Salt Lake City is situated on the Jordan River and near the Great Salt Lake. The settlement was founded in 1847 by Brigham Young as the capital of the Mormon community.

The largest city in Utah, Salt lake's major industries include food processing, oil refining, iron smelting and the production of electronic equipment. The mining of silver, lead, copper, coal, zinc and iron ore is also an important source of income. Important buildings include the Mormon Temple, the Mormon Tabernacle, Cathedral of the Madeleine, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Conference Center.

The population of Salt Lake City has grown from 163,000 in 1980 to 181,700 in 2000. Latest census returns indicate that 79.2 per cent of the population is white with the next largest group being Asian (3.6 per cent).