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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. 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 64,201 in 2005, 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 behind Greeley, Colorado. From 1990 to 2000, St. George beat Las Vegas by 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 and Mesquite. 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 a popular retirement destination and is host to the largest Spring Break parties in Utah. History
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. In April 1877, the LDS Church completed the St. George Utah Temple. It is the Church's third temple, its first temple in the Rocky Mountains, 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. Research Tips
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