Salt Lake City, the capital of Utah, makes up the heart of what is commonly called the Salt Lake Valley. Salt Lake City proper is relatively small, only 109 square miles. However, the Salt Lake City-Ogden metropolitan area includes all of Salt Lake County, Weber County, which includes the city of Ogden, and Davis County. The metropolitan area includes 1,617 square miles.

The city is also at the heart of a larger metropolitan corridor called the Wasatch Front. This is a strip of land running north and south along the western slope of the Wasatch Range. It stretches about 100 miles from Spanish Fork on the south to Brigham City on the north, and includes the major Utah cities of Springville, Provo, Orem, American Fork, Lehi, Sandy City, Taylorsville, West Valley City, Bountiful, Farmington, Kaysville, and Layton. Salt Lake City is the largest city in the state with a population of 181,743. The entire Salt Lake Valley population is 918,279, making it the most populous region in Utah.

Salt Lake City blends the amenities of a major metropolitan area with the warmth of a small, western city. Hosting the Olympic Winter Games of 2002 enhanced the community's profile as a world-class travel destination, while spotlighting Salt Lake as an unspoiled, family-friendly destination. The valley is crowned by two mountain ranges-the Wasatch to the east and the Oquirrhs to the west. In spring, the canyons are decorated with wildflowers and seasonal waterfalls. During summer, hiking, rock climbing, and mountain biking are enjoyed throughout the diverse landscape. A blanket of brilliant foliage transforms canyon walls in the autumn. When the snow flies, it falls on the slopes at ten world-class ski resorts including Alta, Brighton, Snowbird, and Solitude. Daily sunshine, low humidity, and refreshing mountain breezes combine for a comfortable year-round climate.

On July 24, 1847 143 men, three women and two children founded Salt Lake City on the eastern shore of the Great Salt Lake. These members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormons) sought to flee religious persecution against them and were the first people of European descent to permanently homestead in the area now known as Utah. Brigham Young was leading the Saints west after the death of their church founder, Joseph Smith, Jr. Upon arrival to the Salt Lake Valley, Young reportedly confirmed a vision by saying, "This is the right place." About half of Salt Lake City's population are members of the LDS Church compared with about 75% for Utah as a whole or about 90% for the State's more rural municipalities.

Salt Lake City has a diversified economy. The mining of materials, including copper, silver, lead, zinc, coal, and iron ore, is important to the city's industrial base. Southwest of the city is Bingham Canyon, which includes the Kennecott Copper Mine, one of the largest open-pit mines in the world. Church, government, finance, education, research, high-technology industries, transportation, recreation, and tourism account for most of the city's employment. The 2002 Olympic Winter Games gave a great boost to the area's economy. The median income for a household in the city is $36,944, and the median income for a family is $45,140. As of the census of 2000, there are 181,743 people, 71,461 households, and 39,803 families residing in the city. In the city the population is spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 15.2% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 30 years.

Salt Lake City's downtown core houses an impressive collection of historic and modern structures with several twenty-plus story steel and glass towers adjacent to late nineteeth century brick and mortar. The tallest building in the city is the LDS Church Office Building, a 26-story New International style structure housing the major offices of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Other important buildings are the Delta Center, Wells Fargo Center, One Utah Center, the Salt Lake City Public Library, the historic Tabernacle, the Salt Lake LDS Temple, and the newer Conference Center of the LDS Church which seats about 20,000.

Housing prices in the Salt Lake Valley are equivalent to most western cities. A two-bedroom brick pre-war bungalow can still be purchased for around $110,000 and two bedroom fixer upper condos downtown are available in the $60,000 to $90,000 price range. Historic Victorian and Tudor styles in the Avenues District start at about $175,000. For great views of the city, valley or mountains you could live a little higher on the foothills for around $250,000. If you choose the western suburbs, that same $250,000 will get you almost double the square footage, triple the yard size and half the age for your money. And the overwhelming opinion is that there will be a long-term solid appreciation of real estate investments as a result of Salt Lake City hosting the 2002 Winter Olympics. Currently the average home price in Salt Lake City is $184,756 and the average condo price in Salt Lake City is $132,979.

One of the unexpected legacies of the Olympics has been the increased vibrancy in Salt Lake's nightlife. In 2003, the region has seen a 20 percent increase in the number of restaurants, bars, and clubs that have recently opened. The city got a taste of Olympic-sized parties during the Games, and since then hasn't slowed down. In fact, the biggest rewrite of Utah's liquor laws in more than a decade went into effect on May 5, 2003. New laws increased the size of legal drinks and simplified the process of getting into private clubs-Utah's equivalent to bars. Restaurants in Salt Lake serve alcohol with the purchase of food, just like restaurants in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas, and New Orleans. Private clubs are Utah's equivalent to bars. While the term 'private club' may sound exclusive, they are open to everyone. Visitors purchase two-week memberships, similar to a cover charge in other cities. The memberships cost $4 and allow sponsorship of other guests.

From Salt Lake's earliest days, a high priority has been placed on the arts. The nation's first State Arts Council was established in Utah in 1899. Once organized, theaters were built as rapidly as churches. Today, Salt Lake is home to one of the nation's finest regional symphony orchestras, world-class opera, dance, and theater companies, an illustrious choir, and myriad art galleries. Salt Lake's galleries showcase gripping visual art collections, while museums preserve relics of the past, including pioneer artifacts, military aircraft, prehistoric fossils, and fine art.

Education is a cornerstone to what make the region so appealing. There are numerous districts that serve the area and all offer a fine education experience. The schools enjoy top ratings on state and national standardized tests. Post-secondary educational options in Salt Lake City include the University of Utah, Westminster College, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Community College, the BYU Salt Lake Center, LDS Business College and a wide range of technical schools.

Salt Lake Valley is an outstanding place to live, work, retire or raise a family. It has breathtaking mountains, stunning landscape, enviable outdoor recreation, affordable housing and a strong job market.


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