Is Utah among your top choices for your relocation? While knowing that it’s the only U.S. state with a three-word capital (ha!) won’t probably help make up your mind, it’s good to know fascinating facts about your next potential hometown.
It’s Home to One of the Largest Raptors Ever Known to Exist
You’ve probably known before that Utah is home to the Little Hollywood or the city where top-grossing films and TV series, like The Lone Ranger, the original Planet of the Apes, and Arabian Nights, were filmed. But there’s more to the Beehive state than being portrayed as the Old West.
Utahraptor, one of the biggest raptors to ever exist, was discovered in (yes, you guessed it right) Utah. The raptor closely resembled the ones depicted in the 1993 Jurassic Park and was almost named after the movie director Steven Spielberg.
It’s Home to One of the Heaviest—and Oldest—Organisms on Earth
Being home to one of Earth’s most massive organisms is also one of Utah’s proudest moments. In the Fishlake National Forest, you’ll find Trembling Giant (also known as Pando), an enormous grove of individual male quaking aspens. Because the approximately 47,000 trees in that grove practically share a single root system, they’re considered as a single organism. Apart from being massive, it’s also been alive for more than 80,000 years, which also makes it one of the oldest organisms on the planet.
It’s Home to the Greatest Snow on Earth
There’s a reason why Utah’s license plates have the phrase “The Greatest Snow on Earth” on them. Because of its geography, its snow is unusually dry, although not unique. The drier and lighter the snow, the better deep-powder skiing experience. This is also why 14 Alpine ski resorts are operating in the state.
It’s Home to One of the Largest Artificial Pits on Earth
Nature has blessed Utah is so many ways, but it didn’t stop the Utahans from creating the biggest pit on the planet. A century ago, the Kennecott Copper Corp. began digging in the Bingham Canyon Mine, which is now approximately a quarter of a mile into the earth. Because it’s notably massive, astronauts can easily spot the pit when they pass over it while on space.
It’s Home to Largest and Highest Natural Bridge on Earth
Located in Lake Powell, the Rainbow Bridge is considered as one of the world's largest known natural bridges. It’s a picturesque sandstone bridge formation considered as sacred by the Navajo culture, the neighboring American Indian tribes, and tourists who visit it.
It’s Home to the First Transcontinental Railroad
In 1869, the very First Transcontinental Railroad in the U.S. was completed in Promontory, Utah. The railroad (formerly called the Pacific Railroad and was later dubbed as the Overland Route) runs 1,912-mile and so vast that it took the builders seven years to complete. It connects the existing eastern rail network in Iowa with the Pacific coast on San Francisco Bay.
It’s Home to the First-Ever KFC
Although the K in KFC stands for Kentucky, the American fast-food restaurant chain’s first-ever chicken was sold in Salt Lake City. Colonel Sanders was paying a visit to his friend in the city when he convinced his friend to put the chicken on his café’s menu. The chicken sold well in that café, and this inspired Sanders
Now that you’re aware of the fun facts, it’s time to get down to business. If you’re serious about moving to The Mormon State, study the mortgage refinance rate and have your loans preapproved as soon as you’re ready.
