Salt Lake City
Template:Salt Lake City infobox Salt Lake City is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of Utah. It sits in the Salt Lake Valley in north-central Utah along the Wasatch Front at an elevation of 1,320m (4,330 feet). The valley is surrounded by mountains that rise up to 1,850m (6,000 feet) above the valley floor. Salt Lake City is also located near the Great Salt Lake, but is separated from it by marshes and mudflats. The 2000 census reported the city's population as 181,743, up from 159,936 in 1990. The Salt Lake City-Ogden metropolitan area had a population of 1,333,914, a 24.4 percent increase over the 1990 figure of 1,072,227.
Salt Lake City is the county seat of Salt Lake County. Residents are called "Salt Lakers." The city is known for its proximity to eight nearby ski resorts in the Wasatch Mountains, promoted as having the "Greatest Snow on Earth." It hosted the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Salt Lake City is currently considering a bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics.
The city is also known for being a center of Mormon culture; about half of Salt Lake City's residents are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which has a temple located in the city.
The current mayor of Salt Lake City is Rocky Anderson.
History
- Main article: History of Salt Lake City
On July 24, 1847, 143 men, three women and two children—members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—founded Salt Lake City to the east of the Great Salt Lake. They were led by Brigham Young, who led the Saints after the death of Joseph Smith, Jr., the religion's founder. Upon arrival to the Salt Lake Valley, Young reportedly confirmed a vision by saying, "It is enough. This is the right place. Drive on." For over 20 years, Salt Lake City was mostly populated by Mormon pioneers who crossed the North American continent overland.
The completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad in 1869 at Promontory Summit linked Utah with the rest of the world. By January 1870, the transcontinental line was expanded south from Ogden to Salt Lake City, bringing to residents many manufactured goods that were previously difficult to obtain. The railroad also ended the era of pioneer migration to Utah by covered wagon and handcart.
The city was originally named Great Salt Lake City, but changed to Salt Lake City upon displacing Fillmore as the capital of Utah territory in 1856. The city became Utah's capital on January 4, 1896, when statehood was granted.
The U.S. Army was sent to the city in 1857 during the so-called "Utah War" to quell the practice of polygamy practiced by many city residents. These troops were soon replaced by a garrison at Fort Douglas on the eastern edge of the city in order to secure the route through Salt Lake during the American Civil War. During the 1880s when anti-Polygamy fervor reached its height, many government and LDS leaders were imprisoned for "co-habitation" at a territorial prison in Sugar House constructed especially for polygamists. The LDS Church's 1890 Manifesto renouncing polygamy ended the controversy and ensured statehood for Utah.
The city continued to grow during the 20th century, with urban sprawl setting in after World War II. Today, the city and its surrounding suburbs fill most of the Salt Lake Valley. In 2002, Salt Lake City was the site of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, one of the few Olympic venues to have made a profit.
Law and government
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| City and County Building, seat of city government since 1894 | ||
| Elected officials of Salt Lake City as of 2004 | ||
| Name: | Position: | Term ends: |
| Rocky Anderson | Mayor | 2007 |
| City Council Members | ||
| Carlton Christensen | 1st District | 2005 |
| Van Blair Turner | 2nd District | 2007 |
| Eric Jergensen | 3rd District | 2005 |
| Nancy Saxton | 4th District | 2007 |
| Jill Remington Love | 5th District | 2005 |
| Dave Buhler | 6th District | 2007 |
| Dale Lambert | 7th District | 2005 |
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.
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 locally well-known and are elected under specific issues. With no major factories or large-scale manufacturing base, union politics or mass labor issues rarely play a role in local politics. Councilors and the mayor are most likely to push platforms centering on school zoning, economic development, and transportation. The metropolitan area's political demographics are unlike much of the rest of Utah's, where Republican or conservative citizens usually 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. 100 units is equal to 1/8th of a mile, the length of blocks in downtown Salt Lake City. For instance, one might speak of the intersection of 700 East and 3300 South or 7th East and 33rd South. Both styles indicate the same coordinate.
