History UsefulNotes / Utah

Utah's Website/{{Facebook}} relationship status with [[UsefulNotes/TheSeveralStates the other 49 states]] would be "It's complicated." The state's history is heavily intertwined with that of [[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], popularly known as Mormons. It was founded as a CultColony (in the most literal sense of the word) in 1847 by Mormons fleeing religious persecution in New York, then Ohio, then Missouri (after [[KillEmAll the governor issued an extermination order]]), then finally Illinois where Church founder Joseph Smith, Jr. was assassinated. His eventual successor, Brigham Young, acting on a notion Smith had entertained of [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere emigrating from the United States altogether]], led the largest faction of Mormons [[SettlingTheFrontier out into the wilderness]] in a modern-day Exodus. Utah was Mexican territory [[UsefulNotes/MexicanAmericanWar at the time]], and was known mostly for being an inhospitable desert where even the water could kill you by being four times saltier than the ocean -- a place most wagon trains avoided or passed through as quickly as possible on their way to richer, more fertile lands in UsefulNotes/{{California}} and [[TheOtherRainforest Oregon]]. A place nobody wanted, and hundreds of miles from any place anyone would want.

Since then, Utah has been a quiet place, although steadily growing and diversifying. Mormons have concentrated on both expanding their membership and emphasizing their "normalness" to outsiders, and Salt Lake City has long attracted non-Mormons with its relatively low crime, diverse economy, and low cost of living. In terms of demographics, SLC has large Hispanic and Polynesian communities, and a larger GLBT population than you might think, but then again it's the largest city in hundreds of miles; a queer Utahn or Idahoan is will almost certainly find their way here. It has one major league sports team—two [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg if you count]] [[UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball soccer]]. The undisputed major-league team is the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]]'s Utah Jazz, which moved to SLC from UsefulNotes/NewOrleans in 1979 [[note]]NBA teams traditionally keep their names when they move, even if it becomes [[ArtifactTitle hilariously inappropriate]] in their new home.[[/note]]. As for soccer, Real Salt Lake[[note]]named for Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid[[/note]] began playing in UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueSoccer in 2005, and shockingly won the MLS Cup in 2009, despite finishing the regular season under .500 and going up against David Beckham's LA Galaxy in the final. There was also quite a party for [[UsefulNotes/OlympicGames the 2002 Winter Olympics]], but local liquor laws make partying a bit more restrained.

Eventually, the federal government issued an ultimatum to the Mormons: discontinue polygamy or face disenfranchisement of the church and seizure of all its property. Wilford Woodruff, the president and prophet of the Church at the time, issued the 1890 Manifesto discontinuing polygamy and excommunicating any Mormon who practiced it after the Manifesto was issued. Some members disagreed with the new doctrine and struck out to remote settlements where they continue to practice forms of polygamy with varying degrees of legality, ranging from men with a single legal wife and one or more consenting adult "spirit wives" (mere cohabitors in law) to dangerous and malevolent abusers of under-aged girls. To this day, Utah has one of the strongest anti-bigamy statutes in the nation, to the point where some legal scholars have questioned its constitutionality (the statute technically forbids even presenting oneself as being married to multiple spouses, regardless of whether one has a marriage license with them) in light of the [[AmericanCourts Supreme Court]]'s recent Due Process jurisprudence, particularly ''Lawrence v. Texas'' (2005), which forbade states from banning "sodomy" or generally interfering with the sex lives of consenting adults; the latter issue is the concern.

