City Guide 2023
City Weekly’s 19th annual celebration of all things SLC
By City Weekly Staff and Jerre Wroble @JerreWroblePage 3 of 6
Every Plaque Tells a Story
Salt Lake Valley's vibrant cities are built on dramatic events and a quest to survive.
By Babs De Lay
Our previous neighborhood roundups have looked at local housing trends, attractions, bookstores, coffee shops and the hipness/coolness factor that makes each Salt Lake neighborhood unique and appealing.
Babs De Lay, a longtime Realtor and regular City Weekly columnist, is quite familiar with the lay of the land. But for this year's City Guide, she decided to take a different approach. Being a history buff, she looked at historical markers in the Salt Lake Valley's cities and towns and focused on them to help tell their stories. Knowing how these communities came into being gives residents and visitors alike an appreciation for the remnants of buildings and landmarks they encounter while hiking trails, driving through older parts of town or visiting local museums such as the Daughters of Utah Pioneers (300 N. Main, SLC, isdup.org).
Reflecting on the history of the Salt Lake Valley, it's easy to see it wasn't a cakewalk to get where we are now. It was essentially a struggle of biblical proportions. Knowing that the land we stand on today had to be "acquired," settled, made to bloom, then defended from the understandably outraged previous occupants, extreme weather conditions, insect invasions, plagues, economic hardships, a military show of force by the federal government and fellow residents who didn't hold the same political/religious views, it's a wonder we find a city here today at all. We do know of the devastating losses experienced by the Native Americans who resided in this area; it's tragic that so few of their descendants can be counted today. As you may see, it's a haunting endeavor to ponder how our towns and cities came to be.
But start here and let it inspire you to stop and appreciate the landmarks or read the historical plaques you encounter on your daily rounds. Salt Lake's history is anything but tame and for those who think nothing happens here, you haven't even scratched the surface.
—Introduction by Jerre Wroble
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall
slc.gov
Salt Lake City 2022 population: 200,000 plus
Salt Lake County 2022 population: 1,207,538
Median age of residents: 32.5 years
Claim to fame: Salt Lake City is the capital of Utah and home to the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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Places to refuel: All the following are 2023 James Beard semifinalists: Manoli's Greek small plates (402 Harvey Milk Blvd., SLC), Normal Ice Cream (169 E. Harvey Milk Blvd., SLC), SLC Eatery (1017 S. Main, SLC), Oquirrh (368 E. 100 South, SLC), Mazza Middle Eastern (1515 S. 1500 East, SLC).
Northern Utah was originally home to the Shoshone, Paiute, Goshute and Ute Tribes of Native Americans. On July 24, 1847, Brigham Young, the second president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, arrived in the Salt Lake Valley with his followers and established the Provisional State of Deseret. Young went on to guide the migration of thousands of Latter-day Saints to the Great Salt Lake Valley and beyond to form some 400 settlements in Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Wyoming and California.
When the Saints first arrived, the land where Salt Lake City took shape had served as a kind of buffer zone between the Shoshone and Ute peoples. As such, conflicts between LDS pioneers and Native Americans were isolated at first. But tensions grew as the Saints began colonizing north and south of Salt Lake City, displacing Native Americans from their traditional subsistence areas, leading to multiple skirmishes, massacres and two long-term conflicts, known as the Walker War and the Black Hawk War.
Young led the church until he died in 1877, serving for a time as territorial governor of Utah and fending off an invasion of U.S. federal troops called in because it was thought a Mormon rebellion was afoot. He is buried, along with just a few of his purported 55 wives and 57 children, at 150 E. First Ave., SLC, in a tiny graveyard that was recently rehabilitated and reopened to the public after hooligans damaged the historic stones. It's free to visit.
Most don't realize the number of landmarks in plain sight around the downtown area that commemorate Brigham Young's life and family. Most famous is the statue of the man himself at 15 E. South Temple (teased by an old jingle that went: "There stands Brigham, high on his perch, with his hand to the bank and his back to the church."). There are markers at the northeast corner of South Temple and State denoting the establishment of a private school for Young's children; the Beehive House at 67 E. South Temple, where Young lived and worked beside many of his wives and children until his death; and the Eagle Gate (at the intersection of South Temple and State), which was originally a wooden arch and a 22-foot gate that closed off Young's home, gardens, school, barns, sheds and silkworm cocooneries at night.
Not only Young, but Mormon pioneers are also recognized with plaques throughout the city, starting in Pioneer Park (350 S. 350 West, SLC) where the first Latter-day Saint settlers built a fort and wintered after arriving in Utah.
Further west, a granite monument at the corner of 900 W. North Temple at the Utah State Fairpark marks the spot where the ill-fated Donner-Reed Party crossed the Jordan River in 1846 before heading out to California's Sierra Nevada range. There, they lost 36 of their party to cold and starvation while survivors resorted to cannibalism.
In the 1870s, the railroad split SLC into two sides—the west and the east. It was those railroad workers who originally settled in what was then called the Oakley Park area, later named Rose Park. In the 1940s-1950s, developers swooped in and built the brick cottages for returning World War II soldiers and their new families, with one-car garages, no dining rooms (except for a small area in the kitchen) and unfinished basements.
Even back then, "NIMBYs" didn't want developers to build affordable housing, but investors won out as the area was deemed blighted. This section of Salt Lake City along with the Fairpark area are just minutes away from downtown.
