View source for Salt Lake City

{{Short description|State capital and largest city of Utah, United States}}
{{About|the capital of Utah}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Salt Lake City
| official_name      = City of Salt Lake City<ref>{{cite web|date=June 2019|url=https://www.sterlingcodifiers.com/codebook/index.php?book_id=672|quote=This City Code of the City of Salt Lake City, as supplemented, contains ordinances up to and including Ordinance 32–19, passed June 11, 2019.|title=Salt Lake City, Utah City Code|access-date=October 25, 2019|publisher=Sterling Codifiers|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722205745/https://www.sterlingcodifiers.com/codebook/index.php?book_id=672|archive-date=July 22, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
| settlement_type    = [[List of capitals in the United States|State capital]]
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
| border                          = infobox
| perrow                          = 1/2/3/2/1
| total_width                     = 280
| caption_align                   = center
| image1                          = SLC Skyline 2024.jpg
| caption1                        = Skyline of [[Downtown Salt Lake City]]
| image2                          = Salt Lake Union Pacific Railroad Station, South Temple at 400 West, Central City West, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.jpg
| caption2                        = [[Salt Lake City Union Pacific Depot|Union Pacific Depot]]
| image3                          = Presidents Circle .jpg
| caption3                        = [[University of Utah]]
| image4                          = Salt Lake City, Utah (2021) - 079.jpg
| caption4                        = [[Church Office Building]]
| image5                          = Red Line train at Fashion Place West - panoramio.jpg
| caption5                        = [[TRAX Light Rail|TRAX light rail system]]
| image6                          = 2019 Salt Lake Temple 01.jpg
| caption6                        = [[Salt Lake Temple]]
| image7                          = Salt Lake City, Utah (2021) - 197.jpg
| caption7                        = [[Salt Lake City and County Building|City and County Building]]
| image8                          = Delta Center 2023.jpg
| caption8                        = [[Delta Center]]
| image9                          = Front view of State Capitol Building.jpg
| caption9                        = [[Utah State Capitol]]
}}
| imagesize          = 290px
| image_flag         = {{Multiple image 
| border=infobox 
| width=125 
| align=center 
| direction=vertical 
| image1=Flag of Salt Lake City (2020).svg 
| alt1=The Sego Flag 
}}
| image_seal         = Seal utah.png
| nickname           = "The Crossroads of the West"
| mapframe           = yes
| mapframe-zoom      = 9
| mapframe-point     = none
| pushpin_map        = Utah#USA
| pushpin_relief     = yes
| coordinates        = {{coord|40|45|39|N|111|53|28|W|region:US-UT_type:city(200,000)|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{flagicon|USA}} [[United States]]
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Utah|County]]
| subdivision_name1  = {{flagicon|Utah}} [[Utah]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Salt Lake County, Utah|Salt Lake]]
| named_for          = [[Great Salt Lake]]
| established_title  = [[Plat]]ted
| established_date   = {{start date|1857|}}<ref name="Salt Lake County">{{cite archive|collection=Pioneer Plat Maps, sheet 2, image 2, "Great Salt Lake City Plot A", 1857|access-date=September 2, 2022|institution=Salt Lake County Archives|publisher=Salt Lake County}}</ref>
| established_title2 = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date2  = 1851<ref>{{cite web |title=Salt Lake City |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Salt-Lake-City |website=Encyclopedia Brittanica |access-date=June 10, 2025}}</ref>
| government_type    = [[Strong Mayor|Strong Mayor–council]]
| leader_title       = [[List of mayors of Salt Lake City|Mayor]]
| leader_name        = [[Erin Mendenhall]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
| total_type         = City
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_total_sq_mi   = 110.81
| area_total_km2     = 286.99
| area_land_sq_mi    = 110.34
| area_land_km2      = 285.77
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.47
| area_water_km2     = 1.22
| elevation_ft       = 4265
| elevation_m        = 1300
| population_total   = 199723
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web|title=Salt Lake City city, Utah |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US4967000 |website=Census – Geography Profile |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=October 23, 2021}}</ref>
| population_density_sq_mi = 1797.52
| population_est     = 215548
| population_urban   = 1,178,533 (US: [[List of United States urban areas|41st]])
| population_density_urban_km2 = 1,514.7
| population_density_urban_sq_mi = 3,923.0
| population_metro   = 1,257,936 (US: [[List of Metropolitan Statistical Areas|47th]])
| population_rank    = {{nowrap|[[List of United States cities by population|111th]] in the United States<br />[[List of municipalities in Utah|1st]] in Utah}}
| population_blank1_title = [[Combined statistical area|CSA]]
| population_blank1  = 2,858,194 (US: [[List of Combined Statistical Areas|22nd]])
| population_demonym = Salt Laker<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/salt%20laker|title=Definition for "Salt Laker"|dictionary=Merriam-Webster|date=July 16, 2014|access-date=July 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140730040802/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/salt%20laker|archive-date=July 30, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>
| demographics_type2 = GDP
| demographics2_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web|title= Total Gross Domestic Product for Salt Lake City, UT (MSA) |url= https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NGMP41620 |website= fred.stlouisfed.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title= Total Gross Domestic Product for Provo-Orem, UT (MSA) |url= https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NGMP39340 |website= fred.stlouisfed.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title= Total Gross Domestic Product for Ogden-Clearfield, UT (MSA) |url= https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NGMP36260 |website= fred.stlouisfed.org}}</ref>
| demographics2_title1 = [[Metropolitan area|Metro]]
| demographics2_info1 = $135.409 billion (2022)
| demographics2_title2 = [[Combined Statistical Area|CSA]]
| demographics2_info2 = $215.338 billion (2022)
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code]]s
| postal_code        = {{collapsible list|title=ZIP Codes<ref>{{cite web|url=http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/citytown.jsp|publisher=USPS|title=Zip Code Lookup|access-date=October 17, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101104123722/http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/citytown.jsp|archive-date=November 4, 2010}}</ref>
|frame_style             = border:none; padding: 0;
|list_style              = text-align:center;display:none
|84101–84128, 84130–84134, 84136, 84138–84139, 84141, 84143–84145, 84147–84148, 84150–84152, 84157–84158, 84165, 84170–84171, 84180, 84184, 84189–84190, 84199}}
| area_code_type     = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area codes]]
| area_code          = [[Area codes 801 and 385|801, 385]]
| timezone           = [[Mountain Time Zone|Mountain]]
| utc_offset         = −7
| utc_offset_DST     = −6
| pushpin_label      = Salt Lake City
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 49-67000<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=US Census Bureau|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 1454997<ref name=USGS />
| blank_name_sec2    = Major airport
| blank_info_sec2    = [[Salt Lake City International Airport]]
| website            = {{URL|https://www.slc.gov/|slc.gov}}
| pop_est_as_of      = 2025
| pop_est_footnotes  = <ref name="USCensusEst2019">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.2019.html|title=Population and Housing Unit Estimates|access-date=May 21, 2020}}</ref>
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_49.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 7, 2020}}</ref>
| population_density_km2 = 701.84
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=USGS>{{Cite web |title=Geographic Names Information System |url=https://edits.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/gaz-record/1454997 |access-date=May 8, 2023 |website=edits.nationalmap.gov}}</ref>}}

'''Salt Lake City''', often shortened to '''Salt Lake''' or '''SLC''', is the [[List of capitals in the United States|capital]] and [[List of cities and towns in Utah|most populous city]] of the U.S. state of [[Utah]]. It is the [[county seat]] of [[Salt Lake County, Utah|Salt Lake County]], the most populous county in the state. The population was 199,723 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Division |first=U.S. Census Bureau, Data Integration |title=City and Town Population Totals: 2010–2018 |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/saltlakecitycityutah,US/PST045219 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524221221/https://census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2010s-total-cities-and-towns.html |archive-date=May 24, 2019 |access-date=October 6, 2019 |website=census.gov}}</ref> while the [[Salt Lake City metropolitan area]] has an estimated 1.3 million residents and is the [[Metropolitan statistical area|46th-largest metropolitan area]] in the United States. It is also part of the larger Salt Lake City–Ogden–Provo [[combined statistical area]], an urban corridor along a {{convert|120|mi|km|adj=on}} segment of the [[Wasatch Front]] with a population of approximately 2.8 million. It is one of the principal urban centers within the [[Great Basin]], along with [[Reno, Nevada]].

Salt Lake City was founded in 1847 by settlers led by [[Brigham Young]] who were seeking to escape persecution they had experienced while living farther east. The [[Mormon pioneers]], as they would come to be known, entered a semi-arid valley and immediately began building an extensive irrigation network that 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 [[Temple Square]] serving as the origin of the [[Salt Lake meridian]]. Owing to its proximity to the [[Great Salt Lake]], the city was originally named Great Salt Lake City; the word "Great" was dropped from the city's name in 1868.<ref>{{cite book|last=Van Cott|first=John W.|title=Utah place names: a comprehensive guide to the origins of geographic names: a compilation|publisher=[[University of Utah Press]]|year=1990|isbn=978-0-87480-345-7|page=327|id=Accessed July 25, 2011}}</ref> Immigration of international members of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church), [[Mining|mining booms]], and the construction of the [[first transcontinental railroad]] brought economic growth, and the city was nicknamed "The Crossroads of the West". It was traversed by the [[Lincoln Highway]], the first transcontinental highway, in 1913. Two major cross-country freeways, [[Interstate 15 in Utah|I-15]] and [[Interstate 80 in Utah|I-80]], now intersect in the city. The city also has a [[belt highway|belt route]], [[Interstate 215 (Utah)|I-215]].

Salt Lake City has developed a strong tourist industry based primarily on [[skiing]], [[outdoor recreation]], and [[religious tourism]]. It hosted the [[2002 Winter Olympics]] and was formally selected to host the [[2034 Winter Olympics]] by the [[International Olympic Committee]] on July 24, 2024. It is known for its [[Modern liberalism in the United States|politically liberal]] culture, which stands in contrast with most of the rest of the state's highly [[Conservatism|conservative]] leanings.<ref>{{cite web|title=Salt Lake City: An island of liberal blue in a sea of conservative red|url=https://utahpolicy.com/index.php/features/today-at-utah-policy/18103-salt-lake-city-an-island-of-liberal-blue-in-a-sea-of-conservative-red|access-date=October 29, 2020|website=Utah Policy|author-first1=Bob|author-last1=Bernick|date=October 15, 2018|language=en-gb}}</ref> It is home to a significant [[LGBT community]] and hosts the annual [[Utah Pride Festival]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Survey ranks Salt Lake City's LGBT population 7th among top 50 metro areas|author-first1=Jennifer|author-last1=Dobner|url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=2315479&itype=CMSID|access-date=August 2, 2021|website=The Salt Lake Tribune|language=en-US}}</ref> It is the [[industrial loan company|industrial banking]] center of the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fdic.gov/regulations/examinations/supervisory/insights/sisum04/industrial_loans.html|title=FDIC Industrial Banks|publisher=[[Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation]]|date=June 25, 2004|access-date=March 6, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070702194834/http://www.fdic.gov/regulations/examinations/supervisory/insights/sisum04/industrial_loans.html|archive-date=July 2, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> 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 [[University of Utah]].

Sustained [[drought]] in Utah has strained Salt Lake City's [[water security]], caused the Great Salt Lake level to drop to record low levels,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.slc.gov/mayor/drought/ |title= Drought 2022|website=www.slc.gov |access-date=April 16, 2022}}{{title missing|date=May 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Great Salt Lake Reaches New Historic Low |url=https://www.usgs.gov/news/great-salt-lake-reaches-new-historic-low |website=USGS |publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior |access-date=April 16, 2022}}</ref> and has impacted the local and state economy.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.utahbusiness.com/if-we-want-growth-we-need-water-solutions/ |title= If we want growth, we need water solutions|website=www.utahbusiness.com |date= May 11, 2022|access-date=July 13, 2022}}{{title missing|date=September 2022}}</ref> The receding lake has exposed [[arsenic]] which may become airborne, exposing area residents to poisonous dust.<ref name=Flavelle2022/> The city is also under threat of major earthquake damage amplified by two offshoots of the nearby [[Wasatch Fault]] that join underneath the downtown area.<ref name=USGS2021/>

==History==
{{Main|History of Salt Lake City}}
{{external media|width=200px|float=right|headerimage=[[File:1866 Harper's Weekly View of Salt Lake City, Utah w- Brigham Young (Mormons) - Geographicus - SaltLakeCity-harpersweekly-1866.jpg|200px]]|video1=[http://video.wttw.com/video/2365709534/ 10 Towns that Changed America], [[WTTW]], 56:02, segment from 12:00–16:20<ref>{{cite web|title=10 Towns that Changed America|publisher=[[WTTW]]|date=April 19, 2016|url=http://video.wttw.com/video/2365709534/|access-date=April 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428011243/http://video.wttw.com/video/2365709534/|archive-date=April 28, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

Before settlement by members of the LDS Church, the [[Shoshone]], Weber Ute,<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/ff5a/f68bb9f4c4033107c1f191c49eb841ebfa67.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925005121/https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/ff5a/f68bb9f4c4033107c1f191c49eb841ebfa67.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 25, 2019|title=Anthropology of the Numa: John Wesley Powell's Manuscripts on the Numic Peoples of Western North America, 1868–1880|last=Fowler|first=Don D.|journal=Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology|publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press|year=1971|issue=14|location=Washington DC|page=7|doi=10.5479/SI.00810223.14.1|s2cid=162581418}}</ref> and [[Southern Paiute|Paiute]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ellis |first1=Terry |title=History of Salt Lake County |url=https://slco.org/county-history/ |website=slco.org |date=December 30, 2013 |access-date=May 10, 2020 |archive-date=August 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818025951/https://slco.org/county-history/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> had dwelt in the Salt Lake Valley for thousands of years. At the time of Salt Lake City's founding, the valley was within the territory of the [[Northwestern Shoshone]].<ref>{{cite book|page=6|title=The Shoshoni Frontier and the Bear River Massacre|last=Madsen|first=Brigham|publisher=UofU Press|year=1985|isbn=0-87480-494-9}}</ref> At the time of European contact, the Salt Lake Valley was inhabited by several Indigenous groups, including the Northwestern Shoshone and the Western [[Goshute]] (also spelled Gosiute), a distinct tribe with ancestral territory in the broader region. The Western Goshute had distinct names for key geographic features, including the [[Jordan River (Utah)|Jordan River]] (Pi'o-gwût), [[City Creek (Utah)|City Creek]] (So'ho-gwût), and Red Butte Canyon (Pi'o-gwût, So'ho-gwût, and Mo'ni-wai-ni).<ref>{{cite journal|title=Place and Personal Names of the Gosiute Indians of Utah|jstor=983995|pages=9, 12|date=1913|last1=Chamberlin|first1=Ralph V.|journal=Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society|volume=52|issue=208}}</ref> The Goshutes (or, Gosiutes) also lived in the vicinity of Salt Lake and the valleys to the west.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/ff5a/f68bb9f4c4033107c1f191c49eb841ebfa67.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925005121/https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/ff5a/f68bb9f4c4033107c1f191c49eb841ebfa67.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 25, 2019|title=Anthropology of the Numa: John Wesley Powell's Manuscripts on the Numic Peoples of Western North America, 1868–1880|last=Fowler|first=Don D.|journal=Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology|publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press|year=1971|issue=14|location=Washington DC|page=98|doi=10.5479/SI.00810223.14.1|s2cid=162581418}}</ref> The land was treated by the United States as public domain; no aboriginal title by the Northwestern Shoshone was ever ceded or relinquished by treaty with the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.saltlakerealestategroup.com/files/10/NORTHWESTERN%20BANDS%20OF%20SHOSHONE%20INDIANS%20v.%20UNITED%20STATES.pdf|publisher=[[United States Supreme Court]]|date=April 9, 1945|title=89 L.Ed. 985; 65 S.Ct. 690; 324 U.S. 335|access-date=July 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713232133/http://www.saltlakerealestategroup.com/files/10/NORTHWESTERN%20BANDS%20OF%20SHOSHONE%20INDIANS%20v.%20UNITED%20STATES.pdf|archive-date=July 13, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> The first explorer of European descent in the Salt Lake area was likely [[Jim Bridger]] in 1825, although others had been in Utah earlier, including some who traveled as far north as the nearby [[Utah Valley]] (the 1776 Dominguez-Escalante expedition were undoubtedly aware of Salt Lake Valley's existence). U.S. Army officer [[John C. Frémont]] surveyed the [[Great Salt Lake]] and the [[Salt Lake Valley]] in 1843 and 1845.<ref>{{cite web|last=Alexander|first=Thomas G.|title=Utah History to Go – Fremont's Exploration|publisher=[[Utah State Historical Society]]|url=http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/trappers,_traders,_and_explorers/fremontsexploration.html|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723103004/http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/trappers,_traders,_and_explorers/fremontsexploration.html|archive-date=July 23, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Donner Party]], a group of ill-fated pioneers, had traveled through the Great Salt Lake Valley in August 1846.
[[File:1863 view Salt Lake City.jpg|thumb|Salt Lake City in 1863]]
[[File:First Salt Lake City Plat Map, Great Salt Lake City Plot A, 1857.jpg|thumb|upright|left|First Salt Lake City Plat Map, "Great Salt Lake City Plot A", 1857]]

[[File:55. Salt Lake City Utah.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|right|Salt Lake City {{Circa|1880}} by [[Carleton E. Watkins]]]]

The settling of Salt Lake City dates to the arrival of the Latter-day Saints in July 1847,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Alexander|first1=Thomas G.|last2=Allen|first2=James B.|title=Mormons & Gentiles: A History of Salt Lake City|date=1984|publisher=Pruett Publishing Company|location=Boulder, Colorado|isbn=0-87108-664-6|page=[https://archive.org/details/mormonsgentilesh00alex/page/24 24]|edition=First|quote=By the time Brigham Young caught his first glimpse of the valley...Salt Lake City was already begun. Two days earlier an advance party...entered the valley...The next day they explored further, and on July 23 began plowing the hard, dry ground.|url=https://archive.org/details/mormonsgentilesh00alex/page/24}}</ref> during the [[Mexican-American War]]. They had traveled beyond the boundaries of the United States into Mexican Territory<ref>{{cite map|url=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Map_of_Mexico_1847.jpg|title=Mexico|access-date=November 3, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130910130742/http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Map_of_Mexico_1847.jpg|archive-date=September 10, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> seeking a secluded area to safely practice their religion away from the violence and the persecution they experienced in the [[United States]]. Upon arrival at the Salt Lake Valley, [[President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|president]] of the church [[Brigham Young]] is credited with declaring the location suitable for settlement. However, the precise wording of this statement varies across historical accounts, with some sources recording it as "This is the right place, drive on." <ref>{{cite book |last=Woodruff |first=Wilford |title=Wilford Woodruff Journal |date=July 24, 1847 |publisher=Church History Library |url=https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/content/library/wilford-woodruff |quote=expressed his full satisfaction in the Appearance of the valley}}</ref> According to Mormon historical tradition, Brigham Young experienced a [[Vision (religion)|vision]] of the Salt Lake Valley prior to the pioneer party's arrival in 1847, though this account appears only in later historical narratives. They found the broad valley empty of any human settlement.<ref name="JD">{{cite journal
| last = Smith
| first = George A.
| title = Historical Discourse
| journal = Journal of Discourses
| volume = 13
| pages = 85–86
| date = 1870
| url = https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Journal_of_Discourses/Volume_13/Historical_Discourse
| access-date = 2025-12-25
}}</ref>

[[File:Salt lake city main street c1890 ug.jpg|thumb|right|Part of Main Street, 1890]]

Four days after arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, Brigham Young designated the building site for the Salt Lake Temple. The Salt Lake Temple, constructed on the block later called Temple Square, took 40 years to complete. Construction started in 1853, and the temple was dedicated on April 6, 1893. The temple has become an icon for the city and serves as its centerpiece. The southeast corner of Temple Square is the point of reference for the [[Salt Lake meridian]], and for all addresses in the Salt Lake Valley.

Following the 1847 measles outbreak that devastated the local Shoshone population,<ref name=Arave>{{cite news |last1=Arave |first1=Lynn |title=Tidbits of history — Unusual highlights of Salt Lake County |url=https://www.deseret.com/2007/1/5/19993469/tidbits-of-history-151-unusual-highlights-of-salt-lake-county#part-of-downtown-salt-lake-city-will-soon-be-redeveloped-by-the-lds-church-for-decades-the-salt-lake-temple-stood-out-as-the-areas-most-prominent-structure |access-date=May 6, 2020 |work=Deseret News |date=January 5, 2007}}</ref> Shoshone residents taught the pioneers to harvest and prepare sego lily bulbs ([[Calochortus nuttallii]]) for food. The sego lily, a staple that the Shoshone had cultivated for generations, became an important nutritional resource during the pioneers' early years in the valley. The word 'sego' derives from the Shoshone term 'seego'.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Xin Wu |title=Patricia Johanson and the Re-Invention of Public Environmental Art, 1958–2010 |date=2017 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9781351554916 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uCwxDwAAQBAJ&dq=sego+lily+native+mormon&pg=PA140 |access-date=September 24, 2020 |quote=The Sego Lily brings back memories of the struggle for survival suring the early years of the settlement, when the pioneers were saved by the Shoshone Indians, who taught them to eat the bulb of the native Sego Lily ''(Calochortus nuttallii)''.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Works Progress Administration |title=Idaho: A Guide in Word and Picture |date=1937 |publisher=Idaho |location=Idaho |isbn=9781623760113 |page=115 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K6siESLF9LUC&dq=sego+lily+shoshone+mormon&pg=PA115 |access-date=September 24, 2020 |quote=Sego (seego) is a Shoshoni name for food; and the edible bulb of this flower the Mormons ate and found good.|author1-link=Works Progress Administration }}</ref> The sego lily was commemorated by the Sego Lily Dam, a flood-prevention infrastructure project in the shape of a giant sego lily, built in [[Sugar House Park]] in 2017.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lawrence |first1=Danica |title=Sugar House Park to receive functional yet beautiful art installation |url=https://www.fox13now.com/2017/11/07/sugar-house-park-to-receive-functional-yet-beautiful-art-installation |access-date=September 24, 2020 |work=FOX 13 |date=November 7, 2017}}</ref>

The city was not [[plat]]ted until after the federal surveyor abandoned his post in 1857.<ref name="Salt Lake County"/> In 1855 Congress directed the President of the United States to appoint a surveyor general for Utah Territory, and to cause that the lands of that territory should be surveyed preparatory to bringing them on the market.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Statutes at Large and Treaties of the United States of America, vol. x|section=An Act to Establish the Office of Surveyor-General in the Territory of Utah, and to grant Land for School and University Purposes, (February 21, 1855)|date=1856 |publisher=Charles C. Little and James Brown|location=Boston, MA}}</ref> Because of numerous conflicts between the surveyor and the territorial government the first surveyor general abandoned his post in 1857, not to return till 1869.<ref>{{cite web|title=Salt Lake City Land Office|url=https://archives.utah.gov/research/guides/land-original-title.html|website=Utah State Archives|access-date=September 3, 2022}}</ref>

In 1849, Brigham Young and other territorial leaders proposed the [[State of Deseret]] as a provisional government with an expansive territorial boundary and petitioned Congress for recognition as a state. Congress rejected this petition in 1850, established the [[Utah Territory]] in its place with substantially reduced boundaries, and designated Fillmore as its capital city. Great Salt Lake City replaced [[Fillmore, Utah|Fillmore]] as the territorial capital in 1856, and the name later was shortened to Salt Lake City. The city's population continued to swell with an influx of converts to the LDS Church and [[Gold Rush]] gold seekers, making it one of the most populous cities in the [[American Old West]].