According to the original plans for the city, loosely based on LDS Church founder Joseph Smith's "Plat of the City of Zion", the city was to be laid out in 135 ten-acre (40,500 m²) lots. However, the farther one goes outside the original zone around the city's core, the more irregularly spaced the blocks become. During the late 1800s, after the LDS Church had lost control over the city's growth but before zoning ordinances were created in the 1920s, many small streets were crisscrossed through the original grid, usually at the developer's whim.
There are three distinct street patterns in Salt Lake City:
- The original square blocks and the small streets that crisscross it.
- The 2.5-acre (10,100 m²) blocks of the Avenues district.
- The more rectangular blocks south of 900 South.
The entire county bases its grid from the same unit length and origin. [1].
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, a crowded district to the northeast of downtown. It was Salt Lake City's first defined residential neighborhood and is consists of many 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 – towards the north-central, just below the mountain slope
- Central City – the main residential area of the city, located mainly south and southeast of downtown
- Sugar House – commercial/residential district to the southeast
- Federal Heights – affluent district high up the mountain slope to the northeast
- East Bench – residential region on the mountain slope to the east
- Capitol Hill – affluent district above downtown, near the capitol
- Rose Park – poorest neighborhood, situated to the northwest
- Glendale – another poor neighborhood located to the southwest
The east side of town (Sugar House, Capitol Hill, Federal Heights, etc.) is often characterized as the "good" side, whereas the west side (Rose Park and Glendale) is the "bad" side. These characterizations are based on historical prejudices. When the railroad first came to Salt Lake, it ran primarily through the west side, and large industrial complexes grew up around it. Many primarily non-Mormon immigrants settled there to work, whereas the majority of Mormon citizens stayed on the east of town. After World War II, much of the affordable housing was built in Rose Park and Glendale. As these families gained wealth, they moved to more desirable homes on the east. The neighborhoods were left with mostly poorer residents, and crime became rampant. These distinctions are still apparent.
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 are not members of the LDS church are often aware of what ward they are in.
Transportation
Roads
The freeways in Salt Lake City are: I-15, running north/south; I-80, running east/west; and the I-215 Belt Route, running 3/4 of the way around the city in a "U" shape. Other highways include Utah 201 (also called "the 201" or the "21st South freeway"), Bangerter Highway, and US 89 (also known as State Street). In anticipation of the 2002 Winter Olympics, major overhauls were made on these roadways, particularly I-15.
Plans exist for a freeway running the length of the west side of the Wasatch Front from Brigham City in the north to Nephi in the south, connecting with I-215 in Salt Lake County. This freeway is know as the Legacy Highway and has caused quite a bit of controversy. It is currently stalled because environmentalists' lawsuits forced the re-evaluation of the environmental impact statement.
Public Transit
A light rail system, known as TRAX, had also been planned for years. In anticipation of the 2002 Winter Olympics this system was funded and built. It began service on December 4, 1999 and currently links downtown with the suburbs, as well as the University of Utah. Plans for a future link into other parts of the city are already in the works, including several proposed lines. Suggestions include a line to Sugar House, a link to the airport, and several alternative plans to bring TRAX into West Valley City, West Jordan, and Draper. It is administered by the Utah Transit Authority (UTA).
There are also plans for a commuter rail system that by 2020 should extend from Brigham City, north of Ogden in Box Elder County, to Payson, which is south of Provo in Utah County. This is the approximate length of the Wasatch Front. The first segment, between Salt Lake City and Ogden, is expected to be completed by 2007.
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 and beyond, serving the entire length of the Wasatch Front. Other services provided by UTA include a paratransit service, which has curbside pickup for disabled riders, express buses running between Salt Lake and its major suburbs, and winter service to the ski resorts in the Wasatch Mountains.
Air
Salt Lake City is serviced by the Salt Lake City International Airport. In 2004 Delta Air Lines announced an expansion of their hub at the airport. The airline will 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.