Today, with the addition of Trax stations, new apartment and townhome developments springing up in all directions and a thriving Mexican grocery store, the neighborhood is still affordable, with few properties selling over $500,000.
There's also the North Temple District (or NOTE District) that many see as the west entrance to downtown. It's home to one of the city's legendary Mexican eateries, the Red Iguana (736 W. North Temple, SLC).
Salt Lake neighborhoods like Westpointe, Poplar Grove, Glendale and tiny Swedetown that touch the boundaries of downtown are targets of developers looking to bulldoze aging housing inventory into newer apartments and townhomes in the near future.
Westpointe saw a sizable investment by city officials with the installation of a major outdoor soccer complex (2280 Rose Park Lane, SLC) with field rentals for youth and adults, and night games available as the fields can be lit for competition in the evenings. The Regional Athletic Complex reopens for the season on April 15 and is accepting applications for 2023 tournaments now (phone 801-972-7883 for more information).
Keep your eyes open for the Glendale Regional Park plans from SLC Public Lands for the former Raging Waters/Twin Peaks water park site. The city hopes to convert the property not only to a water park with a pool, splash pad and kayak rental/boat dock/ramp along the Jordan River, but also a community plaza with an event stage and lawn, picnic areas and riverside beach and boardwalk, all abilities playground, multi-use sports courts, dog park, sledding hill and places to wheel around.
Phase 1 construction is underway, with more amenities to open in the spring 2024.
Alta
Alta Mayor Roger Bourke
Alta.com
Alta population: Less than 300 permanent residents
Claim to fame: Home to Snowbird and Alta ski resorts.
Places to refuel: Alta: Collins Grill, Swen's Restaurant, Alf's Restaurant, Rustler Lodge Dining Room, Albion Grill. Snowbird: The Aerie
Not-to-miss festivals: Snowbird Oktoberfest (late August thru mid-October) and Wasatch Wildflower Festival
When you're at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon, it's easy to see the remnants of the glacial trough that carved this canyon during the last ice age. We know this area as the home of our famous ski resorts, but most folks pass right by the original quarry of quartz monzonite and granite that the pioneers mined to build many of our historical landmark buildings in the capital city.
Few know about the legendary vault on the north side of the canyon road owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that's used to store more than 2.4 million rolls of microfilm and 1 million microfiche ... about 3 billion pages of family history records! The vault is not open to the public, but the church has been digitizing its records since 1999 and makes them available through its FamilySearch website and Family History Centers.
It may also come as a surprise to learn about a second vault that's 2 miles farther up the canyon owned by a for-profit company called Perpetual Storage. This is also a maximum-security digital record vault deep in that solid granite mountain, said to be naturally disaster/flame-proof that will store your records for eternity (at a price). It's a nice backup to your laptop's cloud.
In the 19th century, Alta was home to thousands of residents who were either silver miners or else employed at saloons, restaurants, haberdasheries, hotels/boarding houses or by the railroad. The mining boom continued into the late 1800s when huge avalanches and fires put a kibosh on the local economy. Yet, Alta rose out of the ashes in the early 1900s once more, only to be dampened by the Great Depression. The first ski lift (Collins) was erected in 1938 from parts of a mining tram. It was the second chairlift in the U.S.
Ted Johnson, an employee of Alta, purchased a deed to the Blackjack mining claim located at the bottom of Peruvian Gulch. He met Texas oilman Richard "Dick" Bass in 1969 and suggested he come to Utah to see an investment possibility of a potential ski resort. Shall we say the rest is history? Alta incorporated in 1970. Snowbird opened in 1971 with three lifts and a tram along with the lodge and Snowbird Center.
For climbers, there are 529 identified climbs in Little Cottonwood Canyon, with the second most bouldering routes in Utah, from V0 to V16 in difficulty. For tree huggers, Albion Basin at the top of the canyon is world-renowned for its fabulous wildflowers during the summer and yummy brunches on the weekend at Alta Lodge.
Bluffdale
Bluffdale Mayor Natalie Hall
bluffdale.com
Bluffdale population: 18,835
Claim to Fame: The historic stomping ground for Orrin Porter Rockwell, bodyguard to Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. Today, it's home to the NSA data storage center that keeps tabs on us all!
Places to refuel: Toro Ramen and Sushi (14653 Porter Rockwell Blvd., Bluffdale)
Attractions: Wardle Fields Regional Park and Splash Pad—40 acres of playgrounds, water features and sports fields (14148 S. 2700 West, Bluffdale), Kids Topia (indoor playground, 14725 S. Porter Rockwell Blvd., Bluffdale).
Twenty miles south of Salt Lake City, the National Security Agency (NSA) built a data storage center to house approximately 1 million-plus square feet of sensitive information about God-knows-what at Camp Williams. Its purpose is to store people's mobile phone and internet use, but we don't really know its true mission. It supposedly cost $1.5 billion to erect and then another $2 billion for everything inside, and some say it's sucking Utah Lake dry to cool its computers. Some like to call it "Big Brother's Database" because of all the personal information it collects on all of us.
An early resident of the area was Orrin Porter Rockwell, who was friend and personal bodyguard to Joseph Smith and later bodyguard to Brigham Young. He became known as the "Destroying Angel of Mormondom." In 1858, Rockwell paid $500 for 16 acres of land near Point of the Mountain by the old Utah State Prison site. He built the Hot Springs Brewery and Hotel that included dining facilities, a stable and Pony Express station. Rockwell's statue is located at Porter Rockwell Boulevard and 14600 South.