The first group of settlers brought African slaves with them, making Utah the only place in the western United States to have African slavery.<ref>''Negro Slaves in Utah'' by Jack Beller, Utah Historical Quarterly, vol. 2, no. 4, 1929, pp. 124–126</ref> Three slaves, Green Flake, Hark Lay, and Oscar Crosby, came west with the first group of settlers in 1847.<ref>{{cite news |title=Slavery in Utah Involved Blacks, Whites, Indians, and Mexicans. |url=https://collections.lib.utah.edu/details?id=419212&q=Blacks+in+Utah+History+An+Unknown+Legacy |access-date=May 6, 2020 |work=The History Blazer |issue=April 1995 |publisher=Utah State Historical Society}}</ref> The settlers also began to purchase Indian slaves in the well-established Indian slave trade,<ref name=knack>{{cite book|title=Boundaries Between: The Southern Paiutes, 1775–1995|author=Martha C. Knack}}</ref> as well as enslaving Indian prisoners of war.<ref name=Farmer>{{cite book|last1=Farmer|first1=Jared|title=On Zion's Mount: Mormons, Indians, and the American Landscape|date=2008|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=9780674027671}}</ref><ref name=uncovered_story>{{cite book|title=The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America|author=Andrés Reséndez}}</ref> In 1850, 26 slaves were counted in Salt Lake County.<ref name="Arave"/> In 1852, the territorial legislature passed the [[Act in Relation to Service]] and the [[Act for the relief of Indian Slaves and Prisoners]] formally legalizing slavery in the territory. On June 19, 1862, during the [[American Civil War]], Congress [[Territorial Slavery Act of 1862|prohibited slavery in all US territories]].<ref name="secure">An Act to Secure Freedom to All Persons Within the Territories of the United States, ch. 112, 12 Stat. 432 (1862).</ref>

Explorer, ethnologist, and author [[Richard Francis Burton]] traveled by coach in the summer of 1860 to document life in Great Salt Lake City. He was granted unprecedented access during his three-week visit, including audiences with Brigham Young and other contemporaries of Joseph Smith. The records of his visit include sketches of early city buildings, a description of local geography and agriculture, commentary on its politics and social order, essays, speeches, and sermons from Young, Isaac Morley, George Washington Bradley and other leaders, and snippets of everyday life such as newspaper clippings and the menu from a high-society ball.<ref>{{cite book|last=Burton|first=Sir Richard Francis|title=The City of the Saints: Across the Rocky Mountains to California|url=https://archive.org/details/cityofsaintsacro00burt|publisher=Harper & brothers (reprinted by [[University of Michigan Library]])|location=New York City|year=1862|id=Accessed September 13, 2006}}</ref>

[[File:SLC, 1910.jpg|thumb|Men lounging outside a saloon and a Chinese laundry, 1910|right]]
Disputes with the federal government ensued over the church's practice of [[polygamy]]. In 1857, tensions escalated when President [[James Buchanan]] issued a proclamation removing Brigham Young as territorial governor and appointing Alfred Cumming as his replacement. Young refused to recognize Cumming's authority, leading Buchanan to declare the territory in rebellion and dispatching federal troops. This confrontation, known as the [[Utah War]] (1857-1858), resulted in a military standoff that threatened the settlement. A division of the [[United States Army]], commanded by [[Albert Sidney Johnston]], later a general in the army of the Confederate States of America, marched through the city and found it had been evacuated. They continued their march through the deserted city to vacant land at the southwest corner of the valley. There they set up [[Camp Floyd]] ({{Convert|40|mi|km|abbr=}} south of the city). Another military installation, [[Fort Douglas]], was established in 1862 to maintain [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] allegiance during the [[American Civil War]]. Many area leaders were incarcerated at the [[Sugar House Prison (Utah)|territorial prison]] in [[Sugar House (Salt Lake City)|Sugar House]] in the 1880s for violation of anti-polygamy laws. The church began its eventual abandonment of polygamy in 1890, releasing [[1890 Manifesto|"The Manifesto"]], which officially suggested members obey the law of the land (which was equivalent to forbidding new polygamous marriages inside the US and its territories, but not in church member settlements in Canada and Mexico). This paved the way for statehood in 1896, when Salt Lake City became the state capital.

The [[first transcontinental railroad]] was completed in 1869 at [[Promontory Summit]]{{efn|Not to be confused with [[Promontory Point, Utah|Promontory Point]], a ghost town.}} on the north side of the Great Salt Lake.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11371/|title=Ceremony at "Wedding of the Rails", May 10, 1869 at Promontory Point UT|website=[[World Digital Library]]|date=May 10, 1869|access-date=July 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018052635/http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11371/|archive-date=October 18, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> A railroad was connected to the city from the Transcontinental Railroad in 1870, making travel less burdensome. Mass migration of different groups followed. Ethnic Chinese (who had laid most of the Central Pacific railway) established a flourishing Chinatown in Salt Lake City nicknamed "Plum Alley", which housed around 1,800 Chinese during the early 20th century. The Chinese businesses and residences were demolished in 1952 although a historical marker has been erected near the parking ramp which has replaced Plum Alley. Immigrants also found economic opportunities in the booming [[mining|mining industries]]. Remnants of a once-thriving Japantown – namely a Buddhist temple and Japanese Christian chapel – remain in downtown Salt Lake City. European ethnic groups and East Coast missionary groups constructed [[St. Mark's Cathedral, Salt Lake City|St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral]] in 1874, [[B'nai Israel Temple (Salt Lake City)|B'nai Israel Temple]] in 1890, the [[Catholic Church in the United States|Roman Catholic]] [[Cathedral of the Madeleine]] in 1909 and the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Greek Orthodox]] [[Holy Trinity Cathedral, Salt Lake City|Holy Trinity Cathedral]] in 1923. This time period also saw the creation of Salt Lake City's now defunct [[red-light district]] that employed 300 [[prostitution|courtesans]] at its height before being closed in 1911.<ref>{{cite book|last=Stilltoe|first=Linda|author-link=Linda Sillitoe|title=A History of Salt Lake County|page=138}}</ref>

[[File:Temple Square 1912 panorama.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|right|Panorama of [[Temple Square]] taken in 1912]]
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, an extensive [[streetcar]] system was constructed throughout the city, with the first streetcar running in 1872 and electrification of the system in 1889. As in the rest of the country, the automobile usurped the streetcar, and the last trolley was approved for conversion in 1941, yet ran until 1945, due to [[World War II]]. Trolley buses ran until 1946. [[Light rail]] transit returned to the city when UTA's [[TRAX (light rail)|TRAX]] opened in 1999.<ref>{{cite web|last=Money|first=Marti|url=http://www.sugarhousetrolley.org/utahstreet.html|title=Utah Street Tramways – History of trams in Salt Lake City|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928230125/http://www.sugarhousetrolley.org/utahstreet.html|archive-date=September 28, 2007}}</ref> The [[S Line (Utah Transit Authority)|S Line]] (formerly known as Sugar House Streetcar) opened for service in December 2013 on an old [[Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad|D&RGW]] right-of-way.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=56795317&itype=CMSID|title=Sugar House streetcar testing begins next week|last=Davidson|first=Lee|newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]]|date=August 28, 2013|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021221454/http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/56795317-90/east-goeres-stops-trains.html.csp|archive-date=October 21, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.railwaygazette.com/salt-lake-city-welcomes-s-line/38959.article|title=Salt Lake City welcomes S-Line|journal=[[Railway Gazette International]]|location=Sutton, London|date=December 9, 2013|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213100207/http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/salt-lake-city-welcomes-s-line.html|archive-date=December 13, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

The city's population began to stagnate during the 20th century as population growth shifted to suburban areas north and south of the city. Few of these areas were annexed to the city, while nearby towns incorporated and expanded. As a result, the population of the surrounding metropolitan area greatly outnumbers Salt Lake City. A major concern of recent government officials has been combating inner-city commercial decay. The city lost population from the 1960s through the 1980s, but experienced some recovery in the 1990s. Presently, the city has gained an estimated 5 percent of its population since the year 2000.<ref>{{cite web|title=Population Estimates|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2013/SUB-EST2013-3.html|publisher=US Census Bureau|access-date=October 17, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140522161634/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2013/SUB-EST2013-3.html|archive-date=May 22, 2014}}</ref>

The city has experienced significant demographic shifts in recent years.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-09-14-utah-cover_x.htm|title=Immigrants turn Utah into mini-melting pot|last=El Nasser|first=Haya|date=September 15, 2006|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415192230/http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-09-14-utah-cover_x.htm|archive-date=April 15, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanics]] now account for approximately 22% of residents and the city has a significant LGBT community.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.gaypasg.org/gaypasg/PressClippings/2005/Jun/Salt%20Lake%20City%20Has%20High%20Gay%20Population.htm|title=Salt Lake City Has High Gay Population|first=Travis|last=Reed|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=June 11, 2005|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202204959/http://www.gaypasg.org/gaypasg/PressClippings/2005/Jun/Salt%20Lake%20City%20Has%20High%20Gay%20Population.htm|archive-date=February 2, 2015}}</ref> There is also a large [[Pacific Islander American|Pacific Islander]] population (mainly [[Samoa]]ns and [[Tonga]]ns); they compose roughly 2% of the population of the [[Salt Lake Valley]] area.

Salt Lake City was selected in 1995 to host the 2002 Winter Olympics. The games were plagued with controversy. A [[2002 Winter Olympic bid scandal|bid scandal]] surfaced in 1998 alleging bribes had been offered to secure the bid. During the games, other scandals erupted over [[2002 Olympic Winter Games figure skating scandal|contested judging scores]] and illegal drug use. While the 2002 Games generated significant financial returns for Olympic operations and prompted major infrastructure investments, the anticipated substantial increase in permanent business development and sustained tourism growth did not materialize immediately in the post-Games period. However, downtown revitalization accelerated in the following decade, particularly with the 2010 opening of City Creek Center and continued transit expansion.{{Citation needed|reason=One or more citations is needed to verify this profitability claim, as it is essentially unheard of for host cities of Olympic Games to turn a profit.|date=March 2023}} In preparation major construction projects were initiated. Local [[freeway]]s were expanded and repaired, and a light rail system was constructed. Olympic venues are now used for local, national, and international sporting events and Olympic athlete training.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.deseret.com/2006/10/5/19977913/big-incentive-helps-lure-speedskating-group|title=Big incentive helps lure speed skating group|last=Roche|first=Lisa Riley|date=October 5, 2006|newspaper=[[Deseret News]]|location=Salt Lake City|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080219205612/http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650196322,00.html|archive-date=February 19, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the predicted increase in businesses did not happen following the games.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Olympic windfall unseen|last=Gorrell|first=Mike| newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune|date=February 15, 2004}}</ref> On July 24, 2024, Salt Lake City was formally chosen by the [[International Olympic Committee]] (IOC) to host the 2034 Olympic Winter Games. All of the facilities from the previous Games can be re-used, and the bid enjoyed support from the IOC and the city.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5654824/2024/07/24/salt-lake-city-2034-olympics-french-alps-2030/ | title=Salt Lake City gets 2034 Winter Olympics, 2030 to French Alps: Why now, and what it means | work=The New York Times | last1=Pierce | first1=Zack | last2=Futterman | first2=Matthew | date=July 25, 2024 }}</ref>
Salt Lake City hosted the 16th Winter [[Deaflympics|Deaflympic]] games in 2007, taking place in the venues in Salt Lake City and [[Park City, Utah|Park City]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deaflympics.com/games.asp?2007-w|title=Salt Lake 2007|publisher=Deaflympics|access-date=July 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814062349/http://deaflympics.com/games.asp?2007-w|archive-date=August 14, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Rotary International]] chose the city as the host site of their 2007 convention, which was the single largest gathering in Salt Lake City since the 2002 Winter Olympics.<ref>{{cite news|title=SLC to land Rotarians in '07|newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune|url=http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=3197001&itype=NGPSID|first=Paul|last=Beebe|date=November 9, 2005|access-date=October 20, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021221454/http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=3197001&itype=NGPSID|archive-date=October 21, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> The U.S. Volleyball Association convention in 2005 drew 39,500 attendees.

In 2020, the city experienced a [[2020 Salt Lake City earthquake|5.7 magnitude earthquake]], [[Killing of Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal|protests against the killing of Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal]], and a damaging [[2020 Utah windstorm|windstorm with hurricane-force winds]], amidst the wider national [[George Floyd protests]], the global [[COVID-19 pandemic]], and [[2020 United States anti-lockdown protests|protests against pandemic measures]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Springer |first1=Alex |last2=Ory Hernandez |first2=Rebecca |last3=Cook O'Brien |first3=Amy |last4=Campbell |first4=Carolyn |title=Meals Out of Misfortune Part 2 |url=https://www.cityweekly.net/utah/meals-out-of-misfortune-part-2/Content?oid=15820740 |access-date=September 24, 2020 |work=Salt Lake City Weekly |date=September 23, 2020 |quote=A pandemic, earthquake, ongoing protests and a windstorm with hurricane-force winds have been visited upon our fair city—and we're only three-quarters of the way through!}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Bauer |first1=Ethan |title=A mayor and a mom on shaky ground |url=https://www.deseret.com/indepth/2020/5/14/21254919/people-of-the-pandemic-coronavirus-utah-salt-lake-city-mayor-erin-mendenhall-earthquake |access-date=September 24, 2020 |work=Deseret News |date=May 14, 2020}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Salt Lake City}}
[[File:Salt Lake City by Sentinel-2, 2020-07-06.jpg|left|thumb|Satellite photo of Salt Lake County]]
[[File:ISS017-E-18874 - View of Utah.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|Astronaut photography of Salt Lake International Airport in west SLC, taken from the [[International Space Station]] (ISS). North is at bottom.]]
[[File:Salt Lake City 2013-06-08.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Salt Lake City and adjacent suburbs, facing south]]
Salt Lake City has an area of {{convert|110.4|mi2|km2}} and an average elevation of {{convert|4327|ft|m}} [[Above mean sea level|above sea level]]. The lowest point within the boundaries of the city is {{convert|4210|ft|m}} near the [[Jordan River (Utah)|Jordan River]] and the [[Great Salt Lake]], and the highest is [[Grandview Peak]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/Grandview+Peak/@40.8516281,-111.7609103,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x87525be5b429c7ad:0x945520f494c12167!8m2!3d40.8516128!4d-111.7521555 |title=''Grandview Peak'' Google Maps (accessed 27 March 2019) |access-date=March 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328031147/https://www.google.com/maps/place/Grandview%2BPeak/@40.8516281,-111.7609103,15z/data%3D!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x87525be5b429c7ad:0x945520f494c12167!8m2!3d40.8516128!4d-111.7521555 |archive-date=March 28, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> at {{convert|9410|ft|0}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=Area Information – Frequently Asked Questions|publisher=Salt Lake City Corporation|url=http://www.slcgov.com/info/area_info/faq_new.htm|access-date=December 11, 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061024020803/http://www.slcgov.com/info/area_info/faq_new.htm|archive-date=October 24, 2006}}</ref>

The city is in the northeast corner of the [[Salt Lake Valley]] surrounded by the Great Salt Lake to the northwest, the steep [[Wasatch Range]] to the east, and [[Oquirrh Mountains]] to the west. Its encircling mountains contain several narrow canyons, including [[City Creek (Utah)|City Creek]], [[Emigration Canyon, Utah|Emigration]], [[Millcreek Canyon|Millcreek]], and [[Parley's Canyon|Parley's]] which border the eastern city limits.

The burgeoning population of Salt Lake City and the surrounding metropolitan area, combined with its geographical situation, has led to [[air quality]] becoming a concern. The [[Great Basin]] is subject to strong temperature inversions during the winter, which trap pollutants and decrease the air quality. The Utah Division of Air Quality monitors air quality and issues alerts for voluntary and mandatory actions when pollution exceeds federal safety standards. Protests have been held at the [[Utah State Capitol]] and [[Democratic Party (U.S.)|Democratic]] lawmakers have introduced legislation in the [[Utah State Legislature]] to make public transportation free during January and July, when air quality is usually at its worst.<ref>{{cite news|title=Seen as Nature Lovers' Paradise, Utah Struggles With Air Quality|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/us/utah-a-nature-lovers-haven-is-plagued-by-dirty-air.html?_r=0|first=Dan|last=Frosch|date=February 23, 2013|access-date=December 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021221454/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/us/utah-a-nature-lovers-haven-is-plagued-by-dirty-air.html?_r=0|archive-date=October 21, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> The population of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area is projected to double by 2040, putting further pressure on the region's air quality.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Penrod|first1=Emma|title=American Lung Association ranks SLC in top 10 for worst air quality|agency=Salt Lake Tribune|date=April 20, 2016}}</ref>

The Great Salt Lake is separated from Salt Lake City by extensive marshlands and mudflats. The metabolic activities of bacteria in the lake result in a phenomenon known as "lake stink", a scent reminiscent of foul poultry eggs, two to three times per year for a few hours.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deq.utah.gov/references/FactSheets/Lake_Stink.htm|title=Utah's Infamous "Lake Stink"|publisher=[[Utah Department of Environmental Quality]]|access-date=March 11, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060923010154/http://www.deq.utah.gov/references/FactSheets/Lake_Stink.htm|archive-date=September 23, 2006}}</ref> The Jordan River flows through the city and is a drainage of [[Utah Lake]] that empties into the Great Salt Lake.

The highest mountaintop visible from Salt Lake City is [[Broads Fork Twin Peaks|Twin Peaks]], which reaches {{convert|11330|ft|m}}.<ref name=AD>{{cite news|last=Arave|first=Lynn|url=https://www.deseret.com/2005/4/6/19884624/mountains-high-utah-abounds-with-high-peaks-in-all-counties|title=Mountains High: Utah abounds with high peaks in all counties|newspaper=Deseret News|date=March 6, 2005|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120234031/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/600122409/Mountains-High-Utah-abounds-with-high-peaks-in-all-counties.html?pg=all|archive-date=January 20, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Twin Peaks is southeast of Salt Lake City in the Wasatch Range.

The second-highest mountain range is the Oquirrhs, reaching a maximum height of 10,620 feet (3,237 m) at Flat Top.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/Flat+Top+Mountain/@40.2159723,-112.018998,10.75z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x87529e2d150c3e03:0x6760bcadc7157598!8m2!3d40.3724467!4d-112.1891099 |title=''Flat Top Mountain'' Google Maps (accessed 27 March 2017) |access-date=March 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328142309/https://www.google.com/maps/place/Flat%2BTop%2BMountain/@40.2159723,-112.018998,10.75z/data%3D!4m5!3m4!1s0x87529e2d150c3e03:0x6760bcadc7157598!8m2!3d40.3724467!4d-112.1891099 |archive-date=March 28, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> The east–west-oriented [[Traverse Ridge|Traverse Mountains]] to the south extend to 6,000' (1830m), nearly connecting the Wasatch and Oquirrh Mountains. The mountains near Salt Lake City are easily visible from the city and have sharp vertical relief caused by ancient earthquakes, with a maximum difference of 7,099 feet (2164 m) being achieved with the rise of Twin Peaks from the Salt Lake Valley floor.<ref name=AD/>

The Salt Lake Valley floor is the ancient lakebed of [[Lake Bonneville]], which existed at the end of the [[Last Glacial Period|last ice age]]. Several Lake Bonneville shorelines can be distinctly seen as terraces on the foothills or benches of nearby mountains. Ancient folds of Lake Bonneville shorelines also lie underneath Salt Lake City, amplifying the danger of earthquakes.<ref name=USGS2021/>

===Earthquake faults===
Salt Lake City is subject to earthquakes from active fault lines running through it.<ref name=USGS2021>{{cite journal |title=A Broad, Distributed Active Fault Zone Lies beneath Salt Lake City, Utah |first1=Lee M. |last1=Liberty |first2=James |last2=St. Clair |first3=Adam P. |last3=McKean |date=June 3, 2021 |journal=The Seismic Record |publisher=[[Seismological Society of America]] |volume=1 |number=1 |pages=35–45 |doi=10.1785/0320210009|bibcode=2021SeisR...1...35L |s2cid=236753973 |doi-access=free }}</ref> These faults are related to the regional [[Wasatch Fault]] which runs north–south along the western base of the Wasatch Range and is considered at high risk of producing an earthquake as large as 7.5 [[Seismic magnitude scales|magnitude]]. Catastrophic damage is predicted in the event of an earthquake with major damage resulting from the [[Soil liquefaction|liquefaction]] of the clay- and sand-based soil and the possible permanent flooding of portions of the city by the Great Salt Lake.<ref>{{cite news|last=Davidson|first=Lee|url=https://www.deseret.com/utah/2006/4/19/20704091/it-s-2008-151-and-the-big-one-slams-utah|title=It's 2008 — and 'the big one' slams Utah|newspaper=Deseret News|date=April 19, 2006|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120234115/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/635199749/Its-2008--and-the-big-one-slams-Utah.html?pg=all|archive-date=January 20, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> On March 18, 2020, a 5.7 magnitude [[2020 Salt Lake City earthquake|earthquake]], the largest in the Salt Lake City area in modern times, hit [[Magna, Utah|Magna]], just southwest of Salt Lake City, causing some minor damage throughout the valley.<ref name="ANSS">{{Cite anss|Magna|2020|https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/uu60363602/executive|access-date=March 18, 2020|mode=cs2}}</ref> Damage in Salt Lake City was especially evident in historic brick homes—[[unreinforced masonry building]]s—such as the 1892 Sears mansion which required demolition after the earthquake.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2021/03/19/curved-wasatch-fault-may/ |title='Curved' Wasatch fault may be even more destructive and deadly than previously thought |last=Maffly |first=Brian |date=March 19, 2021 |newspaper=[[Salt Lake Tribune]] |access-date=March 29, 2023}}</ref>

The Warm Springs Fault and the East Bench Fault, offshoots of the Wasatch Fault, were found in 2021 to connect underneath Salt Lake City, increasing the risk of major metropolitan damage from an earthquake.<ref name=USGS2021/> Prior to this, in 1997 the ''[[Salt Lake Tribune]]'' published a front-page exposé about how the construction of the downtown [[Salt Palace]] convention center had been hastened by the county geologist who erased the Warm Springs Fault from earthquake maps of Salt Lake City so that the downtown area appeared to be free of faults, enabling the convention center developers to avoid the time and expense of an earthquake hazard and risk assessment. The newspaper showed that the Warm Springs Fault runs north–south along W. Temple, directly adjacent to [[Temple Square]] and the convention center.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=30556556 |title=Where's the Fault? |page=1 |last=Siegel |first=Lee |date=December 7, 1997 |newspaper=[[Salt Lake Tribune]]}}</ref> A year later, a fault segment was found at the southern edge of the convention center, and expansion plans were halted until more earthquake fault studies could be completed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.deseret.com/1999/1/7/19427068/fault-causes-suspension-of-salt-palace-expansion-br-experts-don-t-know-if-it-extends-under-existing |title=Fault causes suspension of Salt Palace expansion: Experts don't know if it extends under existing building |last=Swensen |first=Jason |date=January 6, 1999 |website=[[Deseret News]] |access-date=March 29, 2023}}</ref>
{{Clear}}
{{wide image|Rainstorm over Salt Lake City.jpg|1500px|A panoramic view of Salt Lake City, June 2009}}

===Layout===
[[File:Platslc.jpg|thumb|left|[[Plat]] of Salt Lake City, circa 1870s]]
The city, as well as the [[Salt Lake County, Utah|county]], is laid out on a [[grid plan]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Husarik|first=Theresa|url=http://saltlakecity.about.com/library/weekly/98art/aa031698.htm|title=Navigating Utah's Streets|publisher=About.com|access-date=March 11, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070101162355/http://saltlakecity.about.com/library/weekly/98art/aa031698.htm|archive-date=January 1, 2007}}</ref> Most major streets run very north–south and east–west. The grid's origin is the southeast corner of Temple Square, the block containing the Salt Lake Temple; the north–south axis is Main Street; and the east–west axis is South Temple Street. Addresses are [[Cartesian coordinate system|coordinates]] within the system (similar to [[latitude]] and [[longitude]]). Odd and even address numbering depends on the quadrant of the grid in which an address is located. The rule is: When traveling away from the grid center (Temple Square) or its axes (Main Street, South Temple Street), odd numbers will be on the left side of the street.

A common explanation for the unusually wide streets of Salt Lake City is that Brigham Young wanted a wagon with a team of oxen to be able to turn around.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://therightplace.pro/wide-streets-salt-lake/|title=Why are Salt Lake's streets so wide? The Right Place|first=Bree|last=Scheer|date=October 10, 2022}}</ref> However, Young was never recorded giving this directive. Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, planned the layout in the "[[Plat of Zion|Plat of the City of Zion]]" (intended as a template for Mormon towns wherever they might be built). This plan included streets {{cvt|132|ft}} wide,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/revised-plat-of-the-city-of-zion-circa-early-august-1833/1|title=Revised Plat of the City of Zion, circa Early August 1833, Page 1|website=www.josephsmithpapers.org}}</ref> and may be the source of the unusual width.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://therightplace.pro/plat-of-zion/|title=The Plat of Zion and the Wide Streets of Salt Lake City|first=Bree|last=Scheer|date=October 24, 2022}}</ref> These wide streets and grid pattern are typical of other Mormon towns of the pioneer era throughout the West.

Though the nomenclature may initially confuse new arrivals and visitors, most consider the grid system an aid to navigation. The grid system allows streets to be identified numerically according to their distance from the center axes—for example, addresses on 100 East are one block east of Main Street. Most streets use this numeric system exclusively; however, some historic streets retain traditional names. State Street, for instance, runs along the same alignment as what would be designated '100 East' under the numeric system, but has retained its historical name Other streets have honorary names, such as the western portion of 300 South, named "Adam Galvez Street" (for a local Marine corporal killed in action) or others honoring [[Rosa Parks]], [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], [[César Chávez]], [[Harvey Milk]], and [[John Stockton]]. These honorary names appear only on street signs and cannot be used in postal addresses.
[[File:Salt Palace (43837757942).jpg|thumb|The [[Salt Palace]] Convention Center]]
In the [[The Avenues, Salt Lake City|Avenues neighborhood]], north–south streets are given letters of the alphabet, and east–west streets are numbered in {{convert|2.5|acre|ha|adj=on}} blocks, smaller than those in the rest of the city.

