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{{Short description|City in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States}} | |||
{{Cleanup|date=October 2007}} | |||
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}} | |||
{{Infobox |
{{Infobox settlement | ||
|official_name = South Jordan, Utah | | official_name = South Jordan, Utah | ||
|settlement_type = ] | | settlement_type = ] | ||
|nickname = | | nickname = | ||
|motto = | | motto = <!-- Images --> | ||
| image_skyline = South Jordan - Towne Center.jpg | |||
| imagesize = | |||
<!-- Images --> | |||
| image_alt = A prominent building inside a strip mall area | |||
|image_skyline = | |||
| |
| image_caption = South Jordan City Hall, March 2006 | ||
| |
| image_flag = | ||
| |
| image_seal = <!-- Maps --> | ||
| image_map = Salt Lake County Utah incorporated and unincorporated areas South Jordan highlighted.svg | |||
|image_seal = | |||
| map_caption = Location in ] and the state of ]. | |||
| map_alt = Two maps. The first map is a map of Utah with a colored in section in the middle representing where Salt Lake County is located. Second map is a map of Salt Lake County has a colored in section in the southwest showing where South Jordan is located. | |||
<!-- Maps --> | |||
|image_map = UTMap-doton-SouthJordan.PNG | |||
|mapsize = 250px | |||
|map_caption = Location of South Jordan, Utah | |||
|image_map1 = | |||
|mapsize1 = | |||
|map_caption1 = | |||
<!-- Location --> | <!-- Location --> | ||
|subdivision_type |
| subdivision_type = Country | ||
|subdivision_name |
| subdivision_name = {{US}} | ||
|subdivision_type1 |
| subdivision_type1 = ] | ||
|subdivision_name1 = |
| subdivision_name1 = {{flag|Utah}} | ||
|subdivision_type2 = ] | | subdivision_type2 = ] | ||
|subdivision_name2 = ] | | subdivision_name2 = ] | ||
<!-- Government --> | <!-- Government --> | ||
|government_footnotes = | | government_footnotes = | ||
|government_type = | | government_type = ] | ||
|leader_title = | | leader_title = Mayor | ||
|leader_name = | | leader_name = Dawn Ramsey | ||
|leader_title1 = | | leader_title1 = Manager | ||
|leader_name1 = | | leader_name1 = Gary L. Whatcott | ||
|established_title = | | established_title = Established | ||
|established_date = | | established_date = 1859 | ||
| established_title2 = Incorporated | |||
| established_date2 = November 8, 1935<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.sjc.utah.gov/mediarelations.asp | title=Media Relations | publisher=South Jordan City | access-date=September 21, 2010 | archive-date=March 9, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309175855/http://www.sjc.utah.gov/mediarelations.asp | url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
| named_for = ] | |||
<!-- Area --> | <!-- Area --> | ||
| |
| unit_pref = Imperial | ||
| area_footnotes = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web | title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files | url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_49.txt | publisher=United States Census Bureau | access-date=August 7, 2020}}</ref> | |||
|area_magnitude = | |||
| |
| area_magnitude = | ||
| |
| area_total_km2 = 57.77 | ||
| |
| area_land_km2 = 57.54 | ||
| |
| area_water_km2 = 0.23 | ||
| |
| area_total_sq_mi = 22.31 | ||
| |
| area_land_sq_mi = 22.22 | ||
| area_water_sq_mi = 0.09 | |||
<!-- Population --> | <!-- Population --> | ||
|population_as_of = ] | | population_as_of = ] | ||
|population_footnotes = | | population_footnotes = <ref name="QuickFacts" /> | ||
|population_total = |
| population_total = 77,487 | ||
|population_density_km2 = |
| population_density_km2 = 1332.86 | ||
|population_density_sq_mi = |
| population_density_sq_mi = 3452.07 | ||
<!-- General information --> | <!-- General information --> | ||
|timezone = ] | | timezone = ] | ||
|utc_offset |
| utc_offset = −7 | ||
|timezone_DST = MDT | | timezone_DST = MDT | ||
|utc_offset_DST |
| utc_offset_DST = −6 | ||
|elevation_footnotes = | | elevation_footnotes = | ||
|elevation_m = 1353 | | elevation_m = 1353 | ||
|elevation_ft = 4439 | | elevation_ft = 4439 | ||
| coordinates = {{coord|40|33|42|N|111|57|39|W|region:US-UT_type:city|display=inline,title}} | |||
|latd = 40 |latm = 33 |lats = 42 |latNS = N | |||
| postal_code_type = ] | |||
|longd = 111 |longm = 57 |longs = 39 |longEW = W | |||
| postal_code = 84009, 84095 | |||
| area_code = ] | |||
<!-- Area/postal codes & others --> | |||
| |
| blank_name = ] | ||
| |
| blank_info = 70850 | ||
| |
| blank1_name = ] feature ID | ||
| blank1_info = 1432728<ref name="GR3">{{cite web | url=http://geonames.usgs.gov | title=US Board on Geographic Names | publisher=] | date=October 25, 2007 | access-date=January 1, 2008}}</ref> | |||
