FHA Loans in Utah
About This State and its People, Places, and Industries
Utah is a western state of the United States. It was the 45th state admitted to the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,784,572 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the sixth most urbanized in the U.S. The name "Utah" is derived from the name of the Ute tribe and means "people of the mountains" in the Ute language. Utah is bordered by Arizona on the south, Colorado on the east, Wyoming on the northeast, Idaho on the north and Nevada on the west. It also touches a corner of New Mexico.Utah is one of the most religiously homogeneous states in the Union. Between 41% and 60% of Utahans are reported to be members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church), which greatly influences Utah culture and daily life.
The state is a center of transportation, information technology and research, government services, mining, and a major tourist destination for outdoor recreation. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's population estimates, Utah was the fastest growing state in the United States as of 2008. St. George, Utah, was the fastest growing metropolitan area in the United States from 2000–2005.
The center of population of Utah is located in Utah County in the city of Lehi. As of July 1, 2009 the Census Bureau estimated Utah had a population of 2,784,572. In 2008, the US Census Bureau determined Utah to be the fastest growing state in the country in terms of population growth.
Much of the population lives in cities and towns along the Wasatch Front, a metropolitan region that runs north-south with the Wasatch Mountains rising on the eastern side. Growth outside the Wasatch Front is also increasing. The St. George metropolitan area is currently the second-fastest growing in the country after the Las Vegas metropolitan area, while the Heber micropolitan area is also the second-fastest growing in the country (behind Palm Coast, Florida). Utah contains 5 metropolitan areas (Logan, Ogden-Clearfield, Salt Lake City, Provo-Orem, and St. George), and 5 micropolitan areas (Brigham City, Heber, Vernal, Price, and Cedar City).
According to the University of Utah the gross state product of Utah in 2005 was $92 billion, or 0.74% of the total United States GDP of $12.4 trillion for the same year. The per capita personal income was $24,977 in 2005. Major industries of Utah include: mining, cattle ranching, salt production, and government services. As of January 2010, the state's unemployment rate is 6.8%.[36]
In eastern Utah petroleum production is a major industry. Near Salt Lake City, petroleum refining is done by a number of oil companies. In central Utah, coal production accounts for much of the mining activity.
Utah collects personal income tax within 6 income brackets. The state sales tax has a base rate of 6.45 percent, with cities and counties levying additional local sales taxes that vary among the municipalities. Property taxes are assessed and collected locally. Utah does not charge intangible property taxes and does not impose an inheritance tax.
The Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association play at Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City. Utah is the least populous U.S. state to have a major professional sports league franchise. The team moved to the city from New Orleans in 1979 and has been one of the most consistently successful teams in the league (although they have yet to win a championship). Since 2007, Orem has been host to the Utah Flash of the NBA Development League as well. Salt Lake City was previously host to the Utah Stars, who competed in the ABA from 1970–1976 and won 1 championship. Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer was founded in 2005 and plays at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy (they won a championship in 2009), and the Utah Blaze, who began play in the original AFL in 2006 that folded before the 2009 season, then returned to play when the league was re-founded in 2010. They compete at the Maverick Center in West Valley City.
Utah also has several minor league baseball teams, the most prominent of which are the Salt Lake Bees, who play at Spring Mobile Ballpark in Salt Lake City and are part of the Pacific Coast League, which competes at the AAA level, meaning they are one notch below Major League Baseball. The Ogden Raptors (who play at Lindquist Field) and the Orem Owlz (who play at Brent Brown Ballpark) compete in the Pioneer League, which is a rookie league (the 4th and lowest level of official minor league competition). The St. George RoadRunners play in the independent Golden Baseball League. Utah also has one minor league hockey team, the Utah Grizzlies, who play at the E Center and compete in the ECHL (which is generally considered the third tier of U.S. hockey).
Utah has five universities that compete in Division I of the NCAA - Utah Utes (PAC-10 Conference), BYU (Mountain West Conference), Utah State (Western Athletic Conference), Weber State (Big Sky Conference), and Utah Valley (Great West Conference).
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- Alpine
- American Fork
- Avon
- Beaver
- Bluebell
- Bountiful
- Brigham City
- Cedar City
- Cedar Hill
- Cedar Hills
- Centerfield
- Centerville
- Clearfield
- Clinton
- Cottonwood Height
- Draper
- Duchesne
- Eagle Mountain
- Eden
- Ephraim
- Farmington
- Farr West
- Fillmore
- Grantsville
- Heber
- Heber City
- Herriman
- Highland
- Hinckley
- Holladay
- Honeyville
- Hooper
- Huntsville
- Hurricane
- Kamas
- Kanab
- Kaysville
- Layton
- Lehi
- Lindon
- Logan
- Manti
- Mapleton
- Mendon
- Midvale
- Midway
- Millville
- Moab
- Monticello
- Mountain Green
- Mt.Pleasant
- Murray
- No. Ogden
- Noola
- North Logan
- North Ogden
- North Salt Lake
- Oakley
- Ogden
- Orem
- Panguitch
- Park City
- Payson
- Perry
- Pleasant Grove
- Pleasant View
- Price
- Providence
- Provo
- Randolph
- Richfield
- Riverton
- Roy
- Saint George
- Sal Lake City
- Salt Lake
- Salt Lake City
- Sandy
- Santa Clara
- Saratoga Springs
- Scipio
- Smithfield
- So Jordan
- So. Jordan
- South Jordan
- South Ogden
- South Weber
- Spanish Fork
- Springville
- St George
- St. George
- Stansbury Park
- Sunset
- Sunset City
- Syracuse
- Taylorsville
- Tooele
- Tremonton
- Vernal
- Washington
- West Haven
- West Jordan
- West Valley City
- Woods Cross