Smith's Plat of Zion specified the city was to be developed into 135 {{convert|10|acre|ha|adj=on}} lots. 
However, the blocks in Salt Lake City became irregular during the late 19th century when [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] lost authority over growth and before the adoption of zoning ordinances in the 1920s. The original {{convert|10|acre|ha|adj=on}} blocks allowed for large garden plots, and many were supplied with irrigation water from ditches that ran approximately where modern curbs and gutters would be laid. The original water supply was from [[City Creek (Salt Lake County, Utah)|City Creek]]. Subsequent development of water resources was from successively more southern streams flowing from the mountains east of the city. Some old irrigation ditches are still visible in the eastern suburbs, or are still marked on maps, years after they were gone. There are still some canals that deliver water as required by water rights. Many lots, in Salt Lake City and surrounding areas, have irrigation water rights attached to them. Local water systems, in particular Salt Lake City Public Utilities, have a tendency to acquire or trade for these water rights. These can then be traded for culinary water rights to water imported into the valley. At its peak, irrigation in the valley comprised over one hundred distinct canal systems, many originating at the Jordan Narrows at the south end of the valley. Water and water rights were important in the 19th and early 20th centuries. As heavy agricultural usage changed into a more urban and suburban pattern, canal water companies were gradually replaced by culinary water systems.

=== Cityscape ===
{{See also|Downtown Salt Lake City|List of tallest buildings in Salt Lake City}}
[[File:Salt Lake City 1913 panorama.jpg|thumb|upright=3.5|Panorama of Salt Lake City in 1913 taken from the [[Dooly Building]]. Notable buildings from left to right: [[Salt Lake Temple]], [[Joseph Smith Memorial Building|Hotel Utah]], [[Kearns Building]], [[Capitol Theatre (Salt Lake City)|Capitol Theatre]], [[Walker Center]], [[Salt Lake City and County Building|City and County Building]], Boston and Newhouse Buildings, and [[Hotel Newhouse (Salt Lake City)|Hotel Newhouse]]. ]]
Downtown Salt Lake City has been a hub of commerce for the [[Intermountain West]] and its architecture reflects this history. [[Main Street (Greater Salt Lake City)|Main Street]], which was the primary commercial avenue for the city in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, anchors the historic core of the downtown area that begins at the [[Salt Lake Temple]] and concludes at the [[Salt Lake City and County Building|City and County Building]]. Halfway between those two structures, the [[Walker Center]], at the corner of Main and 200 South, was built in 1912 and was the tallest building between [[Chicago]] and [[San Francisco]] upon its completion. Other extant pre-war structures include the [[Kearns Building]], [[Continental Bank Building (Salt Lake City)|Hotel Monaco]], the First Security Building,<ref>{{cite web|title=First Security Building|url=https://www.emporis.com/buildings/129124/first-security-building-salt-lake-city-ut-usa|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150514020432/http://www.emporis.com/buildings/129124/first-security-building-salt-lake-city-ut-usa|url-status=usurped|archive-date=May 14, 2015|access-date=June 2, 2021|website=Emporis}}</ref> the [[Joseph Smith Memorial Building]] (formerly Hotel Utah), the Boston and Newhouse Buildings,<ref>{{cite web|title=Boston and Newhouse Buildings in Salt Lake City, USA|url=https://www.gpsmycity.com/attractions/boston-and-newhouse-buildings-38996.html|access-date=June 2, 2021|website=GPSmyCity|language=en}}</ref> the [[Utah State Capitol]], and the [[Clift Building]]. Salt Lake City has two historic passenger rail depots, the [[Denver and Rio Grande Western Depot (Salt Lake City)|Denver and Rio Grande Western Depot]] and the [[Salt Lake City Union Pacific Depot|Union Pacific Depot]], the latter of which now anchors the [[The Gateway (Salt Lake City)|Gateway]] district. Salt Lake City lost many significant structures to forces such as [[urban renewal]] in the 20th century, including the [[Dooly Building]], designed by [[Louis Sullivan]], the [[Hotel Newhouse (Salt Lake City)|Hotel Newhouse]], and the [[Salt Lake Theatre]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Salt Lake Theatre|url=https://historytogo.utah.gov/salt-lake-theatre/|access-date=June 2, 2021|website=History to Go|date=May 11, 2016 }}</ref>

[[File:Main Street, Salt Lake City 2021.jpg|thumb|244x244px|[[Downtown Salt Lake City]] at the corner of Main Street and 100 South showing the base of the newly constructed 111 Main office tower and [[Eccles Theater]]. [[TRAX (light rail)|TRAX]] runs along Main through the heart of the city.]]

After a period of stagnation in the era of [[urban sprawl]], and with the construction of [[TRAX (light rail)|TRAX]] in the late 1990s and the [[City Creek Center]] in the early 2010s, downtown Salt Lake City is experiencing a period of revival. Empty lots and older structures are in the process of being redeveloped into apartment and office towers<ref>{{cite web|title=It's high time for Salt Lake City. Here's how the skyline will rise in 2021.|url=https://sltrib.com/news/2021/01/17/its-high-time-salt-lake|access-date=June 2, 2021|website=The Salt Lake Tribune}}</ref> and the city has begun to close Main Street to automobile traffic on summer weekends to encourage pedestrian activity and business.<ref>{{cite web|title=Salt Lake City will close Main Street again this summer to welcome diners and pedestrians|url=https://sltrib.com/news/2021/04/28/salt-lake-city-will-close|access-date=June 2, 2021|website=The Salt Lake Tribune}}</ref> More than 5,000 new residential units are planned or under construction for the downtown area as of April 2021<ref>{{cite web|date=April 13, 2021|title=We now know what will replace the former Road Home homeless shelter|url=https://www.buildingsaltlake.com/we-now-know-what-will-replace-salt-lake-citys-formal-homeless-shelter-downtown/|access-date=June 2, 2021|website=Building Salt Lake |last1=Anderson |first1=Taylor }}</ref> and many new breweries and restaurants have opened in the last decade. Regent Street, which in the early 20th century was the city's [[red-light district]], has recently been redeveloped with the notable additions of the 2,468-seat [[Eccles Theater]] and 111 Main, an adjacent 24-story office building.

A distinctive feature of Salt Lake City's cityscape is its very large block sizes, which are 660 feet square and separated by streets 132 feet wide, making them the largest in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|title=Plat of Zion|url=https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/plat-of-zion/|access-date=June 7, 2021|website=99% Invisible|date=December 12, 2016 |language=en-US}}</ref> This and the resulting development patterns gives the city and its buildings a unique sense of scale but also a distinct challenge to urban [[walkability]], with many streets boasting six lanes for automobile traffic. On the other hand, the extra-wide streets have made the addition of dedicated transit lanes and light rail more feasible and many streets are now being redesigned with features such as protected bike lanes, linear parks, and even spaces for urban development within the medians.<ref>{{cite web|title=4 Ways Utah is Dealing with Overly-Wide Streets|url=https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2016/2/1/4-ways-utah-is-dealing-with-overly-wide-streets|access-date=June 7, 2021|website=Strong Towns|date=February 2, 2016 |language=en-US}}</ref> The city also encourages new projects to incorporate mid-block walkways and other scale-mitigation strategies into planning to promote pedestrian engagement.<ref>{{cite web|title=SALT LAKE CITY DOWNTOWN MASTER PLAN DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR MID-BLOCK WALKWAYS|url=http://www.slcdocs.com/Planning/Applications/MWDG.pdf|access-date=June 7, 2021}}</ref>

===Neighborhoods===
{{See also|List of Salt Lake City neighborhoods|Buildings and sites of Salt Lake City, Utah#Neighborhoods and areas}}
Salt Lake City has many distinct neighborhoods. There is a general east–west socioeconomic divide. The eastern neighborhoods of the city, such as [[The Avenues, Salt Lake City|the Avenues]], [[9th and 9th, Salt Lake City|9th & 9th]], [[Yalecrest]], Federal Heights, and [[Sugar House, Salt Lake City|Sugar House]] tend to be more affluent. These districts are popular with professionals, families, and students due to their proximity to Downtown, the [[University of Utah]], commercial precincts, and the Wasatch foothills. The western neighborhoods of the city, such as [[Poplar Grove, Salt Lake City|Poplar Grove]], [[Rose Park, Salt Lake City|Rose Park]], and [[Glendale, Salt Lake City|Glendale]] tend to be more working-class and ethnically diverse and are popular with immigrants and young people.

This divide is a result of the railroad being built in the western half as well as panoramic views from inclined ground in the eastern portion. Housing is more economically diverse on the west side, which results in [[demographics|demographic]] differences. [[Interstate 15 in Utah|Interstate 15]] was also built in a north–south line, further dividing east and west sides of the city.

[[File:Sugarhouseslc.jpg|thumb|Sugar House]]
[[Sugar House, Salt Lake City|Sugar House]], in southeastern Salt Lake City, has a reputation as an older neighborhood with small shops in the center.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.10best.com/destinations/utah/salt-lake-city/sugarhouse/|title=Find the Best Things to Do in Sugarhouse|last=Balaz|first=Christine|website=10 Best|access-date=May 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514012213/http://www.10best.com/destinations/utah/salt-lake-city/sugarhouse/|archive-date=May 14, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> Sugar House is an area which has been the focus of redevelopment efforts such as the [[S Line (Utah Transit Authority)|UTA S-Line Streetcar]]. In late 2015 there were approximately 900 apartment units either recently built or under construction in the Sugar House area, with an additional 492 units proposed.<ref>{{cite news|last=Smart|first=Christopher|date=October 29, 2015|title=Sugar House apartment project would bring impacts — not impact fees|newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune|url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=3106900&itype=CMSID|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610142354/http://www.sltrib.com/home/3106900-155/sugar-house-apartment-project-would-bring|archive-date=June 10, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

Northeast of Downtown is The Avenues, a neighborhood outside of the regular grid system on smaller blocks. The area between 6th Avenue to South Temple Street is a Historical District that is nearly entirely residential, and contains many historical Victorian era homes. Recently the Avenues is becoming known for restaurants and shops opening in old retail space mixed within the community. The Avenues are situated on the upward-sloping bench in the foothills of the Wasatch Range, with the earlier built homes in the lower elevation. The Avenues, along with Federal Heights, just to the east and north of the [[University of Utah]], and the [[Foothill, Salt Lake City, Utah|Foothill]] area, south of the university, contain gated communities, large, multimillion-dollar houses, and panoramic views of the valley. Many consider this some of the most desirable real estate in the valley.

In addition to larger centers like Sugar House and Downtown, Salt Lake City contains several smaller neighborhoods, each named after the closest major intersection. Two examples are the [[9th and 9th]] (at the intersection of 900 East and 900 South Streets) and 15th & 15th (at the intersection of 1500 East and 1500 South Streets) neighborhoods. These areas are home to foot-traffic friendly, amenities-based businesses such as art galleries, clothing retail, salons, restaurants and coffee shops. During the summer of 2007, 9th and 9th saw sidewalk and street improvements as well as an art installation by Troy Pillow of Seattle, Washington inspired by the 9 Muses of Greek myth, thanks in part to a monetary grant from Salt Lake City.

Many of the homes in the valley date from pre–World War II times, and only a select few areas, such as Federal Heights and the East Bench, as well as the far west side, including parts of Rose Park and Glendale, have seen new home construction since the 1970s.

===Climate===
{{Main|Climate of Salt Lake City}}
[[File:Köppen Climate Types Utah.png|thumb|right|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate types]] of Utah]]
Salt Lake City has a [[humid continental climate]] (''Dsa''), while western parts may experience a [[Mediterranean climate]] (''Csa''), as summers are dry and hot and winters are cold and wet, but rarely frigid. The eastern parts of the city are also under a Mediterranean climate when using the {{Convert|27|F|C}} isotherm. Late summer and early fall monsoonal activity can keep precipitation fairly consistent throughout the year aside from early to mid summer when rain is minimal. The temperature of the Salt Lake City area is mediated by its unique geography, generally keeping highs and lows from reaching extremes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.climate-data.org/region/923/|title=Climate Utah: Temperature, Climograph, Climate table for Utah - Climate-Data.org|website=en.climate-data.org|access-date=November 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520135210/https://en.climate-data.org/region/923/|archive-date=May 20, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

The primary source of precipitation in Salt Lake City is massive storms that move in from the [[Pacific Ocean]] along the [[jet stream]] from October to May. In mid-to-late summer, when the jet stream retreats far to the north, precipitation mainly comes from afternoon [[thunderstorm]]s caused by [[North American Monsoon|monsoon]] moisture moving up from the [[Gulf of California]]. Although rainfall can be heavy, these storms are usually scattered in coverage and rarely severe. However, downtown was hit by an [[Fujita scale|F2]] [[Salt Lake City Tornado|tornado]] on August 11, 1999, killing 1 person, injuring 60, and causing $170&nbsp;million in damage. The remnants of [[tropical cyclone]]s from the East Pacific can rarely reach the city during Fall. The remnants of [[Hurricane Olivia (1982)|Hurricane Olivia]] helped bring the record monthly precipitation of {{convert|7.04|in|mm|0}} in September 1982.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/olivia1982.html|title=Remnants of Hurricane Olivia – September 23–28, 1982|publisher=[[Hydrometeorological Prediction Center]]|access-date=April 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513124725/http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/olivia1982.html|archive-date=May 13, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/slcclimate/SLC/table32.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050130075216/http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/slcclimate/SLC/table32.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 30, 2005|title=NWS Salt Lake City – Record high and low precipitation for each month|publisher=[[National Weather Service]]|access-date=March 11, 2007}}</ref> 1983 was the wettest year on record, with {{convert|24.26|in|mm|0}}, while 1979 was the driest, when {{convert|8.70|in|mm|0}} were recorded.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/slcclimate/SLC/table29.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050130075208/http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/slcclimate/SLC/table29.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 30, 2005|title=NWS Salt Lake City – Maximum and Minimum Calendar Year Precipitation|publisher=NWS|access-date=December 2, 2010}}</ref> Spring [[snowmelt]] from the surrounding mountains can cause localized stream flooding during late spring and early summer, the worst examples being in 1952 and especially 1983, when City Creek burst its banks, forcing city engineers to convert several downtown streets into waterways.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=51720845&itype=CMSID|title=Utah snowpack, weather revive memories of '83 floods|newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune|first=Christopher|last=Smart|date=May 4, 2011|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021221505/http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/51720845-78/1983-creek-flooding-lake.html.csp|archive-date=October 21, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{climate chart
| Salt Lake City, Utah
|21.6|37.4|1.25
|25.2|43.2|1.25
|33.6|53.7|1.79
|39.5|61.6|1.99
|47.8|71.9|1.95
|56.4|83.0|0.98
|64.7|92.6|0.61
|63.4|90.5|0.69
|53.0|79.2|1.21
|41.3|64.7|1.52
|30.6|49.4|1.45
|22.6|38.0|1.41
|float=right
|clear=both
|units=imperial
}}

Snow falls on average from November 6 to April 18, producing a total average of {{convert|60|in|cm|0}}, although measurable snow has fallen as early as September 17 and as late as May 28.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/slcclimate/SLC/table44.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041217004550/http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/slcclimate/SLC/table44.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 17, 2004|title=NWS Salt Lake City – Average snowfall|publisher=NWS|access-date=March 11, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/slcclimate/SLC/table47.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041217004832/http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/slcclimate/SLC/table47.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 17, 2004|title=NWS Salt Lake City – Earliest and latest measurable snowfall|publisher=NWS|access-date=March 11, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ksl.com/article/10895240/late-spring-snowstorm-surprises-utahns|title=Late spring snowstorm surprises Utahns|work=[[KSL-TV]]|date=May 24, 2010|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://archive.today/20220503071708/https://www.ksl.com/article/10895240/late-spring-snowstorm-surprises-utahns|archive-date=May 3, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> The snowiest season was 1951–52, with {{convert|117.3|in|cm|0}}, while the least snowy season was {{convert|16.6|in|cm|0}} in 1933–34.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/slcclimate/SLC/table44.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041217004550/http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/slcclimate/SLC/table44.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 17, 2004|title=NWS Salt Lake City – Maximum and minimum seasonal snowfall|publisher=NWS|access-date=December 2, 2012}}</ref> The snowiest month on record was January 1993, in which {{convert|50.3|in|cm|0}} were recorded.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/slcclimate/SLC/table43.php|title=NWS Salt Lake City – Top 5 Snowiest, Top 5 Driest, and Normal Monthly Mean Snowfall|publisher=NWS|access-date=December 2, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519204410/http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/slcclimate/SLC/table43.php|archive-date=May 19, 2011}}</ref>

The nearby Great Salt Lake is a significant contributor to precipitation in the city. The lake effect can enhance rain from summer thunderstorms and produces [[lake-effect snow]] approximately 6 to 8 times per year, some of which can produce prodigious snowfall amounts. It is estimated about 10% of the annual precipitation in the city can be attributed to the lake effect.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bauman|first=Joe|url=https://www.deseret.com/1999/8/5/19459076/lake-has-great-impact-on-storms-weather|title=Lake has great impact on storms, weather|newspaper=Deseret News|date=August 5, 1999|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021213059/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/710986/Lake-has-great-impact-on-storms-weather.html?pg=all|archive-date=October 21, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

Salt Lake City features large variations in temperatures between seasons. During summer, there are an average of 56 days per year with temperatures of at least {{convert|90|°F|1}}, 23 days of at least {{convert|95|°F}}, and 9 days of {{convert|100|°F|1}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/slcclimate/SLC/table9.php|title=NWS Salt Lake City – Average number of days per month of 90, 95, and 100 degrees or more|publisher=NWS|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090109184352/http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/slcclimate/SLC/table9.php|archive-date=January 9, 2009}}</ref> However, average daytime July humidity is only 22%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/slcclimate/SLC/table54.php|title=National Weather Service Salt Lake City – Relative humidity averages by month/hour|publisher=NWS|access-date=January 17, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519204139/http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/slcclimate/SLC/table54.php|archive-date=May 19, 2011}}</ref> Winters are quite cold but rarely frigid. While an average of 127 days drop to or below freezing, and 26 days with high temperatures that fail to rise above freezing, the city only averages 6.3 days at or below {{convert|10|°F|1}}. The record high temperature is {{convert|107|°F|0}}, which occurred first on July 26, 1960, July 13, 2002, June 16, 2021, July 17, 2022, and most recently September 7, 2022, while the record low is {{convert|-30|°F|0|abbr=on}}, which occurred on February 9, 1933.<ref name=NCDC/>

During mid-winter, strong areas of high pressure often stagnate over the [[Great Basin]], leading to strong [[temperature inversion]]s. This causes [[air stagnation]] and thick [[smog]] in the valley from several days to weeks at a time and can result in the nation's worst air-pollution levels.<ref>{{cite news|last=Fahys|first=Judy|url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=5372365&itype=NGPSID|title=Winter's bad air still choking Utah|newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune|date=March 7, 2007|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021221518/http://www.sltrib.com/ci_5372365|archive-date=October 21, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Frosch|first=Dan|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/us/utah-a-nature-lovers-haven-is-plagued-by-dirty-air.html?_r=0|title=Seen as Nature Lovers' Paradise, Utah Struggles With Air Quality|newspaper=New York Times|date=February 23, 2013|access-date=July 1, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715022342/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/us/utah-a-nature-lovers-haven-is-plagued-by-dirty-air.html?_r=0|archive-date=July 15, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> This same effect will also occasionally play a role in the summer months, causing [[tropospheric ozone]] to peak in July & August, but in 2015 it started at the beginning of June.<ref>{{cite news|last=Maffly|first=Brian|url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=2678090&itype=CMSID|title=Summer ozone blast threatening Utahns' health, thanks to sunshine and car exhaust|newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune|date=June 29, 2015|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630231630/http://www.sltrib.com/home/2678090-155/utahs-heat-wave-brings-crummy-air|archive-date=June 30, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2016 Salt Lake's air quality was ranked 6th worst in the nation by the American Lung Association. It received an F grade for both ozone and particulate matter. Particulate pollution is considered especially dangerous, as the tiny pollutants can lodge deep in lung tissue. Both ozone and particulate pollution are associated with increased rates of strokes, heart attacks, respiratory disease, cancer and premature death.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Penrod|first1=Emma|title=American Lung Association ranks SLC in top 10 for worst air quality|date=April 20, 2016}}</ref> Outdoor air particulates have been associated with low and very low birth weight, premature birth, congenital defects, and death.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Wang|first1=L.|title=Air pollutant effects on fetal and early postnatal development|pmid=17963272|doi=10.1002/bdrc.20097|volume=81|date=September 2007|journal=Birth Defects Res. C|issue=3|pages=144–54}}</ref>

Severe drought and water diversions have shrunk the Great Salt Lake by two-thirds and reduced it to its lowest recorded levels,<ref name=Flavelle2022>{{cite news |last1=Flavelle |first1=Christopher |title=As the Great Salt Lake Dries Up, Utah Faces An 'Environmental Nuclear Bomb' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/07/climate/salt-lake-city-climate-disaster.html |access-date=June 8, 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=June 7, 2022}}</ref> resulting in hundreds of square miles of dry lake bed and exposing millions of people living in the fast-growing metropolitan region to dust storms laced with [[arsenic]] and other toxic chemicals.<ref name="Booming Utah’s Weak Link">{{cite news |last1=Romero |first1=Simon |title=Booming Utah's Weak Link: Surging Air Pollution |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/07/us/great-salt-lake-utah-air-quality.html |access-date=June 8, 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=September 7, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Whitehurst |first1=Lindsay |title=Wildlife, air quality at risk as Great Salt Lake nears low |url=https://apnews.com/article/great-salt-lake-air-quality-lakes-wildlife-lifestyle-1adae582035c7f1b03f2a5cb57c0dda8 |access-date=June 8, 2022 |work=AP News |date=July 5, 2021}}</ref> Around 65% of the diverted water goes to agriculture,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Whitehurst |first1=Lindsay |title=Race is on to save the Great Salt Lake: Will it be enough? |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/race-save-great-salt-lake-82640968 |access-date=June 8, 2022 |work=ABC News |agency=AP News |date=February 3, 2022}}</ref> but demand for water is soaring as Utah's population grows.<ref name="Booming Utah’s Weak Link"/>
{{SLC weatherbox}}

===Parks===
The largest park in Salt Lake City is [[This Is the Place Heritage Park]], a part of the Utah State Parks system.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/heritage-park/|title=This Is The Place Heritage Park|website=Utah State Parks|access-date=April 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615185600/https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/heritage-park/|archive-date=June 15, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> At 217.5 acres, This is the Place Heritage Park re-creates typical 19th-century pioneer life and contains over 50 restored or replicated historical buildings. [[This is the Place Monument]] also is located within the park, marking the end of the Mormon trail.

[[Sugar House Park]] is the second largest park in Salt Lake City at {{Convert|110|acre|ha|abbr=}} and is a part of the Salt Lake County park system. The park is known for its large, rolling hills surrounding a {{Convert|4.5|acre|ha|abbr=}} pond with fountains.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sugarhousepark.org/|title=Sugar House Park|website=sugarhousepark.org|access-date=April 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406163559/http://www.sugarhousepark.org/|archive-date=April 6, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> It was also the site of an annual Fourth of July fireworks display until 2018.

[[Red Butte Garden and Arboretum]], in the [[foothills]] of Salt Lake City, features many different exhibits and also hosts many musical concerts. It is operated by the University of Utah.

