St. George, Utah

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Saint George, Utah
St. George
Nickname: Utah's Dixie
Location of St. George, Utah
Location of St. George, Utah
Coordinates: 37°5′43″N 113°34′41″W / 37.09528, -113.57806
Country United States
State Utah
County Washington
Settled 1861
Incorporated 1862
Government
 - Mayor Dan McArthur
 - City Manager Gary Esplin
Area
 - City 64.9 sq mi (168.0 km²)
 - Land 64.4 sq mi (162.2 km²)
 - Water 0.5 sq mi (1.2 km²)  0.72%
Elevation 2,860 ft (872 m)
Population (2007)
 - City 75,602
 - Density 1,016.5/sq mi (392.7/km²)
 - Metro 160,000+
Time zone Mountain (UTC-7)
 - Summer (DST) Mountain (UTC-6)
ZIP Code 84770, 84790
Area code(s) 435
FIPS code 49-65330[1]
GNIS feature ID 1455098[2]
Website: www.sgcity.org

St. George is a city located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Utah, and the county seat of Washington County, Utah.[3] It is the principal city of and is included in the St. George, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is 119 miles (192 km) northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, and 303 miles (488 km) south of Salt Lake City on Interstate 15.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, St. George had a population of 67,614 in 2006, up from 49,728 in 2000. In 2005, St. George surpassed Layton as the eighth-largest city in Utah. From 1990 to 2000, St. George beat Las Vegas by a mere 0.6% as the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the U.S. This trend has continued, with St. George being declared the second fastest-growing metropolitan area in the U.S. (behind Greeley, Colorado) in September 2005.September 2005 In 2007, the metropolitan area (defined as Washington County) had an estimated 140,908 residents.[1] The population of St. George and surrounding cities in 2050 is projected to be at more than 700,000 residents.[2]

St. George is the population and commercial center of Utah's Dixie, a nickname given to the area when Mormon pioneers grew cotton in the warm climate. St. George's trademark is its geology — red bluffs make up the northern part of the city with two peaks covered in lava rock in the city's center. The northeastern edges of the Mojave Desert are visible to the south. Zion National Park can be seen to the east, and the Pine Valley Mountains loom over the city to the north and northwest. The climate has more in common with the Desert Southwest than the rest of the state, with scorching hot summers and mild, mostly snowless winters. The city has recently developed into a major retirement destination.

Contents

[edit] History

Brigham Young's winter home in St. George
Brigham Young's winter home in St. George

St. George was founded as a cotton mission in 1861 under the direction of Brigham Young, the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons or LDS Church)— part of a greater church effort to become self-sufficient. While the early settlers did manage to grow cotton, it was never produced at competitive market rates; consequently, cotton farming was eventually abandoned.

At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, Brigham Young organized the settlement of what is now Washington County, Utah.

“Fearing that, the war would take away the cotton supply, he began plans for raising enough in this western country to supply the needs of his people. Enough favorable reports had come to him from this warm country below the rim of the [Great] Basin, that he was convinced cotton could be raised successfully here. At the general church conference in Salt Lake City on October 6th, [1861], about three hundred families were “called" to the Dixie mission to promote the cotton industry. Most of the people knew nothing of this expedition until their names were read from the pulpit; but in nearly every case, they responded with good will, and made ready to leave within the month’s time allotted to them. The families were selected so as to insure the communities the right number of farmers, masons, blacksmiths, businessmen, educators, carpenters, as needed.” [4]

The settlement was probably named after George A. Smith, an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[5]

In April 1877, the LDS Church completed the St. George Utah Temple. It is the Church's third temple, and, currently, its longest continually-operating temple.[6]

St. George was the location of the 1998 United States Academic Decathlon national finals.[citation needed]

The city began booming in the mid-1980s, first as a retirement hotspot and tourist gateway to Utah's color country.[citation needed]

[edit] Geography

St. George is located at 37°5′43″N, 113°34′41″W (37.095279, -113.578151)[7].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 64.9 square miles (168.0 km²), of which, 64.4 square miles (166.8 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.2 km²) of it (0.72%) is water.