Since then, Utah has been a quiet place, although steadily growing and diversifying. Mormons have concentrated on both expanding their membership and emphasizing their "normalness" to outsiders, and Salt Lake City has long attracted non-Mormons with its relatively low crime and diverse economy. It has one major league sports team—two [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg if you count]] [[UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball soccer]]. The undisputed major-league team is the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]]'s Utah Jazz, which moved to SLC from UsefulNotes/NewOrleans in 1979 [[note]]NBA teams traditionally keep their names when they move, even if it becomes [[ArtifactTitle hilariously inappropriate]] in their new home.[[/note]]. As for soccer, Real Salt Lake[[note]]named for Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid[[/note]] began playing in UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueSoccer in 2005, and shockingly won the MLS Cup in 2009, despite finishing the regular season under .500 and going up against David Beckham's LA Galaxy in the final. There was also quite a party for [[UsefulNotes/OlympicGames the 2002 Winter Olympics]], but local liquor laws make partying a bit more restrained. Outdoor enthusiasts have discovered Utah's vast array of natural wonders, ranging from Monument Valley ([[CaliforniaDoubling You've seen it.]] [[TheWestern Trust us, you have]]) to flatter-than-flat [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment salt flats]] to world-class ski resorts. Every so often NASA shows up for Mars training or to watch a spaceprobe fall out of the sky, and Hollywood makes use of the state to shoot Westerns and sci-fi flicks. Recently, the state is trying to position itself as a new Silicon Valley of sorts, as an alternative to Southern San Francisco; its prime offerings are more reasonable taxes and living costs, technical excellence instead of political correctness[[note]]though Mormons are nothing if not friendly and respectful[[/note]] and fostering of family life. Many tech companies are setting shop especially in Provo, and the arrival of {{Website/Google}} Fiber only sweetens the deal.

As far as works are concerned, Utah has a highly active MormonCinema with culturally esoteric references and humor. Often parodied is the quirkiness and stiffness of its traditional culture, heavily tied to its [[VictorianBritain Victorian English]] history.[[note]]Utah has more English ancestry than other state in the United States. Some of the ancestors were 19th century {{New England}}ers and [[UsefulNotes/NewYorkState New Yorkers]] like the families of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, but most were actually off-the-boat immigrants who had already become Mormons in England; for instance, MittRomney's patrilineal ancestor Miles Romney was a carpenter and Mormon leader from [[OopNorth Lancashire]] before emigrating to America in 1837. An additional influx of already-Mormon immigrants from Scandinavia and Germany largely assimilated into the culture.[[/note]]

Since then, Utah has been a quiet place, although steadily growing and diversifying. Mormons have concentrated on both expanding their membership and emphasizing their "normalness" to outsiders, and Salt Lake City has long attracted non-Mormons with its relatively low crime and diverse economy. It has one major league sports team—two [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg if you count]] [[TheBeautifulGame soccer]]. The undisputed major-league team is the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]]'s Utah Jazz, which moved to SLC from UsefulNotes/NewOrleans in 1979 [[note]]NBA teams traditionally keep their names when they move, even if it becomes [[ArtifactTitle hilariously inappropriate]] in their new home.[[/note]]. As for soccer, Real Salt Lake[[note]]named for Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid[[/note]] began playing in UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueSoccer in 2005, and shockingly won the MLS Cup in 2009, despite finishing the regular season under .500 and going up against David Beckham's LA Galaxy in the final. There was also quite a party for [[UsefulNotes/OlympicGames the 2002 Winter Olympics]], but local liquor laws make partying a bit more restrained. Outdoor enthusiasts have discovered Utah's vast array of natural wonders, ranging from Monument Valley ([[CaliforniaDoubling You've seen it.]] [[TheWestern Trust us, you have]]) to flatter-than-flat [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment salt flats]] to world-class ski resorts. Every so often NASA shows up for Mars training or to watch a spaceprobe fall out of the sky, and Hollywood makes use of the state to shoot Westerns and sci-fi flicks. Recently, the state is trying to position itself as a new Silicon Valley of sorts, as an alternative to Southern San Francisco; its prime offerings are more reasonable taxes and living costs, technical excellence instead of political correctness[[note]]though Mormons are nothing if not friendly and respectful[[/note]] and fostering of family life. Many tech companies are setting shop especially in Provo, and the arrival of {{Website/Google}} Fiber only sweetens the deal.

