Why So Few Americans Live In Most Of Utah

[@GeographyByGeoff]

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[@johntomas6291]

Beautiful drive, have made it more than once.

[@derek-64]

No

[@derek-64]

No

[@GranitePeaksConstruction]

@@GeographyByGeoff Pioneers did not have slaves nor did they ever own three slaves. Please be honest in your reporting!

[@5226-p1e]

you got the slavery bit wrong, the reason why they were pushed out of Nauvoo was because they voted against slavery, and back then the slavers hated the Mormons for this, they were growing very quickly because they had so many damn kids, and with more kids all voting the same way, they pretty much helped abolish slavery. which is specifically why they were pushed out of Nauvoo and many were even hunted down and killed. they also weren't the only Religion who did the whole polygamy thing, but they were the most prominent at the time, having so many kids, but eventually the church stopped the whole polygamy thing and then it was only 1 wife from there on out. how do i know this shit? because i grew up learning this shit since i was a kid going to that church, so i know when someone is wrong about something and i can call them out on it. these days i'm not really a member, but i know what i know that was true, i didn't leave because of some weird thing they were doing, no i left because i have free agency and can do as i wish, i happen to think the Mormons are the most normal ppl i know out of the rest of the country. and to be honest with you, i don't want more idiots from other states moving to Utah, i liked when Utah was smaller, these days it's growing too much from ppl of other states moving here, bringing their crime and politics with them. when i grew up in salt lake, there was virtually no crime, every once in a long time something happened, but it was so rare that anything like that happened that it felt like a safe place to live, we used to roam around our neighborhoods without a care in the world as kids we left our front door to our house open 24/7 without a care in the world, now you don't trust your neighbors because to many crazies live in the population that you simply can't trust crime has gotten more and more prevalent with other ppl from other states moving here.

[@taotaoliu2229]

Fun fact: Route 50 from Nevada to Utah is known as "The Loneliest Road in America".

[@erictheil1640]

Great stretch of road 🚀 😎

[@Mcfunface]

​@@erictheil1640Still has the old mine towns along it!

[@sam382]

I drove that a few years ago from Utah to California, stopping at Great Basin National Park on the way. Mirror Lake Scenic byway is my favorite drive through the Uintah Mountain Range (road closed during the winter).

[@treethegreat52890]

I live just south of 50 but in the California foothills. I was surprised to find out how long it actually goes for

[@Mcfunface]

@@treethegreat52890 El Dorado Hills? That's my hometown

[@KidGibson]

I’m from Nephi in Utah. It is the best spot to see all three geological zones meet: the Great Basin, Rocky Mountains, and the Colorado Plateau. All can be seen by just looking at the mountains around you.

[@thooper4380]

​@Booz2010 relax, have a beer.

[@geraldmeehan8942]

​@Booz2010 Bryce Blankenaugle

[@tylerhaynes8546]

St George is where the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin and Mojave Desert all converge. And is the only place in Utah warm enough to see palm trees 🌴

[@jeffspicoli5399]

What.. Utah has palm trees. The hell you say 😮

[@rhette.greenhalgh3343]

@@KidGibson I had family live down in Nephi. Super crazy geography.

[@CeeJai_K]

I drove from Kentucky to Las Vegas on I-70 just last week. Utah was so beautiful.

[@MickeyMoe-mp1qx]

It really is incredible

[@superserial1]

The I-70 portion from green river west to I-15 is pretty nice

[@Username7758-zv5po]

what is beautiful about being in the middle of the low desert?\

[@CeeJai_K]

@@Username7758-zv5po yes!

[@ExtremeParker24]

@@Username7758-zv5po you must just not understand it’s unique geography then if you dont appreciate it

[@StevenEveral]

Utah has two stretches of freeway that are the longest stretches without services: I-80 across the Bonnevile Salt Flat is the longest completely straight stretch of freeway in the US, and I-70 between Salina and Green River is the longest stretch without any services.

[@farstrider4592]

That I-70 stretch is beautiful though. And such a breeze to drive through.

[@robnevitt7593]

'Almost Completely Empty' for me means incredible backcountry hiking and canyoneering!

[@sonofabishop4449]

Crammed full of people just like you that think it's completely empty. It's far from empty. Anywhere worth being is overcrowded.

[@abingham3747]

@@sonofabishop4449 Then you appreciate different things. The Appalachian Trail host a world of absolute beauty and yet you may not see another person for days.

[@TylerLee-v1k]

@@abingham3747 Anywhere within an two hours of the major cities along the wasatch front are typically VERY crowded now. It is rather depressing to be honest.

[@TysonGibby]

@@sonofabishop4449 This usually, only happens if you go to the "designated" camp sites or the "tourist destinations". There are far more places to go where you will be "alone".

[@terrafirma5327]

Utah geologist here, as for the lake drying up... it would cause a new dust bowl effect over the United States as salty sand is ripped from where the lake once was. Think dust bowl with salt, not a good thing.

[@francoutah]

Apparently, heavy metals like arsenic would be in those particulates too.

[@terrafirma5327]

@@francoutah Very much so. Lot's of toxic salts occur out there.

[@thomasgomez4263]

Do you have any thoughts on if Utah will move fast enough to prevent this from happening?

[@terrafirma5327]

@@thomasgomez4263 Governor Spencer Cox has put out some water conservation programs, and the EPA recently told us to get our act together. It was a state issue at first but it has the potential to effect everyone in the U.S. so the feds are cracking down. I think we can stop it. Lake has been going up a little last year and this year, but its a long road to recovery which will require consistent effort.

[@fjp3305]

Another thing to scare the people.

[@lashkevin]

The key geographical concept is the “Wasatch Front”- the urban centers of Utah are on the west side of the Wasatch Range because there is water coming from the mountains and open valleys (from the ancient lakebed) to be irrigated and farmed. And now to be converted into suburbs. The chain of settlements north to south was originally where the streams were. Now it is merging into one contiguous urban /suburban area

[@teacherjoe7019]

Utah is typical of most western states.The people tend to live where there are resources and arable land. The people don't tend to live in the vastly dryer areas, mountains and the large tracks of federally owned land. For example, most of the people in Oregon live in the similarly sized Willamette Valley.

