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Salt Lake City Travel Guide - Travel S Helper

Salt Lake City

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Salt Lake City, also abbreviated as Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous municipality in the United States of America’s state of Utah. With a 2014 population estimate of 190,884, the city is located in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,153,340. (2014 estimate). Additionally, Salt Lake City is a part of a larger metropolitan area known as the Salt Lake City-Ogden-Provo Combined Statistical Area. This area is a continuous corridor of urban and suburban growth that stretches for roughly 120 miles (190 kilometers) along the Wasatch Front, with a total population of 2,423,912 as of 2014. It is one of the Great Basin’s only two major metropolitan centres (the other being Reno, Nevada), and the biggest in the Intermountain West.

Brigham Young, Isaac Morley, George Washington Bradley, and countless other Mormon followers built the city in 1847, substantially irrigating and cultivating the desert valley. The city was originally titled “Great Salt Lake City” due to its closeness to the Great Salt Lake—the term “great” was omitted from the official name in 1868 by the 17th Utah Territorial Legislature. Salt Lake City, which is home to the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and Temple Square, was traditionally regarded as a sacred city by LDS members; Brigham Young referred to it as a “Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.” However, fewer than half of Salt Lake City’s population is now a member of the LDS Church.

Economic expansion was first fueled by immigration of foreign LDS members, mining booms, and the building of the first transcontinental railroad, earning the city the moniker the Crossroads of the West. The Lincoln Roadway, the first transcontinental highway, passed through the city in 1913, and two major cross-country highways, I-15 and I-80, meet in the city today. Salt Lake City has subsequently grown a sizable outdoor recreation tourism business centered on skiing and hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics. It is the United States’ industrial banking hub.

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Salt Lake City | Introduction

Salt Lake City – Info Card

POPULATION : • City 186,440
• Estimate (2013) 191,180
• Urban 1,021,243 (US: 42nd)
• Metro 1,153,340 (US: 48th)
• CSA 2,467,709 (US: 23rd)
FOUNDED : 
TIME ZONE : • Time zone Mountain (UTC-7)
• Summer (DST) Mountain (UTC-6)
LANGUAGE :  English
RELIGION :
AREA : • City 285.9 km2 (110.4 sq mi)
• Land 282.5 km2 (109.1 sq mi)
• Water 3.3 km2 (1.3 sq mi)
ELEVATION :   1,288 m (4,226 ft)
COORDINATES :  40°45′0″N 111°53′0″W
SEX RATIO :
ETHNIC :  White 75.1%
—Non-Hispanic 65.6%
Black or African American 2.7%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 22.3%
Asian 4.4%
AREA CODE :  385, 801
POSTAL CODE : 84101-84128, 84130-84134, 84136, 84138-84139, 84141, 84143-84145, 84147-84148, 84150-84152, 84157-84158, 84165, 84170-84171, 84180, 84184, 84189-84190, 84199
DIALING CODE :  +1 385
WEBSITE :   Salt Lake City

Tourism in Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City’s climate is quite seasonal. Summers are lengthy, hot, and dry; winters are harsh and snowy; and autumn and spring are shorter and distinguished by vexing temperature inconsistency. Precipitation is insignificant, averaging about 14-20 inches (350–500 mm) per year in liquid water, however most of it falls as light, fluffy snow that may accumulate several inches high. Annual snowfall ranges between 50 and 80 inches (125–200 cm).

Winter (mid-November to early March): Winter brings inclement weather to Salt Lake City, and tourism during this time period is primarily centered on utilizing the city as a base for visiting adjacent ski resorts. Temperatures range from 25°F and 50°F (-4°C and 10°C) throughout the day. Overnight lows are often below freezing, and on rare instances may go below 0°F (-18°C). While snow is prevalent, major blizzards are almost non-existent, and it is very uncommon for a storm to dump enough snow to close or paralyze the city. Light snow is dealt with on a regular basis, and the city continues to run normally. Due to the city’s mountainous nature, snowfall varies significantly across communities, with higher altitudes receiving far more snow than lower ones. The distinction is so stark that local weather reports often include separate snow forecasts for the benches and the valley floor.

While the snow may be inconvenient for tourists, the worst aspect of winter in the Salt Lake Valley is a phenomenon called an inversion, in which cold, dense air is trapped between the mountains and stagnates for days or even weeks at a time, accumulating pollutants. This results in some of the worst air quality in the United States, which is only cleaned up by the following storm.

