SALT LAKE CITY

state capital and seat (1852) of Salt Lake County, north central Utah, U.S., on the Jordan River near the southeastern end of Great Salt Lake. The Wasatch-Cache National Forest (headquartered in the city) is to the east and north. The world capital of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), it influences the social, economic, political, and cultural life of the people in a 185,000-square-mile (480,000-square-kilometre) area in Utah and bordering regions in Idaho, Nevada, and Wyoming. Built on benches of ancient Lake Bonneville, the city (approximate elevation 4,400 feet ) lies at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains, which rise as high as 8,000 feet above the Salt Lake Valley floor. Founded in 1847 by Brigham Young and a band of 148 Mormons as a refuge from religious persecution, it was known as Great Salt Lake City until 1868. The city was laid out by Young according to Joseph Smith's plan for the city of Zion: 10-acre (4-hectare) blocks bounded by wide streets were grouped around the Temple block. Mormon immigrants from the East and Europe flocked to the New Jerusalem, the City of the Saints, in the Provisional State of Deseret (a Book of Mormon word interpreted as honeybee). After the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848), Utah passed to U.S. sovereignty and became a territory in 1850. Except for a brief period in 1858, Salt Lake City was the territorial capital from 1856 to 1896, when it was made the state capital. Conflicts between Mormons and U.S. officials led to the so-called Utah War of 185758, when General Albert Sidney Johnston's troops marched through the city to establish Camp Floyd west of Utah Lake. Social and religious conflict between Mormons and non-Mormons continued to influence the life of the city for a century. The opening of the mining industry (1862) and completion (1870) of the Utah Central Railroad, connecting Salt Lake City with the Union Pacific at Ogden, along with other rail connections, made the city a thriving hub of Western commerce. Now the commercial centre for nearby mining operations (copper, silver, lead, zinc, coal, and iron), it also has diversified manufactures, including computer and mining equipment, steel plate, petroleum, and textiles and is a trade, processing, and transportation centre for agricultural products of nearby irrigated farmlands. Educational institutions include the University of Utah (1850) and Westminster College (1875). Monuments and buildings include the Mormon Tabernacle (1867; famous for its choir), Temple (1893), and Seagull Monument (1913), all within Temple Square. Others include Beehive and Lion houses, residences for Brigham Young's families. Young's grave is on First Avenue. The State Capitol (1916), built of Utah granite and marble in Corinthian style, has an exhibition hall. Fort Douglas, on the outskirts, was founded in 1862. Inc. 1851. Pop. (1990) city, 159,928; Salt Lake CityOgden MSA, 1,072,227; (1994 est.) city, 171,849; (1995 est.) Salt Lake CityOgden MSA, 1,199,323.