[@louis54b]

@@teacherjoe7019 if that was true explain just about every city in Nevada !!!

[@teacherjoe7019]

@@louis54b My research finds most of the population in Nevada lives in or around Washoe and Clark county where there's available water, there are less mountains and has small tracts of arable land and isn't federally owned land. Can't figure out what you need me to explain to you.

[@louis54b]

@@teacherjoe7019 now did you notice i did say JUST about every city ?? Reno and Washoe County DO have their own water supply !! Clark county depends on the Colorado river which is diverted from another state ( 90% of clark county’s water supply ) comes from it !! The rest of the state either has water supply shipped in or diverted from other states so I wasn’t arguing with you just stating facts !!

[@teacherjoe7019]

@@louis54b I'm not here to argue about where the water held by the Hoover Dam comes from; it just happens to be near Las Vegas. I just stated that the residents of Utah live near the resources just like most people who live in western states. It's just reality.

[@dalemonson7860]

I’m a Utah Native in more way than one. As a local indigenous. My observation here in northern Utah is that we have too many people here for the amount of resources, “mainly water”. Without the Great Salt Lake the Salt Lake region will be uninhabitable. Not only that we have sensitive desert animals like fish that live in the seep springs. I’m mainly referring to the Least Chub. We need to stop the development of the land and save as much of the Sage Brush as we can for habitat like animals such as the Sage Grouse. If I was a millionaire I’d be buying up land so developers wouldn’t be able to touch a shovel to it. Without any of our wildlife those really pretty national parks and what not would seem really empty and lifeless. Pick up after yourself when visiting our parks because your mom isn’t here to pick up after you and how would you like it if someone came over to your residences and left trash everywhere.

[@magellanicspaceclouds]

Thank you for sharing your beautiful land with us invaders from the old world. 🙏

[@ckstaff]

Good points. I don't know how you stop the population explosion and development, have to have places to live but the science and water decision makers IMO need to figure out what water amount the Great Salt Lake needs to at least keep the lake bed covered in water before diverting it elsewhere and perhaps it is even time to build new dams in the canyons. There is no unthinkable depopulation plan possible.

[@hobog]

​@@ckstaffraise the water bill to a sane level that reflects reality

[@ckstaff]

@@hobog How does that help get more water? Water bills aren't the problem, diversion and droughts are.

[@dplj4428]

Does that pipeline cross near the sal lake?

[@wsinbad1356]

One fact not mentioned in this video is that much of Utah is owned by the federal government and people can't live in those areas. If most of the beautiful mountains surrounding the valleys where everyone lives were not federal land they would be overrun with people and the population of Utah would be higher, just like most of California. I'm not saying things should be different, in fact quite the opposite, but it is a major factor in why Utah is less populated for it's size.

[@burtongillies826]

@@wsinbad1356 you have overlooked one very important fact. Utah is the second driest state. Only Nevada is drier. Along with lack of accessible water, few crops can be grown at high elevations.

[@enviousgaming3250]

you are exactly right and im glad most of the government owns utah because otherwise utah would likely be another california right now

[@huskerhank9896]

If the feds sold off all their land it would be grabbed by speculators and ranchers who want to put up high fences and mean guards to keep everybody away. The national parks would be sold off to the highest bidder Chinses maybe who would want to subdivide the land for rich peoples houses...best view highest price?

[@87alock]

Utah is shaped like a lighter

[@Ddreinthebay]

Ironic tbh

[@thepanda1044]

..... *GOD YOUR RIGHT!!*

[@gummypuss69]

@@Ddreinthebay Why? Because Mormons aren't allowed to smoke anything?

[@enjoimovies]

😂

[@Intheproces]

Because Ruby Franke

[@mckayhatch6723]

Utah native here. I hope you guys will come visit and enjoy all that this great state has to offer. From Alpine zones to red rock country. Please treat it well. The Great Salt Lake has been making a recovery. And efforts are being made to assist in that. I’m hoping soon that it can get back to a healthy level.

[@gregparrott]

I've traveled to Utah for nine consecutive Summers and one Winter. Sight seeing, camping, cultural and archeological sites, and off road vehicle trips have been the main draws. It's my favorite state for these. I will say though that Zion is too crowded and the traffic in St. George traffic feels like I'm in Los Angeles. Also its housing developments and the golf courses in a desert are WAY out of proportion. As for the Salt Lake city area, the highways are always under construction and parts are a confusing rats nest of roads. The area within an ~70 mile radius of Richfield is my favorite. The Kanab area ranks a close second.

[@politelephant]

​@@gregparrottI don't know where you're going in St. George, but it's not nearly as bad as LA. Although during touristy times, like the Parade of Homes, it does get pretty bad.

[@gregparrott]

@@politelephant It was Summertime. We got off the main highway into town (maybe Middleton?), mid day. Considering how much smaller St. George is to LA, the traffic jams were more than proportionate to its size.

[@politelephant]

@@gregparrott Yeah, makes sense 👍

[@JTA1961]

Thanks for sharing

[@gagegarlitz1962]

Amazing video! One thing to note is that we've had a ton of precipitation in the last two years, following a major extended drought. The Great Salt Lake has made a remarkable turnaround from its record low level around fall of 2022, to being just slightly below what's considered its healthy range now. That being said, overfarming is still probably the biggest long-term issue facing the state IMO. On paper the State could have massive room for both industrial and population growth, with even relatively minor conservation efforts and realocations from agriculture. They could even do that while keeping the GSL healthy if the State was willing to bite the bullet. They have to keep protecting the farmers though. Even when agriculture is taking up 80% of our water in a desert State, while accounting for less than 1% of our economy. I know a certain level of farming is necessary to prevent flooding, due to how we've changed the natural hydrology with canals. In a lot of cases though, it's as simple as removing subsidies that should've been removed decades ago.

