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Utah is known as the Beehive State due to its association with hard work and industry, symbolized by the beehive. The state’s early settlers, primarily members of the Mormon Church, saw the beehive as a metaphor for their industriousness. The beehive appears on the state flag and seal, and Utah is home to the Beehive Cluster and the official state insect, the honey bee. Utah is also known for its national parks, young population, and religious homogeneity.
Utah is known as the Beehive State because beehives are synonymous with industry and perseverance, values that were praised by Utah’s founders. Bees are notoriously hard workers, working tirelessly for the welfare of their hive.
Beehive symbolism
Utah’s early settlers, who were primarily members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon Church or Mormon Church, saw the beehive as the perfect metaphor for their industriousness and hard work. The beehive appears on the Utah state flag, along with the state motto: “Industry.”
The symbolism of the beehive dates almost to the founding of the territory by the first pioneers in 1840. After the death of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon Church, Brigham Young emerged as the new leader and wanted to find a new land where his followers could grow and develop. He led many church members west from Illinois, eventually settling in Utah, where he and thousands of pioneers founded new towns.
The Desert State
The image of the beehive and its association with industriousness, productivity and self-sufficiency were synonymous with those pioneers and their efforts to build a new life. Prior to its admission to the Union, Utah was tentatively known as the State of Deseret. The word “Deseret” is often seen in the names of Utah companies, such as the Deseret News.
Did you know that? The term “Deseret” comes from a Book of Mormon word meaning “honey bee.”
Becoming the hive state
When Utah was admitted to the Union in 1896, the beehive was included in the state seal, as a remnant of earlier territorial symbolism. Although the beehive was not designated an official state emblem until 1959, Utah had already been dubbed the “Beehive State.”
Utah’s association with bees and beehives was further solidified in 1983 when a fifth grade class successfully lobbied for the honey bee to become the state’s official insect. The hard work of honey bees as they build and maintain a hive has become emblematic of the importance of industry and family in the state appropriately called the Beehive State.
Interesting facts about the state of the hive
Unsurprisingly, Utah’s state astronomical symbol is the Beehive Cluster, an open cluster of about 1,000 stars in the constellation Cancer.
Utah’s state reptile is the Gila monster, the only venomous lizard native to the United States.
Utah has the youngest population in the United States, with a median age of 31, compared to the national median age of 38.2.
Utah is home to some of the most spectacular national parks in the United States, including Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park.
Approximately 60% of Utah’s population is Mormon, making it the most religiously homogeneous state in the country.
Utah is arguably the most generous U.S. state, leading the way in volunteer rates and the percentage of income donated to charity.
Utah is home to one of the oldest and heaviest organisms on the planet: the 80,000-year-old shaking giant, also known as Pando, is made up of 47,000 identical shaking aspens with a single root system.
