Saint George

Saint George, city, seat (1863) of Washington county, southwestern Utah, U.S., on the Virgin River, near the Arizona border. Settled in 1861 as a cotton-growing centre by a Mormon group, it was named for George A. Smith, a counselor to Brigham Young. The first Mormon temple to be erected in the state (completed 1877) is in St. George. It is the centre of Utah’s “Dixie,” a region settled largely by Southerners and noted for poultry raising and fruit and vegetable growing. Its proximity to Dixie National Forest and Zion National Park makes tourism an important economic factor, and the city has become a centre for retirees and winter visitors. The Brigham Young Winter Home (1873, part of Dixie State Park) is in the city. Dixie College was founded there in 1911. Inc. 1863. Pop. (2000) 49,663; St. George Metro Area, 90,352; (2010) 72,897; St. George Metro Area, 138,115.