Why So Few Americans Live In Most Of Utah

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  • čas pƙidĂĄn 22. 04. 2024
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    Utah is one of the most geographically beautiful states in the country. But despite its rugged beauty, the vast majority, or about 80% of the entire state's population, lives within the Salt Lake region, leaving the rest of the state feeling really empty! Here's why so few people live outside of the Salt Lake area in Utah, how the Mormons chose the region in the first place, and why growing any sizeable population center outside of Utah would be incredibly challenging.
    Stock footage is acquired from www.storyblocks.com.
    Animation support provided by DH Designs (needahittman.com)
    Editing by Kat Olsen
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Komentáƙe • 424

  • @GeographyByGeoff
    @GeographyByGeoff  Pƙed 16 dny +11

    Check out War Thunder and use my link for a free large bonus back with boosters, vehicles, and more: playwt.link/geographybygeoff
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  • @taotaoliu2229
    @taotaoliu2229 Pƙed 16 dny +134

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

    • @erictheil1640
      @erictheil1640 Pƙed 16 dny +9

      Great stretch of road 🚀 😎

    • @Mcfunface
      @Mcfunface Pƙed 16 dny +8

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

    • @sam382
      @sam382 Pƙed 16 dny +11

      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
      @treethegreat52890 Pƙed 16 dny +6

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

    • @Mcfunface
      @Mcfunface Pƙed 16 dny +2

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

  • @KidGibson
    @KidGibson Pƙed 16 dny +73

    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.

    • @Booz2020
      @Booz2020 Pƙed 15 dny +3

      Make MORMON Great Again 😎

    • @thooper4380
      @thooper4380 Pƙed 14 dny +5

      ​@@Booz2020 relax, have a beer.

    • @geraldmeehan8942
      @geraldmeehan8942 Pƙed 12 dny

      ​@@Booz2020 Bryce Blankenaugle

  • @87alock
    @87alock Pƙed 16 dny +81

    Utah is shaped like a lighter

    • @Ddreinthebay
      @Ddreinthebay Pƙed 16 dny +5

      Ironic tbh

    • @thepanda1044
      @thepanda1044 Pƙed 15 dny +1

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

    • @Booz2020
      @Booz2020 Pƙed 15 dny +2

      Make MORMONism Great Again 😎

    • @gummypuss69
      @gummypuss69 Pƙed 14 dny

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

    • @enjoimovies
      @enjoimovies Pƙed 13 dny +1

      😂

  • @robnevitt7593
    @robnevitt7593 Pƙed 16 dny +61

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

  • @lashkevin
    @lashkevin Pƙed 15 dny +11

    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
      @teacherjoe7019 Pƙed 8 dny +3

      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.

  • @terrafirma5327
    @terrafirma5327 Pƙed 16 dny +57

    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
      @francoutah Pƙed 16 dny +16

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

    • @terrafirma5327
      @terrafirma5327 Pƙed 16 dny +10

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

    • @thomasgomez4263
      @thomasgomez4263 Pƙed 16 dny +3

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

    • @terrafirma5327
      @terrafirma5327 Pƙed 16 dny +12

      @@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
      @fjp3305 Pƙed 15 dny +1

      Another thing to scare the people.

  • @StevenEveral
    @StevenEveral Pƙed 16 dny +20

    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
      @farstrider4592 Pƙed dnem

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

  • @joebehrdenver
    @joebehrdenver Pƙed 16 dny +23

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

    • @geraldmeehan8942
      @geraldmeehan8942 Pƙed 12 dny

      You're getting a NHL team in SLC I think

    • @Nicky-hr1qz
      @Nicky-hr1qz Pƙed 9 dny +1

      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
      @louis54b Pƙed 9 dny

      @@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
      @Nicky-hr1qz Pƙed 9 dny

      @@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
      @Nicky-hr1qz Pƙed 9 dny

      @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

  • @CeeJai_K
    @CeeJai_K Pƙed 14 dny +3

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

  • @ryanprosper88
    @ryanprosper88 Pƙed 16 dny +22

    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
      @skidogleb Pƙed 16 dny +5

      It's spelled Kanab!

