St. George, Utah

Saint George, Utah St. George
City
Downtown St. George, with the Pine Valley Mountains in the background
Official logo of Saint George, Utah
Nickname:  Utah's Dixie
Location of St. George, Utah
Country	United States
State	Utah
County	Washington
Settled	1861
Incorporated	1862
Government
• Mayor	Dan McArthur
• City Manager	Gary Esplin
Area
• Total	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	2,880 ft (4,608 m)
Population  (2006)
• Total	67,614
• Density	1,016.5/sq mi (392.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC-7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (Mountain)
ZIP Code	84770, 84790
Area code	435
FIPS code	49-65330Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	1455098Template:GR
Website	http://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.Template:GR 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. Its population is 14,000 fewer than Ogden, the seventh-largest city in the state. In September 2005, St. George was declared the second fastest-growing metropolitan area in the United States by percentage, coming in behind Greeley, Colorado. From 1990 to 2000, St. George beat Las Vegas by a mere 0.6% as the fastest growing metropolitan area in the U.S. In 2005, the metropolitan area had 118,885 residents, with roughly another 60,000 living in the nearby communities of Cedar City, Utah and Mesquite, Nevada.

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 mountains are nearby to the north, southeast and west. It is also near Bryce Canyon National Park. The city is also a popular retirement destination.

History

Brigham Young's winter home in St. George.

St. George was founded as a cotton mission in the 1850s 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.

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

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.

St. George was the location of the 1998 United States Academic Decathlon national finals.

The city began booming in the mid-1980s, first as a retirement hotspot and tourist gateway to Utah's color country, and then as a transportation center.

St. George is home to Utah's first registered Bed & Breakfast--The Seven Wives Inn. The Seven Wives Inn still operates in the beautiful Historic District across from the Brigham Young Winter Home.

Geography

St. George is located at 37°5′43″N 113°34′41″W (37.095279, -113.578151)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 168.0 km² (64.9 mi²). 166.8 km² (64.4 mi²) of it is land and 1.2 km² (0.5 mi²) 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 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 has some farming near the Virgin River but is increasingly developed by homes. Suburban-style developments also dominate the west and northwest parts of St. George.

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 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 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

Economy

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 Utah Shakespearian Festival, which won the Tony in 2000. 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.

Transportation

File:St geo zion.JPG

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

The city is on the I-15 corridor, 125 miles south of the western terminus of I-70. It has access to the I-10 and I-40 corridors via US 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, freight or passenger. 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 sixty bus stops.

Sports

The St. George community has been the home for two minor league independent baseball team. The first, the Zion Pioneerzz, folded after three seasons. In 2007, a new franchise, owned and managed by former major leaguer Cory Snyder, moved to Utah's Dixie. The new team, the St. George Roadrunners, plays in the Golden Baseball League.

Most of the interests in sports in the community centers on the city's three high schools: Dixie, Pine View and Snow Canyon. All three schools were considered powerhouses in Utah's 3A competition. The rivals have had some memorable showdowns in state championship games over the years. In 1997, Snow Canyon and Dixie played in the 3A state championship game at a packed Hansen Stadium. Snow Canyon emerged with a 21-14 win. In 2002, Snow Canyon and Pine View played in the state boys' basketball championship at Burns Arena, which S.C. won. And, in 2007, Dixie and Pine View met in the state boys' basketball championship game, again at Burns Arena. Pine View narrowly downed the Flyers, 41-38. A fourth school, the Desert Hills High School Thunder, will begin competition in 2008.

Dixie State College was one of the top junior college athletic programs. The school won national men's basketball titles in 1985 and 2002. The women's soccer team won two NJCAA titles as well, and the baseball team also won the juco World Series one year. The football team was year in and year out one of the top NJCAA programs in the nation under head coach Greg Croshaw, who won over 200 games at the school. The Rotary Bowl, which is held at St. George's Hansen Stadium, twice hosted the NJCAA Championship Game in 1999 and 2003. In both games, Dixie fell to Butler County, Kansas.

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 the Dixie players who played in the NBA, and former Rebels Bradley Thompson and Brandon Lyon currently play in the major leagues.

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.

Media

The Spectrum, which is owned by Gannett, is the local, daily newspaper. The Dixie Weekly News, a weekly paper, 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 radio station in St. George. It carries local programming in the morning, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Most notably, is the 9 a.m. Open Mike Program, hosted by Mike McGarry, which has a large audience. Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity are also on the station's lineup. In July 2007, a new sports station on 1210 AM began. McGarry and Devin Dixon host local programs on that station. Music stations in the area include 106.1, 94.9 and 96.7.

Education

St. George is home to Dixie State College of Utah, a four-year institution. It is also home to three high schools, Pine View High School, Dixie 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.

Demographics

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

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 49,663 people, 17,367 households, and 13,042 families residing in the city. The population density was 297.7/km² (771.2/mi²). There were 21,083 housing units at an average density of 126.4/km² (327.4/mi²).

The city is growing fast. A 2005 census estimated the city population at 64,201. Furthermore, the greater St. George area has a current estimated population of around 115,000. 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 here because of the mild winters. In September 2005, St. George was declared the second fastest-growing metropolitan area in the United States.

The racial makeup of the city was 92.27% White, 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. St. George had just 120 African Americans in the 2000 Census.

There are 17,367 households, out of which 34.2% have 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.

The city resident's ages are 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.

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. Winds carried fallout 135 miles (220 km) to St. George, where residents reported "an oddly metallic sort of taste in the air."

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-1950's and early 1960's.

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).

Notable residents

• Juanita Brooks, Nevada-born Mormon writer, editor and historian, lived in St. George for most of her life.
• Julius Erving, former NBA star, announced on November 24 2006 that he had moved to St. George.
• Asia Carrera, former porn star.
• Jeffrey R. Holland — LDS religious leader.
• Bruce Hurst — Former Major League Baseball pitcher.
• Doug Jolley — NFL tight end.
• Tracy Hickman — noted fantasy author.

Notable natives

• John "Cat" Thompson (1906-1990), basketball player, member of the Basketball Hall of Fame

Popular culture

Some movies that were filmed in St. George:

• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
• High School Musical 2

External links

• Official web site of the City of St. George, Utah
• Spectrum Newspaper Local Newspaper
• St. George Magazine Local Magazine
• St. George Business Directory Business Information & Communication Resource
• Template:Wikitravel