For many years, the sleepy town of Helper, Utah was only a place to stop for fuel on the way to and from the world-famous Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. In fact, many drivers didn’t even notice the little city tucked in along the mountainside nestled among the trees and river. But that wasn’t the case for Cindi Curry, the owner of Balance Rock Eatery and Pub, who … [Read more...]
Utah’s Main Street Program to Boost Local Economies
A historic downtown helps define a community’s character, but century-old structures can be difficult to renovate and maintain. But thanks to Utah’s Main Street Program, seven cities recently received a financial boost to help spruce up businesses that strive to keep their aging downtown blocks vibrant. That slate of communities includes Brigham City, Cedar City, Helper, … [Read more...]
Will Utah Run Out of Water?
Paul Nielson is a fourth-generation farmer in Perry, Utah who has personally been at it for fifty years. “In all my years of farming it has never been this bad,” he observes. Nielson serves on the Weber-Box (Weber County/Box Elder Water Conservation Board of Directors, which controls the outflow of water from Pineview Reservoir. With Pineview being at its lowest level in years, … [Read more...]
Will Utah Have Enough Water to Sustain Its Booming Population?
If 2020 hadn’t been apocalyptic enough, Utahns looking forward to a snowy new year got drought in January — raking leaves instead of shoveling walks, skiing on artificial powder and wondering when things might resemble normal again. For Todd Adams, Director of The Utah Division of Water Resources, the dry climate is all the more reason water managers need to carefully … [Read more...]
Construction of Northern Corridor Highway Threatens to Decimate Iconic Mojave Desert Tortoises
The desert possesses a special beauty. In these harsh environs, life must fight to persevere, and the desert deserves special protection. In 1995, 4,500 acres in Washington County were set apart as the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area. To the north is Pine Mountain and Dixie National Forest. Surrounding the area are the communities of Ivins, Saint George, Washington, and … [Read more...]
Big Dreams for Tiny Houses by Architectural Nexus in Salt Lake City
On a brisk fall day in October, employees of Architectural Nexus in Salt Lake City gathered for a farewell party. They were not bidding goodbye and good luck to a coworker, but to the tiny house in their parking lot, a house they had designed and built together over the past year that would now be shipped to Seattle, placed on the property of a “host home”, and become a … [Read more...]
Legal Battle Over Utah Wilderness
Conservation groups are fighting to preserve 175,500 acres of public lands in Utah that the Bureau of Land Management has plans to lease for 130 oil and gas developments—a move that would be extremely detrimental for the wilderness areas, wildlife inhabitants, and the fight against climate change as a whole, says the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. On Sept. 12, the Center … [Read more...]
Letter from the Editor – December
We find ourselves in the best of times and the worst of times in Utah. Droves of people are moving here and want to experience the same quality of life we have enjoyed here for decades: mountain access, diverse ecosystems still intact, and peace and tranquility with many access points to direct connections with nature. Unfortunately, this isn’t possible. For every measure … [Read more...]
Moab—500 Tourists for Every Resident
Moab's Tourists Moab, UT—Back in February, Moab’s City Council imposed a moratorium on new construction of overnight rentals. Despite room rates fetching upwards of $300 per night, the town that is home to Canyonlands and Arches National Parks wants to attempt to put the brakes on the growth they have experienced hosting nearly 3 million tourists in the town of around 5,500 … [Read more...]
Utah’s Unaffordable Housing
Welcome to Utah Housing Utah’s real estate market has softened. Average house prices aren’t increasing in urban areas. Bidding wars are decreasing; the amount of time homes are on the market is increasing; and by all measures, our real estate market is still booming. Vineyard, in Utah County, is the city with the most growth. In the past four years, the population has seen … [Read more...]