Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the <a href="/facts/List_of_capitals_in_the_United_States/RMAd1LFl">capital</a> and <a href="/facts/List_of_cities_and_towns_in_Utah/Iu86uCdp">most populous city</a> of the <a href="/facts/U.S._state/PFwcRIYQ">U.S. state</a> of <a href="/facts/Utah/te7zUyBX">Utah</a>. It is the <a href="/facts/County_seat/ItAWPoWw">county seat</a> of <a href="/facts/Salt_Lake_County%2c_Utah/84RL5zrz">Salt Lake County</a>, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake City <a href="/facts/Metropolitan_Statistical_Area/Y2yX0KJg">Metropolitan Statistical Area</a> (MSA), which had a population of 1,257,936 at the 2020 census. Salt Lake City is further situated within a larger metropolis known as the <a href="/facts/Salt_Lake_City%25E2%2580%2593Provo%25E2%2580%2593Orem_Combined_Statistical_Area/82h62V1o">Salt Lake City–Ogden–Provo Combined Statistical Area</a>, a corridor of contiguous urban and suburban development stretched along a 120-mile (190 km) segment of the <a href="/facts/Wasatch_Front/GvTf7Q1T">Wasatch Front</a>, comprising a population of 2,746,164 (as of 2021 estimates), making it the 22nd largest in the nation. With a population of 199,723 in 2020, it is the <a href="/facts/List_of_United_States_cities_by_population/rcYY6hsJ">114th most populous city in the United States</a>. It is also the central core of the larger of only two major urban areas located within the <a href="/facts/Great_Basin/w135lKBN">Great Basin</a> (the other being <a href="/facts/Reno%2c_Nevada/Vvwy80oF">Reno, Nevada</a>).
Salt Lake City was founded on July 24, 1847, by early pioneer settlers led by <a href="/facts/Brigham_Young/wzy30LT0">Brigham Young</a> who were seeking to escape persecution they had experienced while living farther east. The <a href="/facts/Mormon_pioneers/UUWlQYjC">Mormon pioneers</a>, as they would come to be known, entered a semi-arid valley and immediately began planning and building an extensive irrigation network which could feed the population and foster future growth. Salt Lake City's street grid system is based on a standard compass grid plan, with the southeast corner of <a href="/facts/Temple_Square/5puKQWAV">Temple Square</a> (the area containing the <a href="/facts/Salt_Lake_Temple/LmtSTMrx">Salt Lake Temple</a> in downtown Salt Lake City) serving as the origin of the <a href="/facts/Salt_Lake_meridian/2UX2W4ge">Salt Lake meridian</a>. Owing to its proximity to the <a href="/facts/Great_Salt_Lake/TexYwwas">Great Salt Lake</a>, the city was originally named Great Salt Lake City. In 1868, the word "Great" was dropped from the city's name. Immigration of international members of <a href="/facts/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints/rcgQH9bT">the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</a> (LDS Church), <a href="/facts/Mining/g6uDIFab">mining booms</a>, and the construction of the <a href="/facts/First_transcontinental_railroad/A4H1losM">first transcontinental railroad</a> brought economic growth, and the city was nicknamed "The Crossroads of the West". It was traversed by the <a href="/facts/Lincoln_Highway/9aXT0g68">Lincoln Highway</a>, the first transcontinental highway, in 1913. Two major cross-country freeways, <a href="/facts/Interstate_15_in_Utah/25NPruaw">I-15</a> and <a href="/facts/Interstate_80_in_Utah/MlgLJX6p">I-80</a>, now intersect in the city. The city also has a <a href="/facts/Belt_highway/Ly3sIEXp">belt route</a>, I-215.
Salt Lake City has developed a strong tourist industry based primarily on <a href="/facts/Skiing/wvzTW0j8">skiing</a>, <a href="/facts/Outdoor_recreation/WGef0TFr">outdoor recreation</a>, and <a href="/facts/Religious_tourism/5bNqXkwn">religious tourism</a>. It hosted the <a href="/facts/2002_Winter_Olympics/4AUEu1oB">2002 Winter Olympics</a> and will host the <a href="/facts/2034_Winter_Olympics/e6xMRFdc">2034 Winter Olympics</a>. It is known for its <a href="/facts/Modern_liberalism_in_the_United_States/HGn9XCda">politically liberal</a> culture, which stands in contrast with most of the rest of the state's highly <a href="/facts/Conservatism/2XdCcPzq">conservative</a> leanings. It is home to a significant <a href="/facts/LGBT_community/LpXxRsVU">LGBT community</a> and hosts the annual <a href="/facts/Utah_Pride_Festival/XsWv20Bp">Utah Pride Festival</a>. It is the <a href="/facts/Industrial_loan_company/N3PxWCMV">industrial banking</a> center of the United States. Salt Lake City and the surrounding area are also the location of several institutions of higher education including the state's flagship research school, the <a href="/facts/University_of_Utah/0lhlnv7c">University of Utah</a>.
Sustained <a href="/facts/Drought/LVW0rfuV">drought</a> in Utah has strained Salt Lake City's <a href="/facts/Water_security/HpED6HUL">water security</a>, caused the Great Salt Lake level to drop to record low levels, and has impacted the local and state economy. The receding lake has exposed <a href="/facts/Arsenic/k1c4f44D">arsenic</a> which may become airborne, exposing area residents to poisonous dust. The city is also under threat of major earthquake damage amplified by two offshoots of the nearby <a href="/facts/Wasatch_Fault/XPWfdBJx">Wasatch Fault</a> that join underneath the downtown area.

Salt Lake City open-in-new

Salt Lake City