====City parks====
Salt Lake City has a system of 85 municipal parks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slcgov.com/cityparks/parks-list-parks|title=Parks – List of Parks|website=Government of Salt Lake City|access-date=April 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406102014/http://www.slcgov.com/cityparks/parks-list-parks|archive-date=April 6, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Some of the most notable, other than those mentioned above, are:
* [[Allen Park (Salt Lake City)|Allen Park]] ({{Convert|8|acre|ha|abbr=}}) developed as a bird sanctuary<ref name="KSL2013">{{cite web |url=https://www.ksl.com/article/24334060/4-places-of-legend-in-utah |title=4 places of legend in Utah |author=Celeste Tholen Rosenlof |date=March 9, 2013 |website=KSL.com |access-date=September 1, 2024}}</ref>
* [[Liberty Park (Salt Lake City)|Liberty Park]] ({{Convert|100|acre|ha|abbr=}})<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slcgov.com/node/725|title=Parks – Liberty Park|website=Government of Salt Lake City|access-date=April 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406102243/http://www.slcgov.com/node/725|archive-date=April 6, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> is one of the city's oldest parks, having been established in 1881, and features a small lake with two islands and the Tracy Aviary. The park is home to a large number of birds, both wild and in the aviary.
* City Creek Park ({{Convert|4|acre|ha|abbr=}})<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slcgov.com/node/686|title=Parks – City Creek Park|website=Government of Salt Lake City|access-date=April 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406102026/http://www.slcgov.com/node/686|archive-date=April 6, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Pioneer Park ({{Convert|10|acre|ha|abbr=}})<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slcgov.com/node/768|title=Parks – Pioneer Park|website=Government of Salt Lake City|access-date=April 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406102259/http://www.slcgov.com/node/768|archive-date=April 6, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Lindsey Gardens ({{Convert|15.25|acre|ha|abbr=}})<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slcgov.com/node/726|title=Parks – Lindsey Gardens|website=Government of Salt Lake City|access-date=April 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406102047/http://www.slcgov.com/node/726|archive-date=April 6, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Gilgal Sculpture Garden|Gilgal Garden]] ({{Convert|3|acre|ha|abbr=}})<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slcgov.com/node/704|title=Parks – Gilgal Garden|website=Government of Salt Lake City|access-date=April 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406102051/http://www.slcgov.com/node/704|archive-date=April 6, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Jordan Park ({{Convert|33.5|acre|ha|abbr=}}) is home to the [[International Peace Gardens]].
* [[Bonneville Shoreline Trail]] is a popular hiking and biking nature trail which spans {{Convert|90|mi|km|abbr=}} through the foothills of the Wasatch Front.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1850 = 6157
| 1860 = 8236
| 1870 = 12854
| 1880 = 20768
| 1890 = 44843
| 1900 = 53531
| 1910 = 92777
| 1920 = 116110
| 1930 = 140267
| 1940 = 149934
| 1950 = 182121
| 1960 = 189454
| 1970 = 175885
| 1980 = 163034
| 1990 = 159936
| 2000 = 181743
| 2010 = 186440
| 2020 = 199723
| estyear = 2024
| estimate = 217783
| estref = 
| footnote = <div style="text-align: center;">Source:<ref>{{cite book|last=Moffatt|first=Riley|title=Population History of Western US Cities & Towns, 1850–1990|location=Lanham MD|publisher=Scarecrow|year=1996|page=310}}</ref> U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|author=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=October 17, 2014}}</ref><br />2023 Estimate<ref name="2023 Pop Estimate">{{cite web|title=Population Estimates|url= https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2023/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2023-ANNRNK.xlsx|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=May 16, 2024}}</ref></div>
}}

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible mw-collapsed" style="font-size: 90%;"
|-
! Historical racial composition !! 2020<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=9700000US3408220&y=2020&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P4|publisher=US Census Bureau|title=2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)}}</ref>!! 2010<ref>{{cite web|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/49/4967000.html|title=State & County QuickFacts: Salt Lake City, Utah|work=US Census Bureau|date=July 8, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108143025/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/49/4967000.html|archive-date=November 8, 2014}}</ref>!! 1990<ref name="pop"/> !! 1970<ref name="pop"/> !! 1950<ref name="pop"/>
|-
| [[White Americans|White]] (non-Hispanic) || 63.4% || 65.7% || 82.6% || 90.6%<ref name="fifteen">From 15% sample</ref> || n/a
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] || 20.8% || 22.3% || 9.7% || 6.4%<ref name="fifteen"/> || n/a
|-
| [[Asian American|Asian]] (includes [[Pacific Islander]] up to 1990) || 5.5% || 4.4% || 4.7% || 1.1% || 1.0%
|-
| [[African American|Black or African American]] || 2.9% || 2.6% || 1.7% || 1.2% || 0.6%
|-

| [[Pacific Islander]] || 2.1% || 2.0% || n/a || n/a || n/a
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American and Alaska Native]] || 1.4% || 1.2% || n/a || n/a || n/a
|-
| [[Multiracial Americans|Two or more races]] || 4.2% || 3.7% || n/a || n/a || n/a
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Salt Lake City, Utah – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Salt Lake City city, Utah|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=160XX00US4967000&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Salt Lake City city, Utah|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US4967000&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Salt Lake City city, Utah|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US4967000&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|128,377
|122,325
|style='background: #ffffe6; |126,678
|70.64%
|65.61%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |63.43%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|3,108
|4,613
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5,466
|1.71%
|2.47%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.74%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|1,966
|1,624
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,563
|1.08%
|0.87%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.78%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|6,498
|8,151
|style='background: #ffffe6; |10,840
|3.58%
|4.37%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.43%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|3,393
|3,706
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,075
|1.87%
|1.99%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.04%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
|294
|444
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,149
|0.16%
|0.24%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.58%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|3,853
|3,940
|style='background: #ffffe6; |8,448
|2.12%
|2.11%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.23%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|34,254
|41,637
|style='background: #ffffe6; |41,504
|18.85%
|22.33%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |20.78%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''181,743'''
|'''186,440'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''199,723'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

===2020 census===
The most reported ancestries in [[2020 United States census|2020]] were:<ref>{{cite web |title=TOTAL POPULATION |url=https://data.census.gov/table?t=-06:-1000E:-3000F:-4000G:-5000K:-7000E:-8000B&g=160XX00US4967000&d=DEC+Detailed+Demographic+and+Housing+Characteristics+File+A |website=data.census.gov |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref>
* [[English Americans|English]] (24%)
* [[Mexican Americans|Mexican]] (14.5%)
* [[German Americans|German]] (12.7%)
* [[Irish Americans|Irish]] (10.2%)
* [[Scottish Americans|Scottish]] (4.8%)
* [[Italian Americans|Italian]] (3.7%)
* [[Danish Americans|Danish]] (2.9%)
* [[Swedish Americans|Swedish]] (2.8%)
* [[French Americans|French]] (2.6%)
* [[Norwegian Americans|Norwegian]] (1.9%)

The racial makeup (including Hispanics in the racial counts) was 68.41% (136,622) [[White (U.S. Census)|White alone]], 2.89% (5,766) [[African American (U.S. census)|Black alone]], 1.45% (2,886) [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American alone]], 5.50% (10,989) [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian alone]], 2.10% (4,186) [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander alone]], 9.73% (19,440) [[Race (United States Census)|Other Race alone]], and 9.93% (19,834) [[Multiracial Americans|Multiracial or Mixed Race]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=P1: Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Salt Lake City city, Utah|url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALPL2020.P1?q=p2&g=160XX00US4967000|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>

The racial and ethnic makeup (where Hispanics are excluded from the racial counts and placed in their own category) was 63.43% (126,678) [[Non-Hispanic whites|White alone (non-Hispanic)]], 2.74% (5,466) [[African American (U.S. census)|Black alone (non-Hispanic)]], 0.78% (1,563) [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American alone (non-Hispanic)]], 5.43% (10,840) [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian alone (non-Hispanic)]], 2.04% (4,075) [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander alone (non-Hispanic)]], 0.58% (1,149) [[Race (United States Census)|Other Race alone (non-Hispanic)]], 4.23% (8,448) [[Multiracial Americans|Multiracial or Mixed Race alone (non-Hispanic)]], and 20.78% (41,504) Hispanic or Latino.<ref name=2020CensusP2/>

===2010 census===
At the 2010 census, Salt Lake City's population was 75.1% [[White American|White]], 2.6% [[African American]], 1.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 4.4% Asian, 2.0% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 10.7% from other races and 3.7% of mixed descent. 22.3% of the total population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.<ref>{{cite web|author=American FactFinder, US Census Bureau|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/1600000US4967000|title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 – 2010 Demographic Profile Data|publisher=US Census Bureau|access-date=December 13, 2015|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213041426/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/1600000US4967000|archive-date=February 13, 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref> The city's population has historically been predominantly white.<ref name="pop"/> Between 1860 and 1950 whites represented about 99% of the city's population but this somewhat changed in the decades that followed.<ref name="pop">{{cite web|title=Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990|publisher=US Census Bureau|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html|access-date=January 3, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812191959/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html|archive-date=August 12, 2012}}</ref>

{{As of|2010}}, 37.0% of the population had a bachelor's degree or higher. 18.5% of the population was foreign born and another 1.1% was born in [[Puerto Rico]], U.S. [[Insular area|insular territories]], or born abroad to American parent(s). 27.0% spoke a language other than English at home.

There were 186,440 people (up from 181,743 in 2000), 75,177 households, and 57,543 families in the city. This amounts to 6.75% of Utah's population, 18.11% of Salt Lake County's population, and 16.58% of the new Salt Lake metropolitan population.<ref name="GR2"/> The area within the city limits covers 14.2% of Salt Lake County. Salt Lake City was more densely populated than the surrounding metro area with a [[population density]] of 1,688.77/sqmi (1,049.36/km{{sup|2}}). There were 80,724 housing units at an average density of 731.2/sqmi (454.35/km{{sup|2}}).

The Salt Lake City-[[Ogden, Utah|Ogden]] metropolitan area, which included Salt Lake, [[Davis County, Utah|Davis]], and [[Weber County, Utah|Weber]] counties, had a population of 1,333,914 in 2000, a 24.4% increase over the 1990 figure of 1,072,227. Since the [[2000 United States census|2000 Census]], the [[United States Census Bureau|Census Bureau]] has added [[Summit County, Utah|Summit]] and [[Tooele County, Utah|Tooele]] counties to the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, but removed Davis and Weber counties and designated them as the separate Ogden-[[Clearfield, Utah|Clearfield]] metropolitan area. The Salt Lake City-Ogden-Clearfield combined statistical area, together with the [[Provo, Utah|Provo]]-[[Orem, Utah|Orem]] metropolitan area, which lies to the south, had a combined population of 2,094,035 as of July 1, 2008.

There were 75,177 households, out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.3% were other types of households. Of the 75,177 households, 3,904 were reported to be unmarried partner households: 3,047 heterosexual, 458 same-sex male, and 399 same-sex female. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48, and the average family size was 3.24.

The city's age distribution (as of 2000):
* 23.6% under 18
* 15.2% from 18 to 24
* 33.4% from 25 to 44
* 16.7% from 45 to 64
* 11.0% 65 or older

The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.2 males. The median income for a [[household]] in the city was $36,944, and the median income for a family was $45,140. Males had a median income of $31,511 versus $26,403 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $20,752. 15.3% of the population and 10.4% of families were 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 were living below the poverty line.

According to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey of 2017, the highest disparity in income in Utah is in Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City's GINI Index score was 0.4929, compared with the state's overall score of 0.423. The west-side areas of Salt Lake have the lowest incomes, while areas like the upper Avenues have much higher incomes. Other Utah cities with relatively high scores include Provo, 0.4734; and Ogden, 0.4632.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2018/09/13/utah-ranks-no-equality/ |title=''Utah Ranks No. 1 in Inequality'' (Salt Lake Tribune) |work=The Salt Lake Tribune |access-date=September 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180914205403/https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2018/09/13/utah-ranks-no-equality/ |archive-date=September 14, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Less than 50% of Salt Lake City's residents are members of the LDS Church. This is a much lower proportion than in Utah's more suburban municipalities; altogether, LDS Church members make up about 62% of Utah's population.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=2886596&itype=NGPSID|title=Mormon portion of Utah population steadily shrinking|last=Canham|first=Matt|date=June 22, 2005|newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]]|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021221524/http://www.sltrib.com/ci_2886596|archive-date=October 21, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Rose Park (Salt Lake City)|Rose Park]] and [[Glendale (Salt Lake City)|Glendale]] sections are predominantly Spanish-speaking with Hispanic and Latino Americans accounting for 60% of public school-children.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=3773768&itype=NGPSID|title=Update: School ranks thinned by 'Day Without Immigrants'|last=Lyon|first=Julia|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|date=May 1, 2006|access-date=October 20, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021221501/http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=3773768&itype=NGPSID|archive-date=October 21, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> The Centro Civico Mexicano acts as a community gathering point for the Wasatch Front's estimated 300,000 Latinos,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=4119456&itype=NGPSID|title=Latinos eye Utah for 2009 meeting|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|date=August 1, 2006|access-date=October 20, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021221704/http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=4119456&itype=NGPSID|archive-date=October 21, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Mexican President [[Vicente Fox]] began his 2006 US tour in Salt Lake City.

Salt Lake City is home to a [[Bosnian American]] community of more than 8,000, most of whom arrived during the [[Bosnian War]] in the 1990s.<ref>{{cite news|date=February 15, 2007|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/15/us/15mall.html|author=Johnson, Kirk|newspaper=The New York Times|title=Anti-Bosnian Backlash Feared in Utah|access-date=February 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022095419/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/15/us/15mall.html?_r=0|archive-date=October 22, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The large Pacific Islander population, mainly [[Samoa]]n and [[Tonga]]n, is also centered in the Rose Park, Glendale, and Poplar Grove sectors. Most of Salt Lake City's ethnic Pacific Islanders are members of the LDS Church,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/New-Mormon-Melting-Pot-Church-transcends-its-2987039.php|title=New Mormon Melting Pot/Church transcends its racist history|first=Don|last=Lattin|date=April 10, 1996|newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430015045/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F1996%2F04%2F10%2FMN72542.DTL|archive-date=April 30, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> though various Samoan and Tongan-speaking congregations are situated throughout the Salt Lake area including Samoan Congregational, Tongan Wesleyan Methodist, and Roman Catholic. Just outside Salt Lake City limits, newer immigrant communities include [[Nepal]]is, and refugees of Karen origin from [[Myanmar]] (former Burma). Salt Lake City also has the third largest Sri Lankan community in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Utah Community Data Project|url=http://ucdp.utah.edu/county/salt-lake-county/salt-lake-city/|website=The Utah Community Data Project|publisher=The Bureau of Economic and Business Research|access-date=July 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904055037/http://ucdp.utah.edu/county/salt-lake-county/salt-lake-city/|archive-date=September 4, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

The city is home to a large, business savvy, organized, and politically supported gay community. Leaders of the [[ECUSA|Episcopal Church]]'s Diocese of Utah,<ref>{{cite news|last=Perkins|first=Nancy|url=https://www.deseret.com/2003/10/26/19792197/utah-episcopalians-support-gay-bishop|title=Utah Episcopalians support gay bishop|newspaper=Deseret News|date=October 26, 2003|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080221110807/http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,520033778,00.html|archive-date=February 21, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.deseret.com/2004/5/22/19830304/bishop-explains-ousting-of-gay-episcopal-bishop|title=Bishop explains ousting of gay Episcopal bishop|newspaper=Deseret News|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=May 22, 2004|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080219212827/http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595064969,00.html|archive-date=February 19, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> as well as leaders of Utah's largest Jewish congregation, the Salt Lake Kol Ami,<ref>{{cite news|last=Davis|first=Kristy|url=http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/article-64-2551-eye-on-the-rabbi.html|title=Eye on the Rabbi|newspaper=[[Salt Lake City Weekly]]|date=June 11, 2007|access-date=April 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021200737/http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/article-64-2551-eye-on-the-rabbi.html|archive-date=October 21, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> along with three elected representatives of the city identify themselves as gay. These developments have attracted controversy from socially conservative officials representing other regions of the state. A 2015 Williams Institute comparison of 50 Most Populous Metro Areas ranked by Gallup Daily tracking and the US Census, ranked SLC 7th in Metro areas, up from 39th in 1990.<ref>{{cite web |first=Gary J. |last=Gates |url=https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/lgbt-rankings-metro-areas/ |title=Comparing LGBT Rankings by Metro Area |publisher=Williams Institute, UCLA |date=March 2015 |access-date=February 20, 2022}}</ref>

Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese are the most common spoken languages besides English.<ref>{{cite web|title=Salt Lake City: An Immigrant Snapshot|url=https://immigrationforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Immigration-2020-SaltLakeCity.pdf|publisher=National Immigration Forum}}</ref>

==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of Salt Lake City}}
[[File:Alta Albion Basin Entrance.jpg|thumb|Recreational tourism in the [[Wasatch Range|Wasatch Mountains]] is a major source of employment.]]
[[File:Slc gateway tower east.jpg|thumb|[[Zions Bancorporation]] headquarters in Salt Lake City]]
{{update section|date=July 2014}}
Historically known as the "Crossroads of the West" for its railroads, when nearby steel, mining and railroad operations provided a strong source of income with Silver King Coalition Mines, [[Geneva Steel]], [[Bingham Canyon Mine]], and [[oil refinery|oil refineries]], Salt Lake City's modern economy is service-oriented. Today the city's major sectors are government, trade, transportation, utilities, and professional and business services. The daytime population of Salt Lake City proper swells to over 315,000 people, not including tourists or students.<ref>{{cite web|title=Salt Lake City 2011 Mayor's recommended budget|page=A-11|access-date=February 22, 2012|url=http://www.slcclassic.com/finance/2012budget/mayorbudget2011.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513080920/http://www.slcclassic.com/finance/2012budget/mayorbudget2011.pdf|archive-date=May 13, 2012}}</ref>

Local, state, and federal governments have a large presence in the city, and trade, transportation, and utilities provide significant employment, with the major employer being the [[Delta Air Lines|Delta]] hub at [[Salt Lake City International Airport]]. Equally significant are the professional and business services, while health services and health educational services are significant areas of employment, including the largest health care provider in the Intermountain West, [[Intermountain Healthcare]]. Other major employers include the University of Utah, [[Sinclair Oil Corporation]], and the LDS Church.

Besides its central offices, the LDS Church owns and operates a for-profit division, [[Deseret Management Corporation]] and its subsidiaries, which are headquartered in the city.

Salt Lake City is home to two Fortune 1000 companies, [[Zions Bancorporation]] and [[Questar Corporation (gas company)|Questar Corporation]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Fortune 500|url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2009/states/UT.html|magazine=[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]|access-date=April 13, 2013|date=May 4, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116130852/http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2009/states/UT.html|archive-date=January 16, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[outdated source from 2013, Questar has since been acquired by Dominion]</ref> Other notable firms headquartered in the city include [[AlphaGraphics]], [[Alsco]], [[Sinclair Oil Corporation]], [[Smith's Food and Drug]] (owned by national grocer [[Kroger]]), [[MonaVie]], [[Myriad Genetics]], [[Creminelli Fine Meats]] and Vehix.com.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vehix.com/corporate/aboutUs/|title=Vehix|publisher=Vehix|access-date=December 10, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216211854/http://www.vehix.com//corporate/aboutUs/|archive-date=December 16, 2008 }}</ref> Notable firms based in nearby cities within the metropolitan area include [[Arctic Circle Restaurants]], [[FranklinCovey]], and [[Overstock.com]]. Metropolitan Salt Lake was also once the headquarters of [[American Stores]], the [[Skaggs Companies]], and [[Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution|ZCMI]], one of the first [[department store]]s; it is now owned by [[Macy's, Inc.]] Former ZCMI stores now operate under the Macy's label. High-tech firms with a large presence in the suburbs include [[Adobe Systems|Adobe]], [[eBay]], [[Unisys]], [[Siebel Systems|Siebel]], [[Micron Technology|Micron]], [[L-3 Communications]], [[Telarus]], and [[3M]]. [[Goldman Sachs]] has its second-largest presence in Salt Lake City.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goldmansachs.com/careers/featured-locations/|title=Goldman Sachs {{!}} Careers – Featured Locations|website=Goldman Sachs|language=en-US|access-date=March 10, 2020}}</ref> It is categorized as a "Gamma−" [[global city]], according to the [[Globalization and World Cities Research Network]].<ref>{{cite web|title=GaWC – The World According to GaWC 2020|url=https://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2020t.html|access-date=October 7, 2020|website=lboro.ac.uk|archive-date=October 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201006165159/https://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2020t.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Other economic activities include tourism, conventions, and major suburban call centers. Tourism has increased since the [[2002 Olympic Winter Games]],<ref name="2006 tourism">{{Cite news|title=Convention numbers best since Olympics; SL County conventions post big year|last=Gorrell|first=Mike|newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune|date=June 30, 2006}}</ref> and many hotels and restaurants were built for the events. The convention industry has expanded since construction of the [[Salt Palace]] convention center in the late 1990s, which hosts trade shows and conventions, including the [[Novell BrainShare]] conference. In 2020, Salt Lake City entered the bidding process to host the [[2030 Winter Olympics|2030 Winter Olympic]] and [[Paralympic Games]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 12, 2020 |title=Salt Lake City mulling 2034 Winter Olympics bid |url=https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/28688033/salt-lake-city-ponders-2034-winter-olympics-bid-news-sapporo-interest-2030-games |access-date=May 17, 2022 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Stefanich |first1=Logan |title=Here's how the 2030 Winter Olympic Games could impact Utah's economy |url=https://www.ksl.com/article/50406600/heres-how-the-2030-winter-olympic-games-could-impact-utahs-economy |access-date=May 17, 2022 |website=www.ksl.com |language=en}}</ref> In 2024, the [[International Olympic Committee]] announced that Salt Lake City would host the [[2034 Winter Olympics|2034 Winter Olympic]] and Paralympic Games.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 24, 2024 |title=IOC awards 2034 Winter Games to Salt Lake City |url=https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/40629500/ioc-awards-2034-winter-games-salt-lake-city |access-date=July 7, 2025 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Law and government==
{{See also|List of mayors of Salt Lake City|Mayoral elections in Salt Lake City|Joe Hill (activist)#Trial}}
[[File:City and County Building SLC - circa 1894.jpg|thumb|upright=2|right|Seat of Salt Lake City government {{Circa|1894}}]] The [[Salt Lake City and County Building]] has been the seat of city government since 1894. It also served as Utah's first statehouse from 1896 until the current [[Utah State Capitol]] was dedicated on October 9, 1916.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.utahstatecapitol.utah.gov/history/history.html|title=Official Utah State Capitol history|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080104060518/http://www.utahstatecapitol.utah.gov/history/history.html|archive-date=January 4, 2008}}</ref>
Since 1979, Salt Lake City has had a [[Non-partisan democracy|non-partisan]] [[Mayor-council government|mayor-council form of government]]. The mayor and the seven councillors are elected to staggered four-year terms. Council seats are defined by geographic population boundaries. Each councilor represents approximately 26,000 citizens. Officials are not subject to term limits.

Many municipal elections throughout Utah are non-partisan, with each able to opt for ranked choice voting .<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 27, 2021 |title=What you need to know about Utah's 2021 elections: Ranked choice voting, hot races and why clerks say voter fraud isn't an issue |url=https://www.deseret.com/utah/2021/10/26/22732793/what-you-need-to-know-about-utahs-2021-elections-ranked-choice-voting-and-races-to-watch-sandy |access-date=August 30, 2023 |website=Deseret News |language=en}}</ref> Members of the city council also serve as the governing board of the city's Redevelopment Agency.

Elections are held in odd-numbered years. Candidates take office in January of the following year.

The [[separation of church and state]] was the most heated topic in the days of the [[Liberal Party (Utah)|Liberal Party]] and [[People's Party of Utah]], when many candidates were also would-be LDS Church [[Bishop (Latter Day Saints)|bishops]]. This tension is still reflected today with the ''Bridging the Religious Divide'' campaign.<ref>{{cite news|author=[[Peggy Fletcher Stack|Stack, Peggy Fletcher]] |title= Mormons, non-Mormons clear the air |newspaper= [[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |location= Salt Lake City |date= January 21, 2006 |id= Accessed April 14, 2013}}</ref> This campaign was initiated when some city residents complained the Utah political establishment was unfair in its dealings with non-LDS residents by giving the LDS Church preferential treatment, while LDS residents perceived a growing [[anti-Mormon]] bias in city politics.

The city's political demographics are considerably more [[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberal]] than the rest of Utah. While Utah as a whole is a strongly [[conservatism|conservative]] and [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] state, Salt Lake City is considered a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] bastion. Since 1976, all of the city's mayors have been Democrats.

The city is home to several non-governmental think-tanks and advocacy groups such as the conservative Sutherland Institute, the progressive Alliance for a Better Utah, the gay-rights group Equality Utah, and the quality-growth advocates Envision Utah. Salt Lake hosted many foreign dignitaries during the 2002 Winter Olympics, and in 2006 the president of Mexico began his U.S. tour in the city and Israel's ambassador to the United States opened a cultural center.<ref>{{Cite news | url=http://www.aifl.org/html/web/Lets_be_partners-May_2006_Utah.pdf | title=Let's be partners, Israel's ambassador urges governor | last=Kalev | first=Gol | access-date=April 14, 2013 | publisher=[[America–Israel Friendship League]] | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930015127/http://www.aifl.org/html/web/Lets_be_partners-May_2006_Utah.pdf | archive-date=September 30, 2011 | df=mdy-all }}</ref> President [[George W. Bush]] visited in 2005 and again in 2006 for national veterans' conventions; both visits were protested by then-Mayor [[Rocky Anderson]]. Other political leaders such as [[Howard Dean]] and [[Harry Reid]] gave speeches in the city in 2005.

In July 2013, a new Public Safety Building housing police, fire, and emergency dispatch employees opened. It was billed as the largest net zero energy building in the nation at opening, and is expected to be certified [[Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design|LEED]] Platinum.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=56618611&itype=CMSID|title=Salt Lake City Public Safety Building opens to fanfare|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|date=July 19, 2013|first=Jim II|last=Dalrymple|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021221530/http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56618611-78/building-public-lake-safety.html.csp|archive-date=October 21, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Salt Lake City Fire Department operates out of 14 fire stations.

