Online Encyclopedia
Categories: Cities in Utah | Salt Lake County, Utah | Salt Lake City, Utah | Wasatch Front | Great Basin | Holy cities
Salt Lake City, Utah
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Salt Lake City is the capital of Utah, a state of the United States of America.
As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 181,743 (159,936 in 1990). The population of the Salt Lake Metro Area is over 1 million. It is the largest city in the state and the county seat of Salt Lake County.
The current mayor of the city is Ross C. ("Rocky") Anderson .
Salt Lake City was the host of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.
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History
Prehistory
Originally, the Salt Lake Valley was inhabited by the Shoshone, Paiute, Goshute and Ute Native American tribes. Spanish explorers first visited the area in 1776, and the first American of European descent in the area was Jim Bridger in 1842.
Early years
On July 24, 1847 143 men, three women and two children founded Salt Lake City on the eastern shore of the Great Salt Lake. These members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Latter-day Saints, LDS or Mormon) sought to escape religious persecution against Mormons and were the first people of European descent to permanently settle in the area now known as Utah.[1]
Brigham Young was leading the Saints west after the death of their church founder, Joseph Smith, Jr.. Upon arrival to the Salt Lake valley, Young reportedly confirmed a vision by saying, "It is enough. This is the right place. Drive on." (Commonly shortened to, "This is the place".) There is a park in Salt Lake called "This Is the Place Park" commemorating the spot where Young is supposed to have made the famous statement.
Salt Lake City was originally governed by a high council which enacted the original municipal orders in 1848. This system was later replaced with a city council and mayor style government.
The 1849 California goldrush brought many people through the city on their ways to seek fortunes. Salt Lake, which was at the cross-roads of the westward trek, became a vital trading point for speculators and prospectors traveling through. They came with goods from the East, such as clothing and other manufactured items, trading with the local farmers for fresh livestock and crops.
Congress organized the Utah Territory out of the "State of Deseret" in 1850, and a few months later on January 6, 1851 the city was formally organized as "The City of the Great Salt Lake". Originally, Fillmore, Utah was the territorial capital, but in 1856 it was moved to Salt Lake City, where it has stayed ever since. The city's name was officially changed to "Salt Lake City" at the same time.
In 1857 when the Mormon practice of polygamy came to national awareness the people were accused of being "un-American" and "antidemocratic". In response President James Buchanan sent an army of 2500 soldiers, called the Utah Expedition, to "watch" the Mormons and install a non-Mormon governor to replace Brigham Young. In response Brigham Young imposed martial law, sending his own men to act as guerillas and harass the soldiers, a conflict called the Utah War. Young eventually surrendered to federal control when the new territorial governor Alfred Cumming arived in Salt Lake City on April 12, 1858.
Most troops pulled out at the beginning of the American Civil War.
In order to secure the road to California during the Civil War in 1862 more troops arrived under the command of Colonel Patrick Edward Connor . They settled in the Fort Douglas area east of the city. Thouroughly anti-Mormon, Connor viewed the people with disdain calling them, "a community of traitors, murderers, fanatics, and whores." To dilute their influence he worked with non-Mormon business and bank owners, and also encoraged mining. In 1863 some of his troops discovered rich veins of gold and silver in the Wasatch Mountains.
In 1868 Brigham Young founded the Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI) as a way to ward off dependency on outside goods and arguably to hinder ex-Mormon retailers. ZCMI was the nation's first department store.
Change was inevitable. The world started to come to Salt Lake City in 1869 with the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad at Promontory Summit, north of the city. By 1870 Salt Lake had been linked to it via the Utah Central Railroad . People began to pour into Salt Lake looking for opportunities in minig and other industries.
City government was dominated by the People's Party until 1890. The non-national People's Party was an LDS-controled political organization, and each of the early mayors of Salt Lake City was Mormon. Sparks often flew between Mormon city government and non-Mormon federal authorities stationed just outside Salt Lake. A dramatic example occurred in 1874 when city police were arrested by US Marshals, who took control of the national election being held in Salt Lake City. Mayor Daniel H. Wells , also an LDS First Presidency Counselor, declared martial law from the balcony of the Old Salt Lake City Hall. Federal troops arrested the mayor, but he was soon released.
