Enter the Utah Photo Tour:
About Utah
Utah, legendary home of the Mormon pioneers, is a colorful land of diverse geography, numerous recreational resources, quiet towns and flourishing cities. There are five national parks in Utah, Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion. Beyond these most of the southeast part of the state is a fascinating wonderland of rock formations, cliffs and mountains. Much of the northeastern part of the state is covered with forested mountains at the heart of which is the Uinta Mountains which reach elevations above 13,000 feet. The northwestern part of the state is dominated by the Great Salt Lake, which is a the remnant of an inland sea which at one time covered much of the state. Because of this, the lake is saltier than the ocean and salt flats cover a large area to the west.
The Mormon settlement began July 24, 1847 when Brigham Young and others entered the Salt Lake Valley, where he looked at the then barren landscape and declared “This is the Place.” Within a few years they built Salt Lake City into a thriving city and settled much of the mountain west. In 1848, after the pioneers arrived, Utah became a U.S. possession, acquired from Mexico after the Mexican War. In 1850 the Territory of Utah was organized, and on January 4, 1896, Utah became the 45th state. It is the eleventh largest state in land area with 84,916 square miles.
The Wasatch Front is where the jagged edge of the mountains meets the basins of the Great Salt Lake, and is the home to cities such as Salt Lake City, Provo, Orem, Ogden and Logan, which thrive on the water flowing out of the mountains into an otherwise arid land.
Utah is home to numerous colleges, including the famous Brigham Young University in Provo, the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Weber State University in Ogden, and Utah State University in Logan. Stevens Henager College in Provo boasts the best nursing programs in Utah. Southern Utah University in Cedar City is benifiting from the tremendous growth in that area.
Utah Geography:
Utah is bordered by Arizona on the south, Nevada on the west, Idaho on the north, Colorado on the east, and Wyoming on the northeast. Interstate 15 is the major north-south freeway in Utah, entering at the southwest corner, and heading north along the Wasatch Front and into Idaho. Interstate 80 is the major east-west route, crossing from Wyoming into Nevada. Interstate 70 also connects from I-15 into Colorado.
For More Information:
Utah’s official site is found at www.utah.gov. See also Wikipedia’s Utah article.
|
|