Salt Lake City Utah Vacation, Tourism, and Travel Information
Whether you're drawn to this unique Utah location because of the historical significance, the outdoor activities, or the bountiful (and beautiful) skiing, you'll find Salt Lake City to be a welcoming and interesting destination. The city was established in 1847 by Mormon settlers who developed a grid system based upon 4 streets that border Temple square, the focus of the downtown area. Most recently, this city was host for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.
Salt Lake City Info:
- Land Area: 756 square miles
- Elevation: 4,330 feet
- Number of parks: 126
- Number of radio stations: 7 AM, 11 FM
- Number of television stations: 5
- Number of newspapers: 3 (Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret Morning News, Daily Utah Chronicle-University)
- Transportation: Salt Lake City International Airport, TRAX (above ground subway)
Salt Lake City Weather and Climate:
- Average daily temperature: 63 high /36 low
- Average annual rainfall: 16.2 inches
Distances to other Metropolitan Areas from Salt Lake City (in miles):
- Atlanta, GA — 1565
- Boston, MA — 2072
- Chicago, IL — 1239
- Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX — 974
- Houston, TX — 1178
- Las Vegas, NV — 364
- Los Angeles, CA — 582
- Memphis, TN — 1242
- Miami, FL — 2058
- Nashville, TN — 1382
- New Orleans, LA — 1408
- New York, NY — 1958
- Orlando, FL - 1902
- Philadelphia, PA - 1895
- Phoenix, AZ — 501
- Rapid City, SD — 500
- San Antonio, TX — 1072
- San Diego, CA — 618
- San Jose, CA — 576
- Washington, DC - 1799
Salt Lake City Safety Phone # and Major Hospitals:
- Police/Fire/Ambulance: 911
- Salt Lake Regional Medical Center (801-350-4111)
- LDS Hospital (801-408-1100)
- Primary Children's Medical Center (801-588-2000)
- St. Mark's Hospital (801-268-7111)
Salt Lake City Top Tourism Draws and Seasons:
Salt Lake City Major Shopping Areas:
Salt Lake City Major Dining Areas:
- South of City Center
- City Center
- Park City and the Mountains
- University of Utah
- North of City Center
- Airport and Fairpark
Salt Lake City Famous Landmarks & Historic Places:
- Temple Square
- Utah State Capital
- The Avenues
- Central City
- The University
- Exchange Place
- Fort Douglas
- Gilmer Park
Salt Lake City Famous Natives and Residents:
- Steve Young, professional football player
- Roseanne, television/movie actress
- Jack Shea, Olympic gold medalist
- Elizabeth Smart, kidnapped teenager
- Robert Walker, actor
- Maude Adams, actress
- Loretta Young, actress
- Jack Gardner, basketball coach
- Frank Moss, US Senator
- Stephen Covey, self-help guru
- Karl Malone, professional basketball player
- Brigham Young, founder of Salt Lake City and LDS Church Leader
- Ken Jennings, Jeopardy Champion
- The Osmond Family (including Donny & Marie), singers/television personalities
- Wilfred Brimley, actor
Notable Moments in Salt Lake City History:
- 1776: Spanish Franciscan Fathers Francisco Atanasio Dominguez and Silvestre Velez de Escalate enter and explore Utah while searching for overland route from New Mexico to California.
- 1847: Found by 143, 3 woman, and 2 children — all members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Their leader was Brigham Young.
- 1849: The Mormon's organized a new state and called it Deseret.
- 1850: Congress rejected the state name and renamed the area the Utah Territory with Great Salt Lake City as the capital.
- 1857: The Utah War occurred as the result of a dispute that arose between the city and the federal government because of the Mormon practice of polygamy.
- 1861: Overland telegraph between Omaha, Nebraska, and San Francisco completed in Salt Lake City.
- 1862: Fort Dodge as built on the edge of the city.
- 1868: The city was renamed to Salt Lake City (removing the "Great").
- 1868: Zions Mercantile Cooperative Institution formed as first US department still (and still operating today).
- 1869: Completion of the first transcontinental railroad.
- 1870: The transcontinental railroad line expanded from Ogden to Salt Lake City.
- 1890: The LDS Church renounced polygamy.
- 1896: Utah becomes 45th state, with Salt Lake City named as the capitol.
- 1915: State capitol building completed.
- 1922: KSL, Salt Lake City's first radio station, begins broadcasting.
- 1948: KDYL, Salt Lake City's first television station, begins broadcasting.
- 1979: Non-partisan, Mayor-Council Form of government was put into place.
- 1984: Record snowfall causes spring flooding. State Street becomes a river for weeks. Great Salt Lake overflows its shores, destroying crops and covering roads/highways.
- 1987: Gary Wright is injured by a bomb left behind a computer store in Salt Lake City, UT, possibly by the Unabomber.
- 1995: Salt Lake City chosen to host the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.
- 1996: Utah celebrates 100 years of statehood.
- 1997: Light rail system and other city improvements begin in preparation for the Olympic Games.
- 2002: Winter Olympic Games are held.
Interesting Facts about Salt Lake City:
- The city is based upon a grid where most streets run precisely north-south or east-west.
- The Avenues, a crowded residential district just northeast of downtown, consists of perfectly rectangular blocks defined by streets named after letters, and avenues with numbers.
- There are 11 main neighborhoods in Salt Lake City: Avenues, Downtown, Central City, Sugar House, Federal Heights, East Bench, Capitol Hill, Rose Park, Fairpark, Poplar Grove, and Glendale.
- International Headquarters for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon)
- The Mormon Temple took 40 years to build (1853-1893)
- Utah leads the US with the highest number of bankruptcy filings.
- Salt Lake City is bidding to host the Winter Olympics in 2018.
- The city is home to the famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
- Recognized as the birthplace of modern computer graphics.
- The world's first Kentucky Fried Chicken was established here in 1952.
- Salt Lake City has a law against carrying an unwrapped ukulele on the street.
- Over 50% of the population is Mormon.
Salt Lake City Population and Demographics:
- Population — 918,279
- White — 79%
- Hispanic — 19%
- Native American 1%
- Black — 2%
- Asian — 4%
- Population 18 and under — 19%
- 65 and over — 9%
- Median age — 30 years
- Average household size — 3.13
- Median family income - $45,140
Salt Lake City Colleges and Universities:
- University of Utah
- Westminister College
- Salt Lake City Community College
- BYU Salt Lake Center
- LDA Business College
- Utah College of Massage Therapy
Salt Lake City Economy & Business — Notable Employers and Industries:
- University of Utah
- Brigham Young University
- Hill Air Force Base
- Intermountain Health Care
- Convergys
- IRS
- Iomega
- Novus Services
- Autoliv
- Delta Air Lines
- Utah Valley State College
- Icon Health & Fitness
- Wal-Mart
- Zions Bank
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