West Jordan, Utah
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
West Jordan is a city and a suburb of Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2000 Census, the city had a population of 68,336; by 2005, West Jordan had an estimated population of 91,444, placing it as the fourth most populated in the state.
The city occupies the southwest end of the Salt Lake Valley at an elevation of 4,330 feet (1,320 m). The valley is surrounded by mountains that rise dramatically to an elevation of 11,752 feet (3,582 m). Named after the nearby Jordan River, the limits of the city begin on the river's western bank and end in the eastern foothills of the Oquirrh Mountains, where Kennecott Copper Mine, the world's largest man-made excavation, is located.
Settled by Mormons in the mid-19th century, mainly to provide natural resources and military defenses for Salt Lake City, the city has developed into its own regional center in the 21st century. Currently the city has four major retail centers; Jordan Landing is one of the largest mixed-use planned developments in the Intermountain West [1].
Companies headquartered in West Jordan include Wasatch Software, Cyprus Credit Union, Mountain America Credit Union, and Dunford Bakeries. Corporations with regional centers in the city are Sysco, Kraftmaid, Balkamp, Fairchild Semiconductor, and Dannon Yogurt Company. West Jordan is the base of the Utah Army National Guard and home to the state's second-largest courthouse. The city has one major hospital, Jordan Valley, and a campus of Salt Lake Community College, which is planned to become the main campus upon completion in 2020.
City landmarks include the historic Sugar Factory, built in 1916, Gardner Village, established in 1850, and Salt Lake City Municipal 2 Airport, commonly referred to as "Airport #2", Salt Lake County's regional airport for smaller passenger planes.
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[edit] History
West Jordan received its name from Mormon settlers who entered the Salt Lake Valley in 1847 under the leadership of their prophet, Brigham Young. These first European-Americans thought of the area to be their Zion, or Holy Land, and thus named the river flowing west of their first settlement, Salt Lake City, the Western Jordan, a nod to the River Jordan in Palestine. The name was later simplified to "Jordan River". Like its Middle Eastern namesake, the Jordan River flows from a fresh water lake (Utah Lake) to an inland salt sea (Great Salt Lake). West Jordan was founded around 1849 on the western banks of the Jordan River.
One of the first sawmills in the area was built in 1850 in the city by Archibald Gardner. Archibald Gardner was a devout Mormon whose legacy can still be seen in modern West Jordan. His collection of now historic mills and houses have been renovated into a specialty shopping district known as Gardner Village.
Early West Jordan relied primarily on agriculture, mills, and mining activity to form the base of its economy. The first leather tannery west of the Mississippi River was constructed in the city in 1851.
Today, West Jordan is one of the fastest growing cities in Utah. Growth has been phenomenal, beginning in the 1970s and continuing unabated since. The population grew from 4,221 in 1970 to 27,327 in 1980, 42,892 in 1990, and 68,336 in 2000, reaching 89,011 according to 2004 Census estimates. Sears chose the city as its first Sears Grand location, a new store concept, which opened its doors in 2003 at the Jordan Landing shopping center. Transportation issues along with school overcrowding are the city’s top concerns as it attempts to deal with rapid population growth.
Current major construction projects include the completion of Jordan Landing, a new main campus for the Salt Lake Community College, the expansion of Jordan Valley Hospital, and Midvale's current transit-oriented development on the east border in the Jordan River bed. Future plans for the city include the Mountain View Corridor freeway and the "Mid-Jordan" UTA TRAX light rail line.
Old downtown West Jordan is planned to be reconstructed as a transit-oriented development and called "Briarwood". The plans call for an expanded Main Park, a history museum, conversion of the Sugar Factory into a playhouse, an indoor recreation center, a senior center, and a large courthouse to serve the Utah State Third District. The second phase calls for the demolition of a dilapidated commercial area, to be replaced by six-story buildings housing a performing arts center, a large library, a hotel, an education center, a conference center, retail and office space, a trail linking to Gardner Village and the Jordan River trail, and a cultural pavilion to house the planned light rail station. [2]
[edit] Geography
West Jordan is located at (40.606385, -111.976217)GR1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 80.0 km² (30.9 mi²), all land.
West Jordan is bordered on the west by the Oquirrh Mountains and on the east by the Jordan River. The western neighborhoods of Welby, Copper Hills, and Jordan Hills are rapidly-growing regions located along the lower slopes of the eastern Oquirrh Mountains. The fastest development is currently taking place between 4800 West and Utah State Route 111, a highway that traverses the slopes of the Oquirrh Mountains.
The city lies approximately 18 miles southwest of downtown Salt Lake City. The city is bordered on the north by Taylorsville and Kearns, on the south by South Jordan, on the east by Sandy, Murray and Midvale, on the west by Copperton, and on the extreme northwestern corner by West Valley City.
[edit] Transportation
Interstate 15, a ten-lane freeway, is located east of the city limits, providing access from the north and south, while Interstate 215, an eight-lane beltway, is located northeast of the city. Bangerter Highway (Utah State Route 154), an expressway, traverses the center of the city, just east of Airport #2 and the Jordan Landing shopping center. A ten-lane freeway in the Mountain View Corridor is planned to have three exits in the city and run north-south at 5600 West. The road is currently undergoing environmental review and no date for completion has been set.
New Bingham Highway, mostly a four-lane road, begins as 7720 South at State Street (U.S. Route 89) in Midvale, curves into 7800 South as it enters the city, and finally heads southwest to end at Copperton. Redwood Road (Utah State Route 68), a six-lane road, runs through the eastern portion of the city. In the far western extremes of the city, Utah State Route 111, a two-lane road, runs through the rural area along the foothills. However, development between SR-111 and 4800 West is continuing rapidly.
West Jordan is served by the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) bus system, with most lines running every 30 minutes during peak hours and every hour the rest of the day. UTA is also planning to construct a new TRAX light rail line, dubbed the "Mid-Jordan Line", which will run in an existing railroad corridor and serve the city with six stations. The line, which will terminate at the Daybreak Community in South Jordan, is expected to be completed in 2009.
Transportation has been a major issue in city politics. During the past 30 years the city has expanded rapidly from about 4,000 in 1970 to almost 100,000 in 2005, outstripping the capacity of roadways and infrastructure. At City Council meetings it has been common for residents, particularly those on the western edge of the city, to complain about having one-hour commutes to downtown Salt Lake City, a distance of 26 miles. The mayor has blamed this situation on the fact that the city is the most populated in the state that is not directly served by a freeway.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 68,336 people, 18,897 households, and 16,232 families residing in the city. The population density was 853.9/km² (2,211.3/mi²). There were 19,597 housing units at an average density of 244.9/km² (634.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.76% White, 0.64% African American, 0.56% Native American, 2.04% Asian, 0.94% Pacific Islander, 4.76% from other races, and 2.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.07% of the population.
There were 18,897 households out of which 57.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.0% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.1% were non-families. 10.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.60 and the average family size was 3.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 37.8% under the age of 18, 12.2% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 14.8% from 45 to 64, and 3.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $55,794, and the median income for a family was $57,818. Males had a median income of $38,141 versus $26,391 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,221. About 4.1% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Famous residents
- Wassef Ali Hassoun, U.S. Marine
- Gene Fullmer, Boxer
- Archibald Gardner, http://www.gardnervillage.com/history/history.html
[edit] Sister city
West Jordan has a sister city, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):
[edit] External links
- West Jordan official website
- West Jordan - Utah History Encyclopedia
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
