Return to NETSTATE.COM home page.

|| HOME
|| INTRO
|| SYMBOLS
|| ALMANAC
|| GEOGRAPHY
|| STATE MAPS
|| PEOPLE
|| FORUM
|| NEWS
|| COOL SCHOOLS
|| STATE QUIZ
|| BOOK STORE
|| MARKETPLACE
|| NETSTATE.STORE
|| NETSTATE.MALL
|| GUESTBOOK
|| WEBMASTER

Utah State Flag Utah

The Utah State Song

Utah, This is the Place

words by Sam and Gary Francis and music by Gary Francis

    Utah! People working together
    Utah! What a great place to be.
    Blessed from Heaven above.
    It's the land that we love.
    This is the place!

    Utah! With its mountains and valleys.
    Utah! With its canyons and streams.
    You can go anywhere.
    But there's none that compare.
    This is the place!

    It was Brigham Young who led the pioneers across the plains.
    They suffered with the trials they had to face.
    With faith they kept on going till they reached the Great Salt Lake
    Here they heard the words..."THIS IS THE PLACE!"

    Utah! With its focus on family,
    Utah! Helps each child to succeed.
    People care how they live.
    Each has so much to give.
    This is the place!

    Utah! Getting bigger and better.
    Utah! Always leading the way.
    New technology's here...
    Growing faster each year.
    This is the place!

    There is beauty in the snow-capped mountains, in the lakes and streams.
    There are valleys filled with farms and orchards too.
    The spirit of its people shows in everything they do.
    Utah is the place where dreams come true.

    Utah! With its pioneer spirit.
    Utah! What a great legacy!
    Blessed from Heaven above.
    It's the land that we love.
    This is the place!

    Utah! Utah! Utah! 
    THIS IS THE PLACE!

Adoption of the State Song

Great Salt Lake
Great Salt Lake

The song, "Utah, This Is the Place", was adopted as the official state song of Utah on March 13, 2003. This song replaced the song that had been in place as Utah's official state song for over 85 years! But the old state song was not forgotten. It was given a place as the official state hymn of Utah.

The story of how "Utah, This Is the Place" became the official state song of Utah, goes back to Utah's centennial celebration in 1996. The song was written for this celebration, by Sam and Gary Francis, and many of the state's school children had become familiar it. It became quite popular in the years following the celebration helped, in part, that Utah 4th graders learned the song as part of their Utah history studies.

The road to officialdom for "Utah, This Is the Place" began at the home of the Cougars, Joseph Cook Elementary School in Syracuse, about 30 miles north of Salt Lake City. Some of the students didn't like the current state song very much and, with some encouragement, they decided to take steps to change it. According to a Salt Lake Tribune report of February 28, 2003, the 4th graders thought "Utah, We Love Thee" was too hard to sing. State Representative Dana Love agreed with them and had, at the end of January 2003, introduced House Bill 223 (HB0223) to the Utah Legislature to remedy the situation.

House Bill 223 called for changing the current state song to "Utah, This Is the Place" and designating the current state song, "Utah, We Love Thee", as the state hymn. On March 13, 2003, a new state song and an official state hymn were approved by the Legislature. Before the State Senate approved the song, however, the Joseph Cook Elementary School 4th graders performed "Utah, We Love Thee" for them. The Governor signed the legislation on March 15, 2003.

Utah Code

The following information is excerpted from the Utah Code, Title 63, Chapter 13, Section 5.5. The words are not included within the statute. All of Utah's state symbols are group-listed in one section of the Utah Code. On December 7, 2004, the online version of the Utah Code, 63-13-5.5, looked like this.


Source: Utah State Web Site, (http://www.state.ut.us), December 6, 2004
Source: Utah State Legislature, (http://le.utah.gov/), December 6, 2004




[ HOME || INTRO || SYMBOLS || ALMANAC || GEOGRAPHY || STATE MAPS || PEOPLE ]
[ FORUM || NEWS || COOL SCHOOLS || STATE QUIZ || BOOK STORE || MARKETPLACE ]
[ NETSTATE.STORE || NETSTATE.MALL || GUESTBOOK || WEBMASTER || PRIVACY STATEMENT ]

Site designed exclusively for NETSTATE.COM by NSTATE
United States Flag


NETSTATE.COM is a Trademark of NSTATE, LLC.
Copyright © 2003- by NSTATE, LLC. All rights reserved.
No copyright is claimed on non-original or licensed material.
Support NETSTATE

Top