==Education==
{{Main|Education in Salt Lake City|Salt Lake County, Utah#Education|l2=Salt Lake County—Education}}
[[File:Jan 14 06 interior Salt Lake City library 2 UT USA.JPG|thumb|right|[[Salt Lake City Public Library]].]]
In 1847, LDS pioneer Jane Dillworth held the first classes in her tent for the children of the first LDS families. In the last part of the 19th century, there was a lot of controversy over how children in the area should be educated. LDS and non-LDS members could not agree on the level of religious influence in schools. Today, many LDS youths in grades 9 through 12 attend some form of religious instruction in addition to the public-school sessions, referred to as [[LDS Seminaries|seminary]]. Students are released from public schools at various times of the day to attend seminary.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.acluutah.org/seminary.htm|title=LDS Seminary in Public Schools|publisher=[[American Civil Liberties Union]]|date=August 2007|access-date=April 14, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117093623/http://www.acluutah.org/seminary.htm|archive-date=January 17, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=50172502&itype=CMSID|title=Guv claims Corroon could eliminate LDS seminary|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|first=Robert|last=Gehrke|date=August 27, 2010|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021221534/http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/50172502-76/corroon-herbert-education-governor.html.csp|archive-date=October 21, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> LDS seminaries are often on church-owned property adjacent to the public school and within walking distance.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/si/seminary?lang=eng|title=Seminary|publisher=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325172830/https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/si/seminary?lang=eng|archive-date=March 25, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Image:West High School (east side of building) - Salt Lake City, Utah - 26 April 2025.jpg|thumb|right|[[West High School (Utah)|West High School]], the city's oldest public high school]]

Due to high birth rates and large classrooms, Utah spends less per student than any other state, yet also spends more per capita (of total state population) than any state with the exception of Alaska. Money is always a challenge, and many businesses donate to support schools. Several districts have set up foundations to raise money. Recently, money was approved for the reconstruction of more than half of the elementary schools and one of the middle schools in the [[Salt Lake City School District]], which serves most of the area within the city limits. There are twenty-three K-6 elementary schools, five 7–8 middle schools, three 9–12 high schools ([[Highland High School (Utah)|Highland]], [[East High School (Utah)|East]], and [[West High School (Utah)|West]], with the former [[South High School (Salt Lake City)|South High]] being converted to the South City campus of the [[Salt Lake Community College]]), and an alternative high school (Horizonte) within the school district. In addition, Highland has recently been selected as the site for the charter school Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts (SPA). Many Catholic schools are in the city, including [[Judge Memorial Catholic High School]]. [[Rowland Hall-St. Mark's School]], established in 1867 by [[Episcopalianism|Episcopal]] Bishop [[Daniel Tuttle]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Quinn|first=Frederick|title=Building the "Goodly Fellowship of Faith" – A History of the Episcopal Church in Utah – 1867–1996|publisher=[[Utah State University Press]]|location=Logan UT|year=2004|chapter=1}}</ref> is the area's premier independent school.

The [[Salt Lake City Public Library]] system consists of the main library downtown, and five branches in various neighborhoods. The main library, designed by renowned architect [[Moshe Safdie]], opened in 2003. In 2006, the Salt Lake City Public Library was named "Library of the Year" by the [[American Library Association]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6341871.html|title=Gale/LJ Library of the Year 2006: Salt Lake City Public Library-Where Democracy Happens|last=Berry|first=John N.|magazine=[[Library Journal]]|date=June 15, 2006|access-date=April 14, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120065734/http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6341871.html|archive-date=January 20, 2013}}</ref>

[[File:University of Utah Hospital in 2009.JPG|thumb|The [[University of Utah]] Medical Center]]

Postsecondary educational options in Salt Lake City include the [[University of Utah]], [[Westminster College, Salt Lake City|Westminster College]], Salt Lake Community College, [[Eagle Gate College]], [[Peter Prier|Violin Making School of America (now named Peter Prier & Sons Violins)]], and [[Ensign College]] (formally LDS Business College). [[Utah State University]], [[Neumont College of Computer Science]] and [[BYU Salt Lake Center|Brigham Young University]] also operate education centers in the city. There are also many trade and technical schools such as Healing Mountain Massage School and the Utah College of Massage Therapy. The University of Utah is noted for its research and medical programs. It was one of the original four universities to be connected to [[ARPANET]], the predecessor to the Internet,<ref>{{cite web|last=Leiner|first=Barry M.|author2=Robert E. Kahn|author3=Jon Postel|title=A Brief History of the Internet|url=http://www.isoc.org/internet/history/brief.shtml|publisher=[[Internet Society]]|access-date=May 18, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918213304/http://www.isoc.org/internet/history/brief.shtml|archive-date=September 18, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> in 1969, and was the site of the first [[artificial heart]] [[heart transplantation|transplant]] in 1982.<ref>{{cite web|title=University Health Care Milestones|url=http://healthcare.utah.edu/about/history.htm|publisher=[[University of Utah Hospital|University of Utah Health Care]]|access-date=April 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130209212333/http://healthcare.utah.edu/about/history.htm|archive-date=February 9, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Located in Salt Lake City, the [[Institute of Human Anatomy]] is a privately owned human cadaver lab.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Mumford |first=Jacqueline |date=April 11, 2023 |title=This cadaver lab is educating the masses on their own bodies |url=https://www.utahbusiness.com/this-viral-cadaver-lab-is-educating-the-masses-on-their-own-bodies/ |access-date=January 2, 2024 |website=Utah Business |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Culture==

===Museums and the arts===
[[File:Denver & Rio Grande Western Depot in SLC - Feb 3, 2011.jpg|thumb|The [[Denver and Rio Grande Western Depot (Salt Lake City)|Denver and Rio Grande Western Depot]] now serves as home to the Utah Department of Heritage and Arts and the Rio Gallery.]]
Salt Lake City is home to several museums. Near Temple Square is the [[Church History Museum]]. Operated by the LDS Church, the museum contains collections of artifacts, documents, art, photographs, tools, clothing and furniture from the [[History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|history of the LDS Church]], which spans nearly two centuries. West of Temple Square, at [[The Gateway (Salt Lake City)|The Gateway]], is the [[Clark Planetarium]], which houses an [[IMAX]] theater, and [[Discovery Gateway]], a children's museum. The University of Utah campus is home to the [[Utah Museum of Fine Arts]] as well as the [[Natural History Museum of Utah]]. Other museums in the area include the Utah State Historical Society, [[Daughters of Utah Pioneers]]' [[Pioneer Memorial Museum]], [[Fort Douglas, Utah|Fort Douglas Military Museum]], the [[Social Hall Heritage Museum]], and [[The Leonardo (Salt Lake City)|The Leonardo]], an art, science and technology museum housed in the city's previous library building.

Salt Lake City is home to several classic movie theaters including the [[Tower Theatre (Salt Lake City, Utah)|Tower Theatre]] and the Broadway Theater, both of which host the Salt Lake Film Society members and shows. The Utah Film Center hosts free film screenings, many with post film Q and A's with filmmakers or subject experts every Tuesday night at the Salt Lake Public Library and monthly at the Rose Wagner Theater.

On December 5, 2007, the Salt Lake Chamber and Downtown Alliance announced a two-block section of downtown south of the planned City Creek Center is planned to become a new arts hub. This will include renovations to two theaters in the area and a new theater with a seating capacity of 2,400 and increased space for galleries and artists. The opening of the new facilities was anticipated to coincide with the opening of the City Creek Center in 2011, but they have yet to be completed.<ref>{{cite news|last=Page|first=Jared|url=https://www.deseret.com/2007/12/6/20057631/2-salt-lake-blocks-may-become-arts-hub|title=2 Salt Lake City blocks may become arts hub|newspaper=Deseret News|date=December 6, 2007|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081229040505/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1%2C5143%2C695233735%2C00.html|archive-date=December 29, 2008}}</ref> The $81.5&nbsp;million theater site was announced, and attempts to secure funding began.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.deseret.com/2008/10/16/20280512/new-theater-is-coming-to-regent-street|title=New theater is coming to Regent Street|last=Page|first=Jared|newspaper=Deseret News|date=October 15, 2008|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081016184002/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1%2C5143%2C705255543%2C00.html|archive-date=October 16, 2008}}</ref> The theater plans have come under criticism, however, especially from nearby smaller theaters which host [[Off-Broadway]] tours and claim such a theater cannot be supported and will hurt their business.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.deseret.com/2008/10/17/20280790/many-are-questioning-necessity-of-salt-lake-theater|title=Many are questioning necessity of Salt Lake theater|last=Hansen|first=Erica|newspaper=Deseret News|date=October 17, 2008|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120183626/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705255938/Many-are-questioning-necessity-of-Salt-Lake-theater.html|archive-date=January 20, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Performing arts===
[[File:Slc abravanel hall.jpg|thumb|Abravanel Hall]]
Salt Lake City provides venues for both professional and amateur theatre. The city attracts traveling Broadway and Off-Broadway performances in the historic Capitol Theatre. Local professional acting companies include the [[Pioneer Theatre Company]], Salt Lake Acting Company, and [[Plan-B Theatre Company]], which is the only theatre company in Utah fully devoted to developing new plays by Utah playwrights.

Salt Lake City is home to [[The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square]], founded in 1847 as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The choir's weekly program, called ''[[Music and the Spoken Word]]'', is the world's longest-running continuous network broadcast.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fans.musicandthespokenword.org/history/|title=Music & the Spoken Word — History|publisher=[[Bonneville International|Bonneville Communications]]|access-date=April 14, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121224090814/http://fans.musicandthespokenword.org/history/|archive-date=December 24, 2012}}</ref> Salt Lake City is the home to the [[Utah Symphony Orchestra]], which was founded in 1940 and grew to become a major US orchestra during the tenure of its former music director, [[Maurice Abravanel]], who led the orchestra from 1947 through 1979. Its music director is [[Thierry Fischer]]. The orchestra's original home was the [[Salt Lake Tabernacle]], but since 1979 has performed at [[Abravanel Hall]] in the western downtown area. In 2002, Utah Symphony merged with [[Utah Opera]], which was founded in 1978 by Glade Peterson and under its Artistic Director Christopher McBeth annually presents four opera productions in the Capitol Theatre. Salt Lake City area is home to the renowned children's choir from The Madeleine Choir School, and the Salt Lake Children's Choir (established in 1979).

The University of Utah features two dance departments, the Ballet Department and the [[University of Utah Department of Modern Dance|Department of Modern Dance]]. Professional dance companies in Salt Lake City include [[Ballet West]], [[Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company]] (which celebrated its 45th anniversary season in 2008/2009) and [[Repertory Dance Theatre]]. The [[Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center]] is host to both RWDC and RDT.

===Music===
The city has an eclectic music scene that includes hip hop, blues, rock and roll, rockabilly, punk, deathcore, horrorcore and indie groups. Popular groups or persons who started in the Wasatch Front area, or were raised in and influenced by it, include [[Iceburn]], [[Eagle Twin]], [[the Almost]], [[the Brobecks]], [[Meg and Dia]], [[Royal Bliss]], [[Shedaisy]], [[the Summer Obsession]], [[Theater of Ice]], [[the Used]] and [[Chelsea Grin (band)|Chelsea Grin]]. Salt Lake has an underground metal scene{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} with bands such as [[Gaza (band)|Gaza]] and [[Bird Eater (band)|Bird Eater]]. During the summer, Salt Lake City hosts the Twilight Concert series, a low-cost summer concert series. The series has been a part of the Salt Lake City music scene since the late 1980s. In 2010, crowds peaked at 40,000 attendees in downtown's Pioneer Park.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fox13now.com/news/local/kstu-modest-mouse-starts-off-first-twilight-concert-series-for-summer-2010,0,5981477.story|title=Pioneer packed as nearly 40K jam Twilight Concert opening|publisher=Fox13|date=July 8, 2010|access-date=December 10, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006095547/http://www.fox13now.com/news/local/kstu-modest-mouse-starts-off-first-twilight-concert-series-for-summer-2010%2C0%2C5981477.story|archive-date= October 6, 2011}}</ref>

===Festivals===
{{Cleanup list|section|date=February 2022}}
Salt Lake City has a thriving festival culture. Various festivals happen throughout the year, celebrating the diversity of the valley's communities. From culture, food, religion and spirituality, to dance, music, spoken word, and film, almost any type of festival can be found. Many of the festivals have been ongoing for decades.

[[File:Rainbow flag at Utah Pride.JPG|right|thumb|upright=2|The [[Rainbow flag (LGBT)|rainbow flag]] at the conclusion of the 2014 Utah Pride parade.]]
The Utah Pride Festival is an annual [[LGBTQ]] festival, held in June. Started in 1983, it has grown to a three-day festival with attendance exceeding 50,000. It is sponsored by the [[Utah Pride Center]]. The Utah Pride Festival is Salt Lake City's second largest festival, after Days of '47, and is one of the nation's largest Pride festivals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.visitsaltlake.com/blog/post/2015/5/Surprise-Utah-Pride-Festival-Among-Nation-s-Biggest-and-Best-Pride-Weekends/8222/|title=Surprise! Utah Pride Festival Among Nation's Biggest and Best Pride Weekends|publisher=Visit Salt Lake|date=May 5, 2015|access-date=September 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002065504/http://www.visitsaltlake.com/blog/post/2015/5/Surprise-Utah-Pride-Festival-Among-Nation-s-Biggest-and-Best-Pride-Weekends/8222/|archive-date=October 2, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://utahpride.org/info/history|title=Utah Pride Festival 2012 – History of the Utah Pride Festival|publisher=Utahpride.org|access-date=January 17, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211235254/http://utahpride.org/info/history|archive-date=February 11, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Albo|first=Mike|url=http://www.advocate.com/Print_Issue/Travel/Gayest_Cities_in_America_February_2011/|title=Gayest Cities in America|publisher=The Advocate|access-date=January 17, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110114220038/http://www.advocate.com/Print_Issue/Travel/Gayest_Cities_in_America_February_2011/|archive-date=January 14, 2011}}</ref> The festival includes hundreds of vendors, food, music stars, a [[5k run]], a dyke and trans march,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=51917414&itype=cmsid|title=Pride Festival features locally nurtured singer|website=The Salt Lake Tribune}}</ref> and an interfaith service by the Utah Pride Interfaith Coalition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.utahpridefestival.org/festivities/pride-interfaith-service/|title=Pride Interfaith Service|work=Utah Pride Festival |date=August 9, 2013 |publisher=Utah Pride Center|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090247/http://www.utahpridefestival.org/festivities/pride-interfaith-service/|archive-date=October 16, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Utah Arts Festival has been held annually since 1977 with an average attendance of 80,000. About 130 booths are available for visual artists, and five performance venues for musicians.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uaf.org/|title=Utah Arts Festival|publisher=Utah Arts Festival|access-date=April 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130416225510/http://uaf.org/|archive-date=April 16, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Dark Arts Festival is an annual 3-day festival dedicated to the goth and industrial subcultures. The festival started in 1993, and is hosted at the local goth club Area 51.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://fox13now.com/2013/06/09/uniquely-utah-dark-arts-festival/|title=Uniquely Utah: Dark Arts Festival|publisher=Fox 13 News|date=June 9, 2013|access-date=September 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151021224326/http://fox13now.com/2013/06/09/uniquely-utah-dark-arts-festival/|archive-date=October 21, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slugmag.com/show-reviews/dark-arts-festival-area-51-0620-22|title=Dark Arts Festival @ Area 51 06. 20–22|publisher=Slug Magazine|date=June 27, 2014|access-date=September 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090247/http://www.slugmag.com/show-reviews/dark-arts-festival-area-51-0620-22/|archive-date=October 16, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cityweekly.net/TheDailyFeed/archives/2009/06/12/dark-arts-festival|title=Dark Arts Festival|publisher=City Weekly|date=June 12, 2009|access-date=September 16, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151021224332/http://www.cityweekly.net/TheDailyFeed/archives/2009/06/12/dark-arts-festival|archive-date=October 21, 2015}}</ref> The festival contracts bands to play during the event. 2015's lineup included Tragic Black, The Gothsicles, Adrian H & the Wounds, and Hocico.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.songkick.com/festivals/1368029-dark-arts-of-utah/id/24449349-dark-arts-festival-of-utah-2015|title=Dark Arts of Utah 2015|publisher=Songkick|access-date=September 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907200311/http://www.songkick.com/festivals/1368029-dark-arts-of-utah/id/24449349-dark-arts-festival-of-utah-2015|archive-date=September 7, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> [[File:Hocico on Stage at the 2015 Dark Arts Festival.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Hocico performing at the 2015 Dark Arts Festival]]

The Utah Arts Alliance hosts an annual Urban Arts Festival, usually drawing over 20,000, and featuring artists displaying and selling paintings, sculpture, photography, and jewelry. Live music is provided, mixing rock, hip hop, R&B, funk, and jazz, and workshops for interests such as skateboarding and gardening take place. The festival also hosts the Voice of the City film festival which allows local filmmakers to show their version of Salt Lake.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.urbanartsfest.org/about|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130427003606/http://www.urbanartsfest.org/about|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 27, 2013|title=Urban Arts Festival|publisher=Urban Arts Festival|access-date=September 17, 2015}}</ref>

The Jewish Arts Festival, hosted by the IJ and Jeanné Wagner JCC of Salt Lake City, showcases Jewish culture through workshops, theater, food, film, art, and contemporary music from the local and global Jewish communities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slcjcc.org/community-events/jewish-arts-festival|title=Jewish Arts Festival|publisher=IJ and Jeanné Wagner JCC|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907112113/http://www.slcjcc.org/community-events/jewish-arts-festival|archive-date=September 7, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/jewish-arts-festival/Content?oid=2150544|title=Jewish Arts Festival|publisher=City Weekly|date=November 11, 2010|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/jewish-arts-festival/Content?oid=2150544|archive-date=October 16, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Sugar House neighborhood<ref>Centered around 2100 South/1100 East Streets</ref> holds an annual arts festival on July 4, with local artists, performances, music, food, and vendors. The festival coincides with the fireworks show at [[Sugar House Park]] in the evening.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/sugar-house-arts-festival/Content?oid=2146752|title=Sugar House Arts Festival|publisher=City Weekly|date=July 1, 2010|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/sugar-house-arts-festival/Content?oid=2146752|archive-date=October 16, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://sugarhousechamber.org/ArtsFest|title=Sugar House Arts Festival|publisher=Sugar House Chamber of Commerce|access-date= September 17, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/http://sugarhousechamber.org/ArtsFest|archive-date= October 16, 2015}}</ref>

Salt Lake City also hosts portions of the [[Sundance Film Festival]]. The festival, which is held each year, brings many cultural icons, movie stars, celebrities, and thousands of film buffs to see the largest independent film festival in the United States. The headquarters of the event is in nearby [[Park City, Utah|Park City]]. There are several other annual festivals, including FilmQuest, Salty Horror Con & Film, Damn These Heels, and the Voice of the city. FilmQuest began in 2014 and features selected genres such as fantasy and science fiction.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/filmquest-film-festival/Content?oid=2860770|title=FilmQuest Film Festival|publisher=City Weekly|date=June 17, 2015|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925112324/http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/filmquest-film-festival/Content?oid=2860770|archive-date=September 25, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Salty Horror, which began in 2010, is a competition-based horror film festival.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://saltyhorrorcon.cadaverlab.com/?page_id=24|title=Film Festival|publisher=Salty Horror Con & Film Festival|access-date=September 17, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/http://saltyhorrorcon.cadaverlab.com/?page_id=24|archive-date=October 16, 2015}}</ref> The Utah Film Center presents two annual film festivals Damn These Heels, which began in 1994 focuses on independent, documentary, and foreign feature-length films surrounding LGBTQ issues, ideas, and art.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://utahfilmcenter.org/dth2015/about/|title=Damn These Heels Film Festival|publisher=Utah Film Center|access-date=September 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904033427/http://utahfilmcenter.org/dth2015/about/|archive-date=September 4, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/damn-these-heels-film-festival-2014/Content?oid=2453024|title=Damn These Heels Film Festival|publisher=City Weekly|date=July 9, 2014|access-date=September 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/damn-these-heels-film-festival-2014/Content?oid=2453024|archive-date=October 16, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The second festival of the Utah Film center is the Tumbleweeds film festival for kids. This festival began in 2010, allows families to experience international films and media workshops. Tumbleweeds works to increasing kids awareness of different cultures, encourages independent voices, nurtures media making skills and strengthens critical review. Voice of the City film festival is part of the Urban Arts Festival and allows local filmmakers to show their version of Salt Lake.

The 2015 Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival was the first performance festival in Salt Lake City. The 4-day festival included various performances involving music, dance, theatre, spoken word, circus arts, magic, and puppetry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.greatsaltlakefringe.org/what-is-a-fringe-festival/|title=Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival|publisher=Great Salt Lake Fringe|access-date=September 17, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090251/http://www.greatsaltlakefringe.org/what-is-a-fringe-festival/|archive-date=October 16, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.good4utah.com/news/local-wasatch-front-/great-salt-lake-fringe-festival-taking-over-sugar-house|title=Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival Taking Over Sugar House|publisher=Good 4 Utah|date=August 6, 2015|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909161903/http://www.good4utah.com/news/local-wasatch-front-/great-salt-lake-fringe-festival-taking-over-sugar-house|archive-date=September 9, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Living Traditions Festival is a 3-day multicultural arts festival hosted by the Salt Lake City Arts Council, started in 1985. The festival celebrates traditional dance, music, crafts and food from the various contemporary ethnic communities of Salt Lake City.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://livingtraditionsfestival.com/about-living-traditions/|title=Living Traditions Festival|publisher=Salt Lake City Arts Council|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/http://livingtraditionsfestival.com/about-living-traditions/|archive-date=October 16, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sltrib.com/entertainment/2488128-155/salt-lake-citys-living-traditions-festival|title=Salt Lake City's Living Traditions Festival Celebrates 30 years of Ethnic Food, Music, and Dance|newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune|date=August 6, 2015|access-date=May 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150514160423/http://www.sltrib.com/entertainment/2488128-155/salt-lake-citys-living-traditions-festival|archive-date=May 14, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

Earth Jam is an annual festival celebrated in Salt Lake's Liberty Park to celebrate Earth Day through music. The free festival focuses on music, and hosts speakers, vendors, food, performing art, a Goddess pageant, and children's garden.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.earth-jam.org/|title=Earth Jam|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/http://www.earth-jam.org/|archive-date=October 16, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Live Green SLC! Festival aims to showcase sustainable products, ideas, and solutions from renewable technologies for the everyday household.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://livegreenslc.com/|title=Live Green SLC! Festival|publisher=Live Green SLC|access-date=September 17, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007063711/http://livegreenslc.com/|archive-date=October 7, 2015}}</ref> The festival promotes education, sustainability, and accessibility to green and organic products and services.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54055094-78/green-festival-friendly-products.html.csp|title=Festival Shows Environmentally Green Products, Services|newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune|date=May 5, 2012|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54055094-78/green-festival-friendly-products.html.csp|archive-date=October 16, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Craft Lake City]] DIY (Do-It-Yourself) festival is an artisan festival that promotes the use of science and technology to help local artists produce their crafts such as silk screens, jewelry, and other mediums. The festival promotes education through workshops, galleries, and demonstrations which includes various vendors and food.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://craftlakecity.com/about/organization-background/?c=s|title=DIY Festival|publisher=Craft Lake City|access-date=September 17, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/http://craftlakecity.com/about/organization-background/?c=s|archive-date=October 16, 2015}}</ref>

The 9th and 9th Street Festival is an annual neighborhood festival celebration of art, music, and crafts, held at 900 East/900 South Streets.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://9thand9thstreetfestival.com/vendors/vendor-application/|title=9th and 9th Street Festival|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920053632/http://9thand9thstreetfestival.com/vendors/vendor-application/|archive-date=September 20, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Carmelite Festival 2015 live band with the Carmelite Monastery of Salt Lake City seen in back.jpg|thumb|right|Carmelite Festival 2015 live band at the Carmelite Monastery of Salt Lake City]]
The Catholic Nuns of Carmelite Monastery hold an annual fair each autumn in [[Holladay, Utah|Holladay]], a suburb of Salt Lake City. The festival includes music, food, a live auction, Golf for the Nuns tournament, a prize giveaway, and a 5k Run for the Nuns road race.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.carmelslc.org/|title= Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary|publisher= Carmelite Monastery|access-date= September 17, 2015|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150831155414/http://www.carmelslc.org/|archive-date= August 31, 2015|url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865611075/Mormon-neighbors-help-Catholic-nuns-with-annual-Carmelite-Fair.html?pg=all|title= Mormon Neighbors help Catholic Nuns with Annual Carmelite Fair|newspaper= Deseret News|date= September 16, 2014|access-date= September 17, 2015|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865611075/Mormon-neighbors-help-Catholic-nuns-with-annual-Carmelite-Fair.html?pg=all|archive-date= October 16, 2015|url-status= dead}}</ref>

The Sri Sri Ganesh Hindu Temple of Utah, in Salt Lake City, has an annual Ganesh Festival called Ganesh Chathurthi.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://utahganesha.org/|title=Ganesh Chathurthi Celebrations 2015|publisher=Sri Sri Ganesh Hindu Temple of Utah|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918055749/http://utahganesha.org/|archive-date=September 18, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The 10-day festival is devoted to rites of worship of the Hindu God Ganesh. In 2014 the festival was hosted at the Krishna Temple of Salt Lake since the Ganesh temple's exterior was under construction, which made the inner temple inaccessible.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slcgurukul.org/2014/09/15/gurukul-have-been-invited-for-ganesh-festival-on-sunday-at-1030-am-see-the-details-below/|title=Gurukul Have Been Invited for Ganehs Festival|publisher=SLC Gurukul|date=September 15, 2014|access-date=September 17, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/http://www.slcgurukul.org/2014/09/15/gurukul-have-been-invited-for-ganesh-festival-on-sunday-at-1030-am-see-the-details-below/|archive-date=October 16, 2015}}</ref>