[@SpongeBobaFett]

The heavy Republican lean from the state would never turn against the rural farmers that make up their base though

[@ruadhan6707]

Farmers and farming aren't really as much of the problem as you think, especially in the Wasatch Front. The farmland is being covered by cookie-cutter subdivisions by the square mile, so the water that went to agriculture is now going to everyone having to keep their Kentucky bluegrass lawns the same emerald green as their neighbor. There are even municipalities and HOAs that discourage xeriscaping by ordinance and covenants. It's not agriculture that has to give, though greater efficiency would help. It's the residents of the Wasatch Front and Wasatch Back that need to give up their lawns for something sustainable if we are going to have enough culinary water for residential use and enough to sustain our lakes and wetlands that keep us from breathing toxic dust.

[@JTA1961]

We did that in Arizona... so what did they do ? Double the price for the much less water we did use. How nice of "them"

[@stuartwithers8755]

@@ruadhan6707 Agreed. I get tired of suburbanites (I am one) bringing up the statewide water statistics every time their city tells them to conserve water. People can't understand or refuse to recognize that water usage is heavily regional. Watersheds are a thing. You can spend a lot of money to transport water over mountains, but it is often not practical. Agriculture may use 80% of water in the state, but that number is far smaller in urban areas. You are right to point out that most of the water usage in the suburbs is lawns. Expecting farmers and ranchers across the state to cut back on water is going to do very little to help a city have enough water.

[@alanstevenson9885]

That's a great idea to get rid of all the farms and build more homes. Then what would you eat? Last time I checked asphalt is very filling but not very nutritious.

[@jeremiahallyn4603]

I've never been that far west in this country. I really would love to visit Utah. It looks like a beautiful state.

[@Tj-jy8yj]

Utahn here, it is such a beautiful place, but way to many people everywhere you go and way to expensive to live here.

[@Prometheuss-sp8ik]

To bad I can't post pictures here, the great salt lake and the bright blue sky is in my kitchen windows background. Looks like a painting.

[@stewartdavidson9044]

@@Tj-jy8yj are there any affordable places around? I work for a company in Logan and commute there (just once there and once home in a season)but it looks like an amazing place to stay a while!

[@coolbob6666]

@@stewartdavidson9044 I live in Logan and if you are asking about affordability, you'll probably struggle finding a place. Logan is growing at a rapid rate, and the national housing price issues are exacerbated because of our growth. If you are looking to buy a house, Utah in general is going to be hard to find a cheap home. If you are looking to rent, we are okay but close to national average. Median house price in the state is $566k, and from my experience, most normal sized family homes go for $450k in Logan. With renting in Logan, it is about $800 a month for a single bedroom, $1-1.2k for two bedrooms, $1.5-1.8k for 3 bedrooms, and above $2k for renting homes with more than 3 bedrooms. Hope this helps!

[@glenn71144]

We seriously considered relocating to St. George, Ut. The water issues are significant in Southern Utah. Thanks for posting this video.

[@louis54b]

As long as you don’t live near the river or down from the reservoir your good in St. George ! But on average houses start at about 600,000 there !!!

[@ryanprosper88]

Drove through Utah in 04. It was a really neat drive. We stopped in Kenab for 2 nights and did some horseback riding there. It was a really interesting town

[@skidogleb]

It's spelled Kanab!

[@austygo3563]

Interesting is one way to put it. Glad you enjoyed!

[@ryanprosper88]

@@austygo3563 I don't really remember to much of the visuals actually. I was kinda depressed after leaving the Grand Canyon.

[@stefwham]

@@ryanprosper88 Kanab is famous for where a lot of Hollywood westerns were filmed at.

[@revinhatol]

FACT: The Saint George region used to be called "Utah's Dixie", heck there's even Utah Tech (Dixie State College).

[@MrWhipple42]

Due to the early Mormon effort to grow cotton in the region, similar to U.S. Southern states.

[@BK_718]

@@MrWhipple42and I believe it’s the only region of the state that can support desert palm trees 🌴 like the California palm.

[@JohnRussell207]

I would call that particular fact decidedly unfun.

[@revinhatol]

@@JohnRussell207 What song do you think right about the South?

[@GShumway132]

It's still called Utah's Dixie. They changed the name of the College, not the entire region.

[@benpennington1866]

Because it’s desert

[@mr.hansholmes2367]

And cult infested.

[@markthompson180]

Right? *Mike Drop* Next mystery to be solved . . .?

[@maxsiemens304]

Yeah and it's really dry salt flats and desert with lots of semi arid areas, hills, forest, and mountains which can be harder to develop but it is beautiful and has good hiking. There isn't as much economy there to get it going and it has a lot of evil in a cultish way of a weird right wing mentality with some good values but others being just off. And I bet if they didn't have as many Mormons and more people who follow the one true trinune God of Christianity there would be more people.

[@mindibear]

So is southern Arizona but over 6 million people live there.

[@maxsiemens304]

@@mindibear yeah but if Utah had more true believers in the One True Triune God as Jesus as their savior and not that Satanic Mormonism then you would probably have more people there. Utah has a weird right wing that the Mormons and Jehovahs witness bring, though it has some good values it doesn't have everything and they are wacky about a lot of things too.

[@joebehrdenver]

There are fewer than 200K people in SLC proper. The Wasatch Front is the commonly used term for the greater metro region.