For a short time, Bluffdale was known as Mousley after the first LDS bishop assigned here. Bluffdale residents enjoy outstanding mountain views and the use of numerous trails in and around the city, many of which follow established trails worn into the land by Native Tribes.
Cottonwood Heights
Cottonwood Heights Mayor Mike Weichers
cottonwoodheights.utah.gov
Cottonwood Heights population: 32,864
Claim to fame: "The City Between the Canyons"
Places to refuel: Market Street Grill & Oyster Bar (2985 E. Cottonwood Parkway, Cottonwood Heights), Sumac Café (2578 Bengal Blvd., Cottonwood Heights), Porcupine Grill (3698 E. Fort Union Blvd., Cottonwood Heights)
Newcomers don't know that we call the foothills, where some of Cottonwood Heights is located, "benches." In geomorphology, a bench is a long, narrow strip of relatively level or gently inclined land that is bounded by steeper slopes above and below it. Our benches are the remnants of the ancient Lake Bonneville shoreline that you can see on both sides of the Salt Lake Valley carved into the Wasatch and Oquirrh mountains. If you hike along the benches, you may find fossils such as trilobites from when the lake teemed with life.
Cottonwood Heights is one of the newer kids on the block, having incorporated as a city in 2005. If you're into outdoor activities, it's just a darned convenient place to live. Just off Interstate 215, the Cottonwood canyons—with their four ski resorts, Brighton, Solitude, Alta, Snowbird—are only a 20-minute drive (when there's no traffic). The city also offers shopping in the Fort Union area, dining at pubs and eateries, and options to live in a broad mix of housing types. The city is committed to finishing a multi-use trail along the full length of Big Cottonwood Creek within its borders in the next few years.
Locals remember the annual haunted house during Halloween at "the Old Mill." Originally built by the Deseret News, this abandoned stone structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. Here, workers made paper, using equipment that had been moved from the Sugar House Paper Mill. Logs from nearby canyons were ground up with old clothes to produce the paper for the news, but as the 19th century ended, railroads brought cheaper paper products from out of state. On April Fool's Day in 1892, a fire broke out in the mass stockpile of paper there. Locals thought the alarms were a joke and sadly the place burned to just the stone skeleton. It became a dance hall in 1927, and it hosted weekend concerts in the 1970s. It turned into a haunted-house attraction in the late '70s and early '80s but has been closed now for many years.
Daybreak
Daybreak is a master-planned community of South Jordan (Mayor Dawn R. Ramsey)
mydaybreakutah.com
Daybreak estimated 2022 population: 43,446
Places to refuel: Porch (11274 Kestrel Rise Road, South Jordan),
The Break Sports Grill (also 11274 Kestral Rise Road, South Jordan), Biscotts Bakery and Café (6172 W. Lake Ave., South Jordan), Karuwaa Nepali and Indian Cuisine (5462 W. Daybreak Parkway, South Jordan).
Attractions: Boat on or fish the manmade Oquirrh Lake. All homes are a 5-minute walk to bike trails, lakes, shopping and a water course coming this summer.
Only a few years ago, there were just farms, deer and antelope wandering along the hills of South Jordan. Then, in 2004, the Kennecott Land group (a subsidiary of Rio Tinto)—which owned the world's largest open-pit copper mine, located on the west bench of the Oquirrh Mountains—decided that they would shift gears and start building a colossal planned community of residential and commercial properties. When the development was first announced as the new "Harvard/Yale" neighborhood of the valley, both Realtors and locals were skeptical about what might be built. Yet, Kennecott picked a small group of builders to help plan and erect a city with a wide variety of housing inventory, from rental apartments to 55+ homes, and from condos to stand-alone houses and townhomes. Daybreak is always growing and evolving with fresh home styles and amenities, and residents here enjoy exciting features like a watercourse canal network and a bike park that will open this summer. The Salt Lake Bees baseball team will reportedly move to a new stadium in Daybreak in 2025. The Larry H. Miller Group, which now owns both the Daybreak development as well as the team, will provide this new sports and entertainment venue that the developers have been drooling over and residents have been craving.
Draper
Draper Mayor Troy Walker
draperutah.gov
Draper population: 51,749
Must-attend festival: Draper Days, July 7-15
Places to refuel: The Sauce Boss (877 E. 12300 South, Draper), The Cliff Dining Pub and Cultivate Craft Kitchen (12234 Draper Gate Drive, Draper), The Charleston Draper (1229 Pioneer Road, Draper).
Attractions: Loveland Living Planet Aquarium (12033 Lone Peak Parkway, Draper), Cowabunga Bay Waterpark (12047 S. State, Draper), Ikea—the only one in Utah (67 Ikea Way, Draper)
Ebenezer Brown was the first white man to settle in "Sivogah," a Native word for "willows." Soon after came his wife's brother, William Draper Jr. and his family of 15. The first post office stamp was "Draperville" and what was to become a fort (that was never built) is the site of the Draper Historical Park and Fort Street. Westbound Pony Express riders rode along State Street to their station south of the old Utah State Prison site where Orrin Porter Rockwell's Hot Springs Brewery Hotel stood from 1858 to 1868. The southeast side of Interstate 15 was known for its pig, egg and dairy farms, and, for decades, the area was the "egg basket" of Utah, producing the most eggs in the state for citizens and troops heading to the South Pacific during World War II. The farms were bought up by developers who turned them into new subdivisions in the 1990s. "Cranberry" sprang up and then, soon after, "South Mountain" with its public golf course, adding thousands of homes, apartments and condos along the south bench, almost up to the gravel pit at Point of the Mountain. Roads were expanded along the east side of the city so that commuters could live in Draper and work in Lehi but drive over the mountain through Alpine. There is still a scar of a 1,000-foot motorbike trail that went straight up the southwest mountain known during the 1960s to the 1980s as the "Widowmaker." Thousands of dirt bikers tried to get up the hill, but few made it. With more than 4,000 acres of open space and more than 100 miles of trails, Draper is the place to recreate and relax; it's great for families, hikers, bikers, runners and equestrians. The zoning still allows horse properties, and there are trails for people and their animals. The big news for Draper is the demolition of the state prison there, which will be replaced by a planned community called "The Point." There are five designs currently being studied and proposed for the 600 acres where the prison previously stood.
