Which happens to be in (quite possibly) the whitest state in the union. Maybe it's the paycheck. Maybe it's the chance to be a kernel of corn in the shit sandwich that is the Royal Mormonry. Who knows.
Once again, the invisibility of Hispanic Americans is evident. The rankings of US States by percentage of the population that is "White (not Hispanic or Latino)" according to the 2000 Census: Maine - 96.5% Vermont - 96.2% New Hampshire - 95.1% West Virginia - 94.6% Iowa - 92.6% North Dakota - 91.7% Montana - 89.5% Kentucky - 89.3% Wyoming - 88.9% Minnesota - 88.2% South Dakota - 88.0% Idaho - 88.0% Wisconsin - 87.3% Nebraska - 87.3% Indiana - 85.8% Utah - 85.3% Pennsylvania - 84.1% Ohio - 84.0% Missouri - 83.8% Oregon - 83.5% Kansas - 83.1% Massachusetts - 81.9 Rhode Island - 81.9 etc... And, Utah is the 14th "most Hispanic" state by percentage of the population. Salt Lake City, in particular, is 19% Hispanic. And that Hispanic population is growing dramatically.
So you got me. Still, of the states on the list, that's the first that has an MLS side (assigning the Revolution to Boston).
Yes, but the "non-White" population (as a percentage) isn't significantly different from other MLS states like Massachusetts, Ohio and/or Missouri. And, with Hispanics now making up close to 20% of the population, Salt Lake City is actually more Hispanic than Boston (14%) and substantially more Hispanic than Columbus (2.5% - ! - yet I don't remember much fuss when Schelotto signed), or Kansas City (6.9%), or even D.C. (7.9%). And, to belabor the point, it's significantly more Hispanic than any of the leading expansion candidates: Seattle (4.5%), St. Louis (2.0%) and Philly (8.5%). The fact is, there are not a lot of African-Americans in Salt Lake City, but it isn't as "White" as people think - with a large Native American and Pacific Islander population in addition to the substantial Hispanic population. Young Argentines - from a country that's rather "White" itself, I might add - should feel at home. Oh, and it's an absolutely beautiful place to live. [ Sorry, I grew up in SLC, and get a bit defensive when ridiculous stereotypes like this pop up. And don't give me the "it's too conservative" bit either, or I'll have to introduce you to Rocky Anderson - one of America's most liberal Mayors according to The Nation magazine.]