A Collection of Essays About PLACE

My Kind of Town: Manti, Utah
But the best view is when you look up and in
the distance, you see the top of the Temple.
Everything I Live For By: Bailie Kay Johnson
The beautiful scenery of the best place on earth
Manti is the most beautiful place in Utah. What I love most about my town is that it’s rich with color. The color in the
summer is so bright and detailed. In the winter, the snow is so blinding it looks like heaven is really a place on earth. Manti is a small
town but it’s big enough for our large Temple. At night, driving to Manti, you know you’re heading to the right town because even in
the dark fog you can always see the lit up Temple. Manti is the town I grew up in and there is so much to do there. Well, only if you
have a wide imagination. I love the sound of swarming summer bees and the wind brushing through the trees. I love the sound of all
the children laughing and the warm sun baking.
The weather there is ideal all year round. We are able to feel all four seasons and it is astonishing. The winters are frosty,
the summers are roasting, the falls are chilly and the springs are humid. The smell of Manti is so clean. The smell of freshly mowed
lawns mixed with wild flowers and cooled water that’s scent is brought down from the mountain. The corn is always being plucked
from the west side of Manti where there are rows of corn nonstop. Driving past it looks like your mind is playing tricks on you. Some
may think that because Manti is small it’s not a fun place. Manti really means everything to me.
Driving through town on Main Street is what really excites me. There are houses that are over 100 years old and still look
very nice. You see people walking more than any other town and you see children running down the side walk. But the best view is
when you look up and in the distance, you see the top of the Temple. The most beautiful building in Manti and it was built in 1893.
All of my family has lived in Manti at one point of their lives. Even when I take my friends there, they have an excellent time and
mention the texture and feel of Manti which is enchanting. I have never lived anywhere else in my life until the year 2012. My family
moved away, but every weekend I drive there and visit the little farm town I have grown to call my home.
Any time I see the Sanpete County sign I rupture out a huge smile and immediately think, I’m thankful for the little county I
grew up in. I’m more than proud to be the person I am today from the experiences through my community. Most of us are
respectful to one another. We all love each other as family and are very welcoming and warm towards others. That is my kind of
place.
DHHS Magazine, November 2013