In the 1880s, the anti-polygamy Edmunds-Tucker Act systematically denied many prominent Mormons the right to vote or hold office. Polygamists were detained in a Federal prison just outside of Salt Lake in the Sugar House area. Consequentially, the non-Mormon Liberal Party took control of City government in the 1890 election. Three years later the Liberal Party and People's Party dissolved into national parties anticipating Utah statehood, but both Mormon and non-Mormon leaders would govern Salt Lake City from that point onward.
The city became Utah's state capital on January 4, 1896 when Utah entered the union upon President Grover Cleveland's decree.
The 20th Century
Salt Lake City adopted a non-partisan city council in 1911. As Mormon/non-Mormon tensions eased people began to work together for the common good, improving roads, utilities and public healthcare.
After suffering through the Great Depression Salt Lake's economy was boosted during World War II due to the influx of defense industries to the Wasatch Front. Demands for raw materials increased Utah's mining industry and several military installations such as Fort Douglas and Hill Air Force Base were added.
After the Second World War Salt Lake City grew rapidly. It began to suffer some of the same problems other cities face. Urban sprawl became a growing problem due to a combination of rapid growth and an abundance of available land. Military and aerospace also became a dominant industry.
Salt Lake began its bid for the Winter Olympics as early as the 1930s when the Utah Ski Club tried to bring them to the area. At the time, however, the Summer Olympic host city had the option of hosting the winter games, and all attempts failed. Salt Lake tried again throughout the decades until in 1995 when the International Olympic Committee announced Salt Lake victorious.
After lasting for 132 years, ZCMI was sold to the May Department Stores Company in 1999. Remaining ZCMI stores, including one in downtown Salt Lake City, were converted into Meier and Frank stores.
Government & Politics
Since 1979 Salt Lake City has maintained a non-partisan Mayor-council form of government. The full-time mayor is elected to four year terms without term limit. The last such election occurred in 2003. Salt Lake City's seven part-time city councilors are also elected to four year terms. Three council elections are held the same year as mayoral elections and the other four are staggered two years from these votes. Each council seat is defined by geographic boundaries, so each councilor represents about 26,000 citizens.
Elected officials of Salt Lake City as of 2004
- Rocky Anderson – Mayor (term expires 2007)
- Carlton Christensen – 1st District Council Member (term expires 2005)
- Van Blair Turner – 2nd District Council Member (term expires 2007)
- Eric Jergensen – 3rd District Council Member (term expires 2005)
- Nancy Saxton – 4th District Council Member (term expires 2007)
- Jill Remington Love – 5th District Council Member (term expires 2005)
- Dave Buhler – 6th District Council Member (term expires 2007)
- Dale Lambert – 7th District Council Member (term expires 2005)
Although the mayor is officially a non-partisan position, Salt Lake City has elected Democratic mayors for almost the last 16 years. City council members tend to be local well-knowns elected under specific issues (school zoning, economic development, etc.) The metropolitan area's political demographics are unlike much of the rest of Utah and its cities and counties where mostly Republicans or conservative citizens dominate and are represented by politicians of similar persuasion.
See also: List of mayors of Salt Lake City.
City layout
The city itself is laid out in a grid plan with most streets running precisely north-south or east-west. The origin of the grid is the south-east corner of Temple Square, the location of the Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Street addresses are coordinates within the grid system, and one might speak of the intersection of 700 East and 3300 South, for instance. Locals verbalize these numbers as either "seventh east and thirty-third south" or "seven hundred east and thirty-three hundred south," both styles indicating the same coordinate. (A street block is commonly 100 units long, 1/8 of a mile) [2].
Neighborhoods
Salt Lake City has quite a number of informal neighborhoods that are well known throughout the city and even noted on most local maps. One of the most recognizable is The Avenues to the northeast. The avenues are a district of old houses built at a similar time on perfectly rectangular blocks defined by streets named after letters of the alphabet, and avenues (1st, 2nd, etc). Other neighborhoods include:
- Downtown
- Central City - city core (residential area south of downtown)
- Sugar House - southeast
- Federal Heights - northeast
- The Avenues - north
- East Bench - east
- Capitol Hill - north
- Rose Park - northwest
- Glendale - southwest
The LDS church also divides the city (and other locations where it is strong) into stakes and wards. A stake is roughly analogous to a diocese, and a ward is similar to a parish. Due to the pervasive influence of the LDS church within Utah, even those who aren't members of the LDS church are often aware of what ward they are in.