    • @austygo3563
      @austygo3563 Pƙed 16 dny

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

    • @ryanprosper88
      @ryanprosper88 Pƙed 16 dny

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

  • @mckayhatch6723
    @mckayhatch6723 Pƙed 16 dny +13

    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
      @gregparrott Pƙed 15 dny +1

      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.

    • @ellagallagher9877
      @ellagallagher9877 Pƙed 10 dny

      ​@@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
      @gregparrott Pƙed 10 dny +1

      @@ellagallagher9877 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.

    • @ellagallagher9877
      @ellagallagher9877 Pƙed 10 dny

      @@gregparrott Yeah, makes sense 👍

    • @JTA1961
      @JTA1961 Pƙed 7 dny

      Thanks for sharing

  • @jeremiahallyn4603
    @jeremiahallyn4603 Pƙed 16 dny +17

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

    • @Booz2020
      @Booz2020 Pƙed 15 dny

      Never Say NEVER 😎 Justin Bieber

  • @kimberlyfaerber8923
    @kimberlyfaerber8923 Pƙed 16 dny +8

    Thank you for choosing Utah as a subject for a video. I live in American Fork, Utah, and am grateful for the representation.

  • @bigfootgoesboom
    @bigfootgoesboom Pƙed 16 dny +38

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

    • @marmac83
      @marmac83 Pƙed 16 dny +1

      who are you?

    • @Mcfunface
      @Mcfunface Pƙed 16 dny +9

      Based St. George Resident

    • @bigfootgoesboom
      @bigfootgoesboom Pƙed 16 dny +4

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

    • @parkerbond9400
      @parkerbond9400 Pƙed 16 dny +3

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

    • @digitalfootballer9032
      @digitalfootballer9032 Pƙed 15 dny +1

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

  • @gagegarlitz1962
    @gagegarlitz1962 Pƙed 16 dny +16

    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
      @SpongeBobaFett Pƙed 16 dny +4

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

    • @ruadhan6707
      @ruadhan6707 Pƙed 14 dny +2

      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
      @JTA1961 Pƙed 7 dny +1

      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"

  • @glenn71144
    @glenn71144 Pƙed 15 dny +3

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

  • @jeffreysalomone6354
    @jeffreysalomone6354 Pƙed 16 dny

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

  • @Tim_fitz
    @Tim_fitz Pƙed 16 dny

    This was a surprisingly well done video!

  • @Rijowhi
    @Rijowhi Pƙed 15 dny +1

    Thank you for showing us the state of Utah Geoff. It looks stunning (if with serious issues).
    All the best.đŸ‘đŸ»

  • @matthalpin1981
    @matthalpin1981 Pƙed 16 dny +2

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

  • @Tiny-Cabin
    @Tiny-Cabin Pƙed 15 dny +1

    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.

  • @DarthMarr2009
    @DarthMarr2009 Pƙed 16 dny +14

    Utah is basically if nevada was more fortunate

    • @Booz2020
      @Booz2020 Pƙed 15 dny +2

      Make MORMONs Great Again đŸŻđŸ„›

  • @benpennington1866
    @benpennington1866 Pƙed 16 dny +75

    Because it’s desert

    • @mr.hansholmes2367
      @mr.hansholmes2367 Pƙed 16 dny +10

      And cult infested.

    • @markthompson180
      @markthompson180 Pƙed 16 dny +3

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

    • @maxsiemens304
      @maxsiemens304 Pƙed 16 dny

      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
      @mindibear Pƙed 16 dny +2

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

    • @maxsiemens304
      @maxsiemens304 Pƙed 16 dny

      @@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.

  • @revinhatol
    @revinhatol Pƙed 16 dny +13

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

    • @MrWhipple42
      @MrWhipple42 Pƙed 15 dny +5

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

    • @NuYoRican718
      @NuYoRican718 Pƙed 15 dny

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

    • @JohnRussell207
      @JohnRussell207 Pƙed 15 dny

      I would call that particular fact decidedly unfun.

    • @revinhatol
      @revinhatol Pƙed 15 dny

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

    • @HaremHaver132
      @HaremHaver132 Pƙed 14 dny +1

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

  • @mapgravy
    @mapgravy Pƙed 16 dny

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

    • @MrWhipple42
      @MrWhipple42 Pƙed 15 dny +1

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

  • @RigSMP100
    @RigSMP100 Pƙed 16 dny +1

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

    • @MrWhipple42
      @MrWhipple42 Pƙed 15 dny

      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.

