The Jell-O Belt is a colloquial term in American English that refers to the parts of the western United States with large populations of Latter-day Saints. In academic literature, the area is more commonly called the "Mormon culture region" or the "Mormon Corridor." It has also been referred to as the Book of Mormon belt as a cultural reference to the Bible belt of the southeastern United States.
It generally refers to a roughly-defined area of land centered on Utah. The Jell-O Belt extends northward through western Wyoming and eastern Idaho to Yellowstone National Park. The belt reaches south through San Bernardino, California and Mesa, Arizona. In Arizona, the belt extends throughout all of the eastern part of the state, almost to the U.S.-Mexico border. Some of the larger cities with a significant Latter-day Saint population include Las Vegas, Nevada; Henderson, Nevada; Redlands, California; Riverside, California; Anaheim, California; and Temecula, California.
The name "Jell-O Belt" references the stereotype that Mormons supposedly have an affection for Jell-O (a gelatin-based food), particularly when served with shredded carrots, or blended with canned fruit and set in molds. Green (lime) Jell-O is the most stereotypically Mormon of Jell-O flavor-colors, probably because lime was once the best-selling flavor of Jell-O in Utah. Jell-O has been designated Utah's official state snack food.
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