[@geraldmeehan8942]

You're getting a NHL team in SLC I think

[@Nicky-hr1qz]

Not true the salt Lake metro area is now at 1.5 million oh yes it is and Utah as a whole is now just over 4 million people in population the census is off it is 1.5 million just over that as far as the metro area goes for Salt Lake and growing like crazy and then the state as a whole is now just barely over 4 million just barely just passed 4 million that's as a state you got to remember there's a lot of numbers they don't count that they do not count at all and when you when you count to visitors here the ones that come and some of them live some are not even full-time visitor or visitors and they live here for maybe half the year or whatever and then there's others that just spreading moved in you're definitely looking you're looking at 4 million with the regular people who live here and then with the ones who visit and live here for like 6 months or whatever there's a lot of that too of Statewide and that pushes it even more than 4 million that's probably like 4 million 200,000

[@louis54b]

@@Nicky-hr1qzactually he is right but then how many people do you really want to stuff into a 20 x21 block area ? That is salt lake proper ( what is known as the downtown area which is where i grew up and went to school last class of South High ‘88 ) he is not say salt lake county or what is now known as as Capital county which has a population of 1.186 million as of 2023

[@Nicky-hr1qz]

@@louis54b no you're wrong as I just said before if you learn to read the Census Bureau is incorrect because it actually for the Salt Lake area which is considered the Metro as well you can include suburbs it's 1.5 million people in the Salt Lake Metro Area 1.5 million and in the state it's now just over 4 million people in the state that's the correct number the census is always off they are always miscalculating

[@Nicky-hr1qz]

@louis54b not true slc has been well over 1.1 for awhile now it's actually 1.5 million in the metro area and just over 4 mill as a whole state you obviously are going by the misinformation on Google which is absolutely unreliable I've heard much more accurate numbers of what I just told you based on actual in real time "" accurate census counts

[@thomastrout9997]

Spent a lot of time in Utah in the 1970s and Salt Lake City is the best laid out city I have ever seen. From Temple Square you can find any address in the city very easily. Tough place to get a cocktail back then but the Baskin-Robbins was open til midnight.

[@Dante_Nim]

I can’t see myself living in any other place. Utah is just way too beautiful. Waking up and seeing mountains to the east and west is my favorite thing

[@bjdon99]

There are lots of states where a large % of their population reside in just one small geographic area. Nebraska and Kansas both have about 85% of their pops crammed into one small area.

[@100percentSNAFU]

Or even in just one city. My home state of New York has more than half its population in NYC. I am not one of them, I live in the boondocks, but when I say I'm from NY when out of state everyone just assumes NYC.

[@bjdon99]

I lived in Rochester for 4 yrs. It’s true that Upstate barely counts to the NYC/Long Island crowd.

[@bjdon99]

@@100percentSNAFU I lived in Rochester myself for 4 yrs in the 90s. People there feel very forgotten by the downstate crowd.

[@T_Huddy]

As a native of Utah, growing up in Saint George, I can say Utah is a very unique and very different state than others. This video is great! Thank you for sharing.

[@bigfootgoesboom]

Not sure I was ready to be called nobody by the videos thumbnail.

[@marmac83]

who are you?

[@Mcfunface]

Based St. George Resident

[@bigfootgoesboom]

@@marmac83 nobody apparently, guess I gotta move if I wanna become somebody

[@parkerbond9400]

I used to be a nobody, then I graduated and left Logan

[@100percentSNAFU]

I'm also nobody...I live in Western NY state, he just had a video about that recently 😂

[@notben9846]

Native Utah Boy. Genuinely impressed by the history. Honestly, better than most videos I have seen about us.

[@Barbarian1244]

This just shows you that for the most part most of the American West Excluding the Pacific Coast is more rural than most of the American south.

[@theprimalfuckhead526]

By area sure, but I’d bet a higher share of the south’s population lives in a lower densities than do the people in the west. Though the west is probably the “most rural” you can get

[@SamLopezI]

Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada and Montana, all largely rural.

[@Barbarian1244]

@@SamLopezI more than the south even.

[@DontUputThatEvilOnMe]

The south is rural the west is a wilderness.

[@Barbarian1244]

@@DontUputThatEvilOnMe pretty much

[@Tiny-Cabin]

Love your videos. Especially this one. I'm a born and raised Utahn. Family dates back to the mormon pioneer arrival. I paid a visit to the Great Salt Lake today. The Lake is rising but it likely not enough.

[@jayc222]

The Great Salt Lake is not shrinking. It’s up 6.5 feet since 2022 and is expected to hit its historical average level after this year’s runoff. It is certainly still at risk of drying up someday, but it is not currently shrinking or drying up. The last time it was at its historical average elevation of 4,196 ft was 2013, so it is relief to see it getting back to those levels.

[@AFellowCyberman]

Temporarily not shrinking.

[@TrendyStone]

Yes, it's one foot lower than it was 20 years ago. It raises and falls based on snowfall but it's really what's left of the ancient Lake Bonneville, which has been shrinking for the last 30,000 years to what we have today. The entire valley is lakebed...so NO...we aren't going to all die from heavy metals.

[@ericwiddison7523]

@@TrendyStone There is a huge difference between Lake Bonneville losing over 100 feet of depth and the Great Salt Lake losing 10 feet. If the GSL loses 10 more feet of water it won't be a lake anymore. Even though the waters of the lake do not directly support the inhabitants of the Salt Lake Valley and Wasatch Front, if the lake dries completely it will have significant negative consequences for the inhabitants of the region. Your repeated, flippant observation that it has only dropped a foot (after 2 years of recovery) just shows that you do not understand the nature of the lake.

[@jonathanpearson2795]

I'm from Tennessee but I live in Utah. It's beautiful here, but the people are different.

[@kbkeeley]

#1 reason that most of Utah is uninhabited: the U.S. Federal government took ownership of most of it way back in the 1800s. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Forest land, National Parks, National Monuments, wilderness areas, Military Bombing Practice Ranges, and Bio/Chemical weapons storage areas, etc. No one is allowed to buy any of that land or to live on it. The Utah state government (State Parks) and the school land trust own large chunks too. Also Indian Tribal Reservations. And lakes, rivers, highways, roads... Only 20% of Utah land can be privately owned, bought & sold.

[@CrazyJaketheTerrible]

Federal ownership is more an issue after statehood. Prior to that, the Mormons settled wherever they pleased (often displacing local indigenous people). Even afterwards, you could homestead federal land until fairly recently. The reason Utah is empty has very little to do with federal ownership ultimately, and more to do with the fact that only some parts of Utah are worth settling. I say this as a lifelong Utahn from a family of Utahns and a descendant of Mormon pioneers. The federal land issue is a talking point of the right wing state government and a handful of ranchers. Federal land ironically makes it considerably easier for most Utahns (and most Americans) to access and use the land than the restrictions of private ownership.