Taxi
Three taxicab services exist in Salt Lake City. They are Ute Cab, City Cab, and Yellow Cab. A recent controversy has sprung up between entrepreneurs wishing to enter the taxi market in the city, and the mayor's office, which has maintained tight restrictions on the taxi fleet. The controversy was fueled by Yellow Cab's advocacy of Mayor Anderson's re-election campaign by displaying the mayor's campaign ads wrapped around the company's taxis, and further by the decision by the mayor's campaign not to report this as a political in-kind contribution. Anderson drove a cab for Yellow while in college.
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 nineteenth 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 actually appears higher as it stands on slightly higher ground. The Wells Fargo is sometimes referred to as the American Stores Tower, but American Stores, a grocery chain, never moved in as it merged with Albertsons in 1999, and the building was subsequently sold to Wells Fargo. The third highest Salt Lake skyscraper is One Utah Center, adjacent to the Wells Fargo Center.
As the headquarters for the LDS Church, several top tourists draws exist in and around the church's Temple Square campus downtown including the Salt Lake Temple, the historic Tabernacle, and newer LDS Conference Center which seats about 20,000. The LDS Genealogical Library, just west of Temple Square, ranks among Utah's most popular tourist destinations (along with Temple Square and Zion National Park).
Another popular attraction is the architecturally unique Salt Lake City Public Library, also currently one of Utah's top attractions.
The Utah Jazz play at the Delta Center in western downtown near Abravanel Hall, home of the Utah Symphony Orchestra.
Future plans for Salt Lake include the Living Earth Aquarium (which is already running on a limited scale at the Gateway Mall) and the Leonardo, which will be a multi-faceted art, culture, and science center. The Leonardo will be housed in the old Salt Lake City main library building. [2]
Recreation and sports
Winter snow-skiing includes destinations such as Alta and Deer Valley (which both allow only skiing). Both skiing and snowboarding are available at Snowbird, Park City, Solitude, and Brighton. Eight ski resorts are located within an hour's drive of the airport. The proximity of the ski resorts adds to the Utah boast of the "Greatest Snow on Earth". The ski resorts see frequent storms which deposit light, dry snow due to a phenomenon called the "lake effect" where moisture picked up over the Great Salt Lake precipitates in the Wasatch Mountains.
Salt Lake City is home to the Utah Jazz, a NBA 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. Major League Soccer announced that Salt Lake City will receive its latest expansion team in 2005, which will be known as Real Salt Lake. Salt Lake City will also receive an expansion team from the revived American Basketball Association, known as the Utah Snowbears [3] in 2005, and an Arena Football League team in 2006.
Culture and celebrations
Although the city is often stereotyped as entirely Mormon, it is in fact culturally diverse. The city is the location of many cultural activities, Mormon and otherwise. Some popular annual cultural celebrations include:
- First Night - New Year celebration.
- Days of '47 - Salt Lake City's largest parade. Occurs every July 24th on Pioneer Day, a Utah state holiday commemorating the Mormon pioneers' entry into Salt Lake Valley.
- Greek Festival - In September. Weekend festival celebrating Utah's Greek heritage.
- Portions of the Sundance Film Festival.
Economy
The economy of the city is primarily service-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. It is rumored that call centers prefer the Salt Lake and Provo areas because of the mild western accent of Utah natives that is easily understood in all regions of the United States, and considered pleasant by many.
Education
- Please see main article: Education in Salt Lake City.
Education has always been a priority in the Salt Lake Valley. In 1847 pioneer Jane Dillworth held the first classes in her tent for the children of the first Mormon families. In the last part of the 1800s there was much controversy over how children in the area should be educated. Mormons and non-Mormons alike could not agree on the level of religious influence in schools. Many Mormon youths in grades 9–12 attend some form of religious instruction, referred to as seminary.
Primary and secondary education
Due to high birth rates and large classrooms Utah spends less per capita on students than any other state. Money is always a challenge and many businesses donate to support schools. Several districts have set up foundations to raise money.
Salt Lake City School District serves Salt Lake City proper. For other local school districts, see: Salt Lake County.
Colleges and universities
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, and the LDS Business College. There are also many trade and technical schools such as the Utah College of Massage Therapy.