|blank_name = ] | |||
| |
| website = {{URL|https://www.sjc.utah.gov}} | ||
| |
| footnotes = | ||
|blank1_info = 1432728{{GR|3}} | |||
|website = | |||
|footnotes = | |||
}} | }} | ||
] | |||
'''South Jordan''' is a city in ], ], ]. The population was 29,437 at the 2000 census. As of September 1, 2007, the population was estimated at 50,109 . South Jordan has been one of the fastest-growing cities in Utah since the early ]. ], a land development company, has recently begun construction on the master-planned ] for the entire western half of South Jordan. This community could potentially double South Jordan's population. | |||
'''South Jordan''' is a city in south central ], ], United States, {{convert|18|mi}} south of ]. Part of the ], the city lies in the ] along the banks of the ] between the {{convert|10,000|ft|m|adj=on}} ] and the {{convert|11,000|ft|m|adj=on}} ]. The city has {{convert|3.5|mi|km}} of the ] that contains fishing ponds, trails, parks, and natural habitats. The ] ] grounds and equestrian park, {{convert|67|acre|ha|adj=on}} Oquirrh Lake, and 37 public parks are located inside the city. As of 2020, there were 77,487 people in South Jordan. | |||
==Geography== | |||
South Jordan is located at {{coor dms|40|33|42|N|111|57|39|W|city}} (40.561598, -111.960889){{GR|1}}. | |||
According to the ], the city has a total area of 54.5 ] (21.0 ]). 54.1 km² (20.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (0.76%) is water. | |||
South Jordan is located in the southwestern portion of the ]. The city lies between the ] to the west, ] to the north, the ] and ] to the east, ] to the southeast, ] to the south, and ] to the southwest. However, most of the western half of the city remains undeveloped. The elevation of South Jordan ranges from approximately 4,300 feet (1,310 meters) near the Jordan River in the east to about 5,200 ft (1,580 m) in the foothills of the Oquirrh Mountains. | |||
The main roads through the city are Redwood Road (]), and the Bangerter Highway (]), an expressway which serves the entire western and southern portions of the ]. ] and State Street (]) lie just to the east of the city. Rapid residential development in South Jordan and the south side of the valley has spurred economic development in the city, while the ] will eventually count South Jordan among Utah's largest cities. | |||
Extensive recreational development is occurring in western South Jordan as part of the massive ]. The focal point of development will be the artificially-created ]. This lake will be 85 acres in size and will offer varied recreational opportunities, supporting an ecosystem of its own. The lake will be filled in three stages, with final completion expected by ]. The first phase was completed in ]. | |||
Founded in 1859 by settlers of ] and historically an agrarian town, South Jordan has become a rapidly growing ] of Salt Lake City. ], a land development company, has recently begun construction on the master-planned ] for the entire western half of South Jordan, potentially doubling South Jordan's population. South Jordan was the first municipality in the world to have two ] of ] (] and ]), it now shares that distinction with ]. The city has two ] ] stops, as well as one ] stop on the '']''. | |||
South Jordan's most notable feature is the LDS Jordan River Temple located on Redwood Road, built in ]. On ], ], ] announced that another temple would be built in the Daybreak Community. This temple will make South Jordan the first city in the world to have two LDS temples. | |||
==History== | ==History== | ||
===Pre-European=== | |||
The history of South Jordan begins with its landforms. South Jordan lies on top of a huge alluvial plain created by the wearing down of the Wasatch and Oquirrh Mountains over eons of time. Beneath the surface lies over a kilometer of unconsolidated sand, rock and clay. The surface soil was put into place by Lake Bonneville, a gigantic prehistoric lake that stretched from the Idaho border south through western Utah to about Cedar City. Lake Bonneville was one of several huge lakes that existed during the ice ages that came and went since dinosaur times. The lake had its own currents which deposited clay in some places, sand and gravel in others. The weight of the huge volume of water depressed the valley floor. Wave action created the great sand and gravel "spit" called the "point of the mountain" and the benches visible on the east side of the Salt Lake Valley. As the lake began to dry up, the dissolved minerals were left behind in the heavy clay soil making it alkaline as well. The Jordan River carved out a narrow flood plain down the middle of the valley and wind blown deposits of sand built up in the western part of the valley. | |||