[@ericwiddison7523]

​@@CrazyJaketheTerrible I second what you said. The land that is not inhabited is mostly uninhabitable. The people clamoring to reduce federal land ownership want to destroy the natural beauty (like they have already done to most of the Uinta Basin). From what I can tell, most Utahns realize that our federal lands are a treasure that we would not have if the developers who run the state government controlled them.

[@deanchynoweth4373]

Utah has 5 national parks in southern Utah.

[@jeffreysalomone6354]

Geoff, your videos are always nicely done-- informative, interesting graphics and solid video. I always learn quite a bit.

[@Wr3ckdrob]

As a citizen of utah I love my state and I’ve been all over the us. Utah is so pretty. Grew up in Orem but slc is definitely home. Currently living in Tooele. I’ll never move anywhere else

[@michaeljensen4095]

Geoff, I believe the Uinta Mountains map at 6:06 is a bit off. The range starts at Kamas, Utah, or at furthest the Jordanelle Reservoir - at least as considered by the locals. It looks like you are including the Wasatch.

[@MicahAnimates]

As a Utahn, just seeing videos about it is pretty fun and interesting, because not many KZbinrs really make videos about it because it’s just pretty forgot of. I will say, sometimes there is talk about Salt Lake City, but I’m just gonna say, as someone born in Utah, and who grew up here, Salt Lake City is definitely not all of Utah. In fact it’s probably the worst part of the state. I’m sorry to people who like Salt Lake City, but once you see more of the state, Utah truly is a one of the most beautiful states. I’m not just talking about national parks. I’m talking just about outside the large cities, and especially the mountains.

[@farstrider4592]

It’s a nature lover’s dream though for sure

[@Prometheuss-sp8ik]

I'm here in tooele, and I can agree. Go to park city instead.

[@MicahAnimates]

Yup

[@TrendyStone]

Agreed! I can get to a ski resort in 25 minutes. I'm there every winter weekend with my kids. It's so much fun!

[@TrendyStone]

1) The Great Salt Lake has dropped ONE foot in the last 20 years. Today: 4,195 feet above sea level. In 2004 it was at 4,196 feet above sea level. The lake is NOT drying up...anytime soon. 2) The Great Salt Lake is what is left of the ancient Lake Bonneville, which has been shrinking for 30,000 years. It was shrinking LONG before people were around.

[@miliba]

Utah is also nicely depicted in Horizon Zero Dawn. Aloy starts out the Rockies where the Nora Tribe live and as the game progresses you transition into the Colorado Plateau, which is Carja territory

[@matthalpin1981]

Excellent video. Tons of great information. Best part of these videos besides the videography? - The motion graphics. The motion graphics are a huge help.

[@ryanwoods3911]

Utah is unique in that there is mountains, desert, forests, beaches (on reservoirs and lakes), and plenty of other changes in topography. One of the most interesting things is the change in climate between SLC and St. George. It can be cold and snowy in SLC in the winter, but drive 4 hours south and due to change in elevation and climate, it can be sunny and clear skies. A lot of residents with money and winter blues will go south for the winter to get some much needed sunshine or to golf. There are still plenty of hidden gems throughout the state that aren’t the Mighty 5. So plenty to see that growing up here was awesome and yet I still see hikes and features on Instagram I’ve never seen.

[@DarthCasus]

As a member of the church that grew up in California, I want to thank you for this video. I'm always so amazed at how kind and respectful youtubers have been toward giving accurate information about the church. Love your content as always Geoff.

[@Trancymind]

Sadly the LDS (mormons) church are still hiding dark secrets to its members and non members due to being humiliated.

[@jackiekrystalstarguardian369]

Father, daughter found dead at Canyonlands National Park after running out of water in 100-degree heat Rangers say a father and his daughter died Friday after getting lost in Utah’s Canyonlands National Park and running out of water in triple-digit temperatures. According to the National Park Service, the 52-year-old man and his 23-year-old daughter from Green Bay, Wisconsin, were hiking on the Syncline Trail when they got lost and ran out of water. Rest in Peace Family

[@asherjackson7]

One thing you missed... The Wasatch Front is the world's largest fault line of its kind and is roughly 100 years overdue for a devastating earthquake. The majority of structures built along this fault line are pre-modern earthquake building code (i.e. unreinforced masonry), and those that are modern structures (i.e. more so in the valley) are built on an ancient lake bed (Lake Bonneville), not bedrock, and are therefore vulnerable to liquefaction in the event of such an earthquake. The valley's water and gas mains criss-cross the fault line... And the epicenter of damage will lakely destroy I-15, I-215, and I-80 (the three freeway systems around and in/out of the valley). The valley's most capable hospital, the UofU Hospital, sits right on top of the fault line. Several offshoots of this fault line and others all intersect directly underneath downtown SLC. Modeling shows the quake could permanently tilt the valley floor causing Utah Lake to flood north through the corridor between Draper and Bluffale and the Great Salt Lake to flood into downtown SLC and part of the Ogden area. Uncontrolled fires throughout the valley from ruptured gas lines, loss of drinking water, destroyed roadways are all initial expectations immediately following. The loss of life, casualties, and ultimate economic devastation will make this one of the worst natural disasters in US history. The factors at play are a perfect storm. If you're going to move to Utah, I would think very carefully about where you live and in what kind of structure... As well as your financial support system should the local economy take such a hit as those who can afford to flee the valley (state analysis expects 10-20 years to return to pre-earthquake population / economy).

[@corbingarrett1206]

Funny story. My family is from a small town in Nevada not too far from the Utah border, as farmers they did business with lots of people from Utah and Idaho, actually my grandpa called the guy "The Potato King" and my grandfather got his own nickname from his friends and business associates. They called him "Ole Brig" because he had a Brigham Young beard.

