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BEEHIVE STATE AREA: 219,889 sq km (84,899 sq mi). POPULATION: 1,908,000. CAPITAL: Salt Lake City, pop. 165,800. ECONOMY: Industry: machinery, aerospace, mining, food processing, electric equipment, tourism. Agriculture: cattle, dairy products, hay, turkeys. PCI: $17,040. ADMISSION: 1896 as 45th state.
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Mormon religious refugees settled along Great Salt Lake in 1847. Today Mormons make up 70 percent of Utah’s population. Family values are strong, and the birthrate far exceeds that of the U.S. as a whole. Manufacturing of aerospace equipment and computer software buoys the economy; former mainstays such as oil, gas, coal, and uranium remain depressed. Attracted by five national parks and Salt Lake City—financial, retail, and transportation hub of the western Rockies and site of the 2002 Winter Olympics—15 million visitors a year enjoy Utah’s scenic diversity. The U.S. government owns two-thirds of the land; conservationists and developers disagree over its use.
Text source: National Geographic Atlas of the World Revised Sixth Edition, 1995
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