Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — The last time Utah hosted the Winter Olympics, things looked a little different.
No, we're not just talking about hairstyles or fashion trends. Back then, there weren't nearly as many of us.
"We've added about 1.2 million more people since 2002," said Natalie Gochnour, who directs the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah. "That's about the size of Salt Lake County today."
Gochnour said that growth has led to many changes for our once-small state.
"We've become a larger economy," she said. "More international trade, more international engagement."
Today Utah acts much bigger. Take Salt Lake City, for example.
"In 2002, we did not have downtown urban living. We had a city that closed at 6:00, 7:00 at night," said Gochnour. "Now it's much more of a 24/7 city."
It's also a city that now has a convention hotel, a Broadway theater, a busy downtown mall, and a brand new international airport.
Utah has changed
Utah also has a thriving tech sector, and it's a much bigger tourist destination than it once was. That's thanks to the Olympics, Gochnour said, but also to social media — and the state's "Mighty 5" marketing campaign that introduced Utah's national parks to the world.
"A lot has changed in Utah," she said.
And Utah will keep changing before 2034 when the Olympics return. Gochnour estimates the state will add another 600,000 people by then, putting us over 4 million in total population.
"Four out of every 10 Utahns in 2034 will not have been here in 2002," said Gochnour.
Our state has also gotten much more diverse. In 2002, one in 10 Utahns were an ethnic or racial minority, Gochnour said. By the time the 2034 Games roll around, it will be nearly one in three.
There's a lot to do to get ready over the next decade. But Gochnour said it's work that needs to be done anyway to keep up with a state that's changing quickly.
"When you're going to be host to the world, you get better in every way," said Gochnour. "I think of the Olympics more as a motivator for the good things we can do for growth that's coming no matter what."