    • @user-nz1du4ow3k
      @user-nz1du4ow3k Pƙed 9 dny +1

      Protection from religious persecution.

  • @dalemonson7860
    @dalemonson7860 Pƙed 16 dny +76

    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
      @magellanicspaceclouds Pƙed 16 dny +4

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

    • @ckstaff
      @ckstaff Pƙed 16 dny

      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
      @hobog Pƙed 16 dny +1

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

    • @ckstaff
      @ckstaff Pƙed 16 dny +3

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

    • @dplj4428
      @dplj4428 Pƙed 15 dny

      Does that pipeline cross near the sal lake?

  • @thomastrout9997
    @thomastrout9997 Pƙed 15 dny +3

    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.

  • @roselyncampisi822
    @roselyncampisi822 Pƙed 16 dny +4

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

  • @jdlloyd27
    @jdlloyd27 Pƙed 12 dny

    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.

  • @michaeljensen4095
    @michaeljensen4095 Pƙed 16 dny +2

    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.

  • @hideawayhomesllc5103
    @hideawayhomesllc5103 Pƙed 16 dny

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

  • @adrianw3985
    @adrianw3985 Pƙed 13 dny

    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.

  • @Barbarian1244
    @Barbarian1244 Pƙed 16 dny +10

    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
      @theprimalfuckhead526 Pƙed 16 dny +1

      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

    • @user-ip5dm6jf8k
      @user-ip5dm6jf8k Pƙed 16 dny +5

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

    • @Barbarian1244
      @Barbarian1244 Pƙed 16 dny

      @@user-ip5dm6jf8k more than the south even.

    • @DontUputThatEvilOnMe
      @DontUputThatEvilOnMe Pƙed 16 dny +6

      The south is rural the west is a wilderness.

    • @Barbarian1244
      @Barbarian1244 Pƙed 16 dny

      @@DontUputThatEvilOnMe pretty much

  • @bjdon99
    @bjdon99 Pƙed 16 dny +6

    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.

    • @digitalfootballer9032
      @digitalfootballer9032 Pƙed 15 dny

      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
      @bjdon99 Pƙed 15 dny

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

    • @bjdon99
      @bjdon99 Pƙed 8 dny

      @@digitalfootballer9032 I lived in Rochester myself for 4 yrs in the 90s. People there feel very forgotten by the downstate crowd.

  • @caelinbaird6493
    @caelinbaird6493 Pƙed 16 dny +1

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

    • @ruadhan6707
      @ruadhan6707 Pƙed 14 dny

      Monument Valley is on the southEASTERN part of the state.

  • @nkmcquain
    @nkmcquain Pƙed 16 dny

    Is that timbers memorabilia in the background?! Your PNW?

  • @thepikachupeeps
    @thepikachupeeps Pƙed 16 dny +3

    As a Utahn, just seeing videos about it is pretty fun and interesting, because not many CZcamsrs 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
      @farstrider4592 Pƙed dnem

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

  • @cbpd89
    @cbpd89 Pƙed 14 dny +2

    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.

  • @zeppinator7725
    @zeppinator7725 Pƙed 15 dny +2

    St. George will be a pretty big city within a few decades

  • @CrystalClearWith8BE
    @CrystalClearWith8BE Pƙed 16 dny +1

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

  • @k.b.tidwell
    @k.b.tidwell Pƙed 16 dny

    I've got a Ryobi cordless drill just like yours.

  • @raymondmartin6737
    @raymondmartin6737 Pƙed 16 dny

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

  • @MichaelJamesonofgoogle
    @MichaelJamesonofgoogle Pƙed 3 dny

    I live in St George, the only place in Utah south of the Wasatch Front with more than 5,000 people per square mile

  • @inquisitiveDesign
    @inquisitiveDesign Pƙed 2 dny

    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%.

