Utah at a Glance

The Greatest Snow on Earth

With an average annual snowfall of 12.7 meters and one of the highest average elevations in the United States, Utah really is “the Greatest Snow on Earth.” It’s also home to rushing rapids, extensive salt flats and colorful canyons.

Find out more about Utah at DiscoverAmerica.com.

Capital: Salt Lake City

Population: More than 2.8 million people live in Utah.

Geography: Located in the western United States, Utah shares a border with Idaho to the north, Wyoming to the northeast, Colorado to the east, New Mexico to the southeast, Arizona to the south and Nevada to the west. Converging on one point with Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona, Utah is also one of the “four corners” states. Its terrain includes colorful canyons and its famous snow-covered peaks.

Higher Education: Founded in 1850, the University of Utah (U of U) is the state’s oldest institution of higher education. The public research university is located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and serves an undergraduate population of about 23,000 students. U of U offers more than 100 undergraduate programs and 90 graduate programs from its 18 schools and colleges including the state’s only school of medicine. U of U’s friendly rival is neighbor Brigham Young University (BYU). Founded in 1875, BYU is a private university located in Provo, Utah. Affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, BYU is the largest religiously affiliated university in the United States. It serves a student population of around 30,000. BYU awards bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees through programs at its 11 colleges and schools. The school offers courses in more than 60 languages and 70 percent of its students speak a second language, making it one of the most multilingual universities in the United States.

Major Industries: Utah’s burgeoning tourism, aerospace, biomedical and computer industries complement its historically major industries of mining and agriculture. The Beehive State’s top mined products include petroleum, copper and natural gas. Utah is the country’s leading producer of molybdenum and potassium. Its major agriculture outputs include cattle, dairy, hogs, hay and nursery products. Utah’s five national parks and exceptional skiing opportunities make it a top tourist destination. Private health care, hotels and resorts, engineering companies and software development companies are the state’s major service industries.

Sports Teams: Utahns have two professional teams to cheer: the National Basketball Association’s Utah Jazz and Major League Soccer's Real Salt Lake.

Famous Utahns: Actress, comedian and writer Roseanne Barr; outlaw Clyde Barrow (of the infamous pair Bonnie and Clyde); outlaw Butch Cassidy (of the infamous pair Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid); the first engineer to electronically transmit an image leading to the development of the television Philo T. Farnsworth; best-selling folk singer Jewel; restaurant and hotel entrepreneur J. Willard Marriott; and entertainers Donny and Marie Osmond were all born in Utah.

Pop Culture: The opening scenes of the 1989 adventure movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, starring Harrison Ford and Sean Connery, were filmed and set in Utah; the teen trilogy High School Musical, starring Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, was filmed in and around Salt Lake City, Utah; and the 2010 biographical drama 127 hours, starring James Franco, was filmed in Utah’s Canyonlands National Park.

Culinary Specialties: With a blend of Native America, Western and Mormon traditions, Utah’s cuisine features a range of culinary specialties. The state’s most distinct offering is fry sauce. Created by the founder of Arctic Circle restaurants, fry sauce is a pink concoction of ketchup, mayonnaise, pickle relish and secret spices. The condiment is so popular in the Beehive State that nearly every restaurant has its own version. The state is also famous for its Utah scones. These scones are nothing like the English version. Instead, they are handfuls of sweet dough, deep fried, slathered with whipped honey butter and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Incidentally, Utahns also consume more Jell-O per capita than any other state in the union. Their favorite flavor? Lime.

International Connection: Salt Lake City, Utah, is sister cities with Chernivtsi, Ukraine, Izhevsk, Russia, Keelung, Taiwan, Matsumoto, Japan, Oruro, Bolivia, Quezon, Philippines, Thurles, Ireland, and Torino, Italy.

Fun Facts:

• Rainbow Bridge National Monument, a natural rock formation located in southern Utah, is the tallest natural bridge in the United States. It stands 88 meters high.

• With an average elevation of 1,860 meters, Utah is one of the tallest states in the union.

• Utah is home to seven national forests, seven national monuments, five national parks and two national recreational areas.

Adventure Idea: With a tourism tagline like “the Greatest Snow on Earth,” a Utah adventure should include some powder. Consider a ski retreat! Whether you like deep fluffy snow or expertly groomed slopes, you’ll find the perfect peak in Utah. The Beehive State boasts 14 ski resorts including Deer Valley Resort. Deer Valley not only provides fine dining and luxurious amenities, but also lift tickets and an award-winning ski school. Its mountain receives an annual snowfall of 7.6 meters and is consistently ranked one of the best places to ski in North America.