St. George lies in the lowest elevation region of the state, Dixie, with most of the city lying below 3,000 feet (900 m). The city is surrounded by mountains and red sandstone buttes, and it lies at the very northeastern edge of the Mojave Desert. The Virgin River flows through the city. The Santa Clara River also flows on the east side of the city before merging with the Virgin River to the south. In early 2005, major flooding occurred within these two rivers. One person was killed and several houses were destroyed by the raging Santa Clara River.[citation needed]. [3]

The city borders Arizona, and is located between the towns of Santa Clara and Ivins to the west and Washington to the east. The core of the city, including its downtown, Dixie State College, convention center, and hospital, are located in a small valley overlooking the Virgin River and surrounded by low lava and sandstone bluffs. The city's southern section, Bloomington, is more typical of the Mojave Desert, with desert scrub and gravel dominating the landscape. The southeast part of the city contains some farming along the Virgin River, but like the west and northwest parts of the city has become increasingly dominated by suburban-style development.

[edit] Geology

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In Southern Utah, soil and rock formations are red in appearance due to the presence of iron oxide.[8] St. George straddles the line between the Colorado Plateau region to the east with its mesas, and the basin and range to the west with its broad landscapes and cactus forests. Other points of geologic interest include the Hurricane anaticline, the rock has erroded away in the center leaving shear walls surrounding the "Purgatory Flats" area to the east of St. George. Another geologic feature is the Pine Valley Mountain, composed of one solid piece of granite, it is one of the largest lacoliths in all the world.

[edit] Climate

Because of the city's low elevation and southerly location, St. George is the hottest part of the state, with maximum daily July temperatures averaging about 102°F (39°C). The second-hottest temperature ever recorded in Utah, 117°F (47°C), was recorded in St. George on July 5, 1985 (this was the state record until July 4, 2007, when 118°F (48°C) was recorded south of the city near the Arizona border). The record high minimum temperature (a.k.a. the record warm low temperature) is 89°F (32°C), set on July 15, 1970. In winter, temperatures frequently drop below freezing overnight (due to radiational cooling resulting from low humidity), but temperatures warm into the 50s°F (low 10s°C) during the day. Both the record low temperature of -11°F (-24°C) and record low maximum (a.k.a. cold high) temperature of 17°F (-8°C) were set on January 22, 1937.

St. George lies in a desert and averages 8.27 inches (210 mm) of precipitation annually. Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year, except for a dry period from late April through June (after the Pacific storm season but before the monsoon). Precipitation mostly comes from the Pacific Ocean from late fall through winter and early spring. The storm track usually lifts north of the city by mid-April. The summer monsoon from the Gulf of California can bring localized but often intense thunderstorms from mid-July through mid-September. One such storm dropped the record single day precipitation in the city, with 2.39 in (61 mm) on August 31, 1909. Snow is rare, but not unheard of, averaging 3.2 inches (8.1 cm) annually. It has been recorded as early as October 29 (in 1971) and as late as April 11 (in 1927). The record single day snowfall is 10.0 in (25.4 cm), set on January 5, 1974.
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Extreme Daily Maximum °F 72 84 91 100 108 115 117 113 109 99 88 75
Average Daily Maximum °F 54 60 68 77 86 96 102 100 93 80 65 54
Average Daily Minimum °F 26 31 36 43 51 59 67 65 55 43 32 26
Extreme Daily Minimum °F -11 1 12 18 20 35 41 43 25 20 4 -4
Data is for St. George Municipal


January February March April May June July August September October November December
Average Precipitation in 1.08 1.03 0.93 0.53 0.39 0.19 0.67 0.75 0.60 0.68 0.64 0.77
Average Snowfall in 1.3 0.6 0.1 T 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 T 0.2 0.9
Data is for St. George Municipal


[edit] Economy

The St. George Utah Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was completed in 1877.
The St. George Utah Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was completed in 1877.

Along with its increasing population, the economy of St. George and surrounding areas has boomed in recent years.

One of St. George's most significant corporations is SkyWest Airlines, which has its corporate headquarters in St. George. Wal-Mart has a large distribution center located near St. George. In 2003, Intermountain Health Care opened a new $100 million, 196 bed, 420,000 square foot hospital building.

