1. Because of the major Mormon culture in Utah, the people curse just a little bit differently. There’s “fracking,” “fricking,” “shut the front door,” and a whole lot of “heck” happening.
2. Lime-green Jell-O is super popular in Utah, and I don’t just mean for dessert. The people shred carrots and mix them in—it’s actually a staple dish.
3. Some of the most, ah, original baby names can be found in Utah: Tylee, McKarty,Nayvie, Maylee, and Laykyn, just to name a few.
4. Once you order a drink at a bar in Utah, your driver’s license will be scanned, sent, and kept on file at the local police department to review for the next three days. They mean business.
5. The act of gambling is prohibited by Utah’s government, but you can still place your bets at the three operational casinos in the state. Makes no sense, does it?
6. Utah was way ahead of the suffrage game back in the day. The state granted women the right to vote back in 1870, 50 years before Congress ratified the 13th Amendment.
7. There are steakhouses, and then there are stake houses. Both exist in Utah, but the latter refers to a kind of meeting place for Mormons.
8. Fry sauce? Just ketchup and mayonnaise. That’s it.
9. You might have to look twice at this Utah eatery: Dairy Keen. No, it's not a typo, but it's possible that it’s a play on words to poke fun at the other place everyone knows about.
10. Utah might be the only state where a boxing match was held at the bottom of a lake. Utah Lake dried up completely back in 1935, allowing for two pugilists, Andy Anderson and Dave Williamson, to duke it out back in 1935. No one knows who won the bout.
11. The infamous classic film “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” is true to the real story—at least, it was filmed in Utah where the real Butch Cassidy was actually born.
12. People love reading books in Utah. It’s official. Statistically the state has the highest literacy rate in the country.
13. Thank Beaver, Utah for your favorite TV shows. Television inventor Philo T. Farnsworth was born there.
14. Everyone thinks Texas embodies the wild, wild West. Not so. Looking at cinematic history, more western films have been shot in Kane County alone due to the classic, wide open space and rocky terrain, reminiscent of what the true wild West may have looked like in the past.
15. The snow in the state really is the best on Earth. It’s been scientifically verified to have the perfect combination of powder and salt. No wonder skiing is so ridiculously popular.
16. Peaches aren’t just popular in Georgia. Visit the Pettingill Fruit Farm in Utah, and you just might see those Georgians getting some competition.
17. Many might think Michigan’s Mackinac Island holds the monopoly on saltwater taffy, but you haven’t tasted the best in the world until you’ve visited Salt Lake City’s Taffy Town Taffy, with more than 70 flavors to choose from. It shouldn’t be a surprise given the state’s abundant saltwater supply.
18. Utah and Arizona share a body of water, Lake Powell.
19. There’s a Utah law prohibiting the detonation of any nuclear weapon in the state.
20. There is a correct way to pronounce the town names “Tooele” and “Juab.” You must only ask any Utah resident. You’ll be surprised at the “alien planet” known as Utah once you know.
21. Many parts of Utah have indirectly outlawed caffeine (due to Mormon tradition, apparently). So if you’re dying for some Starbucks, you might actually not make it.
22. They really respect the Sabbath in Utah County—most stores will be closed. Make sure you get your groceries and other necessities on Saturday.
23. Nearly all of the land in Utah is actually owned by the federal government. Scary, right?
24. The Kennecott Bingham Canyon Copper Mine is the deepest open-pit mine in the world, nearly a mile deep and 2.5 miles wide. It takes a truck two hours to drive from the bottom of the mine to the top. You can see it from space.
25. Utah is home to one of the most deserted stretches of highway in the entire country: Interstate 70. It starts at Grand Junction, Colorado and ends over at Interstate 15 near Cove Fort.
26. 2.6 billion gallons of water evaporate every single day from the Great Salt Lake, so it never gets to be more than 33 feet deep. The lake, though, is actually larger than even the state of Delaware.
27. Salt Lake City was once named Great Salt Lake City until the state dropped the extra word back in 1868. No one really knows why.
28. The city of Levan is named for a specific reason: it’s navel spelled backwards. That would explain why the city’s right in the middle of the state.
29. The concept of the department store actually began in Utah. Remember that as you conveniently shop for your groceries, clothes, toys, and electronics all in the same building.
30. Rainbow Bridge is the world’s largest natural-rock span, carved out of solid sandstone. It stands at an alarming 309 feet tall and 278 feet wide.
31. You won’t find taller mountains (on average) than in Utah. Each of the state’s counties has the tallest peaks on average of any state—11,222 feet higher.
32. Utah is the only state in the U.S. with a capital made up of three words: Salt Lake City.
33. The Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry has more than 30 complete skeletons, over 1,000 individual bones, and even some intact dinosaur eggs. Please don’t try to hatch any of them.
34. The Utah state government apparently wanted to stand out from the rest when picking their state symbol and nickname. The beehive presumably stands for industrial progress and thrift.
35. Utah Lake and Provo River are the only home for the endangered June sucker fish. No big deal, right? Get this: The species has a lifespan of more than 40 years.
Feature Image Source: Flickr user dennis crowley
What’s your favorite fun Utah fact? Tell us in the comments below!
