Still The Right Place: Utah's Second Half-Century of Statehood 1945 - 1995

In 1996 Utah celebrated its one hundredth year of statehood. In 1992 anticipating that important centennial new welcome signs appeared along the states highways. The signs read Utah Still the Right Place and they provided the inspiration for the title of this book.Still the Right Place deals with the last half of Utahs first century of statehood. Each of its seven chapters covers the administration of one of the states governors beginning at the end of World War II while Herbert B. Maw was governor and ending in 1995 during Mike Leavitts first term. Each chapter covers a variety of topics including politics economic development education law and order the environment health and medicine and the way Utah responded to and was influenced by national events. Change is discussed against the background of the transformations taking place on the larger American stage. Much of the states economic well-being following World War II depended on employment provided by defense federal government and large firms with headquarters outside the state. During the next half-century however employment patterns changed: Manufacturing became more diverse tourism became steadily more significant Utah became home base for a number of major employers and service-oriented industries boomed. Beginning in the 1970s high-tech manufacturing became a kind of Cinderella industry for the state and some Utah firms became world leaders.As American attitudes toward the role of women changed so did the attitudes of many Utahns. By the end of the century women made up nearly 44 percent of the total workforce. Even though the Utah legislature rejected the Equal Rights Amendment opportunities for women in the professions and the general acceptance of gender equality were as far along in Utah as in most other places.In addition the book includes three significant and extensive appendices. One considers Utahs ethnic minorities and the quest for a more pluralistic society another discusses Utah and the arts during this half-century and the third deals with the states numerous religions.