Rural
How can we tell when a community is “rural?” This is a harder question than it sounds. Even if we look to government guidelines, we get different answers. For the Census Bureau, an urban area has at least 5,000 residents, but other federal and state agencies have their own criteria.
Utah and the rest of the West are known for our wide open spaces, so counting people is a less meaningful measure than the amount of uninhabited land surrounding our communities. If you have to drive a long time to get “into town,” you probably live in a rural place, no matter how many neighbors you have. Also, in our fast-growing region, quickly urbanizing towns may retain a rural character even when classified as urban areas.
Official measures often fail to capture what “rural life” really means to people. Community ties, identity, local industry, and history are at least as important as the number of inhabitants when we consider the significance of “place” for people who consider themselves rural. Utahns may even feel a continuing attachment to an identity or lifestyle long after moving away from a rural place, complicating what rural life means.
What does “rural” mean to you? In this section, explore how rural life has changed over time and discover why these towns and open lands are an important part of Utah’s story.
Change in Rural Utah | Oral history | Utah Humanities and Utah Public Radio partnered to interview local residents about change in their communities. These short clips are taken from those interviews.
The Confluence of Water, History, and the Public in Utah: Keynote Address at 2022 Utah History Conference | Video | In this keynote address, Professor Gregory Smoak explores the historical contexts of several of the most critical issues facing Utahns as they consider their present and future waterways.
Connected to the Land | Video | Local community members respond to the prompt, "What is Your Connection to the Land?" in a unique and collaborative live event highlighting the experiences of women in rural Utah.
Kanab and Utah's Historical and Cultural Water Ways | Video | Professor Greg Smoak explores the water history of southern Utah.
The Land and People of Washington County's Ghost Towns | Research Article | Explore the history of 12 ghost towns in Washington County, UT, how they were founded and what made people leave them behind.
The Most Complicated Plumbing System: History of Water in Utah | Video | Speak Your Piece podcast episode that explores the history of water in Utah.
Power: Labor in Utah's Coal Country | Digital Exhibit | This exhibit tells how rural labor organizing in Price area mines built a unique, multi-ethnic community.
The Rise and Fall of John Wesley Powell's Hydraulic West | Video | Professor Greg Smoak explores the legacy of John Wesley Powell within a larger history of how water has motivated great cooperation and great conflict between peoples, communities, and governments.
Rural to Rockets | Digital Exhibit | Rural to Rockets explores the historic and ongoing impact of the aerospace industry in Brigham City and surrounding communities.
Rural Utah at a Crossroads | Research Article | Every rural person and place has a story. This essay explores how change is part of rural Utah's story.
Thinking Downstream: Great Salt Lake's and Utah's Past and Future Water Ways | Video | Professor Greg Smoak describes how Utah is a land of scarcity and plenty, and how those extremes have shaped our relationship to water.
The Uinta Basin and Utah's Water Ways | Video | Professor Greg Smoak outlines the water history of the Uinta Basin.
Utah Water Ways | Research Article | Water shapes human culture -- our ways of life. Learn about Utah's Water Ways.
William Grandstaff | Research Article | A look at early Black frontiersman, cowboy, and Moab settler William Grandstaff.