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 and Salt Lake City in film.
Geography
Salt Lake City is located at 40°45'17" North, 111°53'33" West (40.754700, -111.892622)Template:GR.
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 (1,850 m) above the valley floor. This metro area is known commonly as the Wasatch Front. Most of the valley floor is built up, except for some rapidly disappearing fields and farms on the south and west sides of the valley. Some parts of the benches have seen residential construction, and often the higher up the bench one goes, the more ostentatious the dwellings become.
The valley floor is the lake bed of the ancient Lake Bonneville, of which the Great Salt Lake is a remnant. Soils in the valley are largely clay and sand, which exposes the city's edifices to considerable risk of damage due to liquefaction caused by an earthquake. The Wasatch Fault runs along the eastern benches of the city, and geologists consider it due for a major earthquake.
The marshlands and mudflats to the south and east of the Great Salt Lake border the city's northwest side. Freshwater estuaries enter the lake here, and the lower salinity combines with the marshy terrain to result in considerable algae growth. Under certain weather conditions, which occur up to roughly a dozen times a year, some of the algae dies off and decays, and the northwest winds carry the scent of decaying algae into the city. The smell is known as "lake stink." Because of the flatness of the valley (which impedes views of the lake) and the worthlessness of the lake as a fishery or recreational water (due to its high salinity), the lake stink is one of the few reminders Salt Lakers have that they live near a major body of water.
Climate
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. Salt Lake City's record low temperature is -30°F (-34°C), set on February 9, 1933.
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. Salt Lake City's record high temperature is 107°F (41°C), set on July 13, 2002.
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. Bench locations near the mountains often receive substantially more. Average winter temperatures in the city are usually not quite cold enough to support a stable, constant snow cover all winter long every year. However, there are some exceptions to this. In December 2003 a large storm struck the valley Christmas morning. More than 12 inches of snow fell across most of the valley and it remained on the ground for the remainder of winter, being replenished by subsequent snowstorms.
The summer monsoon rising from Mexico and Arizona occasionally passes through the region starting in mid-July and continuing through September, bringing intense but short thunderstorm activity. Sometimes it consists of dry lightning, in which there is not enough humidity for the rain to reach the ground but there is still a lot of lightning. This is the main cause of wildfires in Utah during summer. Smoke from such fires in nearby areas, or even from as far away as California or Oregon (depending on the prevailing winds), sometimes makes its way into the valley.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 181,743 people, 71,461 households, and 39,803 families residing in the city. This amounts to 8.1% of Utah's population, 20.2% of Salt Lake County's population, and 13.6% of the Salt Lake metropolitan population. Salt Lake City proper covers 14.2% of Salt Lake County. Salt Lake City is more densly populated than the outlying metro area with a population density of 643.3/km² (1,666.1/mi²). There are 77,054 housing units at an average density of 272.7/km² (706.4/mi²).
Salt Lake City is more racially diverse than the state of Utah as a whole. For example, a comparison of the racial make up of Utah versus Salt Lake City:
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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
- 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 population, 18.7% of those under the age of 18 and 8.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Religious affiliation
About half of Salt Lake City's residents are members of the LDS Church. This rises to about 75% for the state's more rural municipalities, averaging about 60% for Utah as a whole.
Trivia
- Salt Lake City is recognized 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 what is now South Salt Lake.
- Salt Lake City has a law against carrying an unwrapped ukulele on the street.
References
- McCormick, John S., (2000) The Gathering Place: An Illustrated History of Salt Lake City, Signature Books, ISBN 1-56085-132-5
- Alexander, Thomas G., (2001) Grace & Grandeur: A History of Salt Lake City, Heritage Media Corp., ISBN 1886483604
- 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.
- Utah Highway page, retrieved 2004
External links
Government and business
- Official website of Salt Lake City
- Salt Lake City Government official page
- Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce
Media
- Deseret Morning News
- Salt Lake Tribune
- Salt Lake City Weekly
- KSL-TV – NBC affiliate
- KTVX – ABC affiliate
- KUTV – CBS affiliate