Herriman
Herriman Mayor Lorin Palmer
herriman.org
Herriman population: 58,198
Places to refuel: Garage Grill (4874 W. 12600 South, Herriman), The Salty Pineapple (3262S. 5600 West, Herriman), Redemption Bar & Grill (3517 W. Maradona Drive, Herriman)
Attractions: The Disney "Up House" (13218 S. Herriman Rose Blvd.—drive-by only), Blackridge Reservoir for swimming and paddle boarding (15000 Ashland Ridge Drive.)
This town was the site of an adobe fort built in the 1850s used to protect Mormon settlers from hostile Native Americans who weren't too pleased with the white interlopers, so they began stealing horses and cattle from the pioneers. There's a historic marker for the fort at 12685 S. 6000 West. The town was named after Henry Herriman, one of the settlers who arrived with Thomas Butterfield and John Stocking and their families. Each built a cabin and began farming. They carved a road into the hills in what is now called Butterfield Canyon. The canyon road, now owned by Kennecott Utah Copper, ends up at a wonderful recreation area with great vistas and wildlife, but it is closed seasonally from Nov. 1 to June 1. Watt Homes developed the first subdivision in Herriman, called Rose Creek Estates, with homes under 1 acre. Another private developer, James Sorenson, created Rosecrest, which was originally part of Bluffdale but, after legal action, became part of Herriman, increasing both the population and the tax base. The town became a city in 2001. Herriman has had to deal with flooding (many graves in the cemetery on Pioneer Street were washed up in 2014) and wildfires in the ample brush (the cause in 2010 was due to tracer bullets from the nearby National Guard base and, in 2018, it was due to fireworks).
Holladay
Holladay Mayor Robert M. Dahle
cityofholladay.com
Holladay population: 31,390
Places to refuel: Franck's (6263 Holladay Blvd., Holladay), Café Madrid (5244 Highland Drive, Holladay), Cotton Bottom Inn (2820 E. 6200 South, Holladay), Tuscany (2832 E. 6200 South, Holladay)
Must-attend festival: Blue Moon Festival, Aug. 26, 2023.
Attractions: Walter Frederick Morrison Disc Golf Course (1592 E. Murray Holladay Road)
John Holladay of Alabama was the leader of the Mississippi Company of Mormon pioneers. They arrived in the valley in 1847 and had an eye for water to irrigate hay and food crops for horses, cattle and people and to power grinding mills. The abundant stream from Mount Olympus was just what they were looking for, and so most of the company stayed and began farming at what was then known as Spring Creek (also the name of the water source)—and now called Kentucky Avenue. A fort was built but the Natives were passive, so it was not needed. You can see a plaque about this at Olympus Junior High (2217 E. 4800 South). It is thought to be the first pioneer village established outside of Salt Lake City and considered the longest continuously inhabited settlement in Utah (great trivia) because Salt Lake City was abandoned for a time in 1857 when Johnston's Army occupied the city. Many of the original settlers were asked by LDS leadership to establish communities further west, and so John Holladay and many friends moved to San Bernadino, California, just three years after they had come to Utah. Also, the second cemetery in the valley was located in the area of Holladay's Memorial Park. "Our Sweet 3-Year-Old Daughter" statue can be seen at 4900 S. Memory Lane in Holladay. Some consider Holladay a place of "old money" homes, as there are grand estates located on large parcels—some still with horses and barns attached. Walker Lane is one of the most prestigious streets to call home, but you'll have to pay multiple millions to live there.
Millcreek/Canyon Rim
Millcreek Mayor Jeff Silvestrini
millcreek.us
Millcreek population: 64,110
Places to refuel: Feldman's Deli (2005 E. 2700 South, Millcreek), Provisions (3364 S. 2300 East, Millcreek), Eggs in the City (2795 S. 2300 East, Millcreek), Koyo Japanese (2275 E. 3300 South, Millcreek), Roots Café (3474 S. 2300 East, Millcreek) and Log Haven (6451 Mill Creek Canyon Rd.)