  • @miliba
    @miliba Pƙed 16 dny +1

    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

  • @timothysteiner8330
    @timothysteiner8330 Pƙed 15 dny

    I wondered about the title if you had ever been to Utah!? LOL

  • @brandodooferman9378
    @brandodooferman9378 Pƙed 15 dny +1

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

  • @MarkSeverance-hh4ts
    @MarkSeverance-hh4ts Pƙed 14 dny

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

  • @EdgedShadow
    @EdgedShadow Pƙed 8 dny

    Murray UT checking in

  • @herschelwright4663
    @herschelwright4663 Pƙed 16 dny +12

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

  • @robertsabharwal9787
    @robertsabharwal9787 Pƙed 16 dny

    Are you still going to travel somewhere?

  • @SLCplanter
    @SLCplanter Pƙed 16 dny +2

    as a utahn i aprove of this vid

  • @enjoimovies
    @enjoimovies Pƙed 13 dny +2

    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.

  • @mikeparker8774
    @mikeparker8774 Pƙed 15 dny +4

    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.

    • @digitalfootballer9032
      @digitalfootballer9032 Pƙed 15 dny +2

      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.

  • @andy89135
    @andy89135 Pƙed 16 dny +1

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

  • @dplj4428
    @dplj4428 Pƙed 15 dny

    Does terraform work?

  • @louhak5592
    @louhak5592 Pƙed 16 dny +1

    Isn't the air filled with arsenic due to the drying up of the lake. ???? Does anyone know ???

    • @MrWhipple42
      @MrWhipple42 Pƙed 15 dny

      Not yet. If the Great Salt Lake continues to shrink, that's a definite likelihood, though.

  • @tavanweerd
    @tavanweerd Pƙed 13 dny

    Because its uninhabitable desert with very little water. I love the emptiness of the lands
    And am able to be in the middle of nowhere in minutes.
    UTAH needs to find the balance between the annual water levels and its growth.
    Its hit its limit in my opinion

  • @Sacto1654
    @Sacto1654 Pƙed 15 dny +2

    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
      @Nicky-hr1qz Pƙed 9 dny

      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
      @Nicky-hr1qz Pƙed 9 dny

      CZcams 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
      @Nicky-hr1qz Pƙed 9 dny

      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

  • @workingmothercatlover6699

    Without even watching more than the first minute, I know the answer to the question. I am a born and raised Utahn. I live in Utah county, my grandparents on Mom's side lived in St. George. If you've ever taken that 4 hour drive, the question would not be why so few live in the rest of the state. It would be how can anyone live out here. 😊
    I love my state, but even getting the population centers looking livable took the early settlers a lot of work.

  • @susanmoore9839
    @susanmoore9839 Pƙed 16 dny +2

    What do the heavy metals come from that are exposed in the dried up bed of the Great Salt Lake?

    • @asherjackson7
      @asherjackson7 Pƙed 16 dny +6

      Some are natural, others are due to it being a terminal lake used to dump mining activity runoff into for 150 or so years.

  • @DarthCasus
    @DarthCasus Pƙed 15 dny +8

    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
      @Trancymind Pƙed 15 dny

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

  • @asherjackson7
    @asherjackson7 Pƙed 16 dny +2

    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).

  • @nickzz12
    @nickzz12 Pƙed 16 dny +2

    I enjoy your videos but for some reason they have way more ads than normal. It's annoying enough to almost make me click off the video

  • @ellagallagher9877
    @ellagallagher9877 Pƙed 10 dny

    Cool video. I just want to say that, in case anyone going to Zion reads this, locals call it Zi-un, not Zi-on (I'm not saying that you have to say it like that though).

  • @LordGertz
    @LordGertz Pƙed 16 dny +1

    The Utah population boot.

  • @geechie-don7157
    @geechie-don7157 Pƙed 16 dny

    The hills have eyes


  • @relaxing_white_noises_by_j1980

    They should try to find a way to bring the salt lake back to the original Lake Bonneville size. An inland sea would be very profitable for the area!

    • @jcarp8471
      @jcarp8471 Pƙed 15 dny +3

      No thank you. Filling up Lake Bonneville would submerge just about all of the 2.3 million people living in the Greater Salt Lake area. If you visit the area, you can still see the ancient shoreline ringing above the cities on the sides of the mountains and hills.

  • @jackshaftoe1715
    @jackshaftoe1715 Pƙed 15 dny +1

    Major population centers are unfeasible in a desert. Don't buy real estate in the desert south west.