Utah's Website/{{Facebook}} relationship status with [[UsefulNotes/TheSeveralStates the other 49 states]] would be "It's complicated." The state's history is heavily intertwined with that of the [[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints]], popularly known as Mormons. It was founded as a CultColony (in the most literal sense of the word) in 1847 by Mormons fleeing religious persecution in New York, then Ohio, then Missouri (after [[KillEmAll the governor issued an extermination order]]), then finally Illinois where Church founder Joseph Smith, Jr. was assassinated. His eventual successor, Brigham Young, acting on a notion Smith had entertained of [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere emigrating from the United States altogether]], led the largest faction of Mormons [[SettlingTheFrontier out into the wilderness]] in a modern-day Exodus. Utah was Mexican territory [[UsefulNotes/MexicanAmericanWar at the time]], and was known mostly for being an inhospitable desert where even the water could kill you by being four times saltier than the ocean -- a place most wagon trains avoided or passed through as quickly as possible on their way to richer, more fertile lands in UsefulNotes/{{California}} and [[TheOtherRainforest Oregon]]. A place nobody wanted, and hundreds of miles from any place anyone would want.

Since then, Utah has been a quiet place, although steadily growing and diversifying. Mormons have concentrated on both expanding their membership and emphasizing their "normalness" to outsiders, and Salt Lake City has long attracted non-Mormons with its relatively low crime and diverse economy. It has one major league sports team—two [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg if you count]] [[TheBeautifulGame soccer]]. The undisputed major-league team is the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]]'s Utah Jazz, which moved to SLC from UsefulNotes/NewOrleans in 1979 [[note]]NBA teams traditionally keep their names when they move, even if it becomes [[ArtifactTitle hilariously inappropriate]] in their new home.[[/note]]. As for soccer, Real Salt Lake[[note]]named for Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid[[/note]] began playing in UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueSoccer in 2005, and shockingly won the MLS Cup in 2009, despite finishing the regular season under .500 and going up against David Beckham's LA Galaxy in the final. There was also quite a party for [[UsefulNotes/OlympicGames the 2002 Winter Olympics]], but local liquor laws make partying a bit more restrained. Outdoor enthusiasts have discovered Utah's vast array of natural wonders, ranging from Monument Valley ([[CaliforniaDoubling You've seen it.]] [[TheWestern Trust us, you have]]) to flatter-than-flat [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment salt flats]] to world-class ski resorts. Every so often NASA shows up for Mars training or to watch a spaceprobe fall out of the sky, and Hollywood makes use of the state to shoot Westerns and sci-fi flicks. Recently, the state is trying to position itself as a new Silicon Valley of sorts, as an alternative to Southern San Francisco; its prime offerings are more reasonable taxes and living costs, less focus on political correctness and fostering of family life. Many tech companies are setting shop especially in Provo, and the arrival of {{Website/Google}} Fiber only sweetens the deal.

Since then, Utah has been a quiet place, although steadily growing and diversifying. Mormons have concentrated on both expanding their membership and emphasizing their "normalness" to outsiders, and Salt Lake City has long attracted non-Mormons with its relatively low crime and diverse economy. It has one major league sports team—two [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg if you count]] [[TheBeautifulGame soccer]]. The undisputed major-league team is the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]]'s Utah Jazz, which moved to SLC from UsefulNotes/NewOrleans in 1979 [[note]]NBA teams traditionally keep their names when they move, even if it becomes [[ArtifactTitle hilariously inappropriate]] in their new home.[[/note]]. As for soccer, Real Salt Lake[[note]]named for Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid[[/note]] began playing in UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueSoccer in 2005, and shockingly won the MLS Cup in 2009, despite finishing the regular season under .500 and going up against David Beckham's LA Galaxy in the final. There was also quite a party for [[UsefulNotes/OlympicGames the 2002 Winter Olympics]], but local liquor laws make partying a bit more restrained. Outdoor enthusiasts have discovered Utah's vast array of natural wonders, ranging from Monument Valley ([[CaliforniaDoubling You've seen it.]] [[TheWestern Trust us, you have]]) to flatter-than-flat [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment salt flats]] to world-class ski resorts. Every so often NASA shows up for Mars training or to watch a spaceprobe fall out of the sky, and Hollywood makes use of the state to shoot Westerns and sci-fi flicks. Recently, the state is trying to position itself as a new Silicon Valley of sorts, as an alternative to Southern San Francisco; its prime offerings are more reasonable taxes and living costs, less focus on political correctness and fostering of family life. Many tech companies are setting shop especially in Provo, and the arrival of Website/Google Fiber only sweetens the deal.