Attractions: Parley's Historic Nature Park (aka Tanner Park) off-leash dog park (2700 E. 2740 South, Millcreek), Kol Ami's "Esther's Garden" at the Synagogue (2425 Heritage Way, Millcreek), Mill Creek Canyon (3800 Mill Creek Canyon Road—$5 user fee due when exiting canyon)
Millcreek/Canyon Rim is commemorated with two plaques at 2000 E. Stratford Ave. (2585 South) for the location of the largest gristmill in the Utah Territory. It operated between 1852-1857 and was shut down when Johnston's U.S. Army came to town in 1857. Like most mills, it was operated by a large water wheel, with water coming from Parley's Creek (east of Suicide Rock). The mill didn't last long, and later it became a cotton mill, followed by a woolen mill—until the whole works burned to the ground. The other plaque on Stratford highlights Parley P. Pratt's Toll Road. It was a new route through the canyon to haul fuel and timber nicknamed "The Golden Pass." It cost 75 cents for a "two-horse" outfit, 10 cents for each additional animal and a penny for each sheep. Thousands of Mormons, emigrants, gold seekers, Pony Express riders, stagecoaches and soldiers came through this pass into the valley between 1850-1869. Today, you can walk along the old byway when you take your dogs down the trail east into the canyon from Tanner Park. There are numerous historic plaques in and around Millcreek, which became an official city in 2016 and now boasts the largest outdoor ice rink in any city in Utah. Another rando site not to be missed is Evergreen Park (2230 E. Evergreen Ave. at 3435 South), where you'll find a monument recognizing the legacy of African-American pioneers. The first Black man to arrive in Utah was a trapper (James Beckwourth) for the Mountain Fur Co. in 1825. Soon afterward, in 1847, three Black male slaves came to the valley with the Orson Pratt (Parley Pratt's younger brother) group. Think of this area as an early "spaghetti bowl" for wagon traffic and immigrants that now offers great hiking for you (and your dogs). Parley's Hollow, for instance, has remnants of the sandstone aqueduct and the old railroad line that offered freight service to Sugar House, the old tollhouse, plus remains of Dudler's Inn and Wine Cellar.
Kearns
Kearns Mayor Kelly Bush
kmtutah.org
Kearns population: 36,747
Kearns' claim to fame: Utah Olympic Oval (5662 Cougar Lane, Kearns)
Places to refuel: Mom's (4090 W. 5415 South, Kearns), D & D Bakery (4655 W. 5415 South, Kearns), Acapulco (4722 S. 4015 West, Kearns)
Fun Stuff: La Rumba Night Club (4090 W. 5415 South, Kearns), Scales and Tails Petting Zoo (4944 W. 6200 South)
Unlike most Utah towns, Kearns didn't get its name from Native Americans who hunted the lands there or from Brigham Young. The metro township was named after Thomas Kearns, who came to Park City "with only 10 cents in his pocket and left a millionaire." Kearns helped develop Park City's Silver King Mine (known for high-grade silver, ore, copper and zinc) and went on to purchase The Salt Lake Tribune and also serve as a U.S. Senator. Kearns died in 1918 after being struck by a car at South Temple and Main Street. Up until 1942, Kearns was a sleepy little ag town of dry farms but then, the U.S. military needed an inland base to train pilots to fight in World War II. Rapid and large-scale construction created airplane runways, hangers, taxiways and several hundred temporary buildings to house the thousands of soldiers and airmen stationed there. Overnight, Kearns became one of Utah's largest cities, only for the base to be deactivated after the war in 1946. Luckily, developers saw that infrastructure—roads and utilities—were in place, and they began building homes like crazy for those returning from the war. Some original buildings exist today: the theater for "colored personnel" became part of Kearns Junior High, the base chapel is now part of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, and the base train station is a day-care center. The airfield of Kearns Army Base is now known as South Valley Regional Airport.
Magna
Magna Mayor Dan Peay
magna.utah.gov
Magna population: 29,268
Places to refuel: Brew Monkey Coffee House and Deli (3441 S. 8400 West, Magna), Pasifika Corned Beef Kitchen (8545 W. Magna Main St. next door to their wholesale meat company).
Attractions: Empress Theatre (9104 W. 2700 South, Magna), Great Salt Lake Marina (Exit 104, Interstate 80 West), Great Saltair, 12408 W. Saltair Drive, Magna)
What was the first settlement on the west side of the valley? Believe it or not, it was Coonville, named after Abraham Coon, the patriarch of one of several white families who settled there. He found timber in this area suitable for lumber, and was able to use a variety of oak tree bark to tan leather. In the 1860s, more settlers arrived and were attracted to fertile soil and water sources, and thus the farming community of Pleasant Green came into being. It later merged as the metro township of Magna (Latin for "great" or "superior"), which became the official name of the area when the first post office opened in 1917.
You can't talk about Magna without mentioning copper ore and how Magna became the smelting center for the mineral mined in Bingham Canyon. This huge mine, founded in 1903, produces about 1% of the world's copper. As one of the largest open-pit wonders of the world, it brought in an infusion of immigrant labor, with Greeks, Italians and Chinese seeking out the good-paying mining jobs.
Magna's historic Main Street is known for its buildings dating to the Copper Boom Town Era (1904-1929). Stop and shop at Colosimo's Original Standard Market (9009 W. 2700 South, Magna), where some of Utah's best sausages are made and sold. Italian immigrant Ralph Colosimo began making his meat products in the 1920s, selling them at first to his neighbors.