[@Sacto1654]

In a way, Utah is like Nevada--mostly desert-like conditions that are not suitable for large-scale settlement. That's why in much of Utah, it's effectively just as empty as Nevada.

[@Nicky-hr1qz]

It's not really that empty though the Census Bureau is off it's actually 4 million people now 4 million people they're not they're not accurate on the on the Census Bureau its 4 million people trust me I live here I see it all the time I live in Layton and yeah somebody that doesn't live here doesn't know that it's not empty I kind of wish it was but it's not

[@Nicky-hr1qz]

KZbin staff Marxist can go to hell they keep trying to remove my free speech Utah's not empty I live in Layton and it's more the whole state as a whole is now just over 4 million people it's far from empty trust me

[@Nicky-hr1qz]

It's not empty at all it's actually grown big I don't know when you were here last but no Utah has not been empty for a long time I wish it was but no we're like just over 4 million people now in our state it's anything but empty

[@TylerLee-v1k]

The GSL used to cover most of the state of Utah once known as Lake Bonneville. It's been shrinking for thousands of years and continues to do so to this day.

[@icloudtrevor]

Yayyyy i’ve been asking for a video about my home state and it turns out you did already 4 months ago!! Thank you

[@espurrito4319]

In St. George we are incredibly short on water. There’s been a battle between Utah and California to our portion of the virgin river and our city continues allowing large housing developments and golf courses to be built, further draining our resources.

[@AJRich-pw1zm]

Thanks for the in-depth video. Just a note, in Utah, Zion is pronounced like onion- 'z(eye) un' .

[@CrystalClearWith8BE]

I know a lot of Utahns live within SLC, Provo, Ogden, and Brigham City which are all in SLC's CSA.

[@ghondar8714]

Another reason that most Utahns live in these areas, are due in part, to the federal government owning 70% of our state. like our neighbor Nevada which the government owns 80%. There are not many places we can actually develop.

[@Tim_fitz]

This was a surprisingly well done video!

[@mapgravy]

Great video, Geoff! Thanks for highlighting Utah and our problems. We also have terrible air quality, but awesome rail transit.

[@MrWhipple42]

To clarify, the air quality is poor along the Wasatch Front. St George has some of the best air quality in the nation.

[@CoachSeanUT]

Our Great Lake just got 40 years' worth of water in the last 2 years... All of our reservoirs are at 100% or more currently

[@scottishhorns4001]

Green Flake was freed by Brigham Young. Green Flake was an African American slave who was baptized in in April 7th 1844. Green Flake had joined the church during a time when Church President and Prophet Joseph Smith was running for President of the United States at the time of his assassination and part of Smith’s platform was to free all the slaves in the United States. Flake was baptized in 1844 along with his masters family of James Madison Flake in Mississippi by Missionary Benjamin Cluff. The family moved to Navuoo and then Salt Lake. Green Flake was in the vanguard party that first entered the salt lake vallley in 1847 and had many noteworthy accomplishments, including driving the first wagon down Immigration canyon to the valley and being one of the first people to plant crops in the valley. At the death of James Madison Flake 1850, Brigham Young then granted Green Flake his freedom.1 Late in his life, Green Flake, who was proud of his role as a Mormon pioneer, often appeared and gave speeches at local celebrations. In 1896, Green moved to Gray’s Lake, Idaho, to be near his children and grandchildren, but he often returned to Salt Lake City to join in the Jubilee Pioneer Day celebrations. An 1894 newspaper account described the surviving pioneers and proclaimed that “one of the most interesting of these old-timers was Green Flake, the only colored survivor of the band of ’47. Green is a vigorous, broad-shouldered, good-natured, bright old gentleman, long a resident of Salt Lake County, but now living at John Gray’s Lake, Idaho. He wears glasses, but that is the only sign of old age about him. His voice might do for a trumpet, and he steps off like a West Pointer when he walks.” Green Flake died in Gray’s Lake, Idaho, on October 20, 1903 and was buried next to Martha at Union Cemetery in Salt Lake City. Green’s service as a Mormon pioneer is memorialized, along with Oscar Crosby and Hark Lay, on the Brigham Young statue, as it is known, in downtown Salt Lake City; it celebrates the vanguard company - and its three African American members - who paved the way for the Latter-Day Saints into the Salt Lake Valley. 1. Stapley and Thiriot, “‘In My Father’s House;’” and Margaret Young Blair, “Green Flake, 1828-1903,” Black Past, accessed May 23, 2017, www.blackpast.org/aaw/flake-green-1828-1903.

[@SmokeandSpirit]

Its worth considering too that the lake effect brings a lot of the snowfall to the wasatch front. As we have a smaller lake, we get even less snowfall which speeds up the shrinking problem. Hell I'm surprised we haven't renamed Antelope island yet. It's not even been an island for years now

[@chrystoni2269]

You did forget to mention that West of the great salt lake is a massive salt flat that is under heavy lithium mining, that has massive pumps from the lake. Even in the dire crisis a couple years back, they didn't slow that down a bit.🤔

[@n0vaaaskyy]

Live in tooele, just south of the great salt lake and yeah,, the drying lake makes the air quality rough for us...

[@andy89135]

Fun fact: the “eroded badlands” biome from Minecraft is based on Bryce Canyon

[@jenme7926]

Hey thanks! You did a great job covering my home state. 😊

[@sinan2.71]

Having driven south to north through Utah recently, the 85 mph speed limit was a surprise. Also the irrigation techniques they are using are the same as when I grew up there. I could swear it's the same equipment.

[@enjoimovies]

Another main reason why it’s so empty is because about 60 percent of the land in Utah is Federal Land or BLM land. So that’s pretty cool.

[@liamnixon4428]

Out of the 800.000 people that live outside of Salt Lake City, just 200.000 of them live in the southwestern corner of Utah, mostly in Washington County and in and around the city of St George (which is far closer to Las Vegas than SLC). Just goes to show how heavily urbanized the state really is.