The first known inhabitants were members of the ] who were nomadic hunter-gatherers. From 400 A.D. to around 1350 A.D., the ] settled into villages and farmed corn and squash.<ref>{{citation |first= David B. |last= Madsen |contribution-url= http://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/f/FREMONT_THE.html |contribution= The Fremont |editor-last= Powell |editor-first= Allan Kent |year= 1994 |title= Utah History Encyclopedia |location= Salt Lake City, Utah |publisher= ] |isbn= 0874804256 |oclc= 30473917 |access-date= 2013-10-31 |archive-date= 2013-11-01 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131101225340/http://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/f/FREMONT_THE.html |url-status= dead}}</ref> Changes in climatic conditions to a cooler, drier period and the movement into the area of ancestors of the ], ], and ], led to the disappearance of the Fremont people.<ref>{{Harvnb|Madsen|2002|pp=13–14}}</ref> When European settlers arrived, there were no permanent ] settlements in the Salt Lake Valley, but the area bordered several tribes – the territory of the ] to the north,<ref>{{Harvnb|Madsen|1985|pp=6–7}}</ref> the Timpanogots band of the Utes to the south in ],<ref>{{Harvnb|Janetski|1991|pp=32–33}}</ref> and the ]s to the west in ] Valley.<ref>{{Harvnb|Cuch|2000|p=75}}</ref> | |||
The only recorded trapper to lead a party through the area was ], a ]. In October 1824, Provost's party was lured into an Indian camp somewhere along the Jordan River north of Utah Lake. The people responsible for the attack were planning revenge against Provost's party for an earlier unexplained incident involving other trappers. Provost escaped, but his men were caught off-guard and fifteen of them were killed.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Alter |first=Cecil |title=Journal of W.A. Ferris 1830–1835 |journal=Utah Historical Quarterly |volume=9 |year=1941 |pages=105–106|doi=10.2307/45057569 |jstor=45057569 }}</ref> | |||
The first unnamed people in the area lived around the edges of Lake Bonneville about 9000 years ago. They were wandering hunter-gatherers who moved through the region staying in caves and rock shelters, or building temporary shelters out of local materials. Evidence of a successful mammoth hunt was found just across the river in Sandy, so these most ancient Utahns certainly lived in the area. They left few physical evidence aside from a few stone tools, atl atl points, and bits and pieces of everyday household trash. | |||
===Early Latter-day Saint settlement=== | |||
The first named group who lived in the valley were the northern Fremont people who lived permanently in small settlements. The largest discovered so far was on City Creek in downtown Salt Lake City. Others may have been located on the other creeks in the valley. Fremont were hunter-gatherer-farmers who made pottery in such numbers that it was traded as far away as central Idaho. By 1300 the Fremont had abandoned all the settlements throughout Utah. There is scholarly difference of opinion about what happened. The core of the argument is whether the Fremont were ancestors of modern Ute, Paiute,Gosiute, and perhaps others, or replaced by the first Numic speaking people who migrated into the area about the time the Fremont culture disappeared. | |||
], November 2009]] | |||
Salt Lake Valley had a unique position in an informal arrangement among the Ute bands who used the central Utah mountains and valleys as resource areas. Curiously no one called Salt Lake Valley home permanently, perhaps because most of the valley was dry. Near the streams and flood plain of the Jordan river would have been good temporary camping spots. Early settlers in South Jordan reported that a well-used trail existed along what would beome 1300 West used by groups of Nuche (Ute) traveling between the Weber River, the marshes of the Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake. These people most likely would have been part of the Timpanogots, the large band living in Utah Valley. One early area settler recalled using the name "Yo-No" to refer to at least one group who traveled along the river each season. | |||
