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West Jordan, Utah

Coordinates: 40°36′23″N 111°58′34″W / 40.60639°N 111.97611°W / 40.60639; -111.97611
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West Jordan, Utah
City
West Jordan City Hall
West Jordan City Hall
Location in Salt Lake County and the state of Utah
Location in Salt Lake County and the state of Utah
Coordinates: 40°36′23″N 111°58′34″W / 40.60639°N 111.97611°W / 40.60639; -111.97611
CountryUnited States
StateUtah
CountySalt Lake
Settled1848
Incorporated1941
Named forJordan River
Government
 • MayorDirk Burton[1]
Area
[2]
 • Total
32.33 sq mi (83.73 km2)
 • Land32.33 sq mi (83.73 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
4,373 ft (1,333 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
116,961
 • Density3,617.72/sq mi (1,396.88/km2)
Time zoneUTC−7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−6 (MDT)
ZIP codes
84081, 84084, 84088
Area code(s)385, 801
FIPS code49-82950[3]
GNIS feature ID1434086[4]
Websitewww.westjordan.utah.gov

West Jordan is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. It is a suburb of Salt Lake City. According to the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 116,961,[5] placing it as the third most populous in the state.[6] 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 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 in the mid-19th century, the city has developed into its own regional center. As of 2012, the city has four major retail centers; with Jordan Landing being one of the largest mixed-use planned developments in the Intermountain West.[7] Companies headquartered in West Jordan include Mountain America Credit Union, 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 operations as well as a base for the 211th Aviation Regiment of the Utah Army National Guard flying Apache and Black Hawk helicopters.

History

[edit]
The historic West Jordan Ward Meeting House of the LDS Church. It is now the Museum of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers.

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 named the river flowing west of their first settlement, Salt Lake City, the Western Jordan, a reference to the River Jordan 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) 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.[8] Gardner was a devout Mormon 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 was constructed in the city in 1851.[citation needed]

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 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 on the east border in the Jordan River bed.

West Jordan has become a regional center for government services. The Veteran’s Park Area includes City Hall, the Thomas Rees Justice Center that houses the West Jordan Police and Justice Court. Also included in the area is Fire Station 52, the Salt Lake County Health Department, Utah Third District Court, the Salt Lake District Attorney’s Office, and the Viridian Events Center and Library. The Park also includes a rodeo area, a senior center, and Gene Fuller Recreation Center, name after former boxing great Gene Fullmer.

Geography

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Looking down and westward at the city and the Oquirrh Mountains

According to the United States Census Bureau, 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 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 State Route 111, a highway that traverses the slopes of the Oquirrh Mountains.

The city lies approximately 18 miles (29 km) 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.

Government

[edit]
Elected officials of West Jordan as of January 2024
Official Position Elected Term ends
Dirk Burton Mayor 2019 2027
City Council Members
Pamela Bloom At-large 2021 2025
Kayleen Whitelock At-large 2017 2025
Kelvin Green At-large 2019 2025
Chad Lamb District 1 2023 2027
Bob Bedore District 2 2023 2027
Zach Jacob District 3 2015 2027
Kent Shelton District 4 2023 2027

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 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, third, and fourth Wednesdays of each month.

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

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
19502,107—
19603,00942.8%
19704,22140.3%
198027,192544.2%
199042,89257.7%
200068,33659.3%
2010103,71251.8%
2020116,96112.8%
U.S. Decennial Census,[9] 2020[5]
The historic Gardner Mill is now part of the Gardner Village shopping center.

