Dixie Tea

Fourteen states have a St. George, including Georgia (which seems redundant). Utah’s St. George is the only one named after George Albert Smith (1817-1875).  Brigham Young founded a cotton mission here in 1861. He knew the war would make many commodities – including cotton – hard to find. So at October General Conference he called about 300 families and gave them a month’s time to prepare to head south and settle “Utah’s Dixie.” Brother Brigham, who suffered from arthritis, maintained a winter home in St. George where the average low in January is 31 degrees Fahrenheit. St. George is home to the third oldest LDS temple (after Kirtland and Nauvoo); the oldest one still in operation. Dixie State University is here, and so is the Tuacahn Center for the Arts. The proximity to Zion National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument and Bryce Canyon National Park make St. George a popular stop for vacationers.