Spring (early March to late May): Spring in Salt Lake City is generally moderate, but it is also the windiest and wettest time of year, and it may be difficult to determine when the last blizzard has passed, even weeks after the ground accumulation has melted away. Springtime high temperatures ranging from roughly 45°F to 80°F (7-27°C). Low temperatures are normally pleasant, however they may go below zero once or twice in April. Although spring is the wettest season, Salt Lake City is still relatively dry in comparison to many cities in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and New England areas. Rainstorms will be primarily mild to moderate in intensity, with many lasting just a few minutes. Sunny spring days, which are pretty typical, deliver some of the most pleasant weather that Salt Lake City has to offer at any time of year. This is true mostly for the valley, since the mountain snowpack will not melt until late May or June, thereby prohibiting outdoor activities like as camping and trekking until the summer. The ski resorts surrounding Salt Lake City will remain open during the spring, with the majority remaining open until mid-April and Snowbird remaining open even longer.

Summer (late May to mid-September): Summers are long, hot, and dry in Salt Lake City. Daily maximum temperatures vary between 80°F and 105°F (27-41°C) throughout this season. The humidity level is low, and the evenings are warm, if not hot. Although summer is a fairly dry season in this part of the world, major Pacific storms can make landfall in the city as late as early June, extending the rainy season and keeping temperatures a little lower. Mid-June through early July, in particular, is clear, dry, and sun-baked. From mid-July through mid-September, the monsoon strikes northern Utah, bringing nighttime thunderstorms to the Salt Lake region on a fairly regular basis. Although these thunderstorms are often brief in duration, they may sometimes deliver significant hail to lowlands and considerably harsher rain and hail to the mountains. If you can escape these thunderstorms, summer in the highlands is an excellent season for outdoor activities. Temperatures are lower in the mountains and may be rather pleasant even during the lowlands’ greatest heat waves.

Autumn (mid-September to mid-November): Autumn in Salt Lake City is a pleasant season to come. It is often warmer and drier than spring, with daily temperatures ranging from 45°F to 80°F (7-27°C). Pacific storms begin to make landfall in the region in mid-October, although they are not very regular. While storms may resume snowfall in the mountains, the snowpack does not typically begin to accumulate until November or December. The first light snowfall and freezing nighttime temperatures in the valley may occur as early as October, and by mid- to late November, snowfall and freezing temperatures must be anticipated. The leaves on the trees in the mountains peak in magnificent color around mid-to-late September, and in the valleys a month or two later.

Geography of Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City is 110.4 square miles (286 km2) in size and has an average elevation of 4,327 feet (1,319 m) above sea level. Within the city limits, the lowest point is 4,210 feet (1,280 m) along the Jordan River and Great Salt Lake, and the highest point is Grandview Peak, which stands at 9,410 feet (2,868 m).

The city is situated in the northeast corner of the Salt Lake Valley, bounded on the northwest by the Great Salt Lake and on the east and west by the rugged Wasatch and Oquirrh mountain ranges. Its surrounding mountains have multiple tiny gorges created by glaciers and streams. Among these canyons, the eastern city borders are bounded by City Creek, Emigration, Millcreek, and Parley’s.

Salt Lake City’s growing population and surrounding metropolitan region, along with its geographical location, have resulted in air quality being a primary issue for the citizenry. During the winter, the Wasatch Front is vulnerable to significant temperature inversions, which trap pollutants and degrade air quality. When pollution levels surpass federal safety requirements, the Utah Division of Air Quality regularly monitors air quality and sends notifications for voluntary and obligatory measures. Protests have taken place outside the Utah State Capitol, and Democratic legislators have presented legislation to make public transit free between January and July, when air quality is often the worst. By 2040, the Salt Lake City metropolitan area’s population is expected to quadruple, placing further strain on the region’s air quality.

Salt Lake City is isolated from the Great Salt Lake by large marshlands and mudflats. Two to three times a year, for a few hours, the metabolic processes of bacteria in the lake produce a phenomena known as “lake stink,” a stench similar of bad fowl eggs. The Jordan River runs through the city and provides a drainage system for Utah Lake, emphasizing its connection with the Great Salt Lake.