Since then, Utah has been a quiet place, although steadily growing and diversifying. Mormons have concentrated on both expanding their membership and emphasizing their "normalness" to outsiders, and Salt Lake City has long attracted non-Mormons with its relatively low crime and diverse economy. It has one major league sports team—two [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg if you count]] [[TheBeautifulGame soccer]]. The undisputed major-league team is the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]]'s Utah Jazz, which moved to SLC from UsefulNotes/NewOrleans in 1979 [[note]]NBA teams traditionally keep their names when they move, even if it becomes [[ArtifactTitle hilariously inappropriate]] in their new home.[[/note]]. As for soccer, Real Salt Lake[[note]]named for Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid[[/note]] began playing in UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueSoccer in 2005, and shockingly won the MLS Cup in 2009, despite finishing the regular season under .500 and going up against David Beckham's LA Galaxy in the final. There was also quite a party for [[UsefulNotes/OlympicGames the 2002 Winter Olympics]], but local liquor laws make partying a bit more restrained. Outdoor enthusiasts have discovered Utah's vast array of natural wonders, ranging from Monument Valley ([[CaliforniaDoubling You've seen it.]] [[TheWestern Trust us, you have]]) to flatter-than-flat [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment salt flats]] to world-class ski resorts. Every so often NASA shows up for Mars training or to watch a spaceprobe fall out of the sky, and Hollywood makes use of the state to shoot Westerns and sci-fi flicks. Recently, the state is trying to position itself as a new Silicon Valley of sorts, as an alternative to Southern San Francisco; its prime offerings are more reasonable taxes and living costs, less focus on political correctness and fostering of family life. Many tech companies are setting shop especially in Provo, and the arrival of [[Google]]Google Fiber only sweetens the deal.

Since then, Utah has been a quiet place, although steadily growing and diversifying. Mormons have concentrated on both expanding their membership and emphasizing their "normalness" to outsiders, and Salt Lake City has long attracted non-Mormons with its relatively low crime and diverse economy. It has one major league sports team—two [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg if you count]] [[TheBeautifulGame soccer]]. The undisputed major-league team is the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]]'s Utah Jazz, which moved to SLC from UsefulNotes/NewOrleans in 1979 [[note]]NBA teams traditionally keep their names when they move, even if it becomes [[ArtifactTitle hilariously inappropriate]] in their new home.[[/note]]. As for soccer, Real Salt Lake[[note]]named for Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid[[/note]] began playing in UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueSoccer in 2005, and shockingly won the MLS Cup in 2009, despite finishing the regular season under .500 and going up against David Beckham's LA Galaxy in the final. There was also quite a party for [[UsefulNotes/OlympicGames the 2002 Winter Olympics]], but local liquor laws make partying a bit more restrained. Outdoor enthusiasts have discovered Utah's vast array of natural wonders, ranging from Monument Valley ([[CaliforniaDoubling You've seen it.]] [[TheWestern Trust us, you have]]) to flatter-than-flat [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment salt flats]] to world-class ski resorts. Every so often NASA shows up for Mars training or to watch a spaceprobe fall out of the sky, and Hollywood makes use of the state to shoot Westerns and sci-fi flicks.

