Wasatch Back

{{short description|Region of northern Utah, United States}}

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The Wasatch Back is a region in the Rocky Mountains in northern Utah, United States, on the east side of the Wasatch Mountain range. The name Wasatch Back differentiates it from the Wasatch Front, which is the region on the western side of the Wasatch Mountains. The terms are commonly used in local media,https://www.parkrecord.com/2024/02/20/more-snow-is-coming-to-the-wasatch-back-this-week/https://www.abc4.com/news/northern-utah/traffic-alert-expect-traffic-delays-in-weber-co-friday-morning/ and also in scholarly and scientific discussions of the region.Sagers, Larry A. "Landscape Design Series 14." (2005).Lund, William R., et al., eds. Geology and Resources of the Wasatch: Back to Front. Utah Geological Association, 2017.Sam, Duc Minh. Forgetting and Remembering Native Land Use and History in the Wasatch Back. MS thesis. The University of Utah, 2022.Lund, William R., et al., eds. Geology and Resources of the Wasatch: Back to Front. Utah Geological Association, 2017.Busch, Glen. Development and validation of a logistic regression-based urban growth model for Utah's Greater Wasatch Area. Utah State University, 2005.

While the Wasatch Front includes most of Utah's more populous cities (such as Salt Lake City, Ogden, Layton, and Provo}, the Wasatch Back has a lower population, and the landscape is generally more rural and mountainous with smaller communities such as Park City, Heber City, and Morgan. Summit County (home to Park City) is within the Wasatch Back region, and as of 2019 the county has one of the highest household income levels in the United States.{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/01/24/richest-counties-us-median-household-income/38870227/|title=Richest counties in the US: A state-by-state look at where median household income exceeds norm|website=USA TODAY|language=en|access-date=2019-05-28}}

Originally a mining and agricultural region, the Wasatch Back has experienced rapid residential growth through the 1990s and continuing into the 2000s.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}} Local recreational activities include skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, hiking, boating, and horseback riding.{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}} Park City is the site of numerous concerts and festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival held every January.