Transportation
In anticipation of the 2002 Olympics, major overhauls were made to Salt Lake's transit system. Millions of dollars were spent upgrading the major freeway routes: I-15, I-80 and the I-215 Belt Route. Other highways include Utah 201 (also called "the 201" or the "21st South freeway") and US 89 (known as State Street within Salt Lake City, but runs the length of the state from north to south.).
Also in anticipation of the Olympics, a light rail system, known as TRAX , administered by the Utah Transit Authority (UTA), was added to link downtown with the suburbs, as well as the University of Utah. It began service December 4, 1999. Plans for a future link into other parts of the city are already in the works, including a proposed line into Sugar House.
UTA also runs the bus system in Salt Lake. The combined bus and rail services reach almost everywhere within Salt Lake City, and many points in the valley. Other services provided by UTA include a paratransit service, which has curbside pickup for disabled riders, as well as express busses running between Salt Lake and its major suburbs.
There are also plans for a commuter rail that by 2020 should extend from Brigham City, to the north, to Payson, which is to the south. This is the approximate length of the Wasatch Front. The first segment, between Salt Lake City and Ogden, to the north, is expected to be completed by 2007.
Salt Lake City is serviced by the Salt Lake City International Airport. In 2004 Delta Air Lines announced that they were considering removing Salt Lake as a major hub. Many people were worried this would hurt the city's economy, as the airline brings millions of people into the city each year. In the end Delta decided not only to keep Salt Lake as a hub, but also to expand it. The airline announced they would add 58 flights (including 13 nonstop) beginning in February 2005, while cutting back on its service to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, thus "de-hubbing" it.
Major attractions
Salt Lake City's downtown core houses an impressive collection of old and new structures with several twenty-plus story steel and glass towers adjacent to late nineteeth century brick and mortar. The tallest building in the city is the Wells Fargo Center, at 24 stories and 422 ft, although the LDS Church Office Building has more stories, at 28, and is only slightly shorter, at 420 ft. Other important buildings are the Delta Center, One Utah Center, the Salt Lake City Public Library , the historic Tabernacle, the Salt Lake LDS Temple, and the newer LDS Conference Center which seats about 20,000.
The Wells Fargo Center is sometimes referred to as the American Stores Tower, but American never moved in as it merged with Albertsons in 1999.
Hogle Zoo is at the foot of the mountains on the east bench, and Liberty Park just southeast of downtown.
See also: Buildings and sites of Salt Lake City, Utah
Culture & Celebrations
Salt Lake City is home to many diverse cultures. Although the city is often stereotyped as entirely Mormon, it is infact culturally diverse, hosting many activities, Mormon and otherwise. Some popular annual cultural celebrations include:
- First Night - New Year celebration.
- Days of '47 - Utah state holiday comemorating the Mormon pioneers' entry into the valley. Salt Lake City's largest parade.
- Greek Festival - In September. Weekend festival celebrating Utah's Greek heritage.
Economy
The economy of the city is primarily services-oriented. While nearby Kennecott Copper Mine provided a strong source of income during the 19th century, the city has evolved to an economy built on transit hubs, call-centers, and seasonal tourism. The 2002 Olympic Winter Games gave a great boost to the area's economy.
Higher education
Post-secondary educational options in Salt Lake City include:
- the University of Utah
- Westminster College, Salt Lake City
- Salt Lake Community College
- the BYU Salt Lake Center
- LDS Business College
Media
Salt Lake has many diverse media outlets. Major ones include:
KSL-TV, channel 5 is one of Utah's oldest television stations. Other media include newspapers, such as the Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret Morning News, and the Salt Lake City Weekly.
For more information see: List of Salt Lake City media.
Geography & Climate
Salt Lake City is located at 40°45'17" North, 111°53'33" West (40.754700, -111.892622)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 285.9 km² (110.4 mi²). 282.5 km² (109.1 mi²) of it is land and 3.3 km² (1.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.17% water.
The city is located in a large valley, the Salt Lake Valley , separated by the Wasatch Mountains to the east and the Oquirrh Mountains to the west.
Like most of the cities stretching north and south of Salt Lake City (See Ogden and Provo), it lies at the base of the Wasatch Mountains which in some places rise impressively 6,000 feet above the valley floor. This metro area is known commonly as the Wasatch Front.
Winter weather is not as harsh as in some other locations within the Rocky Mountain region because of the moderating effect of the Great Salt Lake to the northwest of the city. Temperatures seldom fall below 0°F/-18°C for any length of time. However, temperature inversions in winter commonly result in cold, foggy weather in the city while the surrounding mountains enjoy warmer temperatures and sunshine.