Since then, Utah has been a quiet place, although steadily growing and diversifying. Mormons have concentrated on both expanding their membership and emphasizing their "normalness" to outsiders, and Salt Lake City has long attracted non-Mormons with its relatively low crime and diverse economy. It has one major league sports team—two [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg if you count]] [[TheBeautifulGame soccer]]. The undisputed major-league team is the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]]'s Utah Jazz, which moved to SLC from UsefulNotes/NewOrleans in 1979 [[note]]NBA teams traditionally keep their names when they move, even if it becomes [[ArtifactTitle hilariously inappropriate]] in their new home.[[/note]]. As for soccer, Real Salt Lake[[note]]named for Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid[[/note]] began playing in UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueSoccer in 2005, and shockingly won the MLS Cup in 2009, despite finishing the regular season under .500 and going up against David Beckham's LA Galaxy in the final. There was also quite a party for [[OlympicGames the 2002 Winter Olympics]], but local liquor laws make partying a bit more restrained. Outdoor enthusiasts have discovered Utah's vast array of natural wonders, ranging from Monument Valley ([[CaliforniaDoubling You've seen it.]] [[TheWestern Trust us, you have]]) to flatter-than-flat [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment salt flats]] to world-class ski resorts. Every so often NASA shows up for Mars training or to watch a spaceprobe fall out of the sky, and Hollywood makes use of the state to shoot Westerns and sci-fi flicks.

Since then, Utah has been a quiet place, although steadily growing and diversifying. Mormons have concentrated on both expanding their membership and emphasizing their "normalness" to outsiders, and Salt Lake City has long attracted non-Mormons with its relatively low crime and diverse economy. It has one major league sports team—two [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg if you count]] [[TheBeautifulGame soccer]]. The undisputed major-league team is the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]]'s Utah Jazz, which moved to SLC from UsefulNotes/NewOrleans in 1979 [[note]]NBA teams traditionally keep their names when they move, even if it becomes [[ArtifactTitle hilariously inappropriate]] in their new home.[[/note]]. As for soccer, Real Salt Lake[[note]]named for Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid[[/note]] began playing in UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueSoccer in 2005. There was also quite a party for [[OlympicGames the 2002 Winter Olympics]], but local liquor laws make partying a bit more restrained. Outdoor enthusiasts have discovered Utah's vast array of natural wonders, ranging from Monument Valley ([[CaliforniaDoubling You've seen it.]] [[TheWestern Trust us, you have]]) to flatter-than-flat [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment salt flats]] to world-class ski resorts. Every so often NASA shows up for Mars training or to watch a spaceprobe fall out of the sky, and Hollywood makes use of the state to shoot Westerns and sci-fi flicks.

Utah's Website/{{Facebook}} relationship status with [[UsefulNotes/TheSeveralStates the other 49 states]] would be "It's complicated." The state's history is heavily intertwined with that of the [[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints]] (popularly known as Mormons). It was founded as a CultColony (in the most literal sense of the word) in 1847 by Mormons fleeing religious persecution in New York, then Ohio, then Missouri (after [[KillEmAll the governor issued an extermination order]]), then finally Illinois where Church founder Joseph Smith, Jr. was assassinated. His eventual successor, Brigham Young, acting on a notion Smith had entertained of [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere emigrating from the United States altogether]], led the largest faction of Mormons [[SettlingTheFrontier out into the wilderness]] in a modern-day Exodus. Utah was Mexican territory [[UsefulNotes/MexicanAmericanWar at the time]], and was known mostly for being an inhospitable desert where even the water could kill you by being four times saltier than the ocean -- a place most wagon trains avoided or passed through as quickly as possible on their way to richer, more fertile lands in UsefulNotes/{{California}} and [[TheOtherRainforest Oregon]]. A place nobody wanted, and hundreds of miles from any place anyone would want.

