People have a lot of stereotypes about Salt Lake City and Utah in general. Our city is actually quite incredible, and we find a lot of individuals who come to Recovery Ways for treatment end up staying in Salt Lake after treatment. So here is a quick list of some things we bet you didn’t know about Salt Lake City.
- It was originally called Great Salt Lake City since it’s so close to the Great Salt Lake. But in 1868 the word “great” was dropped from the official name.
- Salt Lake is home to the first Kentucky Fried Chicken. It’s still around too, on the corner of 3900 South and State Street. That’s about 1500 miles away from the state of Kentucky.
- If you’re interested in your genealogy, we have the largest genealogical library in the world. The Family History Library is run by the LDS church and is open to the public free of charge. Check it out and see where you come from.
- Driving in the downtown area of a city can be incredibly stressful, but the streets of downtown Salt Lake are unusually wide. When the city was originally mapped out, the streets were designed to accommodate oxcarts that would need to make U-turns.
- We have our very own Nessie. Back in 1877, witnesses claimed to have seen a monster in the Great Salt Lake. They said it had the body of a crocodile and the head of a horse. Dubbed the “North Shore Monster” it is believed they simply saw a bison in the water, which the area has plenty of.
- We’re the only U.S. capital with three words in our name.
- People are confused by our street names, but they’re just a giant grid. Rather than our street names be named, we simply numbered them. Main Street and the cross street of South Temple work as the prime meridian of the city, then it simply climbs to 100 North, 200 North and so on in each direction.
- We have very intense sports fans. Our professional basketball team, the Utah Jazz, originally hailed from New Orleans. Which is why they are called “The Jazz” when we are not well known for any sort of jazz culture.
- We experience all four seasons. Our summers can get very hot climbing into the 90s and even low 100s. Our winter season can get very cold, dropping just above freezing.
- You’ll never get a “snow day.” The likelihood of anything being cancelled including school or work is rare. Utahns are used to driving in crazy snow, and continue to attend school, work, and then head up to the ski resorts on the weekends.
- The state shuts down on Sundays. Many restaurants and businesses will be closed on Sundays.
- We’re Silicon Valley’s younger sibling. Utah is home to more than 4,000 startups, and just south of Salt Lake City you’ll find what has been dubbed Silicon Slopes in Lehi. It’s home to many tech companies and has some popular names like Adobe and eBay. In the last few years, venture capital firms have invested $2.5 billion in and around the area.
- Surprisingly, Salt Lake City has a large LGBTQ community. In fact, in 2012 the Advocate named SLC the “Gayest City in the USA.” It dropped to number six in 2013, but Salt Lake City was actually the first in the state to pass anti-discrimination ordinances based on sexual orientation. The Pride Festival happens each year and draws over 25,000 attendees.
Salt Lake City is a wonderful area to build a life and thrive. We hope this list has opened up your eyes to a few things you never knew about Salt Lake City. If you or a loved one is looking for addiction treatment help, please contact Recovery Ways at 888-986-7848.