  • @donaldjones9830
    @donaldjones9830 Pƙed 16 dny +3

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

  • @geraldmeehan8942
    @geraldmeehan8942 Pƙed 12 dny

    My mother had an aunt in Manti

  • @markmiller5614
    @markmiller5614 Pƙed 10 dny

    Utah I-15 exit 100 looks like a trash dump. Tower road exit south of Scipio looks like a garage dump. Piss bottles from over the road drivers and bags of garbage everywhere. Disgusting!

  • @cowboyfinleys2757
    @cowboyfinleys2757 Pƙed 16 dny

    Tooele city Heber city is growing

  • @lewatoaofair2522
    @lewatoaofair2522 Pƙed 15 dny

    And just when Utah got an NHL team.

  • @JTA1961
    @JTA1961 Pƙed 7 dny

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

  • @Bamatime719
    @Bamatime719 Pƙed 16 dny +2

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

  • @koltoncrane3099
    @koltoncrane3099 Pƙed 16 dny +1

    It’s obvious why few people live outside of the Wasatch front. If you include St. George area and the Wasatch front like 90% of move ins went to those areas.
    Utah has concentrated cities cause of railroad development up north and water. There’s less water or rain in other areas which is required for homesteading cause if there’s no water you can’t bend the knee and follow the law to homestead. Honestly I don’t know how massive dry desert ranches happened in New Mexico where it’s impossible to homestead. In Texas dry ranches are private cause when Texas joined the U.S. Texas was allegedly a separate country or republic so it kept its land and didn’t bend the knee. But Utah like all other states but three gave all its unsold land to the federal government. But the federal government never gave it back to the state like it did with other states and it ended homesteading.
    65% of Utah is public land or owned by congress not we the people as it continues to be locked up with roads closed. You can’t even metal detect in recreation areas.

    • @gregparrott
      @gregparrott Pƙed 13 dny

      I see the 60+% number mentioned, but never cited with a source. Can you cite a source? According to the government's BLM website. 42% of Utah is owned by the feds.
      www.blm.gov/about/what-we-manage#:~:text=The%20BLM%20administers%20a%20variety,42%20percent%20of%20the%20state.
      I visited Utah for 9 consecutive Summers, primarily for off road riding (~10k miles total). While there are some areas being blocked, like around Moab and Bears Ears, there is a L O T of land that is wide open to visit. I don't mind that a few percent is protected in order to maintain its pristine condition.

  • @jander6121
    @jander6121 Pƙed 12 dny

    Utah should be the first state to openly support RV Life. Allow the roaming nomads to register as a Utah Resident to help with taxes.

  • @lomeoNS
    @lomeoNS Pƙed 16 dny

    I knew it was the 10-Speeder’s fault đŸ€ŠđŸ»â€â™‚ïž

  • @spyderlogan4992
    @spyderlogan4992 Pƙed 15 dny +1

    I must have missed you mentioning how much of Utah is owned and managed by the Federal Government. That would be 63.1%.

    • @gregparrott
      @gregparrott Pƙed 15 dny

      No. According to BLM records 42% of Utah is owned by the feds. The 63% figure matches that of Nevada. (Click on each state to see the numbers)
      www.blm.gov/about/what-we-manage#:~:text=The%20BLM%20administers%20a%20variety,42%20percent%20of%20the%20state.

  • @pradeepmagan6951
    @pradeepmagan6951 Pƙed 16 dny

    They are using Salt Lake up and the lake is running dry

  • @alexchene4064
    @alexchene4064 Pƙed 16 dny +1

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

    • @digitalfootballer9032
      @digitalfootballer9032 Pƙed 15 dny +1

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

  • @MC_aigorithm
    @MC_aigorithm Pƙed 16 dny +2

    metro St. George is like "uhm empty says what?"

    • @revinhatol
      @revinhatol Pƙed 16 dny

      Cedar City/Parowan: "What about us?"

  • @joes6525
    @joes6525 Pƙed 7 dny

    Actually the Federal Government took most of Utahs lands. In fact Western U.S. is in the same predicament.

  • @JayKey1505
    @JayKey1505 Pƙed 16 dny

    Everyone in Utah wants to live close to the Utah Yetis

  • @Bum_Hip
    @Bum_Hip Pƙed 13 dny

    He gets to the point at about 8:10

  • @BobbyJamescomposer
    @BobbyJamescomposer Pƙed 10 dny

    Also, the Federal government owns 71 percent of the land in Utah.