On July 22, 1847, an advanced party of the first ] entered the valley and immediately began to irrigate land and explore the area with a view to establishing new settlements.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://historytogo.utah.gov/facts/brief_history/mormonsettlement.html | title=Mormon Settlement | work=Utah History to Go | publisher=Utah State Historical Society | access-date=March 30, 2010 | archive-date=September 11, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090911070954/http://www.historytogo.utah.gov/facts/brief_history/mormonsettlement.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> ], a blacksmith from Ontario, Canada, moved his family to the ] area in 1849, and became the first of his trade in the south Salt Lake Valley. He helped dig the first ditch to divert water from the Jordan River, powering ]'s flour mill.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bateman|1998|p=7}}</ref> In 1859, Beckstead became the first settler of South Jordan by moving his family along the Jordan River where they lived in a dugout cut into the west bluffs above the river.<ref name="Powell 1994 513">{{Harvnb|Bateman|1994|p=513}}</ref> The ] of the Jordan was level, and could be cleared for farming if a ditch was constructed to divert river water along the base of the west bluff. ] and others created the {{convert|2.5|mi|km|adj=on}} "Beckstead Ditch",<ref>{{Harvnb|Bateman|1998|p=8}}</ref> which is still in use for irrigation of city parks and Mulligan's golf course.<ref name=water /> | |||
In 1863, the South Jordan ] was organized as a branch of the West Jordan Ward, giving South Jordan its name.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | editor-first=Andrew | editor-last=Jensen | url=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/BYUIBooks&CISOPTR=2694&CISOSHOW=2693 | title=South Jordan Ward | encyclopedia=Encyclopedic History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | year=1941 | publisher=Deseret News Publishing Company | location=Salt Lake City | page=816 | access-date=March 17, 2010}}</ref> The Branch consisted of just nine families. A school was built in 1864 out of ] and also served as the Church Meetinghouse for the South Jordan Branch.<ref name=HRecord>{{cite journal | first=Andrew | last=Jensen | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dLgUAAAAYAAJ&q=south+jordan+utah&pg=PA335 | title=South Jordan Ward | journal=The Historical Record: A Monthly Periodical, Devoted Exclusively to Historical, Biographical, Chronological and Statistical Matters. | volume=5 | page=335 | year=1889 | access-date=March 21, 2010}}</ref> As South Jordan grew, a new and larger building was constructed in 1873 on the east side of the site of the present-day cemetery. It had an upper and lower entrance with a granite foundation using left-over materials brought from the ] quarry at the mouth of ]. The upper story was made of oversized adobe bricks.<ref name=HRecord /> The main hall had curtains which could be pulled to section off the hall for classes. The meetinghouse also served as the "ward" school when it was held during the fall and winter months. It came to be known as the "Mud Temple", and was in use until 1908.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bateman|1998|p=153}}</ref> | |||
The first Europeans to travel through the area were perhaps small parties of Spanish soldiers, missionaries, miners, or slave buyers as early as the 1600's. Evidence is sparse because it was illegal to mine silver or trade with the Nuche. The name on Spanish maps for the area was Teguayo and Spanish authorities were aware of a large lake named Copalla, which shows a southern and northern bay perhaps Utah and Salt Lake combined for lack of accurate information. The Dominguez Escalante Expedition of 1776 only got as far as Utah Lake and never ventured farther but were told about the Salt Lake Valley and the salt lake at its northen end. | |||
In 1876, work was completed on the ] which took water out of the Jordan River in ] and brought it above the river bluffs for the first time.<ref name="Powell 1994 513"/> As a result of the new canal, most of the families moved up away from the river onto the "flats" above the river which they could now irrigate. In 1881, the ] was completed. It runs parallels to the west side of today's ]. With the completion of the canal system, greater acreage could be farmed, which led to the area's population increasing.<ref name=HRecord /> | |||
The written record is nearly silent from 1776 until the arrival of the first fur European trappers and traders who arrived in the early 1800's. There was a lively trade in slaves between New Mexico and the Nuche, as well as traders moving over the Old Spanish Trail. Apparently there was some later conflict because the Mexicans were chased out of Utah before the fur trappers showed up. Another unusual occurrence was the disappearance of buffalo by 1842. Sources suggest that disease played a factor. | |||
===Twentieth century=== | |||
The only recorded trapper who led a party through the area was Etienne Provost, a French-Canadian trapper, who was lured into a Nuche camp somewhere along the Joran River north of Utah Lake. The trappers were caught off-guard and fifteen of them were murdered, Provost escaped with his life. | |||
