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Salt Lake City, Utah

"The Crossroads of the West"
Founded by Mormon pioneers who saw a promised land in the desert, Salt Lake City became a crossroads of faith, outdoor adventure, and surprising cultural diversity at the foot of the Wasatch Range.
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Founded 1847 | Population 226,341 | Peak 226,341 (2024) | County Salt Lake County

Top 10 Most Important Events for Salt Lake City, Utah

1
1847Mormon Pioneers Arrive: Brigham Young led 148 pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847, founding a settlement that would become the capital of the Mormon empire and eventually a major American city.
2
2002Winter Olympics: Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Olympics, generating billions in investment and global attention. The Games were shadowed by a bribery scandal but were operationally successful.
3
1869Transcontinental Railroad Completed: The golden spike ceremony at Promontory Summit connected the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads, with Salt Lake City becoming a major stop on the transcontinental route.
4
1896Utah Statehood: Utah became the 45th state after decades of conflict over polygamy. Statehood required the LDS Church to formally renounce plural marriage.
5
2020Progressive-Conservative Cultural Split: Salt Lake City elected its most progressive city council while the LDS Church maintained its global headquarters, illustrating Utah's unique cultural dynamic.
6
1857Utah War: President Buchanan sent the U.S. Army to Utah to replace Brigham Young as governor, sparking a bloodless conflict that tested federal authority over the territory.
7
1848Great Salt Lake Discovery: Pioneers explored the Great Salt Lake, the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere, which became Utah's most distinctive geographic feature.
8
1910Mining and Smelting Industry: The copper, silver, and gold mines in the Wasatch mountains made Salt Lake City a major mining and smelting center.
9
2015Tech Hub Emergence: Silicon Slopes — the tech corridor stretching from Salt Lake City to Provo — attracted major companies like Adobe, Qualtrics, and Pluralsight.
10
1970Environmental Movement: Salt Lake City residents led efforts to protect the Wasatch mountains and Great Salt Lake, launching one of the most active environmental movements in the Mountain West.
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Population Over Time

0 56,585 113,171 169,756 226,341 1850 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2024

Latest News in Salt Lake City

News articles will appear here as they're published.

Complete Historical Timeline

1847 Government
Brigham Young leads Mormon pioneers to Salt Lake Valley
1848 Science
Great Salt Lake explored
1857 Government
Utah War with federal government
1869 Transport
Transcontinental Railroad completed at Promontory
1896 Government
Utah achieves statehood
1910 Industry
Mining and smelting industry peak
1947 Culture
This Is the Place Monument dedicated
1970 Science
Environmental protection movement
2002 Sports
Winter Olympics hosted
2015 Business
Silicon Slopes tech hub emerges
2020 Politics
Progressive-conservative cultural dynamic
2024 Government
Population surpasses 226,000

Did You Know?

1
Salt Lake City is one of the most geographically dramatic major cities in America, sitting at 4,226 feet elevation with the Wasatch mountains rising 7,000 feet directly behind the city.
2
The Great Salt Lake is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere, but it has been shrinking dramatically due to water diversions, raising fears of toxic dust storms.
3
Despite being the headquarters of the conservative LDS Church, Salt Lake City itself is surprisingly progressive — it has elected multiple LGBTQ+ and non-LDS officials.
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