Midvale
Midvale Mayor Marcus Stevenson
midvalecity.org
Midvale population: 35,983
Places to refuel: Bohemian Brewery (94 E. 7200 South), 2 Row Brewing (6856 S. 300 West)
Attractions: Top Golf (920 Jordan River Blvd., Midvale), Midvale City Splash Pad (362 W. Center St., Midvale), Midvale City Museum (350 W. 7615 South. Midvale), Jordan River Parkway Trail (jordanrivercommission.com)
Located in the central part of the Salt Lake Valley, Midvale was a great place to settle and raise a family. The city is located on both sides of Interstate 80 and I-15 and includes the Fort Union, Bingham Junction and Jordan Bluffs areas as well. The Jordan River offered a source for irrigation for farms, and a railroad was built to transfer ore from Bingham Canyon mines. Five smelters in Midvale's Bingham Junction area (formerly the Sharon Steel site) processed lead and copper ore from the mines. The resulting slag caused toxic levels of heavy metals in the surrounding soils and groundwater. As such, Midvale became the first community in EPA Region 8 to be part of a Superfund Redevelopment Pilot Program. The dirt was scraped (in some areas, the top 12 inches) and hauled away. By 2008, enough remediation had been done for the EPA to give the greenlight for commercial and residential use of the site.
The oldest building in Midvale is the 20x15-foot Drown Log Cabin, built in 1866—back when most pioneers in the area were living in pit-houses dug out from the ground. The structure has been relocated twice and is now located by the pioneer cemetery at 7650 Lind Lane in Midvale.
You can win any local trivia contest by asking people: "Was there ever a 'fort' in Fort Union, and is it still there?" The answer is ... Yes, and yes! There's a marker by the flagpole smack in the middle of The Shops at Fort Union shopping mall (7188 Union Park Ave.) just down the street from the Pie Pizzeria. Built in 1853 out of adobe, the fort walls were 6-feet thick made with rock and clay—very eco smart—cool in the summer, easy to heat in the winter. The "union" of Fort Union was reportedly named after a suggestion by a schoolteacher to emphasize the unity existing among the Saints given the tight quarters they lived in. The now-mall and former-fort had 23 homes within its 12-foot-tall walls with an adjacent school building used as a church and amusement hall. Other trivia, for the win: Movie buffs love that parts of The Stand mini-series, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Meyers, Gentlemen Broncos and The Sandlot were filmed in downtown Midvale.
Murray
Murray Mayor Brett A. Hales
murray.utah.gov
Murray Population: 49,729
Places to refuel: Ice Haus (7 E. 4800 South, Murray), Left Fork Grill (68 W. 3900 South, Murray)
Attractions: Fashion Place Mall (6191 S. State, Murray), Wheeler Historic Farm (6351 S. 900 East, Murray), Desert Star Playhouse (4861 S. State, Murray), Murray City Arboretum in Murray Park (5051 Treetop Circle, Murray).
Named after Eli Murray—the governor of Utah Territory between 1880 and 1886—the town of Murray had been the seasonal home of Paiute, Ute, Shoshone, Goshute and Bannock Native American people. Artifacts of these groups have been found along stream beds including the area around Willow Pond Park. In the mid-1800s, laborers hauled granite from Little Cottonwood Canyon along what we know as Vine Street through rain, snow and ice to transport it to the downtown construction site of the Salt Lake Temple. The first building constructed outside of downtown Salt Lake City "for the purpose of religious and educational instruction" is marked with a monument at 225 Gordon Lane, opposite the intersection of 250 East. During the 1800s, the city had an opera house featuring some of the first electric lighting and steam heat in the valley; several bars owned by Harry Haynes, Salt Lake County's most prominent "saloon man"; and the historic Murray Theater, still standing at 4961 S. State.
Riverton
Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs
rivertonutah.gov
Riverton population: 45,148
Places to refuel: Salsa Leedos Mexican Grill (13298 S. Market Center Drive, Riverton), Saffron Circle (4594 W. Partridge Hill Lane, Riverton), Jim's Family Restaurant (1728 W. Park Ave. Redwood Road, Riverton)
Attractions: The Kinlands Farm and Market (11887 S. 4000 West, Riverton), Jordan River Parkway and Rotary Park Trailhead (12300 S. 973 West, Riverton)
The first residents (before the Saints) were the Yo No Indians, a Tribe that lived along the Jordan River. There were four forts erected along the waterway, but historians believe there wasn't a need for protection because the river was a well-used and successful commercial byway for trading of leather goods and furs, cattle, horses, sheep and the like for both whites and Natives. The area was originally called "Gardnerville," as the largest landowner at the time was Archibald Gardner (think Gardner Village). A plaque in Riverton Park (12255 S. 1500 West) shows a replica of the "Magnificent Dome Church," erected by the LDS Church in the late 1800s but razed in 1940 after just 30 years of use. Riverton's iconic Old Dome Meeting Hall at Riverton City Park was fashioned to look like the famous old ward meeting house that had been located nearby. Originally, there were also a brick kiln, molasses and flour mills, a harness shop and a dance hall built by local Daniel Densley. There was also a tithing yard (where church members brought their tithed increase in produce, grains and livestock to be weighed, stored and/or donated. Animals brought there would be butchered, sold and the money turned over to the general authorities of the church). A rail service by Salt Lake and Utah railroads brought commercial goods in and out of the area.
Sandy
Sandy Mayor Monica Zoltanski
sandy.utah.gov
Sandy population: 95,050
Sandy claim to fame: America First Field (76 W. Sego Lily Drive, Sandy), home stadium of MLS club Real Salt Lake
Places to refuel: La Caille (9565 S. Wasatch Drive, Sandy), Tiburon (8256 S. 700 East, Sandy), Fratelli Ristorante (8612 S. 1300 East, Sandy), Club 90 (9065 S. Monroe St., Sandy).
