Kellin Mathews: February 2014

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Interesting Facts About Salt Lake County

In the early 20th century the pollution in Salt Lake City was so bad that the city had to create a Smoke Department to help control pollution. Inversions are still a problem today.

In 1983 City Creek flooded and State Street became a temporary "river".

In the early 1970s a huge copper pit mine "ate" the town of Bingham.

Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Olympic Games in 2002 and the snow in this area is often called the "best snow on earth".

Salt Lake County is the most populated county in the state of Utah.

Salt Lake County sits on the Wasatch Fault line which is predicted to produce a large magnitude earthquake that could cause extensive damage.

The Mormon religion is the largest religion in the County with 56% of the population being Mormon.

Agriculture and Manufacturing in Salt Lake County

Farming is a big part of the agriculture in Salt Lake County. The largest crops grown in Salt Lake County include alfalfa, hay and barley. Animals are also a big part of the agriculture in Salt Lake County and the most common farm animals raised are cows for beef and milk and sheep.
Manufacturing of goods is an important part of the ecomony in Salt Lake County. "Manufacturing is the fifth largest industry in Utah, employing more than 129,000 people statewide. More than 43 percent of all manufacturing jobs are in Salt Lake County. Salt Lake's location makes it an ideal place to manufacture and ship to most western markets" (www.slco.org). Items and goods maunfactured in Salt Lake County include petroleum products, electronics, and missiles.

History of Salt Lake County

The city was founded in 1847 by Brigham Young, Isaac Morley, George Washington Bradley and several other Mormon followers. Because it is close to the Great Salt Lake, the city was originally named "Great Salt Lake City" but the word "great" was dropped from the official name in 1868.