SALT LAKE CITY
Population: 181,700 thousand people (2008)
Area: 285.9 sq. km
Time zone: UTC-7, summer UTC-6
Altitude: 1288 m
Nearest airport: Salt Lake City
In the northern part of Utah, on the southeast coast of the Great Salt Lake, is the largest city in the state and its capital – Salt Lake City. This city is not only the leading economic and cultural center of the region, but also the world capital of the “Mormons”. Here is their headquarters and the main temple. Salt Lake City is also a popular center for winter tourism. In 2002, the city hosted the XIX Winter Olympic Games. See Utah cities.
The surroundings of the Great Salt Lake are the original lands of the Payot, Shoshone and Ute Indian tribes. In 1847, the first white settlers came here – a group of Mormons led by their spiritual leader Brigham Young. According to legend, in search of a suitable place for a quiet life, the Mormons wandered around the Wild West for a long time. Arriving in the valley of the Great Salt Lake, Young exclaimed: “This is the place!” This is where the Mormons settled.
At first, the settlement was a staging post for pioneers and adventurers bound for California. Later, mining began to develop here. In 1896, Salt Lake City was assigned the status of the capital of Utah. Now it is a flourishing city in the middle of the semi-desert area of the lake and the surrounding mountains.
The oldest square in Salt Lake City is called Temple Square. This is the historic center of the city, where the main attractions of the capital of Utah are concentrated. The centerpiece is the main temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1847), which is restricted to the general public. From him came the name of the square. Nearby is the Mormon Tarbenacle (1867), where Mormon conferences met until 2000 and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir still performs regularly. Nearby is the Family History Library, the award-winning US Library Association, and the Brigham Young Monument. It is worth highlighting the memorial-museum “This is the place!”, which symbolizes the history of the founding of Salt Lake City and recreates the appearance of the first dwellings of the settlers.
The sights of Salt Lake City also include a botanical garden, public Liberty Park, as well as many Olympic venues. In addition, the Wasatch Mountains are home to popular world-class winter and ski resorts: Alta, Snowbird, Solitude. Salt Lake City has become a filming location for popular Hollywood films, including “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”, “Independence Day”, “Dumb and Dumber” and others.
PROVO
Population: 105,200 thousand people (2000)
Area: 108.2 sq. km
Founded: 1849
Time zone: UTC-7, summer UTC-6
Altitude: 1387 m
Nearest airport: Provo
According to itypetravel.com, Provo is one of the largest cities in Utah. Together with neighboring Orem, it forms the second largest metropolitan area in the state. Located on the eastern shore of Lake Utah in the central part of the state. On the territory of the city, the Provo River flows into the lake. The Wasatch Range rises to the east of the city, and Mount Wye (2,600 meters) dominates directly above the city.
The first white to reach the east coast of Utah Lake is thought to be the French-Canadian hunter Étienne Provost. He did this in 1825. But only in 1849, 33 Mormon families from Salt Lake City founded a new settlement here, called Fort Utah. A year later, the inhabitants decided to immortalize the pioneer hunter by giving the town and the local river his name.
Modern Provo is known as a major center of church education and a popular winter and mountain resort. In addition, many leading companies in the IT industry are located here. Forbes magazine ranked Provo 2nd among cities in the United States for ease of doing business and starting a career.
There are a lot of places in Provo that are reminiscent of Mormons. This is, first of all, Brigham Young University, which is patronized by the Mormon Church. This is the second largest private university in the United States (more than 30 thousand students) and the first among Christian universities. “Mormon” attractions include the tabernacle (in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this is a building used for chants, meetings, and conferences), the city’s temple, and the library building.
Provo is related to the 2002 Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City. The local Peaks Ice Arena hosted the hockey matches of the Olympic tournament. Significant sports arenas include the Marriott Center, within the walls of which, in addition to basketball games, some public events of the city are held. LaVell Edwards Stadium is the arena for football matches and the traditional fire show and fireworks on Independence Day.
The surroundings of Provo are rich in natural monuments. These are the Bridal Vale Falls, the Provo River Valley teeming with waterfalls, the Winita-Wasatch-Cashe National Forest, Rocky Canyon, Provo and Wye Peaks. There are many hiking trails and trails in the mountains and around the lake.