Twin Peaks, at 11,330 feet, is the tallest peak visible from Salt Lake City (3454 m). Twin Peaks is located in the Wasatch Range southeast of Salt Lake City. The Wasatch Fault runs along the western base of the Wasatch Mountains and is regarded to be at high risk of causing an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 or more. Catastrophic devastation is expected in the case of an earthquake, with the majority of the damage caused by liquefaction of the clay and sand-based soils and the possibility of permanent flooding of areas of the city by the Great Salt Lake.

The Oquirrhs are the second-highest mountain range, reaching a maximum elevation of 10,620 feet (3,237 m) at Flat Top. To the south, the Traverse Mountains rise to 6,000 feet (1,830 m), almost completely linking the Wasatch and Oquirrh Mountains. The mountains around Salt Lake City are plainly visible from the city and include significant vertical relief generated by huge ancient earthquakes, with a maximum elevation difference of 7,099 feet (2164 m) reached by Twin Peaks’ ascent from the Salt Lake Valley level.

The Salt Lake Valley bottom is a remnant of the old Lake Bonneville, which existed at the conclusion of the last Ice Age. Numerous shorelines of Lake Bonneville may be seen clearly on the slopes or benches of adjacent mountains.

Economy of Salt Lake City

Historically known as the “Crossroads of the West” due to its railroads, Salt Lake City’s modern economy is service-oriented. With Silver King Coalition Mines, Geneva Steel, Bingham Canyon Mine, and oil refineries nearby, Salt Lake City’s nearby steel, mining, and railroad operations provided a strong source of income. Government, commerce, transportation, utilities, and professional and commercial services are the city’s primary industries today. Without visitors or students, Salt Lake City’s daily population grows to almost 315,000 people.

Local, state, and federal agencies all have a substantial presence in the city, as do commerce, transportation, and utilities, with the largest employer being the Delta hub at Salt Lake City International Airport. Professional and commercial services are also prominent, while health care and health educational services are big employers, including Intermountain Healthcare, the Intermountain West’s largest health care provider. Additionally, the University of Utah, Sinclair Oil Corporation, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are significant employers.

Apart from its core headquarters, the LDS Church owns and maintains a for-profit business, Desert Management Corporation, and its subsidiaries, all of which are based in the city.

One Fortune 500 business, Huntsman Corporation, and two Fortune 1000 companies, Zions Bancorporation and Questar Corporation, are headquartered in Salt Lake City. Additionally, AlphaGraphics, Sinclair Oil Corporation, Smith’s Food and Drug (acquired by big supermarket Kroger), MonaVie, Myriad Genetics, and Vehix.com have their headquarters in the city. Arctic Circle Restaurants, FranklinCovey, and Overstock.com are all notable companies situated in surrounding cities within the metropolitan region. Metropolitan Salt Lake was also the home of American Stores, the Skaggs Companies, and ZCMI, one of the country’s earliest department stores; it is now owned by Macy’s, Inc. Former ZCMI locations are currently operated by Macy’s. Adobe, ColcaSac, eBay, Unisys, Siebel, Micron, L-3 Communications, Telarus, and 3M are among the high-tech companies having a strong presence in the suburbs. In Salt Lake City, Goldman Sachs has the second largest presence.

Tourism, conferences, and huge suburban call centers are other economic drivers. Since the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, tourism has expanded, and several hotels and restaurants have been developed in preparation for the festivities. Since the late 1990s, the convention business has developed, with the Salt Palace conference center hosting trade exhibitions and conventions such as the annual Outdoor Retailers gathering and Novell’s annual BrainShare event.

Downtown Salt Lake City’s commercial real estate continues to be modernized. 111 Main, a 440,542-square-foot Class A office skyscraper, is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2016. Additionally, the downtown area will see the construction of the 2,500-seat George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Theater, as well as a mixed-use retail and boutique hotel along Regent Street.

Internet, Communication in Salt Lake City

Downtown is quite well served by a variety of free WiFi hotspots provided by local eateries and hotels.

Salt Lake City and the majority of the surrounding metropolitan areas are covered by an area code overlay in which the 385 and 801 area codes overlap. This implies that even a local call requires a minimum of 10 numbers. Despite the fact that the transition to ten-digit dialing began in 2008, several companies continue to promote their phone numbers using just seven digits. Almost usually, the older 801 code is omitted in these instances.

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