[@RigSMP100]

Very nice video, “a degree of protection “ this really demands an explanation “protection, from what or who and why”

[@MrWhipple42]

In the 19th century, protection from federal armies and agents who wanted to arrest and imprison Mormons who practiced polygamy. This persecution reached its peak in the 1880s, when some church leaders were forced to go into hiding from the feds.

[@Jill-x5u]

Protection from religious persecution.

[@herschelwright4663]

Pretty soon the Utah Jazz will have great company in their home arena as the former Arizona Coyotes will set up shop there.

[@alpz6295]

Go Yeti's

[@roselyncampisi822]

I love Utah. I was in st George it is beautiful

[@kadejensen7711]

Utah has six national parks not 5, at the Spike150 event (150 years since the completion of the transcontinental railroad.) in 2019 Golden Spike National Historic Monument became a national park

[@adrianw3985]

I have family and friends in Utah, and Moab is a favorite of mine. Jeeping and Mountain Biking in Moab is always a good time.

[@MarkSeverance-hh4ts]

I’m from Moab (haven’t lived there in a really long time though), and I love the “empty” parts of Utah.

[@lunchplateboy]

I’m going to have to research the “slavery” part because it doesn’t sound correct. Latter-day Saints were anti-slavery and was one of the reasons they were persecuted in territories like Missouri. Certain groups felt they would create an imbalance in the voting power to end slavery in Missouri and bring it into the union as a free-state when it voted on statehood. It would seem odd that any slaves if at all showed up in Utah. I suppose it is possible but I doubt significant enough to make it a defining point of the state. Especially since it was only a territory for a very long time.

[@sunnybayliss3221]

It is historically correct that 3 enslaved people arrived in 1847. Slavery wasn't widespread, and you are correct that the pioneer members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints were very largely anti-slavery. However, there was no legal abolition for those who brought slaves with them. This history has been unfortunately ignored for a long time.

[@lunchplateboy]

@@sunnybayliss3221 There was no obligation because they weren’t allowed to make any such laws by the U.S. government. Three slaves is a relatively negligent amount to even attempt to characterize Utah has being a “slave state” so I stand by my assessment that this categorization is inaccurate.

[@jeffah3103]

About the shrinking lake, has anyone ever mentioned how the lake got there in the first place? It is a mere mud puddle, considering it used be the Ancient Lake Bonneville, many millions of times larger covering vast amounts of the Great Basin. The lake shrinks and grows based on the length of droughts. It's no surprise. Yes, it can be a problem, but that's what happens when you depend on a muddle puddle hanging around.

[@hashish_annihiolator]

In Utah It is illegal to solicit sales to residents on Sundays

[@JTA1961]

Went up at night from Az...not impressed. Came back in the day...(I stand corrected) impressed.

[@LoneFoxLounge]

I live outside the Salt Like City area around a few miles from the border between Utah and Idaho in Lewiston Utah. So this was informitive to why it is like this. I actually knew a little about this due to my Utah history class in middle school.

[@caelinbaird6493]

I really love driving through the southwestern part of Utah where we see Monument Valley.

[@ruadhan6707]

Monument Valley is on the southEASTERN part of the state.

[@jdlloyd27]

We live in St. George, and absolutely love it here! I really can't think of a better place to raise our two young daughters. When I was struggling to save enough money to buy a wheelchair van (I have muscular dystrophy), the community came together to raise a significant chunk of the cost. Geoff does a great job in this video highlighting our water issues. Fortunately, many residents are making appropriate changes. We ripped out our lawn four years ago, and since then, four of our neighbors have as well. We still have work to do, though. Fortunately, St. George is warm enough to grow palm trees that are both gorgeous and require minimal water.

[@cbpd89]

I live right near the Great Salt Lake, and let me tell you people here are very concerned about the lake shrinking. We got extremely lucky with two good years of snowpack in a row, so the lake has temporarily stopped shrinking. It might make it back into the healthy range once all the spring run off has melted, but it's still in a very precarious position. We have to completely change how we manage water so we can make sure we don't lose that lake, as a lot of our weather patterns, including our all important snowpack, depends on Lake Effect. Agriculture accounting for over 70% of water use in Utah means we've got to massive update agriculture practices and likely switch crops to less water intensive ones. Residential use should be curtailed significantly as well. We don't need to maintain acres of Kentucky blue grass in the desert.

[@TrendyStone]

1) The lake is only one foot lower than it was in 2004. One foot in 20 years. 2) The Great Salt Lake is what is left of the ancient Lake Bonneville which has been slowly shrinking for the last 30,000 years. This topic is kind of silly. The lake was shrinking long before people were around.

[@KurtNoakes]

Thanks for posting. I believe the problems that were outlined are very real. Utah was the fastest-growing state in the US from 2010 to 2023, with a total growth of 23.88% during that time. I believe that growth isn't sustainable given the geography, climate and lack of water sources. Just today I saw a news story today and apparently Utah's governor is asking people to not move here.

[@jehobden]

I've always wanted to visit Utah since I was a boy in the Northeast US. I've only visited St. George & Zion National Park so far on a day trip from Las Vegas.

[@minilla3842]

As a Utahn, that sounds awesome, but more than a day might be needed. Because near Zion’s is also Bryce and Arches.

