Did You Know?

Along with economic benefits, there are also costs associated with outdoor recreation and tourism - local communities may be overwhelmed by visitors, natural resources may be negatively impacted from crowding and overuse in popular areas, conflicts may occur between visitors and traditional users of public lands, and even visiting recreationists may not be compatible when participating in different outdoor activities. Increased outdoor recreational use from tourism may bring other unwanted social, economic, and environmental changes. A challenge in sustainable tourism development is to maximize benefits while minimizing costs, and developing planning and management approaches that are socially acceptable, economically viable, and environmentally benign or even beneficial.

Recognizing these potential benefits and costs, and challenges, the Utah Legislature approved continuing funding in 1998 for Utah State University's College of Natural Resources and Cooperative Extension to support the Institute for Outdoor Recreation and Tourism (IORT).

IORT's purpose is threefold:

to implement a program of research focused on the social, economic, and environmental benefits and costs of outdoor recreation and tourism;
to provide a program of outreach through Cooperative Extension to assist government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and individuals in the private sector with outdoor recreation and tourism-related issues; and
to offer opportunities for education and training in outdoor recreation and tourism management to undergraduates, graduate students, and professionals.

Utah Tourism & Recreation Facts:

From the Utah Travel Center web site:

Population (2006 est.)

Utah (entire State) 2,550,063
Salt Lake County 978,701
Utah County 464,760
Davis County 276,259
Weber County 213,247
Washington County 126,312
Iron County 40,544
Median Age (2000) 26.7 years (Ranked youngest in the nation)
Birth Rate (2000) 21.7 births/1,000 population (Ranked highest in the nation)
Death Rate (2000) 7.9 deaths/1,000 population (Ranked 2nd lowest in the nation)
Household Size (2000) 3.13 persons/household (Ranked largest in US)
Utahns rank number three in the longest lifetime category at 77.7 years.
Percent of Population Living in Salt Lake, Davis, Utah & Weber Counties (2000) 75.8%
Utah has the highest literacy rate in the nation. Ninety-four percent of residents age 20 and over can read, and write and 89.3 percent have graduated from high school.

State Capital - Salt Lake City

Statehood Day - January 4, 1896 (45th state)

The name "Utah" comes from the Native American "Ute" tribe and means people of the mountains.

Highest Point: Kings Peak 13,528 ft (Uinta Mountains, Duchesne Co. - NE part of state)

Lowest Point: Beaver Dam Wash 2,350 ft. (Near St. George, Washington Co. SW part of state).

Utah is 84,900 square miles and ranked 11th largest state in the U.S.

Utah peaks, on average, are the tallest in the country. The average elevation of the tallest peaks in each of Utah's counties is 11,222 ft.-higher than the same average in any other state.