Utah is a state located in the Western United States. As of 2025, there are 255 municipalities in the U.S. state of Utah. A municipality is called a town if the population is under 1,000 people, and a city if the population is over 1,000 people. Incorporation means that a municipal charter has been adopted by the affected population following a referendum. In the Constitution of Utah, cities and towns are granted "the authority to exercise all powers relating to municipal affairs, and to adopt and enforce within its limits, local police, sanitary and similar regulations not in conflict with the general law" They also have the power to raise and collect taxes, to provide and maintain local public services, acquire by eminent domain any property needed to make local improvements, and to raise money by bonds.
The area had been occupied by different Native American groups dating to about 10,000 years before present. Europeans entered the region in the 1500s with the expedition of Garci-Lopez de Cardenas, as recorded by Francisco de Coronado, and in subsequent decades other Europeans had a scattered presence as mountain men or explorers but there were no large or permanent settlements. Utah was colonized by the Spanish Empire as part of the Province of Las Californias, and later Alta California. After Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, Utah was under Mexican control until the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 ceded the territory to the United States of America. The Spanish and Mexican legacy of the state is present in many place names, particularly in the southern portion of Utah. On July 22, 1847, the first party of Latter-day Saint pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, where they founded Salt Lake City. Over the next 22 years, more than 70,000 Mormon pioneers crossed the plains and settled in Utah. Initial colonization along the Wasatch Front was mostly made by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), with little direct involvement from LDS leadership. Outside the Wasatch Front, many settlements were directed, planned, organized, and dispatched by leaders of the Church. Settlements were also founded by the railroads, mining companies and non-LDS settlers. Many settlements were named after leaders, history or from scriptures of the LDS Church. Natural features of the region, including rivers, mountains, lakes and flora, are also commonly used for names.
