Salt Lake City

Guest Column by Shane Oman
February 2, 2001

Barely a year from now, Salt Lake City, the capital of Utah, will be home to the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. For over 30 years, Salt Lake City has dreamed of being the host city to the Winter Olympics. The dream will be realized in 2002, but not because Salt Lake bribed International Olympic Committee (IOC) judges. Forget the Olympic scandal. Salt Lake would have won the bid with or without all that wining and dining. After decades of trying to win the bid, Salt Lake finally went from the little engine that could, to the little engine that did. In June 1995 when the winner for 2002 was announced, Salt Lake had proved to the world it had the venues and the snow to make the 2002 Winter Olympics the best ever.

Yes, Utah snow has been called "the greatest snow on Earth!" For decades, skiers have marveled at the snow, which is so light and fluffy--as far as snow goes--it has been dubbed "powder". It just took a little longer for the IOC to see what a perfect place Salt Lake would be for the Games. What makes the snow so great? Geography. The Wasatch Mountains, which sit on the eastern edge of the Salt Lake Valley, receive the powdery snow because of a fortunate series of geographic wonders. Located in the western United States, Utah storms are born out over the Pacific Ocean. In the winter these storms are heavy with precipitation, but on their way eastward, these storms don't find any significant barriers until they reach the 150 mile long Wasatch Range, a sub-range of the Rockies, which has peaks of over 12,000 feet. (Peaks in the Salt Lake area are closer to 9,000 and 11,000 feet.) Before the storms hit the Wasatch Range, they cross the largest lake--in area--west of the Mississippi: the Great Salt Lake. The Great Salt Lake covers an average area of 1,700 square miles. But this size can be deceiving. The Great Salt Lake is very shallow with a maximum depth of 35 feet. Thus, a large surface area and shallow waters (heats up faster in the sun) allows the clouds passing overhead to suck up water vapor like a sponge. Finally, because of Utah's dry climate (second driest state in the nation) the dry air makes the snow fluffy. I don't know understand all the chemistry behind it, but these factors make for great, white powder.

So, Salt Lake City has great snow, what else does it have? Salt Lake City proper has an average elevation of 4,390 feet, a land area of 90.5 square miles, and a population of 174,348 (1999.). The greater Salt Lake area is contained in a "bowl" called the Salt Lake Valley, bordered on the east by the Wasatch Mountains and the west by the Oquirrh (OH-ker) Mountains. Mountains nearly circle the valley. There is a narrow opening on the south-center end and a wider gap on the northwest corner of the valley. By my humble calculations and measurements, the Salt Lake Valley is 25 miles north to south and 22 miles east to west, with an area of approximately 550 square miles. Salt Lake is nearly a desert, with 15 inches or less of rain per year. It has 4 distinct seasons. January highs are in the 30's. July highs are in the 90's. Spring and autumn are very pleasant.

Salt Lake City is a city of broad streets and spacious 10-acre blocks. Designed on the grid system, it is nearly impossible for someone to get lost in the city. State Street begins at the state capitol and runs for 20 miles or so. It was once dubbed the longest straight street in the world. Whether that is true or not, sitting on the capitol steps at night, one can see the street as a bright line down the middle of the valley as far as the eye can see.

Salt Lake's economy is very diversified. From mining to high-tech, Salt Lake has it all. Southwest of the city in the Oquirrh Mountains is the largest open-pit copper mine in the world--and one of the largest of all open pit mines. It produces gold and silver as well as copper. The Salt Lake area is also a Mecca for technology companies. Microsoft, Intel and Gateway all have a significant presence in Salt Lake. The city's biggest employers are still the government, the University of Utah and the LDS church. Citizens of Salt Lake are currently experiencing high job growth, low unemployment and an overall booming economy. Many magazines have written up Salt Lake as a top place for living and for business. Utah has one of the nation's highest birthrate, one of the lowest death rates and one of the longest life expectancies in the nation. Salt Lake City is feeling the stress of an increasing population. Traffic, pollution, and urban sprawl issues have grabbed the city's attention. Still considered a mid-size city, Salt Lake's geography constrains its physical growth so that building out is not the answer for very long.

Renovating and constructing apartment buildings downtown and encouraging businesses to locate in older areas have increased the city's population and commerce activity. In December of 1999 the city finished and began running a light-rail commuter train which travels from downtown to the urban populations in the south end of the valley. The light-rail is more popular than hoped, however, like most western cities, Salt Lake is still a city of cars. More needs to be done to combat traffic congestion and pollution.

Furthermore, as the population grows, water is becoming scarcer in Salt Lake. Large water projects are in the works to divert water from nearly a hundred miles away to the thirsty Salt Lake valley. The valley in the desert has become an island of green. Water consumption education is one of the foremost issues in Salt Lake, especially during the summer months when water restrictions are often implemented.

Salt Lake City will continue to face its challenges, the first and foremost to present an Olympic-worthy city to the world in February of 2002. If the natural beauty of its surroundings and the clean well-structured city itself are the criteria, Salt Lake has nothing to worry about when "the world is welcome here."

Shane Oman of Salt Lake City has had a life-long interest in geography, and maps hang on nearly every wall in his home. He's an accountant by trade, but has pondered becoming a cartographer. He also collects cacti and grows them from seed.

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