Summers are likewise moderated somewhat by the lake, and also by the city's elevation (4,290 feet at Temple Square). Days over 100°F/38°C occur on average 8 times per year, but such days are not terribly uncomfortable due to the typically low humidity, which, combined with the altitude, produce a large daily range in temperatures, and hence, rather cool nights, in summer (both precipitation and humidity are highest in late winter and early spring, and lowest in late summer and early autumn).
Snowfall is frequent from December through March, but it is unusual for any one storm to accumulate more than 12 inches/30 cm on the valley floor (average winter temperatures in the city are not quite cold enough to support a stable, constant snow cover all winter long every year). Bench locations near the mountains often receive substantially more. The summer monsoon rising from Mexico and Arizona occasionally pass through the region starting in mid-July and continue through September, bringing intense thunderstorm activity; otherwise, summers are generally dry.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 181,743 people, 71,461 households, and 39,803 families residing in the city. The population density is 643.3/km² (1,666.1/mi²). There are 77,054 housing units at an average density of 272.7/km² (706.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 79.20% White, 1.89% African American, 1.34% Native American, 3.62% Asian, 1.89% Pacific Islander, 8.52% from other races, and 3.54% from two or more races. 18.85% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 71,461 households out of which 27.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% are married couples living together, 10.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 44.3% are non-families. 33.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.48 and the average family size is 3.24.
In the city the population is spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 15.2% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 30 years. For every 100 females there are 102.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 101.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $36,944, and the median income for a family is $45,140. Males have a median income of $31,511 versus $26,403 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,752. 15.3% of the population and 10.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 18.7% are under the age of 18 and 8.5% are 65 or older.
Religious affiliation
About half of Salt Lake City's population are members of the LDS Church compared with about 75% for Utah as a whole or about 90% for the State's more rural municipalities.
Recreation & Sports
Winter snow-skiing destinations such as Alta, Snowbird, Park City, Deer Valley, Solitude , Brighton and other ski resorts can be reached in less than a half-hour drive from some places in the metro. The proximity of the ski resorts adds to the Utah boast of the "Greatest Snow on Earth".
Salt Lake City is home to the Utah Jazz National Basketball Association team, as well as the Salt Lake Stingers minor league baseball team. The Stingers are the Anaheim Angels Triple A affiliate. The city also hosts a hockey team, the Utah Grizzlies and a minor league mens' soccer team, the Utah Blitzz . MLS announced that Salt Lake City will receive its latest expansion team, which is yet to be named.
Trivia
- Salt Lake City is recgonized as the birthplace of modern computer graphics, an accomplishment credited to researchers at the University of Utah.
- The world's first Kentucky Fried Chicken (now KFC) was established in 1952 by Harland Sanders and Pete Harman in Salt Lake City.
- Salt Lake City has a law against carrying an unwrapped ukulele on the street.
References
- Bagley, Will (2004) World Book Encyclopedia, Volume S-Sn, pp. 76-76a. World Book Inc. ISBN 0716601044
- Salt Lake City History Page, retrieved September 2004.
- McCormick, John S., History To Go Page, retrieved September 2004.
External links
- Official website of Salt Lake City
- Salt Lake City Governmernt official page
- Deseret Morning News
- Salt Lake Tribune
- Salt Lake City Weekly
- KSL-TV - NBC affiliate
- KTVX - ABC affiliate
- KUTV - CBS affiliate
- Historic Stereoviews of 19th Century Salt Lake City
- Wikitravel:Salt Lake City
| Regions of Utah | |
|---|---|
| Great Salt Lake Area | Wasatch Front | |
| Largest Cities | |
| Bountiful | Centerville | Cottonwood Heights | Draper | Kearns | Layton | Logan | Midvale | Murray | Ogden | Orem | Provo | Roy | Salt Lake City | Sandy | South Jordan | St. George | Taylorsville | West Jordan | West Valley City | |
| Counties | |
| Beaver | Box Elder | Cache | Carbon | Daggett | Davis | Duchesne | Emery | Garfield | Grand | Iron | Juab | Kane | Millard | Morgan | Piute | Rich | Salt Lake | San Juan | Sanpete | Sevier | Summit | Tooele | Uintah | Utah | Wasatch | Washington | Wayne | Weber |
Categories: Cities in Utah | Salt Lake County, Utah | Salt Lake City, Utah | Wasatch Front | Great Basin | Holy cities