Salt Lake City, Utah
If you’ve never considered moving to Salt Lake City, Utah, perhaps some facts about the city that hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics might change your mind. For starters, Salt Lake City topped Forbes.com’s ranking of the “Best Cities for Jobs in 2008,” partly due to the city’s low unemployment and consistent job and income growth, More recently, Salt Lake City ranked fifth in Kiplinger magazine’s “Best Cities of 2010: For the Next Decade,” based on the city’s low cost of living and doing business and the University of Utah’s research accomplishments. The healthy economy is not the only draw for people moving to Salt Lake City. Nestled in the picturesque mountain valley between the Wasatch Mountains on the east and the Great Salt Lake on the west, Salt Lake City boasts pristine running, hiking and mountain biking trails and some of the country’s best ski resorts.
Economy:
Originally a farming and mining community, Salt Lake City has diversified to become the government, commercial and industrial center for Utah. As the center of banking and finance in the region, Salt Lake City has a large concentration of branch offices of national banking institutions. Employment is highest in the services industry, followed by government sector, and then by the trade, transportation and utilities sectors. Salt Lake City has a young, highly educated labor force with a strong work ethic. The University of Utah’s research endeavors in genetics, health sciences and business incubation give the city’s economy a major boost. With Businessweek.com ranking Salt Lake City as the 21st Best City for New College Graduates, moving to Salt Lake City would be a smart move for those who have recently earned their college diploma.
History:
Salt Lake City was founded in July 1847 by Brigham Young and his followers, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), also called the Mormon Church. The Mormons had come to the place to seek refuge from the persecution they had faced in the East. In 1853, construction of the Salt Lake City Temple started, with the endeavor taking 40 years to complete. The Mormon pioneers filed a petition in 1849 to be recognized as a state called Deseret. The U.S. Congress denied the petition and subsequently established the Utah Territory. Salt Lake City became the territorial capital in 1858. The completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869 sparked the rapid growth of the city’s trade, business and population. The mining and smelting industries also prospered with the arrival of the railroad, making Salt Lake City the hub for thriving mining districts in the area. The economy stagnated in the 1920s and 1930s, but was revived by New Deal programs and war-related industries. The economy diversified into the travel and leisure and high-technology industries to reduce its dependence on mining and farming. Salt Lake City attracted unprecedented global attention when it played host to the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Tourism:
What’s the best part about moving to Salt Lake City? The ski resorts! Getting to any one of the eight world-class ski resorts, including the Utah Olympic Park, takes no more than 40 minutes by car from downtown Salt Lake City. If skiing’s not your thing, you can go on a guided hiking, mountain biking or backcountry adventure in the magnificent snow-capped Wasatch Front. Are you more fascinated by arts and culture than Nordic sports? Then the Tabernacle on Temple Square should top your itinerary. Home to the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the sacred structure features an acoustically sensitive dome-shaped auditorium and a magnificent pipe organ with 11,623 pipes. With all of these exciting activities, it's no wonder why so many Salt Lake City movers are so busy.
Colleges/Universities:
• The University of Utah
• Westminster College of Salt Lake City
• LDS Business College
Interesting Facts:
• Next to the Dead Sea, the Great Salt Lake is the second largest inland body of salt water in the world.
• The Salt Lake Temple of the LDS Church took 40 years to build.
• Salt Lake City has the highest per-capita consumption of Jell-O in the U.S.
• In Salt Lake City, it is illegal to carry an unwrapped ukulele on the street.
Helpful Links:
• Salt Lake City Real Estate
• Salt Lake City Storage Facility
• Salt Lake City Insurance
• Salt Lake City Dental Offices
• Salt Lake City Moving Guide