“One of the main benefits of living in the county is close access to lots of different amenities,” explains Ezra Nair, Utah County’s administrator. “We have the mountains and the lake and we’re sandwiched right between those. We’re a regional economic hub, the Provo-Orem metropolitan area is key to our county.” These geographic advantages create practical benefits for residents and businesses. Salt Lake City, Utah’s capital, sits just 45 minutes north, while world-class skiing and outdoor recreation lie minutes away in any direction. This proximity has attracted a demographic that sets Utah County apart from typical American communities. “We have a lot of young families in the county. We’re one of the youngest counties probably in the nation and that’s due in large part to having a lot of kids here,” Nair notes.The median age creates a workforce and consumer base that appeals to forward-thinking companies seeking growth markets. Economic diversity provides stability that pure tech hubs often lack. Agriculture remains significant, creating an environment where “people love being both rural and urban in this county,” as Nair describes it. ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT Utah County has strategically developed multiple sectors, creating resilience that many single-industry areas lack. Healthcare expansion represents one of the most significant growth areas, with infrastructure investments positioning the county as a medical education hub. “We actually have two medical schools here in Utah County, Rocky Mountain University and the Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine,” Nair explains. “One of our larger universities, Brigham Young University, is creating a medical school as well that’s starting up shortly here.” The concentration of medical education institutions creates a pipeline for healthcare professionals while attracting related industries and research facilities. The Silicon Slopes ecosystem now encompasses over 1,000 companies, with Salt Lake City ranking 12th for tech labor market conditions in North America. Major corporations like Adobe, Microsoft, and Oracle have established significant presences, with Adobe alone employing over 2,000 people at its Lehi campus with tech job growth reaching 12.9% between 2019 and 2023. “Silicon Slopes is a big part of the county, which is kind of a second national tech hub,” Nair notes.“We’ve got Silicon Valley in California and then Silicon slopes up in Utah. We have a lot of tech jobs, but then we’re also really diverse in our economic market.” Tech workers earn median wages 82% higher than all other occupations in the state, creating purchasing power that benefits the broader economy. 279 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 09 UTAH COUNTY, UT
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