Posted in Utah
December 25, 2015
Hey, it’s Christmas in Utah. Here’s What Santa Brought You!
Santa surely brought Utahns lots of great gifts – we were ranked as the second friendliest people in the nation by Time Magazine this year, so we must have been very good. These are some amazing things we received collectively, as a state.
We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life as we all practice social and physical distancing. While we’re continuing to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, we don’t expect or encourage you to go check them out immediately. We believe that supporting local attractions is important now more than ever and we hope our articles inspire your future adventures! And on that note, please nominate your favorite local business that could use some love right now: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nominate/
According to SmartAsset.com, three Utah cities are ranked in the top four cities in the nation for career opportunities. If you live in or near Provo, Logan or Salt Lake City, maybe Santa brought you a new job!
In 2015, National Geographic ranked Salt Lake City as the number ONE hiking city in the nation, citing its proximity to several 10,000-foot peaks. Utahns know that just about anywhere in the state is perfect for hiking.
Most of Utah has experienced several snowstorms over the last week. This is great news for those of us who like to drink water in the summer.
Our snow is so awesome that people come from all over the world to ski in it! Santa brought it right to your backyard. Our ski resorts have gained several feet of snow in the last week!
If you’re a Utes fan, Santa just brought you a 35-28 win at the Las Vegas Bowl. If you are a BYU fan, you can take solace in the fact that your team woke up right before halftime and managed to avoid an embarrassing blowout. If you’re a Utes fan, you can be glad that your team didn’t completely throw away the game that started with a 35-point lead.
The Utah Transit Authority Board recently approved the 2016 budget, which includes a 5 percent increase in bus service hours and a 4.5 percent service hour increase for TRAX. Utahns can enjoy more stress-free travel, and keep the pollution levels down at the same time.
Fodor’s Travel recently named Utah as the Number One Travel Destination for 2016. Utahns can look forward to meeting lots of new friends from all over the world this year (and our state will benefit from the money those visitors bring to Utah).
As of October, 2015, our state’s population is at least 3 million residents. Santa probably had to hire a few more elves this year, just to handle the increased workload.
The Utah Department of Transportation recently released a brand new app that allows Utahns to track all of the approximately 500 snow plows during a storm. You can see where every snow plow is currently working, and click on one plow to see where it’s been during the previous 30 minutes.
We’ve enjoyed beautiful holiday lights all month here in Utah. Plus, two Utah families won a bundle of cash on the TV show “Christmas Light Fight.”
Along with tons of new snow, Santa brought Utahns lots of opportunities to play outdoors! Get out there and do some skiing, snowshoeing, sledding or ice fishing.
We can expect yet another year of stunning beauty, jaw-dropping vistas and endless recreation at Utah’s five national parks. Try visiting them this winter, when crowds are low and you can enjoy some peace and solitude.
Ballet West celebrated its 60th season of the popular holiday production this year, and there are still two days left to see The Nutcracker.
He’s really cute and funny for the first few days of December, but he sure does get tiresome as the month drags on. You can finally grab up that elf, shove him in a box and stick him in the basement until next year. Thanks, Santa!
I hope Santa brought every Utahn some time with family and friends this holiday season - the best present of all.
What awesome things did Santa bring you this year?