Utah's Website/{{Facebook}} relationship status with [[TheSeveralStates the other 49 states]] would be "It's complicated." The state's history is heavily intertwined with that of the [[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints]] (popularly known as Mormons). It was founded as a CultColony (in the most literal sense of the word) in 1847 by Mormons fleeing religious persecution in New York, then Ohio, then Missouri (after [[KillEmAll the governor issued an extermination order]]), then finally Illinois where Church founder Joseph Smith, Jr. was assassinated. His eventual successor, Brigham Young, acting on a notion Smith had entertained of [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere emigrating from the United States altogether]], led the largest faction of Mormons [[SettlingTheFrontier out into the wilderness]] in a modern-day Exodus. Utah was Mexican territory [[UsefulNotes/MexicanAmericanWar at the time]], and was known mostly for being an inhospitable desert where even the water could kill you by being four times saltier than the ocean -- a place most wagon trains avoided or passed through as quickly as possible on their way to richer, more fertile lands in UsefulNotes/{{California}} and [[TheOtherRainforest Oregon]]. A place nobody wanted, and hundreds of miles from any place anyone would want.

Since then, Utah has been a quiet place, although steadily growing and diversifying. Mormons have concentrated on both expanding their membership and emphasizing their "normalness" to outsiders, and Salt Lake City has long attracted non-Mormons with its relatively low crime and diverse economy. It has one major league sports team—two [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg if you count]] [[TheBeautifulGame soccer]]. The undisputed major-league team is the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]]'s Utah Jazz, which moved to SLC from UsefulNotes/NewOrleans in 1979 [[note]]NBA teams traditionally keep their names when they move, even if it becomes [[ArtifactTitle hilariously inappropriate]] in their new home.[[/note]]. As for soccer, Real Salt Lake[[note]]named for Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid[[/note]] began playing in MajorLeagueSoccer in 2005. There was also quite a party for [[OlympicGames the 2002 Winter Olympics]], but local liquor laws make partying a bit more restrained. Outdoor enthusiasts have discovered Utah's vast array of natural wonders, ranging from Monument Valley ([[CaliforniaDoubling You've seen it.]] [[TheWestern Trust us, you have]]) to flatter-than-flat [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment salt flats]] to world-class ski resorts. Every so often NASA shows up for Mars training or to watch a spaceprobe fall out of the sky, and Hollywood makes use of the state to shoot Westerns and sci-fi flicks.

Utah's Website/{{Facebook}} relationship status with [[TheSeveralStates the other 49 states]] would be "It's complicated." The state's history is heavily intertwined with that of the [[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints]] (popularly known as Mormons). It was founded as a CultColony (in the most literal sense of the word) in 1847 by Mormons fleeing religious persecution in New York, then Ohio, then Missouri (after [[KillEmAll the governor issued an extermination order]]), then finally Illinois where Church founder Joseph Smith, Jr. was assassinated. His eventual successor, Brigham Young, acting on a notion Smith had entertained of [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere emigrating from the United States altogether]], led the largest faction of Mormons [[SettlingTheFrontier out into the wilderness]] in a modern-day Exodus. Utah was Mexican territory [[{{Mexican-American War}} at the time]], and was known mostly for being an inhospitable desert where even the water could kill you by being four times saltier than the ocean -- a place most wagon trains avoided or passed through as quickly as possible on their way to richer, more fertile lands in UsefulNotes/{{California}} and [[TheOtherRainforest Oregon]]. A place nobody wanted, and hundreds of miles from any place anyone would want.

Utah's Website/{{Facebook}} relationship status with [[TheSeveralStates the other 49 states]] would be "It's complicated." The state's history is heavily intertwined with that of the [[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints]] (popularly known as Mormons). It was founded as a literal CultColony (in the most academic sense of the word) in 1847 by Mormons fleeing religious persecution in New York, then Ohio, then Missouri (after [[KillEmAll the governor issued an extermination order]]), then finally Illinois where Church founder Joseph Smith, Jr. was assassinated. His eventual successor, Brigham Young, acting on a notion Smith had entertained of [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere emigrating from the United States altogether]], led the largest faction of Mormons [[SettlingTheFrontier out into the wilderness]] in a modern-day Exodus. Utah was Mexican territory [[{{Mexican-American War}} at the time]], and was known mostly for being an inhospitable desert where even the water could kill you by being four times saltier than the ocean -- a place most wagon trains avoided or passed through as quickly as possible on their way to richer, more fertile lands in UsefulNotes/{{California}} and [[TheOtherRainforest Oregon]]. A place nobody wanted, and hundreds of miles from any place anyone would want.

