The Mormon pioneers who founded Salt Lake weren't necessarily looking for an outdoor recreation paradise. They saw the red-rock and granite cliffs that frame the city as a buffer zone between their religious utopia and the rest of the world. But their decision to build a city, high in Utah's Rocky Mountains, has helped to make Salt Lake one of the world's most naturally accessible cities.

With a population of 1.8 million, Salt Lake offers all the amenities of a major metropolitan area. More than 30,000 hotel rooms are within 90-minutes of the city's international airport, with 17,000 rooms in Salt Lake County and nearly 8,000 in the downtown area. Salt Lake is also home to hundreds of restaurants, bars, and clubs, a major convention facility and unique shopping districts including the Avenues, Sugarhouse, Gateway, Trolley Square, and Gardner Village.

International exposure during the Olympic Winter Games of 2002 helped to solidify Salt Lake's reputation as one of the brightest stars in the new American West. And the city's close proximity to natural recreation, highlighted by the Games, has created a lasting legacy for Salt Lake as a sophisticated urban/mountain retreat. Forests, lakes, streams, hiking trails and mountain bike paths are mere minutes from the city center. World-class skiing and snowboarding at ten major resorts, including Alta, Brighton, Snowbird, and Solitude, are less than an hour from the city center and airport.

Salt Lake's earliest inhabitants were the ancient Pueblo people / Anasazi Indians, who left the area in 1300 AD. Shoshone, Piute and Ute tribes traveled sporadically through the area, but there was no permanent settlement in Salt Lake until the mid-nineteenth century. On July 24, 1847, Mormon pioneers, (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) arrived seeking a religious refuge. Their leader, Brigham Young stated, "This is the right place!" During the next 22 years, 80,000 pioneers crossed the Great Plains to settle in the Rocky Mountains. The Mormon Church has played a major role in Salt Lake's history, and many current residents trace their roots to early pioneers.

When gold and silver were discovered in Salt Lake during the 1860s, the city became a magnet for prospectors. In 1869, the trans-continental railroad was completed 80 miles northwest of Salt Lake, bringing additional groups of settlers including thousands of Greek, Irish, German, and Chinese immigrants who worked on the railroad and in mountain mines. A century later, in the mid-1960s Salt Lake's citizens again looked to the mountains for gold - this time in the form of Olympic medals. Salt Lake continued to pursue the Games for more than 30 years and finally welcomed the world on February 8, 2002 in one of the most successful Olympics in history.

Strong economic growth during the past 20 years encouraged thousands of 21st Century pioneers to relocate to Salt Lake and build their own lives in the Rocky Mountains. Modern settlers are more likely to be young, outdoor-minded professionals, attracted to close mountain recreation. Today, Salt Lake is a diverse community embracing a wide spectrum of religious, cultural, and ethnic groups. ###

Media Contact: Jason Mathis +1 801-534-4913 jason@saltlake.org