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Payson-Dixon line or Payson-Dixie line is an unofficial political boundary sometimes referred to in Utah politics. It refers to the area south of Payson, Utah, down to St. George, Utah which carries the nickname of Utah's Dixie. It is a pun on the well known Mason-Dixon line, that is an unofficial barrier that delineates where the American south begins.
While the term can be used with various connotations, it is usually used in reference to an urban-rural divide that exists in the Utah political sphere. Because 80% of Utah's population lives in the Wasatch Front, people used to acknowledge that rural issues are more relevant in southern Utah. It is also used as a point of pride for those who live south of it, while hardly used by those who live north of it (both uses are similar to the meanings of the Mason-Dixon Line from which it alludes.)
The origin of the term is unknown, but an early use appears in 1988 in St. George's newspaper, The Spectrum . [1] It is being used regularly by 1993, with Utah State representative Met Johnson [R-UT-74] [2] using the term in opinion pieces and other settings expressing his concern of the growing divide. [3] The terms use in Utah politics, continues with use throughout the 2000s and became important again in the 2012 US House of Representatives Election, with the creation of Utah Congressional District 4. With the 2010 census, CD4 was created and then Rep. Jim Matheson, elected to run in that newly created district, rather than the one he was then listed as representing. Rep. Chris Stewart used the term against his opponent, Jay Seegmiller, in the race, saying as he didn't live in the district, he couldn't understand the needs of people south of Payson-Dixon line.
It has been used frequently in 2018, and 2019 by Utah (then Lt.) Governor Spencer Cox in keynotes, [4] [5] tweets, [6] [7] podcasts, [8] [9] and other public situations to advocate for Southern Utah. Being from the area himself, he has used it in the context of his then role as Lt. Governor, as well as his 2020 Gubernatorial campaign, in which he used it throughout his tour of the 248 incorporated cities in Utah, especially those in the rural south. He has continued use of the term as governor, as recently as his 2021 State of the State speech to argue for his budget proposal, saying In Utah, it shouldn’t matter what side of I-15 you were born on — or in my case, on what side of the Payson-Dixon line you happen to live — every child in this state deserves a great education from a high-quality, well-compensated teacher. [10]
The Mason–Dixon line, also called the Mason and Dixon line or Mason's and Dixon's line, is a demarcation line separating four U.S. states, constituting parts of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia. It was surveyed between 1763 and 1767 by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon as part of the resolution of a border dispute involving Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware in the colonial United States. The dispute had its origins almost a century earlier in the somewhat confusing proprietary grants by King Charles I to Lord Baltimore (Maryland), and by his son King Charles II to William Penn.
Payson is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 21,101 at the 2020 census.
The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 states, territories and commonwealths. Members come from across the political spectrum. NGA declares itself as nonpartisan.
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Dixie is a nickname for the populated, lower-elevation area of south-central Washington County, the southwest corner of the State of Utah. The area lies in the northeastern Mojave Desert, south of Black Ridge and west of the Hurricane Cliffs. Its winter climate is significantly more mild than the rest of Utah.
Gary Richard Herbert is an American politician who served as the 17th governor of Utah from 2009 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he chaired the National Governors Association during the 2015–2016 cycle.
Gregory S. Bell is an American politician, real estate developer, and attorney who served as the seventh lieutenant governor of Utah. A Republican, he was a member of the Utah State Senate, representing the state's 22nd senate district in Davis County. Bell was appointed Lieutenant Governor effective September 1, 2009. He was elected to half a term November 2, 2010, and then elected to a full term November 6, 2012.
Utah is a state in the United States of America. Its government consists of a state executive, legislative, and judicial branch, laid forth by the Constitution and law of the State of Utah.
Dixie, also known as Dixieland or Dixie's Land, is a nickname for all or part of the Southern United States. While there is no official definition of this region, or the extent of the area it covers, most definitions include the U.S. states below the Mason–Dixon line that seceded and comprised the Confederate States of America, almost always including the Deep South. The term became popularized throughout the United States by songs that nostalgically referred to the American South.
Spencer James Cox is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 18th governor of Utah since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the eighth lieutenant governor of Utah from 2013 to 2021. In Fairview, Utah, where Cox lives and was raised, he was elected to the city council in 2004 and then as mayor in 2005. In 2008, he was elected as a Sanpete County county commissioner.
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