India Fest is hosted by the Krishna Temples of Salt Lake City and Spanish Fork, Utah. The festival includes food, dances, drama and a pageant of the Ramayana.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.utahkrishnas.org/26th-annual-india-fest-this-saturday-a-sunday/|title=26th Annual India Fest this Saturday & Sunday|date=September 18, 2012|publisher=Utah Krishnas|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/http://www.utahkrishnas.org/26th-annual-india-fest-this-saturday-a-sunday/|archive-date=October 16, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Since 2011 the Krishna Temple of Salt Lake City has held an annual [[Festival of Colors]], similar to the famous festival at the Krishna Temple in [[Spanish Fork, Utah|Spanish Fork]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sltrib.com/news/2488827-155/salt-lake-city-krishna-temple-celebrates|title=Salt Lake City Krishna Temple Celebrates with Festival of Colors|newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune|date=May 9, 2015|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/http://www.sltrib.com/news/2488827-155/salt-lake-city-krishna-temple-celebrates|archive-date=October 16, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Great Salt Lake City Yoga Festival was in its fifth year (as of 2015). 2015 saw the first Downtown Yoga festival in Salt Lake City. Both festivals are intended to inspire yogis in the community by teaching about yoga, healthy living, raw food, and traditional yoga music.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.downtownyogafest.com/about-us/|title=Downtown Yoga Festivals|date=November 10, 2014|publisher=Great Salt Lake City Yoga Festival|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906214037/http://www.downtownyogafest.com/about-us/|archive-date=September 6, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://fox13now.com/2015/05/23/yoga-festival-in-downtown-salt-lake-city-kicks-off-its-first-year/|title=Yoga Festival in Downtown Salt Lake City Kicks Off its First Year|publisher=Fox 13 News|date=May 23, 2015|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928030151/http://fox13now.com/2015/05/23/yoga-festival-in-downtown-salt-lake-city-kicks-off-its-first-year/|archive-date=September 28, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Harts Hearth Clan of Tooele, Utah performing the closing Norse rite, Salt Lake City Pagan Pride Day 2015.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Harts Hearth Clan of Tooele, Utah performing the closing Norse rite, Salt Lake City Pagan Pride Day 2015]]
The local Pagan community has celebrated an annual Salt Lake City Pagan Pride Day since 2001. The festival features rituals, workshops, dancers, bards, vendors, and requires only a can of food donation for admission.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://saltlakeppd.wix.com/slcpp|title=Salt Lake City Pagan Pride Day|publisher=Salt Lake City Pagan Pride Day|access-date=September 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/http://saltlakeppd.wix.com/slcpp|archive-date=October 16, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54859776-78/pagan-pride-salt-lake.html.csp|title=Utah's Pagan Community Grows|newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune|date=September 10, 2012|access-date=September 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54859776-78/pagan-pride-salt-lake.html.csp|archive-date=October 16, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/pagan-pride-days-kasey-conder/Content?oid=2148744|title=Pagan Pride Days Kasey Conder|publisher=City Weekly|date=September 6, 2010|access-date=September 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/pagan-pride-days-kasey-conder/Content?oid=2148744|archive-date=October 16, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://slpagansociety.org/2010/09/12/pagan-pride-day-successful/|title=Pagan Pride Day 2010 Successful|publisher=Salt Lake Pagan Society|date=September 12, 2010|access-date=September 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/http://slpagansociety.org/2010/09/12/pagan-pride-day-successful/|archive-date=October 16, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://slpagansociety.org/2011/09/10/salt-lake-pagan-pride-day-2011/|title=Salt Lake Pagan Pride Day 2011|publisher=Salt Lake Pagan Society|date=September 10, 2011|access-date=September 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/http://slpagansociety.org/2011/09/10/salt-lake-pagan-pride-day-2011/|archive-date=October 16, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://slpagansociety.org/2012/09/10/salt-lake-pagan-pride-day-2012-a-blast/|title=Salt Lake Pagan Pride Day 2012~ A Blast!|publisher=Salt Lake Pagan Society|date=September 10, 2012|access-date=September 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/http://slpagansociety.org/2012/09/10/salt-lake-pagan-pride-day-2012-a-blast/|archive-date=October 16, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://slpagansociety.org/2013/09/16/salt-lake-pagan-pride-day-2013-successful/|title=Salt Lake Pagan Pride Day 2013 Full of Fun!|publisher=Salt Lake Pagan Society|date=September 16, 2013|access-date=September 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/http://slpagansociety.org/2013/09/16/salt-lake-pagan-pride-day-2013-successful/|archive-date=October 16, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://slpagansociety.org/2014/09/06/13th-annual-salt-lake-city-pagan-pride-day/|title=13th Annual Salt Lake City Pagan Pride Day 2014|publisher=Salt Lake Pagan Society|date=September 6, 2014|access-date=September 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919095936/http://slpagansociety.org/2014/09/06/13th-annual-salt-lake-city-pagan-pride-day/|archive-date=September 19, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://slpagansociety.org/2015/09/14/14th-annual-salt-lake-pagan-pride-day-2015/|title=14th Annual Salt Lake City Pagan Pride Day 2015– Harvest Blessings!|publisher=Salt Lake Pagan Society|date=September 14, 2015|access-date=September 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929010320/http://slpagansociety.org/2015/09/14/14th-annual-salt-lake-pagan-pride-day-2015/|archive-date=September 29, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Steampunk tarot readings at the 2015 Salt City Steamfest.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Cosplayers (left) receive steampunk tarot readings at the 2015 Salt City Steamfest]]
Members of the [[steampunk]] subculture have an annual two-day festival, Steamfest. It hosts vendors, panels, and cosplayers dressed in the fashion of various punk cultures, mostly around steam, deco, and diesel punk.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.saltcitysteamfest.com/|title=Salt City Steamfest|publisher=Salt City Steamfest|access-date=September 17, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910164955/http://www.saltcitysteamfest.com/|archive-date=September 10, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cityweekly.net/TheDailyFeed/archives/2015/07/17/salt-city-steamfest|title=Salt City Steamfest: a Look into the SLC Steampunk Fest Happening July 17–18|publisher=City Weekly|date=July 17, 2015|access-date=September 17, 2015|url-status= dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/http://www.cityweekly.net/TheDailyFeed/archives/2015/07/17/salt-city-steamfest|archive-date=October 16, 2015}}</ref>

[[Rose Park, Salt Lake City|Rose Park]] hosts an annual spring festival, to display the community's diversity. It includes dancers, music, a 5k run, silent auction and food.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roseparkfestival.com/2015_RPCF/Welcome.html|title=Rose Park Community Festival|publisher=Rose Park Community Council|access-date=September 21, 2015|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/http://www.roseparkfestival.com/2015_RPCF/Welcome.html|archive-date=October 16, 2015}}</ref>

[[File:Attendees at the 2014 Greek Festival in Salt Lake City, Utah.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|The 2014 Greek Festival]]
The Greek Festival, held at the downtown Greek Orthodox Church cathedral during the weekend after Labor Day, celebrates Utah's Greek heritage. The 3-day event includes Greek music, dance groups, cathedral tours, booths and a large buffet. Attendance ranges from 35,000 to 50,000. It celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2015.

Two Italian-themed annual fests are held in Salt Lake City. The Italian cultural street festival Ferragosto (in August) celebrates Italian food and culture from Italian communities in Salt Lake City.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.italianinutah.com/ferragosto/ferragosto.htm|title=Ferragosto Italian Cultural Street Fair in "Little Italy"|publisher=Ferragosto|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150831011658/http://www.italianinutah.com/ferragosto/ferragosto.htm|archive-date=August 31, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Festa Italian is a 2-day festival in September that highlights regions of Italy with music, food, and entertainment. The proceeds go to local charities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.festaitalianaslc.com/about/|title=Festa Italiana|access-date=September 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907185927/http://www.festaitalianaslc.com/about/|archive-date=September 7, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

Other cultural festivals in Salt Lake City include the Peruvian Festival,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://fox13now.com/2014/07/25/event-organizers-invite-utah-community-to-saturdays-peruvian-festival/|title=Event Organizers Invite Utah Community To Saturday's Peruvian Festival|publisher=Fox 13 News|date=July 25, 2014|access-date=September 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/http://fox13now.com/2014/07/25/event-organizers-invite-utah-community-to-saturdays-peruvian-festival/|archive-date=October 16, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> the Utah Brazilian Festival,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.utahbrazilianfestival.com/UBF/about-us.html|title=Utah Brazilian Festival|access-date=September 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912154453/http://www.utahbrazilianfestival.com/UBF/about-us.html|archive-date=September 12, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> the Polynesian Cultural Festival,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865634761/North-Salt-Lake-to-host-Polynesian-Cultural-Festival.html|title=North Salt Lake to Host Polynesian Cultural Festival Next Weekend|newspaper=Deseret News|date=August 17, 2015|access-date=September 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912215215/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865634761/North-Salt-Lake-to-host-Polynesian-Cultural-Festival.html|archive-date=September 12, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> the Nihon Matsuri Japanese Festival,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nihonmatsuri.com/history.html |title=Nihon Matsuri Japanese Festival Salt Lake City, Utah|publisher=Nihon Matsuri Japanese Festival|access-date=September 16, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003132945/http://www.nihonmatsuri.com/history.html|archive-date=October 3, 2015}}</ref> and the Buddhist Obon Japanese Festival.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=30670123|title=Utah Buddhists to Celebrate Japanese Festival of Joy|publisher=KSL|date=July 11, 2014|access-date=September 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/https://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=30670123|archive-date=October 16, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Conventions===
Salt Lake City is host to a number of conventions that come to the Crossroads of the West. With several large venues, including the [[Salt Palace]] and [[Delta Center]] in downtown, Salt Lake is capable of accommodating conventions upwards of 100,000 people.
[[File:Crowds in the Salt Palace Convention Center at the 2014 Salt Lake Comic Con in Salt Lake City, Utah.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|2015 [[Comic-con|Comic Con]] at Salt Palace Convention Center]]
[[Salt Lake Comic Con]], which started in 2013, had over 100,000 attendance within its first few years. Because of this, Salt Lake Comic Con started having a second event, FanX (Fan Experience) to give those who were not able to come to the fall Comic Con, a spring-time opportunity. The convention broke inaugural records in 2013, hosting the largest crowd of any inaugural comic convention.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865586042/Shatner-Lee-and-record-breaking-crowds-Inaugural-Salt-Lake-Comic-Con-ends-with-a-bang.html?pg=all|title=Shatner, Lee and Record Breaking Crowds Inaugural Salt Lake Comic Con Ends with a Bang|newspaper=Deseret News|date=September 9, 2013|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926080619/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865586042/Shatner-Lee-and-record-breaking-crowds-Inaugural-Salt-Lake-Comic-Con-ends-with-a-bang.html?pg=all|archive-date=September 26, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> The second event, FanX of 2014, and the fall event of 2014 both broke attendance records for the event, surpassing 120,000 people.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865610424/Despite-growing-pains-Salt-Lake-Comic-Con-nets-another-record-breaking-event.html|title=Despite Growing Pains, SL Comic Con Nets Another Record-Breaking Event|newspaper=Deseret News|date=September 6, 2014|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926080622/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865610424/Despite-growing-pains-Salt-Lake-Comic-Con-nets-another-record-breaking-event.html|archive-date=September 26, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> The convention was sued<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sltrib.com/home/2691461-155/salt-lake-san-diego-comic-con-lawsuit|title=Salt Lake, San Diego Comic-Con Lawsuit Headed to Trial|newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune|date=July 2, 2015|access-date=September 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905044449/http://www.sltrib.com/home/2691461-155/salt-lake-san-diego-comic-con-lawsuit|archive-date=September 5, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865611604/Trademark-battle-Salt-Lake-convention-cites-other-events-named-comic-con-in-latest-court-filing.html?pg=all|title=Trademark Battle: Salt Lake Convention Cites Other Events Named "Comic Con" in Latest Court Filing|newspaper=Deseret News|date=September 23, 2014|access-date=September 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926080625/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865611604/Trademark-battle-Salt-Lake-convention-cites-other-events-named-comic-con-in-latest-court-filing.html?pg=all|archive-date=September 26, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> by [[San Diego Comic-Con]], but won the right to use the trademark of comic con in its name.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sltrib.com/home/2761231-155/salt-lake-scores-win-with-trademark|title=Salt Lake Scores Win With Trademark Office Amid San Diego Comic-Con Lawsuit|newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune|date=July 23, 2015|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926043906/http://www.sltrib.com/home/2761231-155/salt-lake-scores-win-with-trademark|archive-date=September 26, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://saltlakecomiccon.com/san-diego-comic-con-intl-vs-salt-lake-comic-con-3/|title=San Diego Comic-Con International vs. SL Comic Con Court Documents|publisher=Salt Lake Comic Con|access-date=September 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150917181351/http://saltlakecomiccon.com/san-diego-comic-con-intl-vs-salt-lake-comic-con-3/|archive-date=September 17, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2014, [[Stan Lee]] called the Salt Lake Comic Con "the greatest comic con in the world".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sltrib.com/home/1541295-155/lee-comic-salt-lake-con-fans|title=Stan Lee Declares Salt Lake Comic Con "Greatest" in the World|newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune|date=September 6, 2014|access-date=September 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926020632/http://www.sltrib.com/home/1541295-155/lee-comic-salt-lake-con-fans|archive-date=September 26, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> On September 25, 2015, the Con broke the world record for the most costumed comic book cosplay characters in one location. At 1784 people, this beat the previous record.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://ksl.com/?sid=36692070&nid=148&fm=most_popular&s_cid=article_popular-8|title=SL Comic Con Sets World Records for Costumed Comic Book Gathering|publisher=KSL|date=September 26, 2015|access-date=September 28, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929113626/https://ksl.com/?sid=36692070&nid=148&fm=most_popular&s_cid=article_popular-8|archive-date=September 29, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

Crystal Mountain Pony Con, an annual [[My Little Pony]] convention, features cosplayers, vendors, and panels. 2015 saw more than 800 [[bronies]] in attendance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://crystalponycon.com/|title=Crystal Mountain Pony Con|publisher=Crystal Mountain Pony Con|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326001656/http://crystalponycon.com/|archive-date=March 26, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://fox13now.com/2015/07/17/my-little-pony-convention-welcomes-800-bronies-to-downtown-slc/|title=My Little Pony Convention Welcomes 800 "Bronies" to Downtown SLC|publisher=Fox 13 News|date=July 17, 2015|access-date=September 17, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923044154/http://fox13now.com/2015/07/17/my-little-pony-convention-welcomes-800-bronies-to-downtown-slc/|archive-date=September 23, 2015}}</ref>

Salt Lake hosts an annual International Tattoo Convention in the spring, featuring mostly nationally and internationally noted tattoo artists.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slctattoo.com/|title=Salt Lake City International Tattoo Convention|publisher=Salt Lake City International Tattoo Convention|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905214513/http://www.slctattoo.com/|archive-date=September 5, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://fox13now.com/2015/03/28/ink-enthusiasts-gather-for-salt-lake-city-international-tattoo-convention/|title=Ink Enthusiasts Gather for Salt Lake City International Tattoo Convention|publisher=Fox 13 News|date=March 28, 2015|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150813120941/http://fox13now.com/2015/03/28/ink-enthusiasts-gather-for-salt-lake-city-international-tattoo-convention/|archive-date=August 13, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

Fantasy Con hosted its first convention, the first of its kind, in Salt Lake City in 2014. After a successful run, the convention reorganized to better serve the needs of the fantasy community. Intended to be annual, it did not host one for 2015, and further plans have not been announced.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fantasycon.com/about.html|title=Fantasy Con|publisher=Fantasy Con|access-date=September 17, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905123113/http://www.fantasycon.com/about.html|archive-date=September 5, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/58147082-78/fantasycon-salt-lake-con.html.csp|title=Are Three Cons too Many for Salt Lake? FantasyCon Fans Say No|newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune|date=July 6, 2014|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/58147082-78/fantasycon-salt-lake-con.html.csp|archive-date=October 16, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

Salt Lake City saw its first Gaming Convention in 2015. It included contests, cosplay, panels, and focused on console, computer, card, and tabletop gaming.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.saltlakegamingcon.com/|title=Salt Lake Gaming Con|publisher=Salt Lake Gaming Con|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923152117/http://www.saltlakegamingcon.com/|archive-date=September 23, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sltrib.com/entertainment/2332083-155/salt-lake-gaming-con-giant-gaming|title=Salt Lake Gaming Con: Giant Gaming Convention Planned in Salt Lake City|newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune|date=March 31, 2015|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912072706/http://www.sltrib.com/entertainment/2332083-155/salt-lake-gaming-con-giant-gaming|archive-date=September 12, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sltrib.com/home/2781309-155/salt-lake-gaming-con-kicks-off|title=Salt Lake Gaming Con Kicks Off Inaugural Event|newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune|date=August 2, 2015|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090246/http://www.sltrib.com/home/2781309-155/salt-lake-gaming-con-kicks-off|archive-date=October 16, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Events===
[[File:2002 Winter Olympics flame.jpg|thumb|The [[Olympic flame]] burns at [[Rice-Eccles Stadium]]. Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics.]] 
Although the LDS church holds a large influence, the city is culturally and religiously diverse and the site of many cultural activities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://salt.lake.city.eventguide.com/|title=Greater Salt Lake City Annual Events (2005)|publisher=Metroguide.com, Inc.|access-date=April 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130405050635/http://salt.lake.city.eventguide.com/|archive-date=April 5, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

A major state holiday is [[Pioneer Day (Utah)|Pioneer Day]], July 24, the anniversary of the Mormon pioneers' entry into the Salt Lake Valley. It is celebrated with a week's worth of activities, including a children parade,<ref>The Children Parade was discontinued after the 2018 event.</ref> a horse parade, the featured [[Days of '47 Parade]] (one of the nation's largest parades), a rodeo, and a fireworks show at Liberty Park. Fireworks can be legally sold and set off around July 24.

First Night on New Year's Eve, a celebration emphasizing family-friendly entertainment and activities held at [[Rice-Eccles Stadium]] at the University of Utah, culminates with a fireworks display at midnight.

Beginning in 2004, Salt Lake City has been the host of the international [[Salt Lake City Marathon]]. In 2006, [[Real Madrid]] and many of the nation's best cyclists had engagements.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.deseret.com/2006/10/6/19977895/tour-of-utah-takes-step-forward/|title=Tour of Utah takes step forward|last=Eborn|first=Jared|date=October 6, 2006|newspaper=Deseret News|publisher=DDM|access-date=April 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117101819/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/650196508/Tour-of-Utah-takes-step-forward.html|archive-date=January 17, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

Salt Lake City has begun to host its own events in the last few years, most notably the Friday Night Flicks,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slcgov.com/slcevents/slc-events-friday-night-flicks|title=SLC Events – Friday Night Flicks|publisher=Salt Lake City|access-date=April 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501105107/http://www.slcgov.com/slcevents/slc-events-friday-night-flicks|archive-date=May 1, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> free movies in the city's parks, and the Mayor's health and fitness awareness program, Salt Lake City Gets Fit.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slcgetsfit.com/|title=Salt Lake City Gets Fit|publisher=Salt Lake City|access-date=April 16, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130303051250/http://www.slcgetsfit.com/|archive-date=March 3, 2013}}</ref> Salt Lake City also hosts recurring food-truck gatherings organized by the [[Food Truck League]], including regular lunchtime events at the downtown [[Gallivan Center]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Kinder |first=Peri |title=How the Food Truck League changed Utah's dining culture |url=https://www.murrayjournal.com/2025/08/10/542314/how-the-food-truck-league-changed-utah-s-dining-culture |work=Murray Journal |date=August 10, 2025 |access-date=22 September 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Springer |first=Alex |title=Keep on Truckin' |url=https://www.cityweekly.net/utah/keep-on-truckin/Content?oid=4154042 |work=Salt Lake City Weekly |date=April 19, 2017 |access-date=22 September 2025}}</ref>

Salt Lake City hosted the [[2002 Winter Olympics]]. At that time, Salt Lake City was the most populated area to hold a Winter Olympic Games. The event put Salt Lake City in the international spotlight and is regarded by many as one of the most successful Winter Olympics ever.<ref>"The Salt Lake City Games were by all accounts the most successful Winter Olympics ever." — {{Cite news|title=Games Helped to Heal a Nation|last=Fantin|first=Linda|date=September 11, 2002|newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune|id=[[NewsBank]] Article Archive ID: 100DF5198ADF1309}}<br />"Controversies aside, the 2002 Salt Lake games may prove to be the most successful Winter Olympics in recent history." — {{Cite news|url=https://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/020225/archive_020257.htm |title=Hey, baby, it's gold outside: Skeptics thought the '02 Olympics would be boredom on ice. Were they ever wrong|last=Steisand|first=Betsy|date=February 17, 2002|page=1|work=[[U.S. News & World Report]]|access-date=April 16, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510173426/https://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/020225/archive_020257.htm|archive-date=May 10, 2013}}</ref> Salt Lake City will host the [[2034 Winter Olympics|Olympics for the second time in 2034.]]

In February 2002, [[Turin|Torino, Italy]] was granted an Olympic Sister City relationship with Salt Lake City, which became a Friendship City relationship in October 2003. On January 13, 2007, an agreement was signed, where Salt Lake City and Torino officially became Olympic Sister Cities.<ref>{{citation|url=http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/62504|title=Torino Named SLC Sister City|first=Brittany|last=Jensen|date=January 11, 2007|newspaper=[[The Daily Universe]]|publisher=Brigham Young University|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121235900/http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/62504|archive-date=January 21, 2012}}</ref>

On the third Friday of every month, the Salt Lake Gallery Stroll presents a free evening of visual art; many galleries and other art-related businesses stay open late, allowing enthusiasts to tour various exhibits after hours. Sidewalk artists, street performers and musicians also sometimes participate in these monthly events.

==Media==
[[File:Slc kutv channel 2.jpg|thumb|KUTV News Studio in the [[Wells Fargo Center (Salt Lake City)|Wells Fargo Center]] building in Salt Lake City]]
[[File:Triad center slc utah.jpg|thumb|[[KSL TV]], [[KSL (radio)|KSL Radio]], and the [[Deseret News]] are located in the [[Triad Center]] in Salt Lake City.]]
{{See also|Media in Salt Lake City|Salt Lake City in film}}
Salt Lake City has many diverse [[Mass media|media]] outlets. Most of the major television and [[radio station]]s are based in or near the city. The Salt Lake City metropolitan area is ranked as the 28th largest radio<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nielsen.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/07/radio-market-survey-population-rankings-information.pdf|title=RADIO MARKET SURVEY POPULATION, RANKINGS & INFORMATION SPRING 2020|publisher=Nielsen|accessdate=February 18, 2021|archive-date=April 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428175908/https://www.nielsen.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/07/radio-market-survey-population-rankings-information.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> and 33rd largest television<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvb.org/markets_stations#!id=167&type=market|title=Markets & Stations: DMA: Salt Lake City, UT|publisher=[[Television Bureau of Advertising]]|access-date=April 16, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130409153711/http://www.tvb.org/markets_stations#!id=167&type=market|archive-date=April 9, 2013}}</ref> market in the United States.

Print media include two major daily newspapers, ''[[The Salt Lake Tribune]]'' and the ''[[Deseret News]]'' (previously the ''Deseret Morning News''). Other more specialized publications include ''Now Salt Lake'', ''[[Salt Lake City Weekly]]'' (a weekly independent publication), ''Nuestro Mundo'' of the Spanish-speaking community,'' [[QSaltLake]]'' and ''The Pillar'' for the LGBT community. Other Spanish-language newspapers include ''El Estandar'', ''Amigo Hispano'' (online only), and ''El Observador de Utah'', which offers free residential delivery. There are a number of local magazines, such as ''Wasatch Journal'' (a quarterly magazine covering Utah's arts, culture, and outdoors), ''Utah Homes & Garden'', ''Salt Lake Magazine'' (a bimonthly lifestyle magazine), ''[[CATALYST Magazine]]'' (a monthly environmental, health, arts and politics magazine), ''[[SLUG Magazine]]'', an alternative underground music magazine. ''[[Utah Stories]]'' is a magazine that covers local issues, primarily focused on the Salt Lake Valley.

[[KTVX]] 4 signed on the air as Utah's first television station in 1947 under the experimental callsign W6SIX, becoming the [[Mountain Time Zone]]'s oldest and third-oldest west of [[Mississippi River|the Mississippi]]. It is Salt Lake City's [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate. [[KSL-TV]] 5, the local [[NBC]] affiliate, has downtown studios at "Broadcast House" in the [[Triad Center]] office complex. KSL is operated by [[Bonneville International]], a company owned by the [[Deseret Management Corporation]], both of which are for-profit subsidiaries of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church). [[KUTV]] 2 is Salt Lake City's [[CBS]] affiliate. [[KSTU]] 13 is the area's [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] affiliate, owned by the [[E. W. Scripps Company]]. [[KUCW]] 30 is Salt Lake City's [[The CW|CW]] outlet owned and operated by [[Nexstar Media Group]], and is part of a [[Duopoly (broadcasting)|duopoly]] with KTVX. [[KJZZ-TV]] 14 is an independent station owned by [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]], and is part of a triopoly with KUTV and [[St. George, Utah|St. George]]-licensed [[MyNetworkTV]] affiliate [[KMYU]] 12.

