Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City Community Profile

Since its settlement in 1847 by Mormon pioneers, Salt Lake City has preserved a steady reputation as the tranquil, cloistered hub of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The downtown area is conspicuously marked by the church’s most iconic temple–which, castle-like and grand, was built in 1893 out of solid granite pulled straight from the nearby Wasatch Mountains–and the famous “Temple Square” area makes for a clear historic center of the city.

For over a century the city remained somewhat under-the-radar, experiencing occasional notoriety for its distinct culture and its world-class skiing, but in recent years the downtown area has experienced an unprecedented boom. Following the lead of cities like Austin, Denver, Seattle and San Francisco, Salt Lake City has invested in its infrastructure while cashing in on its natural assets. The state of Utah has unparalleled access to stunning outdoor recreation opportunities, but the capital city in particular boasts a location nestled neatly at the feet of the Wasatch Mountain Range. Here, world-class hiking, skiing, mountain biking and scenery are never more than twenty-five minutes away.

Beautiful scenery alone does not a bustling city make, but Salt Lake has a lot more than that going for it. As Patrick Sisson of Property Lines noted: “It’s a proven formula for real estate success: Combine a thriving tech scene and downtown development with enviable access to nature, and residential property will boom.”

Salt Lake City is currently enjoying the early stages of that boom, and by 2020 they’ll have a $3.6 billion airport renovation to support it. The state’s population already grew 9 percent between 2013 and 2018 and Realtor.com named Salt Lake one of 2018’s hottest markets, predicting a 4.5 percent increase in home sales.

In short, there’s something to that formula. Goldman Sachs recently opened their second-largest US office right in downtown Salt Lake City, and big tech names such as Adobe, Twitter, and Electronic Arts also have Salt Lake hubs. Playing off of the Rocky-Mountain take on San Francisco’s tech boom, the area has been appropriately dubbed “Silicon Slopes.”

The rapidly-growing tech economy is not only evolving the skyline of the city, but the culture as well. College graduates, who once quickly relocated to cities like Denver and San Francisco, are beginning to put down roots in Salt Lake City. They can now find in downtown SLC the same energy and amenities they would have relocated for just a few years ago: The addition of City Creek Center in the heart of downtown has revitalized the restaurant and bar scene, and the relatively low cost of living has made this small, unconventional city an attractive alternative to larger, more expensive hubs. Salt Lake isn’t the sleepy city it used to be, but it’s managing to preserve its native charm through the boom.

Salt Lake City School District

If you are interested in learning about the Salt Lake School District, please click here.

History

Salt Lake City was settled by a group of Mormon pioneers in July of 1847, who put down firm roots in an area historically inhabited by various Native nations. Before, during, and since its settlement, the area now known as Salt Lake City has been the backdrop of a rich history that includes being home to prehistoric dinosaur species, Native American tribes (including Utah’s namesake Ute tribe), cowboys, frontiersmen, gold rush prospectors, transcontinental railroad workers, and the religious minority who eventually settled and imbued it with a heritage all its own.

Its more modern history has seen Salt Lake become a burgeoning and uniquely American city: it was the home of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, and boasts a world-class outdoor recreation scene that supplements a unique and ever-changing culture. Utah used to be known mostly for its religious heritage and its staggering mountains, but today is one of the country’s hottest real estate markets thanks to a budding infrastructure and impressive tech boom.