Since then, Utah has been a quiet place, although steadily growing and diversifying. Mormons have concentrated on both expanding their membership and emphasizing their "normalness" to outsiders, and Salt Lake City has long attracted non-Mormons with its relatively low crime and diverse economy. It has one major league sports team—two [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg if you count]] [[TheBeautifulGame soccer]]. The undisputed major-league team is the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]]'s Utah Jazz, which moved to SLC from UsefulNotes/NewOrleans in 1979 [[note]]NBA teams traditionally keep their names when they move, even if it becomes [[ArtifactTitle hilariously inappropriate]] in their new home.[[/note]]. As for soccer, Real Salt Lake[[hottip:*: named for Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid]] began playing in MajorLeagueSoccer in 2005. There was also quite a party for [[OlympicGames the 2002 Winter Olympics]], but local liquor laws make partying a bit more restrained. Outdoor enthusiasts have discovered Utah's vast array of natural wonders, ranging from Monument Valley ([[CaliforniaDoubling You've seen it.]] [[TheWestern Trust us, you have]]) to flatter-than-flat [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment salt flats]] to world-class ski resorts. Every so often NASA shows up for Mars training or to watch a spaceprobe fall out of the sky, and Hollywood makes use of the state to shoot Westerns and sci-fi flicks.

Since then, Utah has been a quiet place, although steadily growing and diversifying. Mormons have concentrated on both expanding their membership and emphasizing their "normalness" to outsiders, and Salt Lake City has long attracted non-Mormons with its relatively low crime and diverse economy. It has one major league sports team, the [[UsefulNotes/{{Basketball}} NBA]]'s Utah Jazz, which moved to SLC from UsefulNotes/NewOrleans in 1979 [[note]]NBA teams traditionally keep their names when they move, even if it becomes [[ArtifactTitle hilariously inappropriate]] in their new home.[[/note]]. There was also quite a party for [[OlympicGames the 2002 Winter Olympics]], but local liquor laws make partying a bit more restrained. Outdoor enthusiasts have discovered Utah's vast array of natural wonders, ranging from Monument Valley ([[CaliforniaDoubling You've seen it.]] [[TheWestern Trust us, you have]]) to flatter-than-flat [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment salt flats]] to world-class ski resorts. Every so often NASA shows up for Mars training or to watch a spaceprobe fall out of the sky, and Hollywood makes use of the state to shoot Westerns and sci-fi flicks.

However, the rejection of polygamy was supported by the vast majority of the Mormon populace, and Utah would become a state six years later.

Eventually, the federal government issued an ultimatum to the Mormons: discontinue polygamy or face disenfranchisement of the church and seizure of all its property. Wilford Woodruff, the president and prophet of the Church at the time, issued the 1890 Manifesto discontinuing polygamy and excommunicating any Mormon who practiced it after the Manifesto was issued. Some members disagreed with the new doctrine and struck out to remote settlements where they continue to practice forms of polygamy with varying degrees of legality, ranging from men with a single legal wife and one or more consenting adult "spirit wives" (mere cohabitors in law) to dangerous and malevolent abusers of under-aged girls. To this day, Utah has one of the strongest anti-bigamy statutes in the nation, to the point where some legal scholars have questioned its constitutionality (the statute technically forbids even presenting oneself as being married to multiple spouses, regardless of whether one has a marriage license with them) in light of the [[AmericanCourts Supreme Court]]'s recent Due Process jurisprudence (particularly ''Lawrence v. Texas'' (2005), which forbade states from banning "sodomy" or generally interfering with the sex lives of consenting adults; the latter issue is the concern).

