Mountains, high plateaus, and deserts make up most of Utah’s landscape. At Four Corners, to the southeast, Utah meets Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona at right angles, the only such gathering of states in the country. Utah became the 45th member of the union on January 4, 1896, with Salt Lake City as its capital.
Utah is known as one of the best ski resorts in the country, and the mountains near Salt Lake City get an average of 500 inches of snow per year. Many Mormons settled in Utah in the 19th century, and today about 60 percent of the state’s residents are members of the Church.
The Sundance Film Festival, one of the most important independent film festivals in the world, is held every January in Park City.
Geography
Utah is a landlocked state in the western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the north, Wyoming to the northeast, Colorado to the east, Arizona to the south, and Nevada to the west. Utah covers an area of 84,899 square miles and has a population of 3.2 million people making it the 13th most populous state in America.
The geography of Utah is incredibly diverse due to its location in the Intermountain West. The Rocky Mountains run through northern Utah while the Colorado Plateau stretches across much of southern Utah. The Great Basin Desert covers much of western Utah while high plains and rolling hills can be found in central and eastern parts of the state.
The highest point in Utah is Kings Peak which stands at 13,528 feet above sea level and is located within the Uinta Mountains near Vernal. The lowest point in Utah is Beaverdam Wash at 2,000 feet above sea level near St George on the Arizona border.
In terms of climate, much of northern and central Utah experience a semi-arid continental climate with cold winters and hot summers while southern parts experience a more arid desert climate with hot summers and mild winters.
Utah’s landscape contains numerous rivers, lakes and reservoirs which are used for irrigation, recreation and hydroelectric power generation. The largest lake in Utah is Great Salt Lake which lies at an elevation of 4200 feet above sea level near Salt Lake City. Other major bodies of water include Bear Lake on the Idaho border as well as Fish Lake on Highway 24 between Richfield and Loa.
The most iconic feature of Utah’s landscape are its natural rock formations such as Arches National Park near Moab or Zion National Park near Springdale which contain some of America’s most spectacular scenery including sandstone cliffs, red rock canyons, mesas and buttes as well as stunning desert landscapes that have been carved by wind erosion over time. In addition to its rocky terrain there are also hundreds of miles of hiking trails that wind through some of America’s most beautiful mountain ranges such as Wasatch Range or Uinta Mountains where skiers enjoy world class skiing during winter months while hikers explore during summer months. Finally there are also many rugged mountain roads with scenic views throughout much of southern utah which make it one if not thee best off-roading destinations in America!
Overall, utah’s landscape offers something unique for everyone whether it be breathtaking views from mountaintops or exploring some if Americas most iconic national parks.
Cities in Utah
Below are the top 15 cities by population in Utah. For all cities and towns in the state, please see Utah cities list.
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salt Lake City | 199,153 |
| 2 | West Valley City | 139,361 |
| 3 | West Jordan | 116,045 |
| 4 | Provo | 113,538 |
| 5 | Orem | 96,734 |
| 6 | Sandy | 96,272 |
| 7 | St. George | 92,875 |
| 8 | Ogden | 86,110 |
| 9 | Layton | 80,858 |
| 10 | South Jordan | 75,617 |
| 11 | Lehi | 73,911 |
| 12 | Millcreek | 63,430 |
| 13 | Taylorsville | 60,295 |
| 14 | Herriman | 52,860 |
| 15 | Logan | 52,420 |
Counties in Utah
The State of Utah consists of 29 counties. They are:
- Beaver County, Utah
- Box Elder County, Utah
- Cache County, Utah
- Carbon County, Utah
- Daggett County, Utah
- Davis County, Utah
- Duchesne County, Utah
- Emery County, Utah
- Garfield County, Utah
- Grand County, Utah
- Iron County, Utah
- Juab County, Utah
- Kane County, Utah
- Millard County, Utah
- Morgan County, Utah
- Piute County, Utah
- Rich County, Utah
- Salt Lake County, Utah
- San Juan County, Utah
- Sanpete County, Utah
- Sevier County, Utah
- Summit County, Utah
- Tooele County, Utah
- Uintah County, Utah
- Utah County, Utah
- Wasatch County, Utah
- Washington County, Utah
- Wayne County, Utah
- Weber County, Utah
