first group of Caucasian members and three African-American slaves used the revised map when it traveled to Utah, following the path of the Donner-Reed party trail.

Utah's pivotal central western location makes the state a natural transportation center.

In central Utah, coal production accounts for much of the mining activity.

Utah is home to five national parks as well as incredible geological diversity in the form of snowcapped mountains to well-watered river valleys to rugged, stony deserts.

A series of treaties established a small reservation in 1864 in northeast Utah, and a reservation in 1868, which included the western third of modern Colorado, including on land actually claimed by other tribes.

The Utah State Legislature consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives.

People who live in Utah are known as "Utahns."

Utah does not charge intangible property taxes and does not impose an inheritance tax.

Multiple attempts to have Utah (the original State of Deseret of which Young was governor) recognized as a state failed due to strong resistance to the practice of polygamy.

Over the years, several other skirmishes and incidents occurred between Utes and white gold-seekers and settlers in Utah and Colorado.

The other population center is in southwestern Utah, locally known as "Dixie," where nearly 150,000 residents live.

Utah's southwestern valleys generally receive no snow, while ten feet or more is common at its mountain resorts.

The Colorado Plateau, ranging through parts of Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona, covers the southeastern half of Utah.

The state Supreme Court is the court of last resort in Utah.

There have been three major influences in Utah's history which affect its overall cultural climate today - "Old West" Cowboys, Native American tribes, and Mormon settlers.

In 2004, Republican George W. Bush won every county in Utah and attained the largest margin of victory in the country; 71.54 percent.

Utah's sparsely–populated wide–open spaces were inviting to legitimate cowboys, cattle rustlers and outlaws in the 1800s.

Unique within the 48 contiguous states, the four states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona meet at a single point, known as the Four Corners Monument.

The five tribes continue to be an important part of Utah's modern culture.

Jedediah Strong Smith was the first white man to cross Utah throughout the state, north to south and east to west.

The beauty of Utah's diverse natural landscape is considered one of the state's greatest assets.

Once home to bison, timber wolves and bears, these large animals have virtually disappeared from Utah's terrain.

Several groups of settlers, westward–bound to California or Oregon Territory, passed through Utah.

The church grew rapidly, and many adherents from the eastern United States and other nations settled in Utah.

Like much of the U.S. West and Southwest, the federal government owns a vast amount, over 70 percent, of Utah's land.

By 2005, Utah's estimated population reached 2,469,585, an increase of 48,877, or 2.0 percent, from the previous year, and an increase of 236,387, or 10.6 percent, since 2000.

Founded by Brigham Young in 1847, it is home of the world headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), the famous Mormon Tabernacle and the University of Utah.

Most of Utah is arid due to its proximity to the West's mountain systems, which divert much of the precipitation.

To better serve the tourists within and from outside Utah, the TRAX light-rail system was developed in Salt Lake Valley and the city–wide freeway system was updated.

Utah, in the western United States, is bounded on the north by Idaho, Wyoming to the northeast, Colorado to its east, while its southern border is Arizona, and Nevada lies to the west.

Except for several concentrated population centers, Utah remains wide open today, allowing for an abundance of ranches with modern cowboys.

The Utes, most prevalent of these three tribes, were the inspiration for the name of the modern-day state of Utah.

The Bartleson-Bidwell group of 1841 were the first American emigrants to cross Utah.

The Anasazi, or Pueblo culture, came north into Utah around 400 C.E., remaining until around 1250.

Utah's northern section is affected by air masses from the North Pacific, much of its precipitation falling in the cool season.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the gross state product of Utah in 2004 was $82.6 billion.

Utah, a state located in the western United States, was the 45th state admitted to the union (January 4, 1896).

Tourism is a major industry in Southern Utah.

Utah is one of the most Republican states in the nation, with Republican presidential nominees consistently achieving one of their highest margins of victory here.

The top executives of Utah are the governor and the lieutenant governor, who are elected on the same ticket to a maximum of two four-year terms.

Archaeological sites throughout Utah have identified the area as having human population for 10,000-12,000 years.

The state's System of Higher Education is governed by the Utah State Board of Regents and assisted by a local Board of Trustees.

Utah's African-American population is relatively small; most are middle-class professionals who relocated from California.

Major industries of Utah include: mining, cattle ranching, salt production, and government services.

Utah has three distinct geological regions: the Colorado Plateau, which covers slightly more than half the state, the Rocky Mountains, and the Great Basin.

Utah collects personal income tax within 6 income brackets.

Of particular interest are the Walker War (1853–1854) and Black Hawk War (1865–1872) in Utah.

Sometimes the mountains to Utah's north and east function as barriers to Arctic air.

Wind and rain have sculpted the soft rock outcroppings over millions of years, producing breathtaking sites of canyons, gullies, arches, pinnacles, buttes, bluffs, and mesas throughout south-central and southeast Utah.

Among the European immigrants who settled in Utah from 1850 to 1950, the highest percentage were British, followed by second ranking Scandinavians.

During the next 22 years, more than 70,000 Latter Day Saints pioneers crossed the plains and settled in Utah.

The Ute were the first modern Indians in Utah to utilize horses, which had been brought to the American west by the Spanish, where some got loose and lived in wild herds.