Salt Lake City | History, Population, & Facts (2024)

Salt Lake City, state capital and seat (1849) of Salt Lake county, north-central Utah, U.S., situated on the Jordan River at the southeastern end of Great Salt Lake. The world capital of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), it influences the social, economic, political, and cultural life of the people in a wide area of Utah and bordering regions of Idaho, Nevada, and Wyoming. Built on benches of ancient Lake Bonneville, the city (approximate elevation 4,300 feet [1,300 metres]) lies at the foot of the Wasatch Range, which rises more than 1 mile (1.6 km) above the Salt Lake valley floor. Salt Lake City is at the centre of an urbanized band along the mountains that includes Ogden to the north and Provo to the south. Inc. 1851. Area city, 111 square miles (287 square km). Pop. (2010) 186,440; Salt Lake City Metro Area, 1,124,197; (2020) 199,723; Salt Lake City Metro Area, 1,257,936.

History

Ute and Shoshone Indians were early inhabitants of the area. The city was founded in 1847 by Brigham Young and a band of 148 Mormons as a refuge from religious persecution and was known as Great Salt Lake City until 1868. Laid out by Young according to Joseph Smith’s plan for the city of Zion, the city was divided into 10-acre (4-hectare) blocks bounded by wide streets grouped around the Temple Block (now known as Temple Square). Mormon immigrants from the East and Europe flocked to the “New Jerusalem,” the “City of the Saints,” in the Provisional State of Deseret (a Book of Mormon word interpreted as “honeybee”). The California Gold Rush of 1849 contributed to the city’s growth.

After the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848), Utah passed to U.S. sovereignty and became a territory in 1850. Salt Lake City was the territorial capital from 1856 to 1896, when it became the capital of the new state. Conflicts between Mormons and U.S. officials led to the so-called Utah War of 1857–58, when General Albert Sidney Johnston’s troops marched through the city to establish Camp Floyd west of Utah Lake. Social and religious conflict between Mormons and non-Mormons continued to influence the life of the city for a century.

The opening of the mining industry in the early 1860s and completion (1870) of the Utah Central Railroad, connecting Salt Lake City with the Union Pacific at Ogden, along with other rail connections, made the city a thriving hub of Western commerce. The city’s population grew steadily in the first half of the 20th century, reaching a high in 1960 before declining. The number of residents began rising again in the 1970s and achieved the 1960 level in the early 21st century. Salt Lake City was the host of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

The contemporary city

Mining operations near Salt Lake City produce copper, gold, molybdenum, platinum, selenium, silver, lead, and zinc, and various salts are produced from the lake. The city is a regional trade and transportation centre and has an international airport. Services such as government, education, health care, and financial and business services are a major part of the economy. High-technology industries and telecommunications are also primary factors. Printing and publishing are important, and manufactures include medical products, computer equipment, software, and aerospace products. Tourism contributes greatly to the economy, with more than a dozen ski areas located near the city. It is also a trade, processing, and transportation centre for agricultural products from nearby irrigated farmlands.

Educational institutions include the University of Utah (1850), Westminster College (1875), and Salt Lake Community College (1948). Salt Lake City is a world centre of genealogy research; the Family Search Center and Family History Library contain records of some two billion names. Monuments and buildings include the Mormon Tabernacle (1863–75; famous for its choir), Salt Lake Temple (1853–93), and the Seagull Monument (1913), all within Temple Square. Near the square are Beehive and Lion houses (residences for Brigham Young’s families) and Young’s grave. The State Capitol (1916), built of Utah granite and marble in Corinthian style, has an exhibition hall.

The city is the home of the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association. Cultural institutions include the state opera and symphony orchestra, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, a children’s museum, and the Utah Museum of Natural History (on the university campus). Tracy Aviary in Liberty Park houses 135 species of birds. The Utah Shakespearean Festival is held annually from June through October. Wasatch National Forest adjoins the city on the east and north, and several state parks are in the vicinity. Fort Douglas, on the outskirts, was founded in 1862.