West Jordan is a city in

Salt Lake County, Utah Salt Lake County is located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 1,185,238, making it the most populous county in Utah. Its county seat and largest city is Salt Lake City, the state capital. The cou ...

, United States. It is a suburb of

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

and has a mixed economy. According to the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 116,961, placing it as the third most populous in the state. The city occupies the southwest end of the Salt Lake Valley at an elevation of 4,330 feet (1,320 m). Named after the nearby

Jordan River The Jordan River or River Jordan ( ar, نَهْر الْأُرْدُنّ, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn'', he, נְהַר הַיַּרְדֵּן, ''Nəhar hayYardēn''; syc, ܢܗܪܐ ܕܝܘܪܕܢܢ ''Nahrāʾ Yurdnan''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Shariea ...

, the limits of the city begin on the river's western bank and end in the eastern foothills of the

Oquirrh Mountains The Oquirrh Mountains is a mountain range that runs north-south for approximately 30 miles (50 km) to form the west side of Utah's Salt Lake Valley, separating it from Tooele Valley. The range runs from northwestern Utah County–centr ...

, where

Kennecott Copper Mine The Bingham Canyon Mine, more commonly known as Kennecott Copper Mine among locals, is an open-pit mining operation extracting a large porphyry copper deposit southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah, in the Oquirrh Mountains. The mine is the largest m ...

, the world's largest man-made excavation, is located. Settled in the mid-19th century, the city has developed into its own regional center. , the city has four major retail centers; with

Jordan Landing Jordan Landing is a master-planned development located in the center of West Jordan, Utah, adjacent to South Valley Regional Airport, also known as Airport 2. Its size, containing of retail space, 1,200 residential units, and of office space, ...

being one of the largest mixed-use planned developments in the

Intermountain West The Intermountain West, or Intermountain Region, is a geographic and geological region of the Western United States. It is located between the front ranges of the Rocky Mountains on the east and the Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada on the wes ...

. Companies headquartered in West Jordan include

Mountain America Credit Union Mountain America Credit Union is a federally chartered credit union headquartered in Sandy, Utah, regulated under the authority of the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). Mountain America Credit Union is the second largest credit unio ...

, Lynco Sales & Service, SME Steel, and Cyprus Credit Union. The city has one major hospital, Jordan Valley Medical Center, and a campus of Salt Lake Community College. City landmarks include ''Gardner Village'', established in 1850, and South Valley Regional Airport, formerly known as "Salt Lake Airport #2". The airport serves

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

operations as well as a base for the 211th Aviation Regiment of the Utah Army National Guard flying

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño a ...

and

Black Hawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to: Animals * Black Hawk (horse), a Morgan horse that lived from 1833 to 1856 * Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus'' * Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii'' * Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus urub ...

helicopters.

History

West Jordan received its name from Mormon settlers who entered the

Salt Lake Valley Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably Murray, Sandy, South Jordan, West Jordan, and West Valley City; its total ...

in 1847 under the leadership of their

prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the ...

Brigham Young Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his death in 1877. During his time as chu ...

. These first European-Americans named the river flowing west of their first settlement, Salt Lake City, the Western Jordan, a reference to the

River Jordan The Jordan River or River Jordan ( ar, نَهْر الْأُرْدُنّ, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn'', he, נְהַר הַיַּרְדֵּן, ''Nəhar hayYardēn''; syc, ܢܗܪܐ ܕܝܘܪܕܢܢ ''Nahrāʾ Yurdnan''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Shariea ...

in Jordan. The name was later simplified to "Jordan River". Like its Middle Eastern namesake, the Jordan River flows from a fresh water lake (

Utah Lake Utah Lake is a shallow freshwater lake in the center of Utah County, Utah, United States. It lies in Utah Valley, surrounded by the Provo- Orem metropolitan area. The lake's only river outlet, the Jordan River, is a tributary of the Great Salt ...

) to an inland salt sea (

Great Salt Lake The Great Salt Lake is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere and the eighth-largest terminal lake in the world. It lies in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah and has a substantial impact upon the local climate, particu ...

). 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 (September 2, 1814 – February 8, 1902) was a 19th-century pioneer and businessman who, with his knowledge of lumber- and grist mills, helped establish communities in Alvinston, Ontario; West Jordan, Utah; and Star Valley ...

. Gardner was a devout

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into se ...

whose legacy can still be seen in modern West Jordan. His collection of mills and houses, now historic, 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 The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...

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 103,712 according to the 2010 Census.

Sears Sears, Roebuck and Co. ( ), commonly known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald, with what began a ...

