In Utah, you can travel from beautiful mountains covered in snow, to desert arches and red rocks within hours. There are hundreds of amazing facts about Utah, but here are 11 of my favorites.
1. Utah is home to 5 national parks.
The most popular include Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, and Arches National Park. Each of these destinations draw in millions of tourists every year. Many of these tourists come from around the world to witness the majesty of these beautiful parks.
2. Utah hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Salt Lake City, Utah, as well as several of the surrounding resorts, were fortunate enough to host the Olympic Games and has held a popular tourist destination (the Olympic Park, in Park City) ever since.
3. Utah is home to the best school in the nation, Utah State University
Okay, maybe I’m a little bit biased.
4. Every county in Utah includes a national forest.
I am fortunate enough to live five minutes away from Cache National Forest.
5. Utah is home to five nationally ranked universities.
These are all in the top 100 nationally ranked schools. The University of Utah, Brigham Young University, Utah State University, Weber State University, and Utah Valley University.
6. According to WalletHub, a website which measures personal finance tools and information, Utah is ranked in the top ten safest states in the U.S.
7. Zion National Park, located in southern Utah, made National Geographic’s list of top ten most visited National Parks in the U.S.
Zion National Park attracts millions of tourists from around the world every year
8. Park City Mountain Resort, located in Park City, UT, is the second largest ski resort in the United States.
Park City is famous for its world renowned skiing and snowboarding
9. Sundance film festival puts all other American film festivals to shame.
Each year, Utah hosts a famous film festival. Many popular movies have gotten their start at Sundance, the most popular being Napoleon Dynamite.
10. Utah is the Jell-O capital of the world.
More Jell-O is consumed in Utah than anywhere else in the world. And who doesn’t love Jell-O?
11. Utahns are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met
After one year of living in Utah, I’ve really grown to love this place and all its beauty and opportunity for adventure.