A large part of the economy of southwestern Utah comes from tourism. St. George is in proximity to Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park, as well as several state parks and recreational areas. It is a little less than an hour drive from the Tony award winning Utah Shakespearean Festival. Golf also plays a large part in the city's tourism industry. St. George offers one of the highest number of golf courses per capita in the country. Special events such as the St. George Marathon and the Huntsman Senior Games draw thousands to St. George each year. The St. George Marathon is currently the 13th largest marathon in the country.

[edit] Transportation

St. George and its LDS Temple, with West Temple of Zion National Park in the distance.
St. George and its LDS Temple, with West Temple of Zion National Park in the distance.

The city is on the Interstate 15 corridor, 125 miles south of the western terminus of Interstate 70. It has access to the Interstate 10 and Interstate 40 corridors via U.S. Route 93, 120 miles southwest. Community growth has led to planning a new regional airport, as well as a beltway through the southeastern, eastern, and northeastern portions of the urban area.

St. George does not have access to any rail service. The Union Pacific line between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas is about 60 miles north of the city. Recently, an environmental impact statement (EIS) was completed in preparation for a new regional airport to be built just southeast of the city. The new airport will replace the current St. George Municipal Airport, which is of insufficient size and has no capacity for expansion or accommodation of larger aircraft. Plans for the new airport include a single runway capable of accommodating regional jets as well as other larger commercial jet aircraft. The city is expected to break ground on the proposed site in 2006 with completion of the airport expected in 2010.

SunTran is St. George's public transit system. As of 2005, the system consisted of three bus routes with about 60 bus stops.

[edit] Sports

The St. George community has been the home to two minor league independent baseball teams. The first, the St. George Pioneerzz (originally the Zion Pioneerzz), played in the Western Baseball League and folded after three seasons. A new franchise, owned and managed by former major leaguer Cory Snyder, was awarded to Utah's Dixie to begin play in the 2007 season. The new team, the St. George Roadrunners, plays in the Golden Baseball League.

All three of the city's high schools (Dixie, Pine View, and Snow Canyon) play in 4A state competition. A fourth school, Desert Hills High School, will begin play in 2008. Dixie State College participates in the NCAA Division II Pacific West Conference. Some famous DSC athletes are Corey Dillon, Anton Palepoi, Reno Mahe, and Scott Brumfield, who all played in the NFL. Marcus Banks, Lionel Hollins, Keon Clark, and Mo Baker are Dixie players who played in the NBA, and former Rebels Bradley Thompson and Brandon Lyon currently play in the major leagues. Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Bruce Hurst played at Dixie College.

The city also hosts nationally-known events, such as the St. George Marathon and Huntsman World Senior Games. It is also the location of the Vic Braden Tennis College, and it has numerous golf courses and tennis academies throughout the city.

[edit] Media

The Spectrum, which is owned by Gannett, is the local, daily newspaper. The Dixie Weekly News is mailed to every resident of Washington County. The Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret Morning News, and Las Vegas Review-Journal / Las Vegas Sun are also heavily distributed in St. George and offer home delivery.

St. George has little in the way of local television media. KCSG Channel 4, an America One affiliate, is based in the city and carries a local newscast. Most major network affiliates are Salt Lake City stations that have broadcast translators in the St. George area. There are also two translators for KVBC, the Las Vegas NBC affiliate. Its network programming, in general, airs two hours later than the same programming broadcast on the KSL translator.

KDXU 890 is the main news radio station in St. George. It carries local programming from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. KNPR, the National Public Radio affiliate from Las Vegas, has a translator near St. George, and features news reports from Southern Utah with some frequency. In July 2007, a sports station on 1210 AM began. McGary and Devin Dixon host local programs on that station. Music stations in the area include Sunny 106.1, B92.1, and B96.7.

