Eleven Fascinating Facts About Utah

Utah has been a state since 1896 and with that comes many cool facts and trivia about the state. With that stated, let’s get started. 

1. According to Utah.gov, Utah became a state in January of 1896 and became the 45th state in the Union. 

2. There are two theories about how Utah became named, well, Utah. One theory states that it originates from the Ute tribe, meaning “People of the mountains”. The second theory states that the name originates from the Apache word “yuttahin” which means “one/those that is/are higher up”. 

3. Utah has a population of 3.44 million and is ranked the 11th largest state, in terms of square miles, in the U.S. 

4. The highest point in the state is Kings Peak at 13,528 feet and the lowest point is located at the Beaver Dam Wash at 2,350 feet. 

5. From Mental Floss Utah is home to the heaviest organisms on earth. The Trembling Giant, or Pando, in Fishlake National Forest, is made up of 47,000 genetically identical trees that share a single root system. The Trembling Giant is also among the oldest organisms on earth, it's been alive for over 80,000 years. 

6. The Utahraptor, one of the largest raptors ever known to exist, was discovered in Utah and named after the state. The Utahraptor was around 18 feet long and would have most closely resembled the raptors in Jurassic Park. 

7. The Bonneville Salt Flats comprised 30,000 acres of desolate and densely packed salt pan. 

8. Utah is the only state where every county contains some part of a national forest. 

9. The location of the first KFC wasn’t in Kentucky but in Utah. It was first served in the café of Colonel Sander’s friend Leon W. Harmon. 

10. The Uintah County Library displays a collection of handmade dolls modeled after every U.S. First Lady up to Nancy Reagan. 

11. Northern Utah is home to one of the biggest man-made pits on earth. The Bingham Canyon mine has produced 18.1 million tons of copper since the Kennecott Copper Corporation began digging there a century ago. The mine is a quarter of a mile deep and can be seen from space.