Because television and radio stations serve a larger area (usually the entire state of Utah, as well as parts of western Wyoming, southern Idaho, parts of Montana, and eastern Nevada), ratings returns tend to be higher than those in similar-sized cities. Some Salt Lake radio stations are carried on [[broadcast translator]] networks throughout the state.

Salt Lake City has become a case of [[market saturation]] on the [[FM radio|FM]] dial; one cannot go through more than about two frequencies on an FM [[radio tuner]] before encountering another broadcasting station. Several companies, most notably Millcreek Broadcasting and Simmons Media, have constructed [[antenna (radio)|broadcast towers]] on [[Humpy Peak]] in the [[Uinta Mountains]] to the east. These towers allow frequencies allocated to nearby mountain communities to be boosted by smaller, low-powered FM transmitters along the Wasatch Front.

==Main sights==
{{Main|Buildings and sites of Salt Lake City}}
{{Main|Temple Square}}
[[File:Temple Square October 05 (8) c.JPG|thumb|[[Salt Lake Temple]]]]
As the headquarters of the LDS Church, the city has many LDS-related sites open to visitors. The most popular is [[Temple Square]], which includes the [[Salt Lake Temple]] (not open to the general public) and visitor centers open to the public. Temple Square includes the historic [[Salt Lake Tabernacle]], home of the [[Mormon Tabernacle Choir]], now called The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. The [[LDS Conference Center]] is north of Temple Square. The [[Family History Library]], the world's largest genealogical library, is west of Temple Square. It is run by the LDS Church and is open to the public. The [[Eagle Gate]] Monument is east of Temple Square.

In 2004, the Salt Lake City main library received an Institute Honor Award for Architecture by the [[American Institute of Architects]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aia.org/gallery_template.cfm?pagename=art%5Fsaltlakecitypubliclibrary|title=American Institute of Architects Institute Honor Award|publisher=AIA|access-date=December 10, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090104065523/http://www.aia.org/gallery_template.cfm?pagename=art_saltlakecitypubliclibrary|archive-date=January 4, 2009}}</ref> and features a distinctive architectural style. The building's roof serves as a viewpoint for the Salt Lake Valley. The Utah State Capitol Building offers marble floors and a dome similar to the building that houses the US Congress. Other notable historical buildings include the [[Thomas Kearns]] Mansion (now the [[Utah Governor's Mansion|Governor's Mansion]]), [[Salt Lake City and County Building|City and County Building]] (built 1894), the Kearns Building on Main Street, St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral (built 1874), and the Roman Catholic [[Cathedral of the Madeleine]] (built 1909).

[[File:Utah State Capitol Building.JPG|thumb|[[Utah State Capitol]]]]

The [[Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Cauldron Park|Olympic Cauldron Park]] at Rice-Eccles Stadium features the [[Olympic Flame|Olympic Cauldron]] from the games, a visitor center, and the [[Hoberman Arch]]. The Olympic Legacy Plaza, at The Gateway, features a dancing fountain set to music and the names of 30,000 Olympic volunteers carved in stone. The [[Utah Olympic Park]], near Park City, features the Olympic [[ski jump]]s, as well as [[bobsleigh]], [[luge]], and [[skeleton (sport)|skeleton]] runs. Today, the Olympic Park is used for year-round training and competitions. Visitors can watch the various events and even ride a bobsled. The [[Utah Olympic Oval]], in nearby [[Kearns, Utah|Kearns]], was home to the [[speed skating]] events and is now open to the public. Other popular Olympic venues include [[Soldier Hollow]], the site of cross-country skiing events, southeast of Salt Lake near [[Heber City, Utah|Heber City]].

[[Trolley Square]] is an indoor and outdoor mall with independent art boutiques, restaurants, and national retailers. The buildings housing the shops are renovated [[tram|trolley]] barns with cobblestone streets. The Gateway, an outdoor shopping mall, has many national restaurants, clothing retailers, a movie theater, the [[Clark Planetarium]], the Discovery Gateway, a music venue called [[Salt Lake City Union Pacific Depot|The Depot]], and the [[Olympic Legacy Plaza]].

[[File:Salt Lake City 4892084585.jpg|alt=|thumb|[[The Gateway (Salt Lake City)|The Gateway]], where the Clark Planetarium is located.]]

On October 3, 2006, the LDS Church, which owned the [[ZCMI Center Mall]] and [[Crossroads Plaza (Salt Lake City)|Crossroads Plaza Mall]], both on Main Street, announced plans to demolish the malls, a skyscraper, and several other buildings to make way for the $1.5&nbsp;billion City Creek Center redevelopment. It combined new office and residential buildings (one of which is the city's third-tallest building) around an outdoor shopping center featuring a stream, fountain, and other outdoor amenities;<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.deseret.com/2006/10/4/19977589/downtown-rebound-lds-church-unveils-plans-for-20-acre-development|title=Downtown rebound: LDS Church unveils plans for 20-acre development|last=Smeath|first=Doug|newspaper=Deseret News|date=October 4, 2006|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117101823/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/650196045/Downtown-rebound-LDS-Church-unveils-plans-for-20-acre-development.html|archive-date=January 17, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> it opened on March 22, 2012. [[Sugar House, Salt Lake City|Sugar House]] is a neighborhood with a small town main street shopping area and numerous old parks, which is served by the S Line (formerly known as Sugar House Streetcar).

Other attractions near Salt Lake City include [[Hogle Zoo]], [[Timpanogos Cave National Monument]], [[Golden Spike National Historic Site]] (where the world's first [[transcontinental railroad]] was joined), [[Lagoon Amusement Park]], the [[Great Salt Lake]], the [[Bonneville Salt Flats]], [[Gardner Historic Village]], one of the nation's largest dinosaur museums at [[Thanksgiving Point]] in [[Lehi, Utah|Lehi]], the sculpture [[Out of the Blue (sculpture)|''Out of the Blue'']], commonly referred to as "The Whale" by locals, and the world's largest human-made excavation at [[Bingham Canyon Mine]].

==Sports and recreation==
Winter sports, such as skiing and [[snowboarding]], are popular activities in the [[Wasatch Mountains]] east of Salt Lake City. Eight ski resorts lie within {{convert|50|mi|km}} of the city. Alta, Brighton, Solitude, and [[Snowbird ski resort|Snowbird]] all lie directly to the southeast in the Wasatch Mountains, while nearby Park City contains three more resorts. The popularity of the ski resorts has increased by a third since the [[2002 Winter Olympics]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.wolfcreekresort.com/news-SLT-5-17-06.htm|title=Utah's ski industry chalks up another record year for visitors|first=Mike|last=Gorrell|author2=[[Knight Ridder]]|date=May 16, 2006|newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810100608/http://www.wolfcreekresort.com/news-SLT-5-17-06.htm|archive-date=August 10, 2014}}</ref> Summer activities such as hiking, camping, rock climbing, mountain biking, and other related outdoor activities are popular in the mountains. The many small reservoirs and rivers in the Wasatch Mountains are popular for boating, fishing, and other water-related activities.

Salt Lake City has hosted two of the most important and most watched games in [[basketball]]. The [[1979 NCAA Division I Basketball Championship Game]] took place at the [[Jon M. Huntsman Center|Special Events Center]] on the campus of the University of Utah, where [[Magic Johnson]] met [[Larry Bird]] for the first time in their legendary rivalry. Johnson's [[1978–79 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team|Michigan State]] team defeated Bird's previously unbeaten [[1978–79 Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball team|Indiana State]] team in the most watched [[college basketball]] game in history.<ref name="far">{{cite news |last=DeCamp |first=Scott |title=NCAA tournament final ratings up, but still far cry from Magic–Bird in 1979 |url=https://www.mlive.com/spartans/2017/04/ncaa_tournament_final_ratings.html |publisher=MLive |date=April 6, 2017 |access-date=April 25, 2019}}</ref> [[Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals]] took place at the [[Delta Center]], where [[Michael Jordan]] played his final game as a member of the [[Chicago Bulls]]. Jordan's [[1997-98 Chicago Bulls season|Bulls]] defeated the [[1997-98 Utah Jazz season|Utah Jazz]] to win their sixth championship in the most watched game in the history of the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA).<ref>{{cite news|title=72 million saw Bulls take the prize|url=https://www.sfgate.com/style/article/72-million-saw-Bulls-take-the-prize-3084266.php|access-date=May 3, 2022|newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle|date=June 17, 1998|agency=Associated Press}}</ref>

===Professional sports===
[[File:Delta Center 2023.jpg|thumb|The [[Delta Center]] is the home of the [[Utah Jazz]] since 1991 and the home of the [[Utah Mammoth]] since 2024.]]
Salt Lake City is home to the [[Utah Jazz]] of the NBA, who moved from New Orleans in 1979 and play their home games in the [[Delta Center]] (formerly known as EnergySolutions Arena and later as Vivint Arena). Until the establishment of the [[Utah Mammoth]] in 2024, the Jazz were the only team of the four [[Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada|top-level professional sports leagues]] in the state. The franchise has enjoyed steady success, at one point making the playoffs in 22 out of 25 seasons, led by [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] duo [[Karl Malone]] and [[John Stockton]]. The duo won two [[NBA Western Conference|Western Conference]] championships together, but the franchise has yet to win an NBA championship. Salt Lake City was home to a professional basketball team, the [[Utah Stars]] of the [[American Basketball Association]] (ABA), between 1970 and 1975. They won one championship in the city (in 1971) and enjoyed some of the strongest support of any ABA team, but they folded just months before the [[ABA–NBA merger]], thus preventing them from being absorbed by the NBA. Their success may have had a hand in the decision by the struggling Jazz to relocate to Salt Lake City in 1979. Salt Lake City was home to an original [[Women's National Basketball Association]] (WNBA) team, the [[Utah Starzz]], in 1997. The team relocated and became the [[San Antonio Silver Stars]].<ref name="playoffs">{{cite news |last=Elfman |first=Lois |url= http://amsterdamnews.com/news/2019/sep/19/wnba-playoffs-semi-finals/ |title=WNBA Playoffs into the semi-finals |work=[[New York Amsterdam News]] |date=September 19, 2019 |access-date=February 25, 2020}} in 2003.</ref>

[[Real Salt Lake]] of [[Major League Soccer]] was founded in 2004, initially playing at [[Rice-Eccles Stadium]] at the University of Utah before the [[soccer-specific stadium|soccer-specific]] [[America First Field]] (formerly Rio Tinto Stadium) was completed in 2008 in neighboring [[Sandy, Utah|Sandy]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.deseret.com/2006/8/16/19968866/salt-lake-county-plays-ball-oks-a-deal-with-real|title=Salt Lake County plays ball, OKs a deal with Real: Corroon, Checketts still must iron out some final details|last=Dethman|first=Leigh|newspaper=Deseret|location=Salt Lake City|date=August 16, 2006|access-date=April 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120194519/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/645193551/Salt-Lake-County-plays-ball-OKs-a-deal-with-Real.html|archive-date=January 20, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> The team won their first MLS championship by defeating the Los Angeles Galaxy at the [[2009 MLS Cup]]. RSL advanced to the finals of the [[CONCACAF Champions League]] in 2011 but lost 3–2 on aggregate, and also advanced to the 2013 MLS Cup Final. In 2019, the club expanded to include the [[Utah Royals FC]], a professional women's team in the [[National Women's Soccer League]], though the club ceased operations in December 2020,<ref name="royals_ceased">{{cite news |title=Kansas City Returns to the NWSL as Expansion Team in 2021 |url=https://www.nwslsoccer.com/news/article/kansas-city-returns-to-the-nwsl-as-expansion-team-in-2021 |access-date=December 7, 2020 |publisher=NWSL |date=December 7, 2020 |archive-date=November 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122154711/https://www.nwslsoccer.com/news/article/kansas-city-returns-to-the-nwsl-as-expansion-team-in-2021 |url-status=dead }}</ref> transferring its player-related assets to the [[Kansas City Current]] and later restarted operations in 2023. The city has also played host to several international soccer games.

Beginning in the [[2024–25 NHL season|2024–25 season]], the [[Utah Mammoth]] began playing in the [[National Hockey League]]'s (NHL) Central Division. Their home arena is the Delta Center, alongside the Jazz. The franchise is owned by [[Ryan Smith (businessman)|the Smith Entertainment Group]], and was founded with all the transferred assets of the now-inactive [[Arizona Coyotes]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Utah officially has an NHL team |url=https://www.sltrib.com/sports/2024/04/18/utah-officially-has-an-nhl-team/ |access-date=April 19, 2024 |website=The Salt Lake Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[Utah Warriors (rugby union)|Utah Warriors]] is a professional [[Major League Rugby]] team that launched its first season in 2018,<ref>{{cite web|date=September 25, 2017|title=MLR Notes: Utah announces name, Seattle picks venue |website=This is American Rugby|access-date=September 26, 2017|url=http://www.thisisamericanrugby.com/2017/09/mlr-notes-utah-announces-name-seattle.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170926020154/http://www.thisisamericanrugby.com/2017/09/mlr-notes-utah-announces-name-seattle.html|archive-date=September 26, 2017}}</ref> with [[Zions Bank Stadium]] as its home venue.

[[File:Spring Mobile Park Apr09.jpg|thumb|[[Smith's Ballpark]], home of the [[Salt Lake Bees]]]]

[[Arena football]] expanded into the city in 2006 with the [[Utah Blaze]] of the [[Arena Football League (1987–2008)|Arena Football League]]. They recorded the highest average attendance in the league in their first season.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.deseret.com/2006/5/28/19955865/blaze-burn-bright-with-optimism|title=Blaze burn bright with optimism|newspaper=Deseret|last=Jorgensen|first=Loren|date=May 28, 2006|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228040955/https://www.deseret.com/2006/5/28/19955865/blaze-burn-bright-with-optimism|archive-date=February 28, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> After the original AFL folded in 2009, the future of the Blaze was unclear. However, a new league branded as the [[Arena Football League (2010–)|Arena Football League]] began play in 2010. The Blaze franchise was restored and is playing in the new league.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.deseret.com/2010/2/18/20096962/arena-football-league-afl-will-return-this-season-with-15-teams|title=Arena Football League: AFL will return this season with 15 teams|newspaper=Deseret News|last=Jewkes|first=Wade|date=February 18, 2010|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226171255/https://www.deseret.com/2010/2/18/20096962/arena-football-league-afl-will-return-this-season-with-15-teams|archive-date=February 26, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Salt Lake Stallions]] of the AAF were also based in the city and played most of one season in 2019 before ceasing operations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=AAF, Salt Lake Stallions are folding eight games into spring football league's inaugural season |url=https://www.sltrib.com/sports/2019/04/02/aaf-salt-lake-stallions/ |access-date=March 31, 2023 |website=The Salt Lake Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref>

There are also two minor league teams in the city. The [[Pacific Coast League]]'s [[Salt Lake Bees]], the [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] affiliate of the [[Los Angeles Angels]], play at [[Smith's Ballpark]] and were established in 1994 as the Buzz. Their name was changed to the Stingers in 2002, and then to the Bees, a historical Salt Lake City baseball team name, in 2006. The [[Utah Grizzlies]] ice hockey team of the [[ECHL]] were established in 2005, replacing the [[Utah Grizzlies (1995–2005)|previous Grizzlies team]] that existed from when they relocated from Denver in 1995 to 2005 in the International Hockey League (IHL), and later, the American Hockey League (AHL). They play at the [[Maverik Center]] in neighboring West Valley City.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Club
!Sport
!League
!Venue
!Established
!Titles
!Attendance
|-
|[[Utah Jazz]]
|[[Basketball]]
|[[National Basketball Association]]
|[[Delta Center]]
| style="text-align:center" | 1979
| style="text-align:center" | 0
| style="text-align:center" | 19,911
|-
|[[Utah Mammoth]]
|[[Ice hockey]]
|[[National Hockey League]]
|Delta Center
| style="text-align:center" |2024
| style="text-align:center" |0
| style="text-align:center" |TBD
|-
|[[Real Salt Lake]]
|[[Association football|Soccer]]
|[[Major League Soccer]]
|[[America First Field]] (in [[Sandy, Utah|Sandy]])
| style="text-align:center" | 2004
| style="text-align:center" | 1
| style="text-align:center" | 20,160
|-
|[[Utah Warriors (rugby union)|Utah Warriors]]
|[[Rugby union|Rugby]]
|[[Major League Rugby]]
|[[Zions Bank Stadium]] (in [[Herriman, Utah|Herriman]])
| style="text-align:center" | 2017
| style="text-align:center" | 0
| style="text-align:center" | 5,000
|-
|[[Salt Lake Bees]]
|[[Baseball]]
|[[Pacific Coast League]]
|[[The Ballpark at America First Square]] (in [[South Jordan, Utah|South Jordan]])
| style="text-align:center" | 1994
| style="text-align:center" | 0
| style="text-align:center" | 15,411
|-
|[[Utah Grizzlies]]
|Ice hockey
|[[ECHL]]
|[[Maverik Center]] (in [[West Valley City, Utah|West Valley City]])
| style="text-align:center" | 2005
| style="text-align:center" | 0
| style="text-align:center" | 4,622
|-
|[[Real Monarchs]]
|Soccer
|[[MLS Next Pro]]
|[[Zions Bank Stadium]] (in [[Herriman, Utah|Herriman]])
| style="text-align:center" | 2014
| style="text-align:center" | 1
| style="text-align:center" | 4,698
|-
|[[Utah Royals FC]]
|Soccer
|[[National Women's Soccer League]]
|[[America First Field]] (in [[Sandy, Utah|Sandy]])
| style="text-align:center" | 2018
| style="text-align:center" | 1
| style="text-align:center" | 20,160
|-
|[[Salt Lake City Stars]]
|Basketball
|[[NBA G League]]
|[[Maverik Center]] (in [[West Valley City, Utah|West Valley City]])
| style="text-align:center" | 2016
| style="text-align:center" | 0
| style="text-align:center" | 3,156
|- 
|[[Utah Archers]]
|Field Lacrosse
|[[Premier Lacrosse League]]
|[[Zions Bank Stadium]] (in [[Herriman, Utah|Herriman]])
| style="text-align:center" | 2019
| style="text-align:center" | 1
| style="text-align:center" | 4,698

|}

===Amateur sports===
[[The University of Utah]] and [[Brigham Young University]] (BYU) both maintain large followings in the city, and the [[BYU–Utah rivalry|rivalry]] between the two colleges has a long and storied history. Despite the fact that Utah is a secular university, the rivalry is sometimes referred to as the [[Holy War (BYU–Utah)|Holy War]] because of BYU's status as an LDS Church-owned university. Until the 2011–12 season, they both played in the [[Mountain West Conference]] (MWC) of the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA's]] [[Division I (NCAA)|Division I]] and have played each other over 100 times in football since 1896.

While Salt Lake City does not have a professional [[American football|football]] team, the [[college football]] teams of both universities are popular in the city and the state as a whole. The [[2004 Utah Utes football team|University of Utah]] was the first school from a non-automatic qualifying conference to win two [[Bowl Championship Series]] (BCS) [[bowl game]]s (and was the first from outside the BCS affiliated conferences to be invited to one) since the system was introduced in 1998. [[1984 BYU Cougars football team|BYU]] defeated the [[1984 Michigan Wolverines football team|University of Michigan]] in the [[1984 Holiday Bowl]] to win the state's only [[College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS|college football national championship]]. The University of Utah was a part of the controversy surrounding the fairness of the BCS. Despite undefeated seasons in both [[2004 Utah Utes football team|2004]] and [[2008 Utah Utes football team|2008]], Utah was not invited to participate in the national championship in either season because it was a member of the MWC, a BCS non-automatic qualifying conference.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/news/story?id=3814472|title=Utah AG: BCS may violate antitrust laws|work=[[ESPN]]|date=January 7, 2009|access-date=April 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329011447/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3814472|archive-date=March 29, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

College basketball also has an important presence in the city. The [[Utah Utes men's basketball|Utah Utes men's basketball team]] plays its home games at the [[Jon M. Huntsman Center]] on its campus in Salt Lake City. The team won the [[1944 NCAA basketball tournament]] and made the final of the [[1998 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|1998 NCAA basketball tournament]]. The school has also hosted the [[NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament]] many times, both at the Huntsman Center and [[Delta Center]], including the Final Four of the famous [[1979 NCAA Division I basketball tournament|1979 tournament]], when it was known as the Special Events Center.

The [[Utah Avalanche]], formed in January 2011, were a development [[rugby league]] team for the now defunct [[American National Rugby League]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amnrl.com/teams/utah-avalanche-0 |title=Utah Avalanche &#124; American National Rugby League|publisher=Amnrl.com|access-date=December 10, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111204073207/http://www.amnrl.com/teams/utah-avalanche-0|archive-date=December 4, 2011}}</ref> In June 2012, Salt Lake City hosted the [[World Rugby U20 Trophy|IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy]], a major international rugby union tournament for under-20 national teams from "second-tier" nations.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.irb.com/jwrt/news/newsid=2061029.html|title=USA to host Junior World Rugby Trophy 2012|publisher=[[International Rugby Board]]|date=January 29, 2012|access-date=April 16, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511090235/http://www.irb.com/jwrt/news/newsid%3D2061029.html|archive-date=May 11, 2013}}</ref>

Utah became the first state outside Minnesota where [[bandy]] exists when Olympic Bandy Club was formed in Salt Lake City.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://translate.google.no/translate?hl=no&sl=sv&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fdbpedia.org%2Fresource%2FAmerican_Bandy_Association|title=Google Oversetter: About American Bandy Association|publisher=Translate.google.no|access-date=April 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117093623/http://translate.google.no/translate?hl=no&sl=sv&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fdbpedia.org%2Fresource%2FAmerican_Bandy_Association|archive-date=January 17, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Salt Lake is also home to two [[roller derby]] leagues: the Salt City Derby Girls<ref>{{cite web|url=http://saltcityderbygirls.com/joomla/|title=Salt City Derby Girls|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101022004824/http://saltcityderbygirls.com/joomla/|archive-date=October 22, 2010}}</ref> and [[Wasatch Roller Derby]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wasatchrollerderby.com/|title=Home Page|website=Wasatch Roller Derby|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308212812/https://wasatchrollerderby.com/|archive-date=March 8, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> both of which field travel teams.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=50252181&itype=CMSID|title=Roller Derby update: Big in Boise|newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune|first=Sean P.|last=Means|date=October 4, 2010|access-date=October 20, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021221538/http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogs/vulture/50252181-56/shakers-derby-salt-roller.html.csp|archive-date=October 21, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Transportation==
{{Main|Transportation in Salt Lake City}}

===Roads===
[[File:Utah State Capitol seen from State Street.jpg|thumb|right|The beginning of State Street at the foot of the Utah State Capitol]]
Salt Lake City lies at the convergence of two cross-country freeways; [[Interstate 15 in Utah|I-15]] running north–south, and [[Interstate 80 in Utah|I-80]], which connects downtown with Salt Lake City International Airport to the west and exits to the east through [[Parley's Canyon]]. [[Interstate 215 (Utah)|I-215]] forms a 270-degree loop around the city. [[Utah State Route 201|SR-201]] extends to the western Salt Lake City suburbs. The [[Legacy Parkway]] (SR-67), a controversial and oft-delayed freeway, opened September 2008, heading north from I-215 into [[Davis County, Utah|Davis County]] along the east shore of the Great Salt Lake. Travel to and from Davis County is complicated by geography as roads have to squeeze through the narrow opening between the Great Salt Lake to the west and the Wasatch Mountains to the east. Only four roads run between the two counties to carry the load of [[rush hour]] traffic from Davis County.

Salt Lake City's surface street system is laid out on a simple [[grid pattern]]. Road names are numbered with a north, south, east, or west designation, with the grid originating at the southeast corner of Temple Square downtown. One of the visions of Brigham Young and the early settlers was to create wide, spacious streets, which characterizes downtown. The grid pattern remains fairly intact in the city, except on the East Bench, where geography makes it impossible. The entire Salt Lake Valley is laid out on the same numbered grid system, although it becomes increasingly irregular further into the suburbs. Many streets carry both a name and a grid coordinate. Usually both can be used as an address. [[U.S. Route 89 in Utah|US-89]] enters the city from the northwest, becomes 900 West Street through the northern part of the city, and then exits Salt Lake City as State Street (100 East).

===Public transportation===
[[File:Buses at Central Station.jpg|thumb|UTA [[transit bus]]es at the [[Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub]] (Salt Lake Central Station)]]
Salt Lake City's [[public transport|mass transit]] service is operated by the [[Utah Transit Authority]] (UTA) and includes a bus system, light rail, and a commuter rail line. Intercity services are provided by [[Amtrak]] and various intercity bus lines. These services are all interconnected at the [[Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub]] (Salt Lake Central Station), west of the city center.

