Utah ranked the 2nd most livable state in the nation, according to the annual survey done by Morgan Quitno Press. The survey looks at 44 categories including economic indexes, education levels, health factors and social welfare issues.
Morgan Quitno Press, 2008.
Salt Lake City's business climate ranked 3rd among large cities by Inc. Magazine - 2007
The Family History Library, located in Salt Lake City, has genealogical records available from countries including:
- U.S.
- Canada
- Latin America
- New Zealand
- Asia
- Pacific Islands
- British Isles
- Africa
- Europe
- Australia
Utah high schools graduate 90.2 percent of their students. According to the Utah State Board of Education, Utah has the 6th highest high school graduation rate in the country.
2009 Economic Report to the Governor.
For the period ending March 31, 2009, the median sales price of a single-family house in Salt Lake County was $240,000. This price reflects a 0.8% decline from prices during the same period last year.
Salt Lake Board of Realtors & the Wasatch Front Regional Multiple Listing Service.
Manufacturing companies comprise 9.3 percent of Salt Lake County's total employment.
Utah Department of Workforce Svs. 2007 data
Manufacturing payroll in Utah is the 3rd largest of all sectors -- over $3.8 billion. Only mining and financial services have a larger statewide payroll.
Utah Department of Workforce Services 2007 data
Utah's median age is the youngest in the nation at 28.5 years. The national median age is 36.6.
2009 Economic Report to the Governor.
Utah ranks No. 3 in the U.S. for life span with an average of 78.6 years.
2009 Economic Report to the Governor
Eighty-three Utah companies made the 2008 Inc. 5,000 list - newly expanded from the Magazine's Inc. 500. The Inc. 5,000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2004 through 2008. Thirty-eight of these companies are located in Salt Lake County.
Inc. Magazine 2008 List
Permanent settlement of Salt Lake County, named for the nearby Great Salt Lake, began in 1847 when Mormon pioneers entered the Valley as Brigham Young proclaimed "This is the right place". The county was officially established in 1850. With self-sufficiency a major goal, the settlers diversified the economy early on by establishing basic industries to supply everything from pottery to printing paper.
Salt Lake County and the state capital, Salt Lake City, have always been the center of population, political power, and economic strength. The County is filled with activities ranging from tours at Temple Square, Hogle Zoo, the Bingham Copper Mine and museums; skiing or hiking four world-class mountain resorts; theater, symphony and major league sporting events.
Salt Lake City ranked 2nd in the nation of digitally advanced state governments, according to the Center for Digital Government's eighth annual digital cities survey. The study examines best practices, policies and progress made by state governments in their use of digital technologies to better serve their citizens and streamline their operations. Salt Lake City was recognized for its innovative approach in new technologies, including Web pages and its improved level of digital interaction with residents.
Center for Digital Government, 2008 Digital States Survey
Salt Lake City has been named the "Fittest City in America" by Men's Fitness magazine. The top 50 cities were judged by their commitment to health and fitness. In addition, Salt Lake City was named the best city for women by Women's Health Magazine.
Men's Fitness Magazine, Feb 2009 & Women's Health Magazine, January 2009
The Red Rock Brewing Company, Salt Lake, was awarded the GOLD Medal at the North American Brewer's Association's 2008 North American Beer Awards for their Bamberg Rauch Bier, beer. Their German Pilsner took home a silver medal and their Bohemian Pilsner claimed a bronze medal. Red Rock Brewing also recently claimed a silver medal in the Brewers Association World Beer Cup 2008, a global beer competition. Red Rock was awarded the silver medal in the American Brown Ale beer style category for its Nut Brown Ale. Red Rock also swept last year's Great American Beer Festival in Denver, taking home five medals and being awarded Large Brew pub and Large Brew pub Brewer of the Year.
Source: The Enterprise, June 16, 2008 and May 5-11, 2008 edition
Interbank FX ranked No. 1 in the top 15 revenue growth companies in Utah, according to the MountainWest Capital Networks' 2008 list.
According to the American Community Survey (ACS), the seven largest cities in Utah in 2008 were: Salt Lake City, West Valley City, Provo, West Jordan, Orem, Sandy, and Ogden.
