Salt Lake City

About this city

Also known as: The Crossroads of the West, SLC

Commanding a spectacular metropolitan position on a vast dry lake basin bounded by the Great Salt Lake and the towering, snow-capped ridges of the Wasatch Range, Salt Lake City is Utah's capital, largest metropolis, and the global spiritual headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Founded in 1847 by Brigham Young and a group of Mormon pioneers seeking refuge, the highly planned city was laid out according to a scientific grid system radiating from the grand, multi-spired Salt Lake Temple. The arrival of transcontinental railroads transformed the city into a wealthy commercial and mining capital of the West. Today, Salt Lake City is a sophisticated global mega-city that successfully hosted the 2002 Winter Olympic Games and serves as the economic crown of the Silicon Slopes technology corridor. The contemporary landscape seamlessly pairs majestic granite temple towers and soaring glass skyscrapers with world-class performing arts, elite research universities, and instant transit access to eleven world-class alpine ski resorts.