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City of St. George 
Welcome! |
January 28, 2012
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Another year has come and gone,
but this year marks a significant
milestone as we celebrate the
City's 150th birthday! Yes, it was
150 years ago on the 17th of
January that the city fathers went
to the territory legislature and
asked for a city charter. St. George
became the thirteenth city to be
chartered in the Utah Territory.
St. George was one of the first to
be chartered and, oh boy, a lot of
things have happened since then.
For decades the area remained
fairly population neutral until the
advent of air conditioning and the
creation of the Red Hills Golf Course. Once word spread about the recreation
opportunities in Utah's Dixie and the possibility of keeping cool even during
the hot summer months, St. George became a vacation destination.
The City's New Year's Eve party will be put on hold as the City shifts its
resources to celebrate its 150th anniversary, January 10-17, 2012. Please
refer to the schedule of events in this edition of "Inside St. George" for
details on all of the activities during this week-long Heritage Days tribute.
All the activities and performances are free to the public and will be held
in various venues throughout the City. It is very fitting that local author,
Lyman Hafen, has produced a book to accompany the sesquicentennial
celebration. It is a collection of many short stories from his perspective
of events and individuals who have shaped who we are as a community.
It is titled, "Where Two Streams Meet: The Personal History of a Town"
and is a must read for those who cherish local history and some good
stories. "St. George: Outpost of Civilization, A Sesquicentennial History"
is another fantastic book written for the sesquicentennial year celebration
by another local author and president of the Washington County Historical
Society, Richard R. Kohler. The book highlights through photos and short
narratives. The events that shaped the Dixie area will spark your interest
to learn more on the fascinating but difficult settlement.
The Utah Department of Transportation and City have been
working closely on a number of local roads and the new Dixie
Drive Interchange at Interstate 15. You will find updates to these
projects in the following pages. If you would like to get more
information or talk with transportation experts and planners
make sure that you put the Dixie Transportation Expo on your
calendar. It is coming this February to the Dixie Center. There
will be exhibits and engineers there to answer any question
pertaining to transportation in the area. The opening of the
new SGU Municipal Airport in January 2011 was an exciting
and greatly anticipated event that has brought jet air service to
St. George. This March the City will host "Thunder Over Utah,"
an air show that features the unmatched United States Navy's
Blue Angels! This event would not have been possible at the old
airport. Hangar leases at the new airport are up considerably
from what they were before the move last year. We are working
to attract new businesses to the airport including a helicopter
company that trains pilots, maintains helicopters and provides
air tours. Additionally, we continue to meet with SkyWest Airlines
executives and several other commercial carriers to enhance
destinations that will serve the traveling public in the years to
come. A market study completed in 2010 shows promising
potential for scheduled service to markets like Chicago, Denver,
Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and of course, Salt
Lake City. I encourage everyone to use our excellent existing
commercial air service to Salt Lake City and Los Angeles in
order to make new markets possible as we move forward.
Without a doubt, this year promises to be as busy as the last,
only better. Together, let's make it one to remember!
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Making History every Day