Utah's population reached 2.76 million as of July 1, 2008, according to the Utah Population Estimates Committee. This is a 2.2 percent increase from 2007. Utah continues to have the fastest birthrate in the nation, making it an ideal spot to locate a business. Utah will continue to have young, educated workers for decades to come.
Utah's Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort became the continent's first resort to incorporate a tunnel into its system for transporting skiers and snowboarders. The 600-foot tunnel opened on December 12, 2006. The tunnel connects the Peruvian Gulch on Snowbird's Little Cottonwood Canyon side to the Mineral Basin on its American Fork Canyon backside.
Salt Lake County officially started on January 31, 1850, with just over 11,000 residents.
The first speeding law in Salt Lake came in 1848 and stated that no speed would exceed a "slow trot."
Unaccompanied Minors, Warner Brother's Pictures, was filmed entirely in Utah. In the film, a group of minors are snowed in at Chicago's fictional Hoover International Airport. In reality, the film actually featured The Salt Lake City International Airport, The Salt Palace Convention Center, the Salt Lake City Library, The Delta Center and other locations in Salt Lake County.
Utah's 2008 average electric rate of 6.5 cents per kilowatt hour for all sectors of the economy is 30% lower than the national average of 9.7 cents.
2009 Economic Report to the Governor.
The Pollina Corporation ranked Utah 2nd in overall its pro-business climate for 2008-9.
The Pollina Corporate Top Ten Pro-Business States 2009: Keeping Jobs in America
Salt Lake Chamber launched a new plan for the revitalization of downtown Salt Lake City, called Downtown Rising. The 40-year plan for the downtown includes transportation, commerce, the arts, open space and education. For more details on the plan, visit:
http://www.downtownrising.com/vision/ .
Salt Lake County has been designated the nation's first "Community of Peace." The designation, recognized at a ceremony on March 10, 2007, sets the county apart as a leading model of safety, nonviolence and prosperity.
Deseret News, March 11, 2007
Small businesses with less then 100 employees make up 97% of all Salt Lake County firms.
Utah Department of Workforce Services - 1st quarter 2007.
Fifty-three percent of Salt Lake County workers are employed by firms with 100 or less employees.
Utah Department of Workforce Services 2007.
Cottonwood Heights City has made the CNN Money Magazine ranking for the "100 Best Places to Live" list. Cottonwood Heights, just two years old, is the only Utah city to make the list.
CNN Money Magazine, August 2007
Distinquished University of Utah Professor, Mario Capecchi has won the Nobel Prize for his work in molecular genetics. October 2007
Utah's Ed Smart, father of kidnap victim Elizabeth Smart, has been honored in November People's Magazine as a one of their "Heroes Among Us." Since his daughter's kidnap in 2002 and safe return in 2003, Ed Smart has become a leader in pressing for stricter laws against people who commit crimes against children.
Forbes Magazine has named Salt Lake City #7 in the nation for jobs. In its annual Best Cities for Jobs list, Salt Lake City was once again in the top ten for 2008. Forbes uses five data points to compile the rankings including: unemployment rate, job growth, income growth, median household income and cost of living. Salt Lake City was compared to 100 metropolitan areas in the country.
Utah was one of only two U.S. states to receive an A grade for governance in a major 2007 World magazine study.
According to the American Legislative Exchange Council, Utah ranks #1 in economic outlook. The report states: "The historical evidence is clear: States that keep spending and taxes low exhibit the best economic results."
State Economic Competitiveness Index, American Legislative Exchange Council, March 2009
Utah ranks #2 in economic competitiveness according to the Beacon Hill Institute 2008 State Competitiveness Report. The Institute looks at data such as crime rates, a state's ability to foster business and it's infrastructure to determine a state's competitiveness.
Beacon Hill Institute, December 2008
The Hershey Company plans to build a distribution hub in Ogden, Utah. The company will break ground in March 2008 for the $38 million project. It will eventually hire 123 workers in Utah.
Nearly 20.5 million people visited the state of Utah in 2008. These travelers generated $7.19 billion of sales and revenue for Utah businesses last year. Forbes Travel reports that Temple Square is the 15th most visited tourism destination in the country with just over 5 million visits annually.
Source: Utah Office of Tourism & Forbes Travel Magazine
Utah is the best-managed state in the country, based on a report card of state governnements. Utah received an overall A- for how the state government manages informatoin, people, money and infrastructure.
