Utah Riverfront Properties for Sale

Utah is located in the Western United States, bordering Idaho to the north, Wyoming to the northeast, Colorado to the east, Arizona to the south, and Nevada to the west. The state's name comes from the name of the Ute Native American tribe, which means "people of the mountains" in the Ute language. Its nickname is "The Beehive State," because the beehive is a symbol of hard work and industry, and appears on the state flag and the state seal, and the honeybee is the state insect. It is the 13th largest state by area, the 31st most populated, and the 10th least densely populated of the 50 states. Around 80 percent of the state's population is centered around Salt Lake City, Utah's largest city and state capital. Other large cities are West Valley City, Provo, West Jordan, Orem, Sandy, Ogden, St. George, and Layton. As the area was originally founded by Mormon settlers, more than half of the population are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), and its headquarters is in Salt Lake City. Utah is known for its natural diversity, with features ranging from deserts and sand dunes to dense pine forests and mountain valleys. It is located at the convergence of three distinct geological regions: the Rocky Mountains, the Great Basin, and the Colorado Plateau.

Utah is a center of transportation, education, information technology and research, government services, mining, and a major tourist destination for outdoor recreation. Major industries in the state are mining cattle ranching, salt production, and government services. Petroleum production is a major industry in eastern Utah, and there are several petroleum refining companies near Salt Lake City. Mining is still an important industry, with minerals such as copper, gold, silver, molybdenum, zinc, lead, and beryllium. Fossil fuels, including coal, petroleum, and natural gas are also important to the economy, especially in Central Utah. Wind energy is also a burgeoning industry in the state. Utah ranks first among U.S. states in the proportion of income given to charity by the wealthy. This is due to the Mormon custom of giving a standard 10 percent of all earnings to the LDS church. Utah has also been ranked the number one state for volunteerism in the nation by the Corporation for National and Community Service. Primary higher education institutions include University of Utah, Utah State University, with the main campus in Logan, and six other residential and regional campuses and 26 USU Centers throughout the state, Southern Utah University, Utah Valley University, Weber State University, Brigham Young University, and Dixie State University.

Tourism is also a large contributor to the economy, with nearly 70 state and national parks, wildlife management areas, national forests, and other protected areas, including Zion National Park, the most visited park in the country. It has the third most national parks of any state after Alaska and California. There are also several popular ski resorts, primarily in northern Utah near Salt Lake City, Park City, Ogden and Provo, part of why Salt Lake City was host to the 2002 Winter Olympics. Deer Valley in Park City has been ranked the top ski resort in North America in a survey by Ski Magazine. Utah also has professional sports teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Major League Soccer (MLS). It also has an Arena Football League team, a minor league baseball team, as well as six universities that compete in Division I of the NCAA. Some of Utah's state slogans to promote tourism are "The Greatest Snow on Earth," being used officially in Utah since 1975, and more recently, "Life Elevated.