Since then, Utah has been a quiet place, although steadily growing and diversifying. Mormons have concentrated on both expanding their membership and emphasizing their "normalness" to outsiders, and Salt Lake City has long attracted non-Mormons with its relatively low crime and diverse economy. It has one major league sports team, the [[UsefulNotes/{{Basketball}} NBA]]'s Utah Jazz, which moved to SLC from UsefulNotes/NewOrleans in 1979 [[note]]NBA teams traditionally keep their names when they move, even if it becomes hilariously inappropriate in their new home.[[/note]]. There was also quite a party for [[OlympicGames the 2002 Winter Olympics]], but local liquor laws make partying a bit more restrained. Outdoor enthusiasts have discovered Utah's vast array of natural wonders, ranging from Monument Valley ([[CaliforniaDoubling You've seen it.]] [[TheWestern Trust us, you have]]) to flatter-than-flat [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment salt flats]] to world-class ski resorts. Every so often NASA shows up for Mars training or to watch a spaceprobe fall out of the sky, and Hollywood makes use of the state to shoot Westerns and sci-fi flicks.

Since then, Utah has been a quiet place, although steadily growing and diversifying. Mormons have concentrated on both expanding their membership and emphasizing their "normalness" to outsiders, and Salt Lake City has long attracted non-Mormons with its relatively low crime and diverse economy. Outdoor enthusiasts have discovered Utah's vast array of natural wonders, ranging from Monument Valley ([[CaliforniaDoubling You've seen it.]] [[TheWestern Trust me, you have]]) to flatter-than-flat [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment salt flats]] to world-class ski resorts. There was quite a party for [[OlympicGames the 2002 Winter Olympics]] in SLC, of course, but local liquor laws make partying a bit more restrained. Every so often NASA shows up for Mars training or to watch a spaceprobe fall out of the sky, and Hollywood makes use of the state to shoot Westerns and sci-fi flicks.

As far as works are concerned, Utah has a highly active MormonCinema with culturally esoteric references and humor. Often parodied is the quirkiness and stiffness of its traditional culture, heavily tied to its [[VictorianBritain Victorian English]] history.[[hottip:*:Utah has more English ancestry than other state in the United States. Some of the ancestors were 19th century {{New England}}ers and [[UsefulNotes/NewYorkState New Yorkers]] like the families of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, but most were actually off-the-boat immigrants who had already become Mormons in England; for instance, MittRomney's patrilineal ancestor Miles Romney was a carpenter and Mormon leader from [[OopNorth Lancashire]] before emigrating to America in 1837. An additional influx of already-Mormon immigrants from Scandinavia and Germany largely assimilated into the culture.]]

As far as works are concerned, Utah has a highly active MormonCinema with culturally esoteric references and humor. Often parodied is the quirkiness and stiffness of its traditional culture, heavily tied to its [[VictorianBritain Victorian English]] history.[[hottip:*:Utah has more English ancestry than other state in the United States. Some of the ancestors were 19th century {{New England}}ers like the families of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, but most were actually off-the-boat immigrants who had already become Mormons in England. An additional influx of already-Mormon immigrants from Scandinavia and Germany largely assimilated into the culture.]]

Utah's Website/{{Facebook}} relationship status with [[TheSeveralStates the other 49 states]] would be "It's complicated." The state's history is heavily intertwined with that of the [[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints]] (popularly known as Mormons). It was founded as a literal CultColony (in the most academic sense of the word) in 1847 by Mormons fleeing religious persecution in New York, then Ohio, then Missouri (after [[KillEmAll the governor issued an extermination order]]), then finally Illinois where Church founder Joseph Smith, Jr. was assassinated. His eventual successor, Brigham Young, acting on a notion Smith had entertained of [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere emigrating from the United States altogether]], led the largest faction of Mormons [[SettlingTheFrontier out into the wilderness]] in a modern-day Exodus. Utah was Mexican territory [[{{Mexican-American War}} at the time]], and was known mostly for being an inhospitable desert where even the water could kill you by being four times saltier than the ocean -- a place most wagon trains avoided or passed through as quickly as possible on their way to richer, more fertile lands in {{California}} and [[TheOtherRainforest Oregon]]. A place nobody wanted, and hundreds of miles from any place anyone would want.