Since 2010, Utah’s population has grown faster than any other state's, thanks in part to the popularity of one southwestern town nestled between the Colorado Plateau and the Mojave Desert. St. George, known as Utah’s Dixie, is attracting residents with its proximity to the Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyons as well as its expanding high-tech sector, which has grown more than 100 percent over the last decade. The population of this enclave rimmed by red bluffs has quadrupled since 1990, yet the cost of living remains more affordable than in similar trending places in nearby California and Nevada. For those who can handle the heat (summers regularly hit triple digits), St. George—ranked as the country’s best-performing small city economically—is worth exploring.
