Utah’s New Frontier

RyanS · February 21, 2012

As I've previously mentioned in other posts, around here it is all about the new. Pictured here is Eagle Mountain. One of the fastest growing cities in Utah. About 15 years ago this area was a desert landscape. Due to a mix-up regarding some purchased water rights, it is now home to over 20,000 people.

Because this is Utah, one cannot discuss a town without mentioning its religion. There are only two religious denominations that maintain churches in the town. Nearly the entire population are members of the LDS (Mormon) church. There are eleven LDS chapels in the city. One LDS chapel usually services 2-3 congregations of 400-600 people. There are more LDS churches than schools, restaurants, gas stations, and stores (combined).

The brief 15 year history of this town has already been quite colorful. It has had ten different mayors already. The master developer is an investor from Florida who, according to some, has been meddling with local politics. Residents are mixed. Some feel they have been ripped off. Others feel they got a great deal.

black mamba · February 21, 2012

Interesting shot...and interesting story. I'm curious about one thing. What industry is it that drives this small town?

Tom

RyanS · February 21, 2012

Construction of the town itself is the industry. Everyone else commutes out of the area. They recently completed two express ways to the area to make commuting more efficient. They also added additional utility supplies to enable even more growth. The two projects cost more than 270 million dollars. Even with the slowdown in the economy they project additional capacity will be needed by 2016. Part of this growth is due to the federal government building a secret million square foot building in the area. Well, the building isn't a secret, but what will be done inside is. It will require significant power, water, and utility services. I don't think I can take pictures of it. I'm not going to try, any way.

The wildlife in the area is having a really hard time adjusting to the rapid change. This was once a rather sensitive winter sanctuary for many species of all types. That is not a unique aspect of this city. It is a global trend. I'm among the very tiny minority that believes humans can co-exist with animals via means of responsible wildlife management. If you can come up with hundreds of millions of dollars to build new things, it seems to me one could find a few million bucks to ensure wildlife can co-exist in the area for generations to come. Sometimes I feel insane for holding this point of view.

torags · February 21, 2012

You mean like the bear I saw in the yard my two 3 yr old grandchildren use?

If I had my gun with me, I would have shot him. The elder bears are teaching the younger ones to forage in garbage cans and break down garage doors

Your idea may look good on paper.... but....

Good PJ BTW

RyanS · February 21, 2012

torags wrote: »

You mean like the bear I saw in the yard my two 3 yr old grandchildren use?

If I had my gun with me, I would have shot him. The elder bears are teaching the younger ones to forage in garbage cans and break down garage doors

Your idea may look good on paper.... but....

Good PJ BTW

I don't want to spark a debate. I'm not sure dgrin is the place. Responsible wildlife management means doing all the things that are typical in a wildlife management plan.

In Utah, there is a Black Bear management plan:
http://wildlife.utah.gov/bear/pdf/2011_bear_plan.pdf

Is there a plan for your area?

Cowboydoug · February 21, 2012

I used to fly ultralights there until 2003... it has sure grown...

torags · February 21, 2012

RyanS wrote: »

I don't want to spark a debate. I'm not sure dgrin is the place. Responsible wildlife management means doing all the things that are typical in a wildlife management plan.

In Utah, there is a Black Bear management plan:
http://wildlife.utah.gov/bear/pdf/2011_bear_plan.pdf

Is there a plan for your area?

Yup. They issued hunting licenses..

RyanS · February 22, 2012

Cowboydoug wrote: »

I used to fly ultralights there until 2003... it has sure grown...

What is amazing is how much it is still growing, even in the "down" economy. We are led to believe no one is building or buying houses. Yet, while in town, we saw several areas under construction. We also spotted a couple of families moving in to brand new homes.

It will be very interesting to see what happens over the next 10-15 years in that town. Nearly all the surrounding zoned property (especially the commercial zoned land) is owned by the towns original founder. Nearly 6,800 acres owned by one person. So what happens next depends a great deal on a single decision maker.

Utah’s New Frontier

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