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A lot of states claim they are unique but can't back it up. Utah can.
A big reason for that is, of course, its outrageous natural diversity. How many states can claim Zion, Arches, Bryce Canyon and host the Winter Games? (That's a rhetorical question.)
But Utah is also one-of-a-kind because of its demographic makeup. Pioneers seeking relief from religious persecution first set foot in the Salt Lake Valley via Emigration Canyon in 1847, and the state became the physical and spiritual home of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — with the highest concentration of members anywhere in the world living here.
This continuing Church presence has had a major influence in the Beehive State, and although Utah is more diverse than ever today, it has created a culture truly unreplicated anywhere else in the world.
From church basketball (the brawl that begins with prayer) to fry sauce, here are some of the strange things Utah people do.
Go to church — a lot
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ attend church every Sunday. In itself, that isn't so out of the ordinary — many adherents of other religions attend services on a weekly basis.
What is unusual, however, is the duration of Latter-day Saint services. From 1980 to 2018, Sunday services, which consist of a sacrament meeting followed by classes, took place during a three-hour consecutive block. In 2018, service duration was reduced to two hours — still longer than a soccer game.
President Russell M. Nelson, the current leader of the Church, explained this change by saying it was "time for home-centered church, supported by what takes place inside our branch, ward, and stake buildings."
Wear t-shirts under sleeveless dresses
Looking at the way many Utahns dress will remind you of a summer calculus class: there's a lot covered. In the name of modesty, many locals will cover up more than an out-of-stater might be accustomed to.
For instance, some women will wear t-shirts under sleeveless dresses and wear knee-length shorts. There's nothing wrong with that, much like there's nothing wrong with wearing tank tops or short shorts. You do you.
Marry young
Walk around Provo enough and you'll see wedding bands on many young adults who are still on their parents' health insurance. But it's not just a stereotype that Utahns marry young; it's a fact. Exact numbers vary depending on the source, but Utah is universally recognized as the state with the youngest average marriage age — for men and women. Marriage.com reports that age to be 23.5 for women and 25.6 for men.
Oh, and Utah families are also larger than in any other state. Statista reports that the average size of households in Utah is 3.08, the only state averaging higher than three people per household.
Think that basketball is life
Utah loves basketball more than Rudy Gobert loves swatting shots and yelling, "pas aujourd'hui, monsieur!". Ever since the Jazz relocated to Salt Lake City from New Orleans in 1979 (but curiously kept their name), the city and state have fallen head over heel for the high-flying home team. Jazz fans have a reputation of being some of the loudest in the NBA, and the arena is packed virtually every game.
But Utah's love for roundball goes deeper than that. Church ball is a real local phenomenon that can be observed at any Latter-day Saint meeting house that contains a basketball court (and almost all of them have one). What's church ball? It's just like regular basketball, except that the players are somehow the nicest yet most aggressive players you've ever met.
There was even a comedy movie poking fun at Church basketball with appearances by former Jazz center Mark Eaton and announcer Hot Rod Huntley.
Fake swear
Attend one of these church ball games, and you'll witness another very Utah occurrence: fake swearing. "What the heck, ref? He frickin' fouled me!"
The reason for this is simple. Utahns are more averse to swearing than most, but just as prone to getting mad. The result is usually a flurry of half-swears (gosh! heck! darn!) meant to externalize full anger. It's comical and endearing at the same time.
Pro tip: Watch this mashup from "The Good Place" to see an accurate representation of what Utah fake swearing sounds like.
Brave the weather
Rain or shine? In Utah, it's more like, "Rain, hail, snow, wind or shine." Utahns' psyche is as weather-proof as the Cotopaxi down jackets worn in Park City, and people here will go to school or work under any weather conditions.
For instance, students at Utah State up in Logan frequently have to brave snow conditions and temperatures in the teens or below to attend class in the winter. Their grandkids will never know what that's like.
Or this viral example of BYU students sliding their way into class—literally. The Deseret News in 2015 reported on this viral video of students having a less-than-ideal time trying to get to class after a particularly bad storm.
If you're one of the many Utahns undeterred by less-than-ideal weather conditions, please be careful and control your speed during your commutes. Black ice and standing water are just some of the things that can ruin your day — or your life — pretty quickly.
Adore fry sauce
Now onto some of the culinary peculiarities of the Beehive state — because who isn't interested in food?
Utah's most beloved native food is fry sauce, a condiment made in its most basic form by mixing mayonnaise and ketchup. (Of course, many variations exist with different ratios and added ingredients.) Eater.com explains the originator of the recipe, Don Carlos Edwards, was also the founder of beloved local chain Arctic Circle — which still proudly serves his delicious concoction today.
Fry sauce aficionados were outraged in 2018 when Heinz introduced Mayochup, partly because of its ridiculous name (it's barely better than "ketchonnaise"), and partly because it's just frickin' fry sauce. Whatever, Heinz. You know who did it first.
Store food
Utah stays ready. Food storage is embedded in local (read: Latter-day Saint) culture and many Utahns (read: Latter-day Saint members) store at least three months' worth of shelf-stable foods like flour, wheat and dehydrated fruits and vegetables. LDS canneries facilitate the process by providing bulk foods prepackaged for long-term storage — there's even an online store.
The reasoning behind this food-storage practice is simply a desire to be prudent in case of a catastrophe (like, y'know, a pandemic or something). It's a pretty good motive. Perhaps the only downside of food storage is that, as of the time this article is being written, fry sauce does not yet exist in shelf-stable form.
