MANY PEOPLE unfamiliar with Utah consider it geographically, culturally, ethnically, and religiously one-dimensional. They are mistaken.

Outdoor recreation here is unparalleled. We have easy access to open deserts and soaring mountain peaks, an otherworldly yet magnificent inland salt sea, and crystalline alpine lakes and streams teeming with trout. Millions of tourists from all over the world spend vacations doing what we all too often take for granted – skiing and snowboarding Olympic-caliber runs, fishing, mountain biking, sailing, camping, hiking, and river running.

Utah is home to five jewels in the National Park system; eight national monuments and more than 40 state parks; in addition to national forests, a national recreation area, and a national migratory bird refuge.

From mysterious musings of ancient cliff dwellers to Social Hall recitals of Mormon pioneers to modern free-form dance and jazz, the arts (and entertainment) have always played a major role in Utah culture. They include The Utah Symphony and Opera, Utah Shakespearean Festival (which won a Tony Award in 2000), Sundance Film Festival, Ballet West, the Utah and Park City Arts festivals. And then there are indoor and outdoor concert venues, professional and regional theater groups, Division I collegiate sports, the NBA’s Utah Jazz, and Major League Soccer’s 2009 National Champion, Real Salt Lake.

While Utah may be the economic engine of the Intermountain West, it’s the state’s three large research universities – University of Utah, Utah State University, and Brigham Young University – and a number of other universities and colleges that are among our most prized assets. Taken together the schools have an enrollment of almost 100,000 students who study virtually every academic discipline. The University of Utah houses the only medical school between Denver and Los Angeles as well as a world-renowned cancer research institution. And here’s a little known fact: Scientists at "The U" played a pioneering role in developing the Internet.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with its headquarters in Salt Lake City, is Utah’s largest religious denomination and has a significant impact culturally and politically. Just over 60 percent of the population is Mormon. But virtually every religious and ethnic group is represented here. First Utahns – Ute, Navajo, Bannock and Western Shoshone, Paiute, and Goshute peoples – are an important part of our diocese. Latinos are the largest minority in Utah. Their numbers are rapidly increasing, creating a need to expand the three existing Spanish-speaking congregations supported by the diocese.