In the USA, as in Europe as well, one can see impressive mountain ranges from a lot of cities. On the one hand they offer shelter from weather desasters, on the other they draw people up when the summers get too hot. Since the very beginning of their settlement, the majority of the Utah population had decided to settle along the western frontier of the mountains where numerous river courses left the mountains. They became vital and essential sources for water, wood and granite for the early settlers. Today, 85 % of the Utah population lives within 15 miles of the Wasatch Range, mainly in the western valleys. This concentration is called the Wasatch Front and has a population of a little more than 2 million people. Salt Lake City is situated between the Wasatch Range and the great Salt Lake.