Source: The Pew Center on States Government Performance Project for 2008.
Kennecott Utah Copper, a Rio Tinto Business, has donated $15 million to the University of Utah Natural History Museum. When the new "Rio Tinto Center" opens in 2011, it will be adorned with 42,000 feet of copper on the building's exterior. To see renderings of the building:
www.umnh.utah.edu .
Delta Airlines now has a non-stop flight from Salt Lake City to Paris, France. The inaugural flight took place on June 2, 2008.
Forbes.com has ranked Utah the second-best state for business in their 2008 rankings.
source: Forbes.com
Utah finished 3rd overall among the states in a CNBC list of "2008 America's Top States for Business." Utah was behind top-ranked Texas and Virginia on the list.
In a new survey by Ball State University's Bureau of Business Research, Utah was ranked second best for manufacturing. The survey ranked the state's performance in 20 categories including, taxes, unemployment insurance, crime, and the percentage of adults who are college graduates.
Source: Michael Hicks, Ball State University Bureau of Business Research, August 2008.
The Alliance for Worker Freedom has given Utah the highest grade in the nation for worker freedom. The Alliance studied and compared each state by measuring the level of worker freedom and analyzing state policy and quantifiable data. The report looked at 10 variables including: right to work, minimum wage, union density, paycheck protection, defined contribution pension, collective bargaining rights and others.
The Alliance is a Washington DC organization. The inaugural national report card was issued in July 2008.
A new Gallup poll names Utah as No. 1 place for well-being among the 50 states.
March 12, 2009, Gallup Poll in conjunction with Healthways and America's Health Insurance Plans.
Jacobsen Construction Company and their Utah support team of architects, engineers and alike won the "Best of Best Award" from ENR.com for the restoration and reconstruction of the Utah State Capitol. They were featured in the April 2009 Engineering News Records Regional publications.
Utah ranks #1 in the U.S. in volunteerism. According to data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau, 48 percent of Utah residents gave their time to volunteer projects, compared to a 28.8 percent rate nationally.
(Data for the 2002-05 time frame.)
According to Ski Utah, Utah ski resorts logged in an amazing 3.97 million skiier days for the 2008-9 ski season. The skiing industry continues to bring in revenue to the state thru skiing/tourism related activities.
Salt Lake County is home to four premier resorts including: Alta, Brighton, Snowbird and Solitude.
Lake Powell, located on the border of Utah and Arizona boasts an estimated 1,960 miles of shoreline, longer than the whole western coast of the continental United States.
According to the Utah Dept. of Workforce Services, Utah has a job rate is -3.2% percent as of April 2009. Nationally, the rate is -3.8%.
The Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City took 40 years to complete.
The granite stone was quarried from Little Cottonwood Canyon - home to Alta and Snowbird mountain resorts.
The Great Salt Lake, which is about 75 miles wide, covers more than a million acres.
The lake's average depth is just 13 feet.
The average snowfall in the four mountain resorts east of Salt Lake City is 500 inches.
There have been over 700 film and television shows and advertising spots shot in Utah. All three High School Musical films were filmed in Salt Lake City. East High School was used as the High School in all three movies. In 2008, 28 productions were filmed either partially or entirely in the state. That included using parts of Emery County as the planet Vulcan in this year's blockbuster, Star Trek.
The name Utah comes from the Native American Ute tribe and means "people of the mountain."
Salt Lake City was originally named "Great Salt Lake City." Great was dropped from the name in 1868.
For the first 6 months of 2008, the Salt Lake City International Airport had the best on-time record of the 32 busiest airports in the nation. The airport served 20 million people in 2008.
Salt Lake City played host to the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.
It is estimated that 3.5 billion people worldwide saw the Opening Ceremonies at the University of Utah's Rice Eccles Stadium through all media sources.
The 2002 Winter Olympic Games hosted by Salt Lake City, brought over 250,000 visitors to the state.
The resulting economic impact to the state was approx. $4.8 billion.
Salt Lake is home to the largest Family History Library in the World. The library, initially founded in 1894, houses:
- Over 2.4 million rolls of microfilmed records
- 727,000 microfiche
- 356,000 books, serials and other formats
- 4,500 periodicals
- 3,725 electronic sources.
- The Ancestral File database contains more than 36 million names that are linked into families.