Nestled below the Wasatch mountain range, on the western branch of the Rocky Mountains, Salt Lake City rises out of a flat, 1,200m- (4,000ft-) high basin, its bright lights twinkling against the dark forested slopes. It is Utah’s largest city and one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States of America.
Barely 150 years ago, this land was remote, unwanted territory, visited only by roaming bands of Ute Indians. But when Brigham Young, leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), first set eyes on it, he declared: ‘This is the right place.’ Young had led a 148-strong group of Mormon pioneers halfway across America, in search of a place where they could practise their religion without persecution.
The Great Salt Lake basin was their Promised Land and they set about building their mother city in 1847. New Mormon emigrants flooded in and the town soon prospered as a supply stop for the California gold rush of 1849-50.
The story of those early years is a fascinating one, best discovered in Temple Square, which surrounds the historic Tabernacle and Temple and remains the heart of the city today. From here, the city spreads out in a perfect grid of square blocks of 14 hectares (35 acres), constructed to the precise plans of the Church’s founder, Joseph Smith. This pattern and the spacious streets (built 40m/132ft wide, so that a wagon team of four oxen could turn around) make the city easy to navigate.
Beyond Temple Square, the downtown area is an aggregate of historic sites, traditional architecture and modern commercial buildings. Much of its character stems from the early 20th century, when the State Capitol building and the grand Victorian homes of the Capitol Hill district were built.
The past 30 years have seen much renovation and investment in the downtown area, and Salt Lake City embraced the millennium with a new light-rail service that harks back to the electric trolley cars that once brought people into the city centre (they were phased out in 1941). A downtown revitalisation programme began in 2004, and plans are progressing to develop open-air retail and high-density community living for up to 9,000 residents.
Salt Lake City has good museums and cultural attractions, but outdoor recreation is perhaps a greater draw for visitors and natives alike. The city’s namesake, the Great Salt Lake, lies just to the west. Seven canyons snake up into the mountains from the city’s edges and many state and national parks, rivers, forests and recreation areas are within an easy day’s drive.
The dry, sunny climate (never too extreme) of hot summers and snowy winters is conducive to a variety of sports, including hiking, mountaineering, rafting, fishing, skiing and snowboarding.
Salt Lake City is the gateway to a number of top-quality ski resorts in the nearby mountains. This brought the city international recognition as host of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.