Voices: My Utah town is among the fastest growing — but it’s growing the right way

I first came to St. George in 1984 when the population was about 11,000, and there were two stoplights. I have observed and lived through all the changes over the last 40 years, both as a resident and as a journalist. I would like to laud the attractive and thriving city that we have become at a population that tops 104,000, while acknowledging the challenges of continued growth.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who would like to see limitations on future growth, especially because of the scarcity of water in our desert climate. I believe we are in the sweet spot of size, and I do hope we level off.

Some of the major assets of the city that I have watched develop over the years are the walking/bike paths that snake through and around the city; the preserved historic sites; the theater venues — including the spectacular outdoor amphitheater at Tuacahn — the wide range of restaurant fare; good shopping; and world-class sporting events like the Marathon and Senior Games.

St. George inherits many advantages provided by its 19th Century Mormon settlers, like wide streets lined with big old trees, a grid layout with numbered streets that makes it easy to find your way around, streetside-delivered irrigation water and several stately well-preserved old buildings like the LDS Temple, the Pioneer Courthouse and the Brigham Young Winter Home.

St. George has a pretty fascinating history including the attempt to grow and mill cotton in order to fulfill Brigham Young’s instructions to make Mormon settlements as self-sufficient as possible. For anyone interested in more history, or just earlier times here before the freeway wrought big changes in the 1960s, I would recommend reading the books and articles of Lyman Hafen, a native of St. George who writes passionately and nostalgically of his then small hometown.

I myself moved here from Tucson, Arizona, in 1984 to take a job as a reporter on the Spectrum newspaper. I eventually became editor of the revived old Washington County News, where we took it to bi-weekly publication. I’m now retired. In my newspaper work, I witnessed some of the early stirrings of progressive development, like better city planning and historic preservation. I must acknowledge that it took outsiders to spur these changes.

One more recent development that I commend is the construction of multi-level apartment buildings in downtown. This follows the revitalizing of the businesses and the green areas. Now people can live downtown close to all the amenities and entertainment and could even get along without a car.

I believe it was a wise and far-sighted development when Dixie State University became Utah Tech University and decided to emphasize professions and trades that will prepare students to fill the available jobs in our state.

It was terrific when the city replaced its old land-locked municipal airport sitting atop the Black Ridge Mesa with the new, modern St. George Regional Airport on the outskirts, where bigger jets are offering ever-expanding destinations.

The city has excellent public services, like the library and senior center that offer an impressive range of services and entertainment. Then there’s the Institute for Continued Learning (ICL) at Utah Tech where retired experts in diverse fields offer classes for adults. All these activities depend heavily on volunteer participation, and St. George is abuzz with volunteer energy.

One of the most dynamic changes over the years has been in the availability and range of medical care. The hospital has gone from the small complex off 400 East to the large, modern, up-to-date campus that houses not just the progressive hospital building but all the needed specialties of modern medicine.

St. George has a range of assisted living facilities from more basic (and less expensive) to more lavish and pricey establishments.

I would be remiss if I did not pay tribute to how well endowed we are with natural beauty and access to outdoor activities, everything from high desert, to sculpted red sandstone ridges, to the 10,000-ft. Pine Valley Mountain terrain.

This isn’t intended to be any kind of promotion. I just wanted to sing my praises of admiration and appreciation for a town well-developed. My perspective is as a journalist and resident. I have never been an insider, privy to the inner workings of local politics or culture, so pardon my limitations.

I don’t particularly like the urban sprawl that’s depositing California-like housing on all the scenic hills and valleys surrounding St. George, but it’s predictable when the growth is so rapid. The more attractive structures going downtown partially assuage my distaste for some of the less appealing outer development.

Hey, nothing’s perfect, but overall I say kudos to all involved in the sensible transformation of St. George from its insular small-town cast to one of the most appealing and livable medium-sized cities in the country.

Jeanette Rusk Sefcik is a retired newspaper reporter and editor, having worked at newspapers including the St. George Spectrum, Washington County News in St. George, the Tucson Citizen in Tucson, Arizona, Southern Utah News in Kanab and Lake Powell Chronicle in Page, Ariz. She has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Arizona.

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