[edit] Education

Dixie State College campus
Dixie State College campus

St. George is home to Dixie State College of Utah, a four-year institution. It is also home to three high schools, Dixie High School, Pine View High School, and Snow Canyon High School, as well as a number of elementary and intermediate schools. Due to the recent population explosion in St. George, several plans are being made for new schools to be constructed in the very near future, including a new high school, Desert Hills High. Nearby Ivins is home to Utah's first charter high school, Tuacahn High School for the Performing Arts, which provides an alternative education with no tuition costs to any Utah resident.

[edit] Demographics

A 2005 census estimated the city population at 64,201. The greater St. George area has a current estimated population of around 160,000. Rapid growth is a major problem; the city of St. George alone grows at an average pace of 750 to 1,000 new residents each month. Many of these new residents are retirees who move to the area because of the mild winters. In September 2005, St. George was declared the second fastest-growing metropolitan area in the United States.[9][10]

The land in and around St. George is naturally a vivid red and devoid of most plant life.
The land in and around St. George is naturally a vivid red and devoid of most plant life.

As of the 2000 census[1], there were 49,663 people, 17,367 households, and 13,042 families residing in the city. The population density was 771.2 people per square mile (297.7/km²). There were 21,083 housing units at an average density of 327.4/sq mi (126.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.27% White, 0.24% African-American, 1.64% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.59% Pacific Islander, 2.87% from other races, and 1.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.72% of the population.

There were 17,367 households out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.6% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years old or older. The average household size was 2.81 individuals and the average family size was 3.21.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 13.7% from 18 to 24, 22.0% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,505, and the median income for a family was $41,788. Males had a median income of $31,106 versus $20,861 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,022. About 7.4% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Nuclear contamination

On May 19, 1953, the United States government detonated the 32-kiloton (130 TJ) atomic bomb (nicknamed "Harry") at the Nevada Test Site. The bomb later gained the name "Dirty Harry" because of the tremendous amount of off-site fallout generated by the bomb.[11] Winds carried fallout 135 miles (220 km) to St. George, where residents reported "an oddly metallic sort of taste in the air."[12]

St. George received the brunt of the fallout of above-ground nuclear testing in the Yucca Flats/Nevada Test Site northwest of Las Vegas. Winds routinely carried the fallout of these tests directly through St. George and southern Utah. Marked increases in cancer and other radiation-related illnesses were recorded throughout the mid-1950s and early 1960s.

A 1962 United States Atomic Energy Commission report found that "children living in St. George, Utah may have received doses to the thyroid of radioiodine as high as 120 to 440 rads" (1.2 to 4.4 Gy).[13]

[edit] Notable residents

[edit] Notable natives

[edit] Notable businesses

[edit] Popular culture

Some movies that were filmed in St. George:

The post-apocalyptic TV show Jericho has depicted St. George or Cedar City as one of the cities destroyed in the nuclear attacks. An explanation as for why such a comparatively small city was destroyed in the attacks has yet to be given.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  3. ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  4. ^ Under Dixie Sun, 1950, Washington County Chapter, Daughters Utah Pioneers, pp 293-294. Printed by Garfield County News, Paguitch Utah.
  5. ^ Lynn Arave, "St. George likely named after an LDS apostle", Deseret Morning News, July 8, 2007.
  6. ^ LDSChurchTemples.com: St. George Utah Temple
  7. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  8. ^ The Geology of Snow Canyon State Park, United States Geological Survey, page 7
  9. ^ St. George growth 2nd fastest in U.S.. Deborah Bulkeley, Deseret Morning News.
  10. ^ Colorado’s Greeley, Florida’s Palm Coast, Fastest-Growing Metro and Micro Areas. U.S. Census Bureau News.
  11. ^ Meeting Dirty Harry in 1953. Chester McQueary, CommonDreams.org.
  12. ^ Chapter 3: Bringing the Bombs Home, "KILLING OUR OWN"
  13. ^ Pat Ortmeyer and Arjun Makhijani. "Let Them Drink Milk," The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, November/December 1997, via IEER. Accessed October 31, 2007.
  14. ^ George magazine article
  15. ^ Biography
  16. ^ Biography
  17. ^ property record
  18. ^ Biography NFL Players Association (NFLPlayers.com)
  19. ^ Biography

[edit] External links

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