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 67,614 in 2006, 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 by percentage,
coming in behind Greeley, Colorado. From 1990 to 2000,
St. George beat Las Vegas by a mere 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, Utah and Mesquite, Nevada.
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 also a popular
retirement destination.
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