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 a new main campus for the Salt Lake Community College, the expansion of Jordan Valley Hospital, and Midvale's current

transit-oriented development In urban planning, transit-oriented development (TOD) is a type of urban development that maximizes the amount of residential, business and leisure space within walking distance of public transport. It promotes a symbiotic relationship between ...

on the east border in the Jordan River bed. Old downtown West Jordan is in the process of being reconstructed as a transit-oriented development called "Briarwood." The plans called for an expanded Main Park, a history museum, an indoor recreation center, a senior center, and a large courthouse to serve the Utah State Third District, most of which are now complete. 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. As of 2014, the library and TRAX light-rail have been completed and opened.

Geography

Salt Lake Valley Utah United States North America Earth

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of 30.9 square miles (80.0 km²), all land. West Jordan is bordered on the west by the

and on the east by the

. 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 State Route 111, a highway that traverses the slopes of the Oquirrh Mountains. The city lies approximately southwest of downtown

. The city is bordered on the north by Taylorsville and Kearns, on the south by

South Jordan South Jordan is a city in south central Salt Lake County, Utah, United States, south of Salt Lake City. Part of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, the city lies in the Salt Lake Valley along the banks of the Jordan River between the Oqu ...

, on the east by

Sandy Sandy may refer to: People and fictional characters *Sandy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Sandy (surname), a list of people * Sandy (singer), Brazilian singer and actress Sandy Leah Lima (born 1983) * (Sandy) ...

Murray Murray may refer to: Businesses * Murray (bicycle company), an American manufacturer of low-cost bicycles * Murrays, an Australian bus company * Murray International Trust, a Scottish investment trust * D. & W. Murray Limited, an Australian who ...

and Midvale, on the west by Copperton, and on the extreme northwestern corner by West Valley City.

Government

West Jordan was incorporated on January 10, 1941. In November 2017, the citizens voted to change the form of government to a council-mayor form beginning at noon on January 6, 2020. The

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural coun ...

is composed of seven individuals: a chair, vice-chair and five council members. The chair and vice-chair are elected by the council every year. The chair is limited to two consecutive terms of one year without a one-year break. The council chair presides at city council meetings. The mayor is the chief executive of the city and appoints a chief administrative officer to oversee the functions of the city. The city council provides policy and direction for the city. The mayor implements the council's policies and can exercise veto power unless the council uses its veto override power which requires 5 votes. The city council meets the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at 7:00 PM. The mayor and city council members are elected to four-year terms. Four city council members are elected from four districts within the city, while the other three are elected at-large or citywide. The mayor and the four city council members representing a district are elected at the same time while the three at-large council members are elected during an offset two year election cycle. Thus ensuring that at least one city official representing the whole city is voted on every two years. All terms begin on January 1 following their respective election.

Demographics

According to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2017, there were 113,905 people in West Jordan. The racial makeup of the county was 72.2% non-Hispanic

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 1.2%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

, 0.7% Native American, 2.8% Asian, 1.5%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, and 2.9% from two or more races. 19.6% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race.

Education

Salt Lake Community College West Jordan UT United States 2006

Most of West Jordan lies in the

Jordan School District Jordan School District is a school district in the southwestern portion of Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. It now employs 3,364 teachers and other licensed personnel who educate more than 57,800 students. An additional 3,092 employees provi ...

; however, due to a pair of annexations, two small sections along the northern border lie within the Granite School District. The city has 16 elementary schools (including one in the Granite District, Jim Bridger Elementary), four middle schools, and two high schools (

West Jordan West Jordan is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. It is a suburb of Salt Lake City and has a mixed economy. According to the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 116,961, placing it as the third most populous in the state. ...

and Copper Hills). It is also the location of campuses of Salt Lake Community College and Broadview University.

Transportation

Interstate 15 Interstate 15 (I-15) is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States, running through Southern California and the Intermountain West. I-15 begins near the Mexican border in San Diego County and stretches north to Alberta, Cana ...

, a twelve-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 ( State Route 154), a six-lane expressway, traverses the center of the city, just east of South Valley Regional Airport and the

shopping center. Due to severe traffic congestion plaguing the rapidly growing city, a ten-lane freeway in the Mountain View Corridor (SR-85) is planned to have three exits in the city (7800 S, 9000 S, and Old Bingham Hwy.) and run north–south at about 5800 West in the south and bend west to 6400 West in the north. The first phase of the project was completed December 15, 2012. New Bingham Highway, mostly a four-lane road, begins as 7720 South at State Street (

U.S. Route 89 U.S. Route 89 (US 89) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway with two sections, and one former section. The southern section runs for from Flagstaff, Arizona, to the southern entrance of Yellowstone National Park. The northern section ...

) in Midvale, curves into 7800 South as it enters the city, and finally heads southwest to end at Copperton. Redwood Road (

State Route 68 The following highways are numbered 68: Australia * Channel Highway (Tasmania) * NSW (Multiple routes) Canada * Alberta Highway 68 * Manitoba Highway 68 * Ontario Highway 68 Chile *Chile Route 68 India * National Highway 68 (India) Korea ...