====Transit bus service====
UTA's bus system extends throughout the Wasatch Front from [[Brigham City, Utah|Brigham City]] in the north to [[Santaquin, Utah|Santaquin]] in the south and as far west as [[Grantsville, Utah|Grantsville]], as well as east to Park City. UTA also operates routes to the [[ski resorts]] in [[Big Cottonwood Canyon|Big]] and [[Little Cottonwood Canyon|Little]] Cottonwood Canyons, as well as [[Sundance Resort|Sundance]] in [[Provo Canyon]], during the ski season (typically November to April). Approximately 60,000 people ride the bus daily, although ridership has reportedly declined since TRAX was constructed.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sltrib.com/News/ci_8658942|title=Bus riders press for probe of UTA|last=Loomis|first=Brandon|date=March 22, 2008|newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune|access-date=October 20, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021221543/http://www.sltrib.com/News/ci_8658942|archive-date=October 21, 2014}}</ref>

==== Light rail ====
{{Main|TRAX (light rail)}}
[[File:Green line Trax at Gallivan Plaza.jpg|thumb|right|[[TRAX (light rail)|TRAX]] [[Green Line (TRAX)|Green Line]] train at the [[Gallivan Plaza (UTA station)|Gallivan Plaza Station]]]]
The {{convert|44.8|mi|km|adj=on}}<ref>{{cite map|url=http://www.rideuta.com/uploads/FrontLines2015Map.pdf|title=FrontLines 2015 Project|website=rideuta.com|publisher=UTA|format=PDF|access-date=March 5, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131125161159/http://www.rideuta.com/uploads/FrontLines2015Map.pdf|archive-date=November 25, 2013}}</ref> light rail system, called [[TRAX (light rail)|TRAX]], has three lines.
* The [[Blue Line (TRAX)|Blue Line]], which opened in 1999 and was expanded in 2008, travels from the Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub ([[Salt Lake Central Station]]), south to [[Draper, Utah|Draper]].
* The [[Red Line (TRAX)|Red Line]], which originally opened in 2001 and was expanded in 2011, runs from the University of Utah, southwest through Salt Lake to [[Daybreak (community)|Daybreak]] in [[South Jordan, Utah|South Jordan]].
* The [[Green Line (TRAX)|Green Line]], opened in 2011 and runs from the [[Salt Lake City International Airport]] to [[West Valley City]] (via [[Downtown Salt Lake City]]), with the extension to the airport having opened in April 2013.

The system has 50 stations, 23 of which are within the city limits.<ref name=UTD>{{cite news|url=https://www.deseret.com/2007/8/9/20034292/uta-setting-end-dates-on-trax-construction|title=UTA setting end dates on TRAX construction|date=August 9, 2007|work=Deseret News|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120183612/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/695199123/UTA-setting-end-dates-on-TRAX-construction.html|archive-date=January 20, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Daily ridership averaged 60,600 as of the fourth quarter of 2012,<ref name=AP>{{cite web|url=http://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Documents/Ridership/2012-q4-ridership-APTA.pdf|title=Public Transportation Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2012|publisher=[[American Public Transportation Association]]|page=27|date=March 1, 2013|access-date=March 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140717033011/http://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Documents/Ridership/2012-q4-ridership-APTA.pdf|archive-date=July 17, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> making TRAX the [[List of United States Light Rail systems by ridership|ninth most-ridden light rail system in the country]].

====Commuter rail====
{{Main|FrontRunner}}
[[File:Frontrunner north temple station.jpg|thumb|[[FrontRunner]] at [[North Temple Bridge/Guadalupe station|North Temple station]] in Salt Lake City]]
The commuter rail system, ''[[FrontRunner]]'', opened April 26, 2008, extends from the Intermodal Hub north through Davis County to [[Pleasant View, Utah|Pleasant View]] on the northern border of Weber County.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.deseret.com/2008/4/26/20084515/uta-frontrunner-up-and-running-today|title=UTA ''FrontRunner'' up and running today|newspaper=Deseret News|last=Raymond|first=Arthur|location=Salt Lake City|date=April 26, 2008|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120194625/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/695273908/UTA-FrontRunner-up-and-running-today.html|archive-date=January 20, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Daily ridership on the line averages 7,800, as of the fourth quarter of 2012.<ref name=AP/> An expansion called "FrontRunner South", which extended FrontRunner to [[Provo, Utah|Provo]] in central [[Utah County, Utah|Utah County]], was completed in December 2012 as part of UTA's FrontLines 2015 project.<ref name=UTD/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.deseret.com/2008/8/12/20269033/ground-broken-for-utah-co-frontrunner|title=Ground broken for Utah Co. FrontRunner|last=Thomas|first=Ethan|newspaper=Deseret News|date=August 12, 2008|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120194736/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700250384/Ground-broken-for-Utah-Co-FrontRunner.html|archive-date=January 20, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.letsrideuta.com/2011/11/02/frontrunner-south-project-update/|title=UTA FrontRunner South Project Update|publisher=UTA|date=November 2, 2011|access-date=April 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130411180708/http://www.letsrideuta.com/2011/11/02/frontrunner-south-project-update/|archive-date=April 11, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> These extensions were made possible by a sales tax hike for road improvements, light rail, and commuter rail approved by voters on November 7, 2006.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.deseret.com/2006/11/8/19984540/transit-measures-approved|title=Transit measures approved|last=Warburton|first=Nicole|newspaper=Deseret News|date=November 8, 2006|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225171109/https://www.deseret.com/2006/11/8/19984540/transit-measures-approved|archive-date=February 25, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, a $500&nbsp;million letter of intent was signed by the [[Federal Transit Administration]] for all four of the planned TRAX extensions in addition to the FrontRunner extension to Provo.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.deseret.com/2007/9/25/20043230/uta-on-track-for-u-s-funds|title=UTA on track for U.S. funds|last=Warburton|first=Nicole|newspaper=[[Deseret News]]|location=Salt Lake City|date=September 25, 2007|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225145737/https://www.deseret.com/2007/9/25/20043230/uta-on-track-for-u-s-funds|archive-date=February 25, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> In March 2018, UTA announced FrontRunner would no longer run from Ogden to Pleasant View beginning in mid-August.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.deseret.com/2018/3/9/20641456/frontrunner-leg-closure-among-changes-coming-to-uta-service|title=FrontRunner leg closure among changes coming to UTA service|last=Imlay|first=Ashley|date=March 9, 2018|work=Deseret News|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515192916/https://www.deseret.com/2018/3/9/20641456/frontrunner-leg-closure-among-changes-coming-to-uta-service|archive-date=May 15, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Intercity bus and rail services====
[[Amtrak]], the national passenger rail system, provides service to Salt Lake City operating its ''[[California Zephyr]]'' daily between [[Union Station (Chicago)|Chicago]] and [[Emeryville, California]]. [[Greyhound Lines]] serves Salt Lake City as well. Their nine daily buses provide service to Denver, Reno, Las Vegas, and Portland, Oregon. Both of these stations are at the [[Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub]].

===Air transportation===
[[File:SLC airport, 2010.jpg|thumb|Salt Lake International Airport sits between downtown Salt Lake City and the [[Great Salt Lake]].]]
[[Salt Lake City International Airport]] is {{Convert|4|mi|km|abbr=}} west of downtown, and falls entirely within the boundary of Salt Lake City. Delta Air Lines operates a hub at the airport, serving over 100 non-stop destinations in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, as well as Paris, London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Seoul.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sltrib.com/business/ci_12890726|title=Swine flu, economy prompt Delta to trim SLC-Tokyo route|last=Beebe|first=Paul|newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune|date= July 22, 2009|access-date= October 20, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021221547/http://www.sltrib.com/business/ci_12890726|archive-date= October 21, 2014}}</ref> [[SkyWest Airlines]] operates its largest hub at the airport as [[Delta Connection]], and serves 243 cities as Delta Connection and [[United Express]]. The airport is served by four UTA bus routes, and a UTA-operated light rail line (TRAX) opened services on April 14, 2013. A total of 22,029,488 passengers flew through Salt Lake City International Airport in 2007, representing a 2.19% increase over 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slcairport.com/cmsdocuments/airstats2007_12.pdf|title=Salt Lake City International Airport Statistics|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326031056/http://www.slcairport.com/cmsdocuments/airstats2007_12.pdf|archive-date=March 26, 2009}}</ref> The airport ranks as the 21st busiest airport in the United States in total passengers, is consistently rated first in the country in on-time arrivals and departures, and has the second-lowest number of cancellations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.transtats.bts.gov/airports.asp?pn=1|title=Research and Innovative Technology Administration|publisher=Bureau of Transportation Statistics|access-date=April 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012160433/http://www.transtats.bts.gov/airports.asp?pn=1|archive-date=October 12, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> The airport is undergoing a $3.6&nbsp;billion rebuild that is expected to be completed in 2026, resulting in a complete reworking of the terminals and parking areas.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://slcairport.com/thenewslc/future-phases/ | title=Future Phases &#124; Salt Lake City International Airport }}</ref>

There are two [[general aviation]] airports nearby, although they lie outside Salt Lake City:
* [[South Valley Regional Airport]] in [[West Jordan, Utah|West Jordan]]
* [[Skypark Airport]] in [[Woods Cross, Utah|Woods Cross]].

Salt Lake City owns and operates the international airport, as well as the South Valley Regional Airport and the [[Tooele Valley Airport]] through its department of airports.

===Cycling===
Salt Lake City is considered a bicycle-friendly city. In 2010, Salt Lake City was designated as a Silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bikeleague.org/content/league-announces-spring-2010-bicycle-friendly-communities|title=League Announces Spring 2010 Bicycle Friendly Communities|date=May 1, 2010|access-date=October 17, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021221505/http://bikeleague.org/content/league-announces-spring-2010-bicycle-friendly-communities|archive-date=October 21, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> by the [[League of American Bicyclists]], placing the city in the top 18 bicycling cities in the U.S. with a population of at least 100,000. Many streets in the city have bike lanes, and the city has since published a bicycle map.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bikeslc.com/WheretoRide/SLCBikeMap.html|title=Salt Lake City Bike Map|publisher=BikeSLC|access-date=October 17, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021221459/http://www.bikeslc.com/WheretoRide/SLCBikeMap.html|archive-date=October 21, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> However, off-road biking in the valley has suffered significantly as access to trails and paths has declined with the increase of housing developments and land privatization. In 2012, the Salt Lake Transportation Division launched ''BikeSLC.com'', which consolidates the city's information about bicycle routes, [[bicycle safety]], and promotions. The website includes a form for business owners to request bicycle parking racks to be installed on public property free of charge close to their businesses, a service that has a months-long waiting list.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bike Racks and Corrals|url=http://www.bikeslc.com/WheretoRide/BicycleParking/BikeRacksandCorrals.html|work=BikeSLC|access-date=October 17, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021221536/http://www.bikeslc.com/WheretoRide/BicycleParking/BikeRacksandCorrals.html|archive-date=October 21, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

Salt Lake City was the first US city to use the "Green Shared Lane", or "super sharrow",<ref>{{cite news|title=Mea Culpa: Long Beach Not First to Have Colored Shared Lane|url=http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/07/06/mea-culpa-long-beach-not-first-to-have-colored-shared-lane/|newspaper=[[Streetsblog]]|date=July 6, 2009|access-date=December 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110191518/http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/07/06/mea-culpa-long-beach-not-first-to-have-colored-shared-lane/|archive-date=January 10, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> a {{convert|4|ft|m|adj=on}} wide green band down the middle of a travel lane where adding a dedicated bike lane is unfeasible. Other cities such as Long Beach, Oakland, and Edina, Minnesota have introduced similar designs. These four cities are participating in a study by the [[Federal Highway Administration]] to measure the effect of the design on automobile speed and passing distance when overtaking bicycles, crashes between automobiles and bicycles, and whether it encourages more bicycle ridership, along with other metrics.<ref>{{cite web|title=Green-Colored Pavement with the Shared-Lane Marking|url=http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/guidance/design_guidance/mutcd/gcp_slm.cfm|work=Federal Highway Administration website|access-date=December 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141202044037/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/guidance/design_guidance/mutcd/gcp_slm.cfm|archive-date=December 2, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On September 25, 2010, UTA in partnership with Salt Lake City, the [[Utah Department of Transportation]], the Wasatch Front Regional Council, and the Mayor's Bicycle Advisory Committee, opened a Bicycle Transit Center (BTC) at the Intermodal Hub. The BTC is anticipated to serve multi-modal commuters from TRAX and ''FrontRunner'', as well as providing a secure bicycle parking space for bicycle tourists who want to tour the city on foot or transit.

In April 2013, Salt Lake City launched a bike share program known as GREENbike. The program allows users to pay $5 per day to access bicycles, with the option of purchasing a weekly or annual pass.<ref>{{cite news|title=Salt Lake to Launch Bike Share Program|url=http://www.abc4.com/content/news/top_stories/story/Salt-Lake-to-launch-bike-share-program/OUf9PeC-lEuuq4144PLv-Q.cspx|agency=Associated Press|access-date=May 21, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511063147/http://www.abc4.com/content/news/top_stories/story/Salt-Lake-to-launch-bike-share-program/OUf9PeC-lEuuq4144PLv-Q.cspx|archive-date=May 11, 2013}}</ref> The program launched with ten stations in the downtown core.<ref>{{cite news|title=Salt Lake City launches GREENbike bicycle sharing|url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=56124471&itype=CMSID|newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune|date=April 8, 2013|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021132719/http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56124471-78/greenbike-lake-salt-bicycle.html.csp|archive-date=October 21, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> By October 2014, the number of stations had expanded to 20.<ref>{{cite web|title=GREENbikeSLC|url=http://www.greenbikeslc.org/home.aspx|work=GREENbikeSLC website|access-date=October 17, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021221506/https://www.greenbikeslc.org/home.aspx|archive-date=October 21, 2014}}</ref> In addition to the bike-sharing program, eighty businesses in the city participate in the Bicycle Benefits program,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bicyclebenefits.org/index.php?option=com_sobi2&catid=5&Itemid=54|title=Bicycle Benefits|website=bicyclebenefits.org|access-date=August 1, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223094558/http://www.bicyclebenefits.org/index.php?option=com_sobi2&catid=5&Itemid=54|archive-date=December 23, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> which provides discounts to customers who arrive by bicycle. The city is also home to the [[Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective]].

As a result of this increasing support, Salt Lake City's on-road bikeway network has grown to encompass 200 lane miles. In July 2014, the city began construction of a [[segregated cycle facilities|protected bicycle lane]] on a {{convert|1.35|mi}} segment of 300 South between 300 West and 600 East. The project received significant opposition from business owners and residents along the route because of concerns about the 30% reduction in car parking spaces and disruptions resulting from construction. The construction proceeded in stages, with the last stage completed in October 2014. The performance of the protected bicycle lane (specifically, its role in encouraging more bicycle ridership) will influence future plans for making the city more bicycle-friendly.<ref>{{cite news|title=New downtown Salt Lake City bicycle track worries small businesses|url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=58348049&itype=CMSID|newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune|first=Christopher|last=Smart|date=August 31, 2014|access-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021131150/http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/58348049-90/300-bike-broadway-business.html.csp|archive-date=October 21, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

One example of the city's cycling and walking routes is the loop around [[City Creek Canyon]] on Bonneville Boulevard.<ref>{{cite web|title=City Creek Canyon/Memory Grove|url=http://www.bikeslc.com/WheretoRide/Multi-usePavedTrails/CityCreekMemoryGrove.html|work=BikeSLC|access-date=October 17, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015013730/http://www.bikeslc.com/WheretoRide/Multi-usePavedTrails/CityCreekMemoryGrove.html|archive-date=October 15, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> The city has designated the road as one lane only (one-way) for motor vehicles, turning the other lane over to two-way cyclists and pedestrians. From the last Monday in May to the last weekend in September, City Creek Canyon Road itself is closed to motor vehicles on odd-numbered days, while bicycles are prohibited on even-numbered days and holidays. Bicycles are allowed every day for the rest of the year.

== Utilities ==

=== Water ===
Salt Lake City derives most of its water from local Wasatch Mountain snowpack, the rest coming from groundwater.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Drinking Water and the Wasatch Front {{!}} The U Water Center |url=https://water.utah.edu/2018/05/10/drinking-water-and-the-wasatch-front/ |access-date=October 28, 2023 |website=water.utah.edu |date=May 10, 2018 |language=en-US}}</ref> The primary water provider is the Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities, which was established in 1876, making it the oldest retail water provider in the West.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Utilities and Services |url=https://www.slc.gov/utilities/utilitiesandservices/ |access-date=October 28, 2023 |website=Public Utilities |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Energy ===
The primary electricity provider in Salt Lake City, and Utah as a whole, is [[PacifiCorp#Rocky Mountain Power|Rocky Mountain Power]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Electric Utilities |url=https://ocs.utah.gov/learn-about-your-service-provider/electric-utilities/ |access-date=October 29, 2023 |website=ocs.utah.gov |language=en-US}}</ref> Natural gas is provided by [[Dominion Energy]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Find My Utility |url=https://www.ocs.utah.gov/find-my-utility/ |access-date=October 29, 2023 |website=ocs.utah.gov |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Sister cities==
Salt Lake City's [[Sister city|sister cities]] are:<ref name=sisters>{{cite web |title=Our Sister Cities|url=http://saltlakesistercities.com/our-sister-cities/|publisher=Salt Lake City Sister Cities|access-date=November 1, 2020}}</ref>
* {{Flag icon|UKR}} [[Chernivtsi]], Ukraine
* {{Flag icon|RUS}} [[Izhevsk]], Russia
* {{Flag icon|Taiwan}} [[Keelung]], Taiwan<ref>{{cite news|last=Fox|first=Derick|title=Salt Lake City has 6 sister cities – Here's where they are|url=https://www.abc4.com/news/local-news/salt-lake-city-has-6-sister-cities-here-is-where-they-are/|work=ABC4|date=July 24, 2023|access-date=December 22, 2023}}</ref>
* {{Flag icon|JPN}} [[Matsumoto, Nagano|Matsumoto]], Japan
* {{Flag icon|PHI}} [[Quezon City]], Philippines<ref name="INQ-QC-Sister-Cities">{{cite news |title=Quezon City eyes ties with five cities |url=https://manilastandard.net/mobile/article/228008 |publisher=Manila Standard |date=January 30, 2017|access-date=April 25, 2023}}</ref>
* {{Flag icon|ITA}} [[Turin]], Italy

===Friendship cities===
Salt Lake City has friendly relations with:<ref name=sisters/>
* {{Flag icon|Peru}} [[Trujillo, Peru|Trujillo]], Peru

==See also==
{{Portal|Utah}}
* [[List of people from Salt Lake City]]
* [[List of tallest buildings in Salt Lake City]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Salt Lake City, Utah]]
* [[Trolley Square shooting]]
* [[USS Salt Lake City|USS ''Salt Lake City'']]—Ships of the United States Navy named "''Salt Lake City''"

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Cite book|title=Grace & Grandeur: A History of Salt Lake City|last=Alexander|first=Thomas G.|year=2001|publisher=Heritage Media Corp|isbn=1-886483-60-4|author-link=Thomas G. Alexander}}
* {{Cite book|title=Mormons & Gentiles: A History of Salt Lake City|last1=Alexander|first1=Thomas G.|last2=Allen|first2=James B.|author-link2=James B. Allen (historian)|year=1984|publisher=Pruett Pub. Co.|isbn=0-87108-664-6|url=https://archive.org/details/mormonsgentilesh00alex}}
* {{Cite book|title=[[World Book Encyclopedia]]|last=Bagley|first=Will|year=2004|publisher=World Book Inc.|isbn=0-7166-0104-4|edition=S-Sn|pages=76–76a|author-link=Will Bagley}}
* {{Cite book|title=The Gathering Place: An Illustrated History of Salt Lake City|last=McCormick|first=John S.|year=2000|publisher=[[Signature Books]]|isbn=1-56085-132-5}}
* {{Cite book|title=Insiders' Guide: Salt Lake City|author=Rainey, Virginia|year=2004|publisher=[[Globe Pequot Press]]|isbn=0-7627-2836-1|edition=4th|url=https://archive.org/details/insidersguidetos00rain}}
* {{cite web|last=Stober|first=Daniel|year=2004|url=http://members.aol.com/utahhwyp/strtname.htm|title=Utah Street Names|access-date=January 1, 2004|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080821064255/http://members.aol.com/utahhwyp/strtname.htm|archive-date=August 21, 2008}}
* {{cite magazine|first=Terry|last=McCarthy|title=The New Utah|date=February 3, 2002|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|url=http://www.time.com/time/olympics2002/article/0,8599,198870,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020204000011/http://www.time.com/time/olympics2002/article/0,8599,198870,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 4, 2002}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.slcgov.com/info/area_info/climate.htm|title=Area Information – Salt Lake City's Climate|publisher=Salt Lake City|year=1991|access-date=March 1, 2005|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050503232314/http://www.slcgov.com/info/area_info/climate.htm|archive-date=May 3, 2005}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.slcgov.com/info/area_info/employment.htm|title=Area Information – Employment|publisher=Salt Lake City|year=2002|access-date=March 1, 2005|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050306185210/http://www.slcgov.com/info/area_info/employment.htm|archive-date=March 6, 2005}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.slcgov.com/info/area_info/faq_new.htm|title=Area Information – FAQ|publisher=Salt Lake City|year=2005|access-date=March 1, 2005|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061024020803/http://www.slcgov.com/info/area_info/faq_new.htm|archive-date=October 24, 2006}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.governor.state.ut.us/dea/CCBrief3.pdf|title=Cities and Counties of Utah Census Brief|date=May 2001|access-date=April 15, 2005|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050415061758/http://www.governor.state.ut.us/dea/CCBrief3.pdf|archive-date=April 15, 2005}}
* {{cite web|url=http://ols.nndc.noaa.gov/plolstore/plsql/olstore.prodspecific?prodnum=C00095-PUB-A0001#TABLES|title=NOAA Satellites and Information|publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]|access-date=April 16, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130904023736/http://ols.nndc.noaa.gov/plolstore/plsql/olstore.prodspecific?prodnum=C00095-PUB-A0001#TABLES|archive-date=September 4, 2013}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.slcgov.com/info/area_info/salt_lake_city.htm|title=Salt Lake City History|publisher=Salt Lake City|year=2004|access-date=September 1, 2004|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040817010717/http://www.slcgov.com/info/area_info/salt_lake_city.htm|archive-date=August 17, 2004}}
* {{cite encyclopedia|url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761579320/Salt_Lake_City.html|title=Salt Lake City|encyclopedia=[[Encarta|Encarta Encyclopedia]]|year=2005|access-date=March 1, 2005|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050302045159/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761579320/Salt_Lake_City.html|archive-date=March 2, 2005}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.mormontabernaclechoir.com|title=Mormon Tabernacle Choir website|publisher=[[Intellectual Reserve|Intellectual Reserve, Inc.]]|access-date=April 16, 2013}}
* Timothy, Dallen J., and Daniel H. Olsen. "Tourism, Salt Lake City and the Cultural Heritage of Mormonism." in ''Tourism and Religion'' (Channel View Publications, 2018) pp.&nbsp;250–269.
* {{Cite book|last=Tullidge|first=Edward W.|author-link=Edward Tullidge|title=History of Salt Lake City|year=1886|place=Salt Lake City| publisher=Star Printing Co.| pages=[https://archive.org/details/historysaltlake00tullgoog/page/n168 140]–44| url=https://archive.org/details/historysaltlake00tullgoog}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Salt Lake City}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
* {{Cite AmCyc|wstitle=Salt Lake City|short=x}}
* {{Official website|http://www.slc.gov/}}
* {{cite web|title=Salt Lake City |url=https://www.visitutah.com/places-to-go/cities-and-towns/salt-lake-city}} The Official Site of Utah Office of Tourism
* {{cite web |url=http://us-city.census.okfn.org/|work= US City Open Data Census|publisher=[[Open Knowledge Foundation]]|location=UK|title=Salt Lake City}}
* [https://www.visitsaltlake.com/ Official Salt Lake City Convention and Visitors Bureau]
* {{cite web|title=Salt Lake City, Utah|url=https://www.c-span.org/series/?citiesTour&city=8253|publisher=[[C-SPAN]] Cities Tour|date=June 2014}}

{{Salt Lake City}}
{{Adjacent communities
|Centre = Salt Lake City
|North = [[North Salt Lake, Utah|North Salt Lake]], [[Bountiful, Utah|Bountiful]]
|Northeast = [[Morgan, Utah|Morgan]]<br />''[[East Canyon State Park]]'' / [[Coalville, Utah|Coalville]]
|East = [[Emigration Canyon, Utah|Emigration Canyon]]
|Southeast = [[Park City, Utah|Park City]]
|South = [[West Valley City, Utah|West Valley City]], [[South Salt Lake, Utah|South Salt Lake]], [[Millcreek, Utah|Millcreek]]
|Southwest = [[Magna, Utah|Magna]]
|West = ''[[Great Salt Lake]]''
|Northwest = ''[[Great Salt Lake]]''
}}
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[[Category:Salt Lake City| ]]
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