[@inquisitiveDesign]

There is a better way of looking at the population centers of Utah than just Salt Lake County and the counties around it. The Wasatch Mountain Range (part of the Rocky Mountains but NOT within the region marked in the video!!) is the reason Mormon Pioneers settled where they did, and explains why the cities grew up where they did. The "Wasatch Front" is the western side of Wasatch Mountain range, which runs through the state, roughly SSE, following I-15 forming a population corridor, from Ogden on the north to St George on the south. The snows of the Wasatch mountains were the source of water for most communities' agriculture (Mormon Pioneers were mostly farmers), so they all settled along that corridor. West of that corridor is the "west desert" and is very dry and thinly populated. East of that corridor is mostly mountainous country, which can be difficult to farm because of the high altitudes and being in the "rain shadow" of the Wasatch. That's the REAL Utah population story. Native Americans (Shoshone in the north, Utes in the east, Piutes scattered throughout the west and southwest, and Navajo in the southeast) lived in small groups, and were spread out thinly-they had no large "population centers," and were often nomadic. The Mormon pioneers relations with the Native Americans was mostly peaceful, with some notable exceptions. The tribe that inhabited what is now the Wasatch Front was mostly Ute, until you get to the desert southwest, and then Piute. Another reason the population is concentrated on certain areas is because 64% of all land in Utah is owned or controlled by the US federal government. The only state with more federally owned/managed land is Nevada, with 85%! (Idaho, 62%; Alaska, 61%; Oregon, 53%; Wyoming, 48%; and California, 46% round out the top seven.) Federal agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, National Monuments, Department of Defense, and others manage parts of that 64%. That land is not available for settlement, agriculture, mining, homesteading, etc. (though BLM land does allow "mixed" use, i.e. cattle, etc.-but NOT ownership.) In some counties in Southern Utah (such as Garfield County) 95% of the land in the county is federally owned and controlled. (How do you create a tax base for schools, roads, etc. in that kind of situation?) Additionally, the State of Utah owns some of what's left over (as state parks and school trust lands, etc.) These federal numbers also do not include Native American reservations, the largest of which are the Uintah & Ouray Ute reservation in eastern Utah, and part of the Navaho Nation in southeastern Utah. Pretty much all the land that hadn't been "claimed" by the pioneers was "stolen" by the federal government when Utah became a state (which should temper somewhat how much land Mormon Pioneers and other European settlers "stole" from the Native Americans). Compare these numbers with ANY of the Atlantic States to get a better idea of how much of Utah is federally owned. Most of those states have from from 0% to 4%.

[@sunnybayliss3221]

I was formulating a similar response, but you covered everything I wanted to say!

[@3DFLYLOW]

I don't think I would call it stealing land.

[@mikeparker8774]

Great video, Geoff. One issue I’d like raise is the pronunciation of "Zion." Lots of people for some reason say "Zye‘on," but it’s actually pronounced "Zye-uhn." No glottal stop.

[@100percentSNAFU]

My church i went to growing up was called Zion and we pronounced it like "lion". I have noticed many people say it like zi-ON, which I would consider incorrect as well.

[@mikegarrett1945]

2 keys for Utah. 1- Drinkable water for human consumption. 2- Suitable water for crops and livestock. These are two very important needs for a community to be established. Great video, lots of good pictures and info.

[@TheWhiteSpaceUK]

Thank you for showing us the state of Utah Geoff. It looks stunning (if with serious issues). All the best.👍🏻

[@Nicky-hr1qz]

I live in Layton Utah which is 30 mins north of downtown Salt Lake city area and Layton has grown ridiculously layton like orem or provo is grown dramatically

[@decreer4567]

1. Pioneer settlements 2. There is not much water

[@BluefrostOfSageclan]

That Pic of the men in their stripped jail suits is in our Grass Valley History book!

[@arbsan8366]

Utah seems so beautiful!!

[@moose5445]

Also, the US Gov owns half of the state and it is not allowed to be developed.

[@seanld444]

Much more than half. And although I am not a fan of the federal government overall, I do appreciate the BLM land, national forests, and national parks. Particularly the BLM land, because it gives you a lot of room to explore, camp, shoot, and really do whatever without worrying about trespassing on private property.

[@DM5550Z]

Utah is basically if nevada was more fortunate

[@raymondmartin6737]

I think Skinwalker Ranch is in those mountains in NE Utah? 😊

[@satherfilms220]

Reason we all live in the valleys is because it’s to hot to live any further south, and there’s too much mountains to the north with the salt planes to the west. People who live in Saint George are just plain crazy

[@hideawayhomesllc5103]

What happened to the usual view of your basement office? Liked and subscribed!

[@michaelschmitter8725]

There is a book in the museum of idaho that talks about the LDS coming to the area. The writing refer to them as Mormons in what seems like a derogatory slur of sorts.

[@minilla3842]

As a member of three Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, (LDS or Mormon), it isn’t really a slur. It’s more of an abbreviation used by people who don’t really know what we’re about. But it isn’t taken as offensive.

[@donaldjones9830]

Thanks for using the correct name of the Church in Utah and being fair and honest

[@brandino97yyc]

I70 to Vegas is the most amazing drive for me thru the states

[@jds1275]

You missed the fact that a ridiculous amount of land area in the state is directly owned by the feds. Eliminating a lot of space that could be used to build new communities. A lot of the western US land use problems stem from being hemmed in by the federal government. Unlike the east that can make use of most of their state.

[@jayk.2276]

Would like to keep it that way. There’s no where else in the lower 48 like the Intermountain west. There’s a reason people are flooding to states like ours from the major cities. The outdoor public access is unparalleled in most places. There’s plenty of other places to “build communities”. Maybe everyone just needs to assimilate to ones we already have. The state doesn’t have the funds to properly manage such large swaths of land, but the federal government does. They manage it for all of the public, should the state be allowed to sell it off, it will benefit the few, the rich. Keeping eastern ideals, in the east.

[@Dan007UT]

Do you even live here? If so you would see how unhospitable most of that federal land is

[@TrendyStone]

@@Dan007UT That's what they said about the SL valley when they arrived.

[@alexchene4064]

"Why do so few people live __"? The answer always boils down to the area cannot support crops, or can support very few

[@100percentSNAFU]

And/or is unnavigable or not suited for building. It's usually either desert, tundra, or mountains.

[@Escuelaout]

You forgot to mention the expedition of Dominguez-escalante 1776

[@Bamatime719]

Southern UT has a group of fundamentalist Mormons, which still believe in polygamy. Pretty weird down there.

[@T_Huddy]

Yeah, the FLDS community is very strange.

[@SLCplanter]

as a utahn i aprove of this vid