2020 census

[edit]
West Jordan, Utah – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000[10] Pop 2010[11] Pop 2020[12] % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 57,688 77,360 77,760 84.42% 74.59% 66.48%
Black or African American alone (NH) 396 855 1,363 0.58% 0.82% 1.17%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 323 517 596 0.47% 0.50% 0.51%
Asian alone (NH) 1,381 2,732 3,761 2.02% 2.63% 3.22%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 632 1,588 2,450 0.92% 1.53% 2.09%
Other race alone (NH) 55 190 528 0.08% 0.18% 0.45%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 979 2,106 4,455 1.43% 2.03% 3.81%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 6,882 18,364 26,048 10.07% 17.71% 22.27%
Total 68,336 103,712 116,961 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

According to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau,[13] as of 2017, there were 113,905 people in West Jordan. The racial makeup of the county was 72.2% non-Hispanic White, 1.2% Black, 0.7% Native American, 2.8% Asian, 1.5% Pacific Islander, and 2.9% from two or more races. 19.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Map of racial distribution in West Jordan, 2020 U.S. census. Each dot is one person: ⬤ White ⬤ Black ⬤ Asian ⬤ Hispanic ⬤ Multiracial ⬤ Native American/Other

Education

[edit]
Salt Lake Community College

Most of West Jordan lies in the Jordan School District; however, due to a pair of annexations,[14] 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 and Copper Hills). It is also the location of campuses of Salt Lake Community College and Broadview University.

Salt Lake Community College's Jordan Campus is located in West Jordan. The Jordan Campus offers general education classes as well as all of the college's health science courses.[15][16] Jordan School District's Applied Technology Center is also located on campus.

Transportation

[edit]

Interstate 15, 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 Jordan Landing shopping center. A ten-lane freeway called 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.[17]

7800 South enters the city at the Jordan River and runs west through the city until it intersects with Utah Road 111. Redwood Road (State Route 68), 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. The Airport was originally part of Camp Kearns and was the Kearns Army Airfield during World War II. 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 (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 Sandy or to downtown Salt Lake City. Service in the city was increased during the August 2007 redesign of the bus system.[18] A TRAX light rail line also serves the area. This line begins at the Fashion Place West station in Murray and run southwest through West Jordan, with 6 stops in the city, before turning south and terminating at the Daybreak Community in South Jordan.[19] The route was opened on August 7, 2011.[20]

Transportation has been a major issue in city politics. The city's population has expanded from about 4,000 in 1970 to over 100,000 in 2010, 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 (42 km). 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.[21]

Notable people

[edit]

In the media

[edit]
  • In the fictional HBO drama Big Love, one of Bill Henrickson's home improvement stores is located in West Jordan.

Sister cities

[edit]

West Jordan has a sister city, as designated by Sister Cities International:

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Mayor's Office".
  2. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  3. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. ^ a b "QuickFacts West Jordan city, Utah". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  6. ^ Williams, Carter; Aug. 13, KSL com | Posted-; P.m, 2021 at 6:58. "Census data: Utah's new top 10 most-populated cities — and other emerging places". www.ksl.com. Retrieved October 6, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "JordanLanding.Net". Archived from the original on April 21, 2007. Retrieved April 21, 2007.
  8. ^ Moosman, Glen (1994), "West Jordan", Utah History Encyclopedia, University of Utah Press, ISBN 9780874804256, archived from the original on November 3, 2022, retrieved March 26, 2024
  9. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  10. ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – West Jordan city, Utah". United States Census Bureau.
  11. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – West Jordan city, Utah". United States Census Bureau.
  12. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – West Jordan city, Utah". United States Census Bureau.
  13. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  14. ^ "W. JORDAN VOTES TO ANNEX LAND". Deseret News. February 28, 1996. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  15. ^ "Jordan Campus". Salt Lake Community College. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  16. ^ "SLCC health center gets boost from IHC". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. July 21, 2006. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  17. ^ "MountainView Corridor Construction". Utah Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  18. ^ "404". www.rideuta.com. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  19. ^ "Utah Transit Authority - Mid-Jordan TRAX line". Archived from the original on September 12, 2008. Retrieved October 18, 2008.
  20. ^ Deseret News - UTA setting end dates on TRAX construction. Deseret News. August 9, 2007.
  21. ^ "Master Transportation Plan prepared for West Jordan" (PDF). 2 January 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
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