Attractions: Sandy Museum (8744 S. Center St., Sandy), K1 Speed Indoor Go Karts (725 E. 10600 South, Sandy), Hale Centre Theatre (9900 Monroe St., Sandy), Sandy Amphitheater (1245 E. 9400 South, Sandy) and Mountain America Expo Center (9575 S. State, Sandy)
As for how the town of Sandy got its name, some say Ol' Brigham named the town "Sandy" for its thirsty soil, and that after taking one of the first train rides from downtown Salt Lake to the area, he reportedly exclaimed "Sand! Sand! Everywhere sand! We'll call this place 'Sandy.'" Another theory is that it was named after a legendary and colorful Scotsman, Alexander "Sandy" Kinghorn, a sandy-bearded, red-haired train engineer for the Utah Southern Railroad, who hauled cargo and people to the southern end of Salt Lake Valley. Sandy boasts the private 18-hole Hidden Valley Country Club which opened in 1959. Home to suburban food chains and shopping malls such as The Shops at South Town (10450 S. State, Sandy), Sandy's America First Field hosts legions of soccer fans at RSL home games, and theater buffs flock to the family friendly Broadway shows at Hale Centre Theatre (aka Mountain America Performing Arts Centre).
South Jordan
South Jordan Mayor Dawn Ramsey
sjc.utah.gov
South Jordan Population: 80,139
Claims to fame: home of two Latter-day Saint temples and the master-planned community of Daybreak
Places to refuel: Saffron Valley Indian (10098 S. Jordan Parkway, South Jordan), and The Angry Korean—nominated for a James Beard Award—(11567 S. District Drive, South Jordan)
Attractions: Salt Lake County Equestrian Park (2100 W. 11400 South, South Jordan), Sri Ganesha Hindu Temple—open to the public (1142 S. Jordan Parkway, South Jordan), Mulligans Golf and Games (692 W. 10600 South, South Jordan), Airborne Trampoline Park (11617 S. Parkway Plaza Drive, South Jordan)
Founded by Mormon settlers in 1859, this area was historically used for farming (agriculture) by a variety of Native Americans and trappers. The early tribes were wise users of local plants, and as the pioneers descended en masse, the Saints needed help learning what crops would grow. Plus, the pioneers arrived very late the first year to harvest a crop. We've all heard the story about the Mormon crickets and how they laid waste to the Saints' very first plantings. Pioneers got some help from the Tribes who shared their knowledge of local foods. Sego lilies (Utah's state flower) were abundant and filling (they taste like a potato when boiled), redroot pigweed (Amaranth) may be a bitch of a weed to get rid of in your garden, but the entire plant is edible and used in tacos (Mexico) and in callaloo (Caribbean cuisine), as were common weeds such as goosefoot and lambsquarters (eaten like spinach). Camas bulbs (Kamas was named after this plant) could be made into a crude molasses, and there were many wild versions of strawberries, currants, ground cherries and chokecherries. Plus, there was burdock and dandelion. The ephedra plant, found all over the valley, has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for more than 5,000 years. It's also used to make Momon tea.
South Salt Lake
South Salt Lake Mayor Cherie Wood
sslc.gov
South Salt Lake population: 26,166
Claim to Fame: Home to Salt Lake Chinatown (3390 S. State, South Salt Lake), featuring authentic Asian eateries and an oversize Asian supermarket.
Must-see festival: Mural Fest 2023, May 1-13
Places to refuel: Level Crossing Brewing Co. (2496 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake), Grid City Beer Works (333 W. 2100 South, South Salt Lake) and Salt Fire Brewing (2199 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake)
Attractions: Brewery and distillery tours, Columbus Center Library (2531 S. 400 East, South Salt Lake).
How could you ever compare this suburb to New York's Central Park? Well, Jesse Fox Jr. developed this area around 1890 and named it "Central Park" after visiting the famous park in the Big Apple. He liked how NYC's park offered urban dwellers a place to escape the stresses of city life and thus the name stuck here until 1936. In 1937, voters decided to disincorporate Central Park and incorporate as South Salt Lake. Much of the grumbling had to do with the fact SSL didn't have a great sewer system, and to put in one would cost a fortune. Luckily, the Works Progress Administration (formerly known as the WPA, which created jobs across the country during the Great Depression) stepped in and designed a poop shoot system for $462,000. Today, South Salt Lake is on the rise, thanks to the vision of Mayor Wood and her administration. In 2017, industrial land was re-zoned for a mixed-use project known as The Crossing, located between State and Main just south of 2100 South. The project has so far brought in a WinCo grocery store and a new streetcar. Old industrial buildings have been purchased, renovated and re-occupied. The city's Creative Industries Zone has fostered the growth of breweries and distilleries and launched a nightlife scene. Their goal is to create a walkable/bikeable downtown for South Salt Lake.