), a six-lane road, runs through the eastern portion of the city. In the far western extremes of the city, State Route 111, a two-lane road, runs through the developing rural area along the foothills. Development has recently begun to expand beyond SR-111. In the middle of West Jordan is located the South Valley Regional Airport. Its FAA designation is U-42. It was formally known as Airport #2, because it is owned by Salt Lake City and is a subsidiary of

Salt Lake City International Airport Salt Lake City International Airport is a civil-military airport located about west of Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States. The airport is the closest commercial airport for more than 2.5 million people and is within a 30-min ...

. Because of its location within the city, a large shopping center was built next to the airport, which resulted in the shopping center being named Jordan Landing. West Jordan is served by the

Utah Transit Authority The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) is a special service district responsible for providing public transportation throughout the Wasatch Front of Utah, in the United States, which includes the metropolitan areas of Ogden, Park City, Provo, Sal ...

(UTA) bus system, which runs every half-hour during peak hours. All of the routes running into the city connect to nearby TRAX stations in Midvale and

or to downtown Salt Lake City. Service in the city was increased during the August 2007 redesign of the bus system. A TRAX light rail line also serves the area. This line begins at the Fashion Place West station in

and run southwest through West Jordan, with 6 stops in the city, before turning south and terminating at the Daybreak Community in

. The route was opened on August 7, 2011.Deseret News - UTA setting end dates on TRAX construction
''

Deseret News The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...

''. August 9, 2007. Transportation has been a major issue in city politics. The city's population has expanded rapidly from about 4,000 in 1970 to over 100,000 in 2010, outstripping the capacity of roadways and infrastructure. At

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 . Elected officials have blamed this situation on the fact that the city is the most populous in the state that is not directly served by a freeway. In addition to significant road widening projects throughout the city, the Mountain View Corridor freeway is currently under construction to service the western portion of the city.

Notable people

* Delila Abbotts, Utah state legislator *

Don Fullmer Don Fullmer (February 21, 1939 – January 28, 2012) was an American professional boxer and a brother of the former world middleweight champion Gene Fullmer. Eight years younger than his more famous brother, Don followed Gene into the gym in We ...

, boxer * Gene Fullmer, boxer, 1957 world middleweight champion *

Wassef Ali Hassoun Wassef Ali Hassoun ( ar, واصف علي حسون; born January 1, 1980) was a United States Marine who was charged with desertion for leaving his unit and engaging with others in a hoax to make it appear that he had been captured by terrorists ...

, U.S. Marine *

Carolyn Jessop Carolyn Jessop (born January 1, 1968) is an American author and former Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints member who wrote ''Escape'', an autobiographical account of her upbringing in the polygamist sect and later flight ...

, former member of Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, wrote book about her experience, ''

Escape Escape or Escaping may refer to: Computing * Escape character, in computing and telecommunication, a character which signifies that what follows takes an alternative interpretation ** Escape sequence, a series of characters used to trigger some s ...

'' *

Sealver Siliga Tupaimoefitpo "Sealver" Siliga (born April 26, 1990) is a former American football defensive tackle. He played college football at Utah. College career Siliga grew up in a Samoan American family of 13 in West Jordan, Utah and graduated from C ...

, American Professional Football Player

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

In the media

* In the fictional HBO drama ''

Big Love ''Big Love'' is an American drama television series that aired on HBO from March 12, 2006 to March 20, 2011. It stars Bill Paxton as the patriarch of a fundamentalist Mormon family in contemporary Utah that practices polygamy, with Jeanne Tri ...

'', one of

Bill Henrickson William Orville "Bill" Henrickson is a fictional character in the HBO series ''Big Love'', portrayed by Bill Paxton. The protagonist of the series, he is the head of a polygamous family. He is married to three wives, Barbara Henrickson, Nicolette ...

's home improvement stores is located in West Jordan.

Sister cities

West Jordan has a

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

, as designated by

Sister Cities International Sister Cities International (SCI) is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between communities in the United States and those in other countries, particularly through the establishment of " sister citie ...

: * Votkinsk,

Udmurtia Udmurtia (russian: Удму́ртия, r=Udmúrtiya, p=ʊˈdmurtʲɪjə; udm, Удмуртия, ''Udmurtija''), or the Udmurt Republic (russian: Удмуртская Республика, udm, Удмурт Республика, Удмурт � ...

, Russia

References

External links

West Jordan official website

{{Authority control Cities in Utah Wasatch Front Populated places established in 1849 Salt Lake City metropolitan area 1849 establishments in the State of Deseret Cities in Salt Lake County, Utah