  • @mybachhertzbaud3074
    @mybachhertzbaud3074 Pƙed 2 dny

    Salt Lake City, One of the largest inland islands in the world.😜

  • @timoteo8024
    @timoteo8024 Pƙed 15 dny

    Funny pueblo were not Anasazi! Duh

  • @shadfletcher6815
    @shadfletcher6815 Pƙed 16 dny +6

    I moved from California to utah 4 yrs ago,the salt lake area air pollution is horrible,with mountsins on both sides,the smog has nowhere to go,and as far as polygamy goes,i can barely deal with one wife,why would someone want 4 of them?

    • @MrWhipple42
      @MrWhipple42 Pƙed 15 dny +2

      Latter-day Saints haven't practiced polygamy for over 120 years, and the vast majority of us today agree with your statement. 😁

    • @Trancymind
      @Trancymind Pƙed 15 dny

      Latter-days founder had around 30 wives and even married some 14-16 year old stepdaughters as a 36 year old man. He would have more wives if he lived longer.

  • @PartTimeBuddhist
    @PartTimeBuddhist Pƙed 16 dny +1

    Just got back from visiting my friend in Cedar City, UT. First thing I said when I got to his place was, "So where the hell are all the beehives?" The nearest large airport is Las Vegas. I mean, talk about a culture clash. I get off the plane to signs saying, "Get ready to party!" Really, in Cedar City? I don't think the signs knew where I was actually going.

  • @WackyChu
    @WackyChu Pƙed 16 dny +2

    The western/midwest states in general are empty. There’s like nothing interesting there. There’s no NYC, Atlanta or Illinois. The terrain also makes it more difficult. And on a historical record we started at the 13 colonies rather than the lefter side of the US or Midwest.

    • @MrKim-kv2vv
      @MrKim-kv2vv Pƙed 16 dny +2

      That’s OK, you can keep the mega-urban concrete jungles.

  • @Nicky-hr1qz
    @Nicky-hr1qz Pƙed 9 dny

    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

  • @skidogleb
    @skidogleb Pƙed 16 dny +6

    Welcome to Utah, where the liquor stores are closed on Sundays, the weather changes seasons every 3 hours, and the house prices just keep going up.

    • @JoshJones-37334
      @JoshJones-37334 Pƙed 16 dny +4

      Sounds like Tennessee

    • @Mcfunface
      @Mcfunface Pƙed 16 dny +4

      That's not special to Utah

    • @JoshJones-37334
      @JoshJones-37334 Pƙed 16 dny +1

      @@Mcfunface when I was there in 2008 they only sold 3% beer. And you had to have a “membership” at the bar to even drink. That’s pretty unique.

    • @skidogleb
      @skidogleb Pƙed 16 dny

      @@JoshJones-37334 now they have 5% beer at stores, and I’ve never seen a members only bar

    • @JoshJones-37334
      @JoshJones-37334 Pƙed 16 dny +1

      @@skidogleb lol at 5%!! In Alabama we can buy 13%. But we aren’t little kittens who wear magic underwear.
      It was members only at every bar at ever ski resort in the Wasatch. I either had to buy a membership or be “sponsored” by a member, which I took to be a plot to get locals free drinks.

  • @jds1275
    @jds1275 Pƙed 16 dny +17

    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
      @jayk.2276 Pƙed 12 dny +1

      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
      @Dan007UT Pƙed 11 dny +1

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

  • @jeffah3103
    @jeffah3103 Pƙed 13 dny

    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.

  • @Ddreinthebay
    @Ddreinthebay Pƙed 16 dny +1

    Oh wow I just moved here lol

  • @stickynorth
    @stickynorth Pƙed 16 dny

    Good timing with this video since Salt Lake just snagged itself the Phoenix Coyotes NHL team and plenty of snotty East Coast elite types on the pictocube were huffing and puffing as to why. This is a good primer video.
    Young (Brigham Young, lol), Fast-growing and it's a winter sports paradise. That seems like the ideal place to host team unlike Phoenix which only has two of the three needed for success... And the olympics which is why Salt Lake is the "preferred host" for 2034, pigging backing off their 2002 success...