Taylorsville
Taylorsville Mayor Kristie Overson
taylorsvilleut.gov
Taylorsville population: 59,242
Claim to Fame: Primary campus for Salt Lake Community College (4600 S. Redwood Road, Taylorsville)
Places to refuel: Red Maple Chinese (2882 W. 4700 South), Leatherby's Family Creamery (1872 W. 5400 South, Taylorsville), Chopfuku Sushi Bar and Asian Fusion (4546 S. 815 West, Taylorsville)
Must-go festival: Taylorsville Dayzz (June 22-24, 2023)
Attractions: Meadow Brook Golf Course (4197 S. 1300 West, Taylorsville), Doug's Shoot'n Sports—one of Utah's original gun stores (4926 S. Redwood Road, Taylorsville)
The first peoples who settled here after the last ice age ate mammoths, and evidence of this was discovered from artifacts of the Fremont and Ute peoples' campgrounds located along the river. The pioneers who showed up later were English Latter-day Saints—including the Harker family, followed by the Bennions. They planted wheat, corn, oats, alfalfa and sugar beets in those early years, only to lose them to those pesky Mormon crickets. The Utes were not happy with so much land under cultivation. Their frequent attacks caused the settlers to build two forts in the area. Originally this area was known as North Jordan and was made up of three communities: Taylorsville, Kearns and Bennion, which incorporated in 1996. Historians believe the town was named for John Taylor, third president of LDS Church and an original member of the Quorum of the Twelve before the Saints came to Utah. He was a wounded survivor of the mob attack that killed Joseph and Hyrum Smith. The most historic area of this city is around 665 Sunstone Road (4800 South), where a water-powered "burr mill" was erected in 1880 that was later converted into a roller mill, built by Archibald Gardner. Similar to a coffee/pepper grinder, a burr mill/burr grinder grinds wheat, corn and other grain grown by pioneers. The mill was operated by the Bennion family until it burned down in 1909, and a marker on the northeast corner of Sunstone Road commemorates it.
West Jordan
West Jordan Mayor Dirk Burton
wjhistory.org
West Jordan population: 116,541
Claim to fame: South Valley Regional Airport, Salt Lake Number 2 airport
Places to refuel: Archibald's Restaurant at Gardner Village (1100 W. 7800 South, West Jordan), Vegan Bowl (8672 S. Redwood Road, West Jordan), Red Basil Thai (1652 W. 9000 West, West Jordan)
Attractions: Jordan Landing Mall (7533 Plaza Center Drive, West Jordan), Conservation Garden Park—6 acres of waterwise exhibits (8215 S. 1300 West, West Jordan), Viridian County Library (8030 S. 1825 West, West Jordan)
Not surprising that this city got its name from religious folk pining for the Jordan River of Bible fame. Pioneers found the lazy river in 1848 flowing from Utah Lake ideal for wistful thoughts but also good for sawmills and the first leather tannery west of the Mississippi River—both of which used plenty of water to make their products. The original Gardner Mill, part of the Gardner Village Shopping Center, is a collection of restored buildings erected by the town's namesake, Archibald Gardner, in the mid-19th century. He would have been blown away to see how the area has grown, with a major retail center like Jordan Landing, Jordan Valley Medical Center and a campus of Salt Lake Community College, let alone an airport. The Apache and Black Hawk helicopters that train there are a far cry from Archie's horse-and-oxen herd that helped schlep goods along the dirt roads. If you're interested in more local charm, the West Jordan Historical Society opened a small museum at 7800 S. 2053 West in the city's main park (open by appointment), with one of Saltair's original carousel horses, tools once used by Gardner to build 31 different mills in the valley, an original soda fountain and more.
West Valley City
West Valley Mayor Karen Lang
wvc-ut.gov
West Valley City population: 139,110
Places to refuel: Tonkotsu Ramen Bar (1898 W. 3500 South, West Valley City), Fat Fish (1980 W. 3500 South, West Valley City), Lonestar Saloon (3153 W. 2100 South, West Valley City), The Westerner (3360 S. Redwood Road, West Valley City)
Attractions: Redwood Drive-In Theaters and Weekend Swap Meet (3688 S. Redwood Road, West Valley City), Maverik Center and Utah Grizzlies Hockey (3200 S. Decker Lake Drive, West Valley City), Usana Amphitheater (5150 Upper Ridge Road, West Valley City)
Archaeologists have found evidence of tribal communities living in the area as many as 3,000 years ago. When the pioneers arrived, there were Utes and Shoshones camping along the Jordan River. Joseph Harker and his wife, Susanna, were the first Latter-day Saints to plant their stake more than a hundred years before the town was incorporated in 1980. Settlers dug canals for irrigation from the river that allowed for large-scale farming. In the early 1900s, the interurban rail line from Magna to SLC was installed and the first paved roads and subsequent potholes opened up the area to faster transportation. And like many Utah towns, there was a need to provide clean culinary water and sewer lines. Granger and Hunter combined forces to improve infrastructure that then led to subdivisions for new post-war homes in the 1950s and the slow demise of larger farms. Drive by the great architectural and historical treasure here known as "Hawarden" House (4396 S. 3200 West, West Valley City), a stately representative of early 20th century residential architecture in what was then rural Utah. Ira Bennion built this home where eight of his 15 children were born. He helped build the cattle and sheep industry of the Intermountain West.
As Utah's second largest city, WVC boasts the Olympic ice hockey and concert venue that is the Maverik Center (also home to the Utah Grizzlies pro-hockey ECHL team). The Utah Cultural Celebration Center (1355 W. 3100 South, WVC), used for multi-cultural events, is also the pride of the city. The addition of the Usana Amphitheatre in 2003 gave residents a wonderful outdoor venue that seats 20,000 in chairs and on the lawn. This year's lineup includes Shania Twain, Matchbox Twenty, Nickelback, Pantera, Mastodon and Gojira, the Zac Brown Band and many more.
In 2010, West Valley City was labeled Utah's most ethnically diverse city, with 45% of its citizens considered minorities. Refugees from Southeast Asia came to the town after the Vietnam War, as did Pacific Islanders wanting to be closer to their Mormon "mecca." WVC is dotted with restaurants and bodegas representing cultural backgrounds of Somalia, the Middle East, Honduras, Peru and more.
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