Wasatch County is one of the hot spots. The population growth there is expected to more than double over the next four decades, from 36,000 to 81,000, according to estimates from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah.
The only other county in Utah that’s expected to grow at a higher rate in that time frame is Washington County, home to St. George in the southwest portion of the state.
Summit County’s population growth is projected to be more modest, with a 40% increase, from 43,000 to nearly 60,000, come 2060.
On Thursday Utah Gov. Spencer Cox's office launched a survey to see what state residents want the future to look like.
State Planning Coordinator Laura Hanson said the survey is focused on four key issues that Utahns have said are important to them.
“Housing affordability, water availability, transportation convenience, and then preservation of open space and recreational activities," Hanson said. "So the survey itself is organized around these four categories.”
Hanson said they want to use the survey results to make budget recommendations and support local planning efforts.
“There is a part where we are asking people to explore different growth options, different ways that we can organize our growth," she said.
"We could grow this way, and here are the pros and cons. Or we could do it this way, and here are the pros and cons. Just allowing people to experience the trade offs and learn about the impacts of different decisions.”
Surveys are different based on zip code, and separated into three categories: urban areas, rural areas that are growing, and other areas experiencing little to no growth.
Questions range from where people want housing development, to where they want highway expansion or more public transit.
The survey can be found at guidingourgrowth.utah.gov.
The survey is open to the public until Aug. 31.