In the late 1890s, ] hay was introduced and took the place of tougher native grasses which had been used up to that point for feed for livestock. In good years, alfalfa could produce three crops that were stored for winter. ] were introduced to South Jordan around 1910. Farmers liked sugar beets because they could be sold for cash at the ] factory in West Jordan.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bateman|1998|p=24}}</ref> | |||
In July of 1847 the Pioneer Company of the Mormons entered the valley and immediately began to irrigate land and explore the area for new settlements. Because the valley wasn't the home range of any Ute band, the Nuche didn't do anything about the fledgling settlement on City Creek. Just two years later Mormon settlers began to spread out into the western part of the Salt Lake Valley. Heber C. Kimball suggested the "Utah River" be renamed the "Western Jordan" after the Jordan River in Palestine. In time the "western" fell out of use. | |||
A big celebration was held on January 14, 1914, to commemorate the arrival of electrical power, the addition of a water tank and supply system for indoor pumping and a new park for South Jordan.<ref>{{cite news | title=Big Celebration at South Jordan | newspaper=Deseret News | location=Salt Lake City | date=January 17, 1914}}</ref> By the 1930s, the area needed a water tank to store water for residents living further west. The only way to get a federal grant was to ] and become a city.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/179936/COMMUNITY-PROFILE--SOUTH-JORDAN.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113234747/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/179936/COMMUNITY-PROFILE--SOUTH-JORDAN.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=January 13, 2012 | title=Community Profile: South Jordan | newspaper=Deseret News | location=Salt Lake City | date=August 26, 1991 | access-date=March 22, 2010}}</ref> Citizens voted to incorporate on November 8, 1935, and immediately issued bonds to obtain money for the water tank. The city was initially governed by a Town Board with responsibilities over parks, water and the cemetery. In 1978, the city moved to a ] form of government and assumed local supervision of police, fire, road and building inspections from ].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hiVVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-X8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=1824,7330368 | title=South Jordan in transition period | newspaper=Deseret News | page=S7 | location=Salt Lake City | date=September 27, 1978 | access-date=March 15, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0oMOAAAAIBAJ&pg=6048,2308888&dq=south+jordan&hl=en | title=Riverton police chief want to keep out of politics | newspaper=Deseret News | location=Salt Lake City | date=August 9, 1978 | access-date=March 22, 2010}}</ref> | |||
The earliest pioneer landowner in the South Jordan area was Alexander Beckstead and his family who settled along the Jordan River about 9000 South and lived in a dugout cut into the west bluffs above the river in 1849. Beckstead bought his land from George A. Smith who claimed to own most of the southern half of western Salt Lake Valley as a result of a Mexican land grant he somehow obtained before the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848. This brings up a couple of questions about the land grant. How did George A Smith get a land grant from any Mexican official before 1848 when no officials of the Mexican government even knew the Mormons had arrived? Why would any land grant given after the 1848 treaty be valid and recognized by any court in the US, because Mexico no longer ruled any territory in Utah? More information is needed to clarify this point of the story. | |||
One of the worst school bus accidents in United States history occurred on December 1, 1938. A bus loaded with 38 students from South Jordan, Riverton, and Bluffdale crossed in front of an oncoming train that was obscured by fog and snow. The bus was broadsided killing the bus driver and 23 students.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=aYUbAAAAIBAJ&pg=1273,590460&dq=south+jordan+bus+crash&hl=en | title=Casualty Toll in Bus Tragedy Mounts to 24 | newspaper=Pittsburgh Press | date=December 2, 1938 | access-date=March 19, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=18IcAAAAIBAJ&pg=6924,3646677&dq=south+jordan+bus+crash&hl=en | title=New Crash Death Boosts Bus-Train Fatalities To 23 | newspaper=Deseret News | location=Salt Lake City | date=December 2, 1938 | access-date=March 19, 2010}}</ref> | |||
Regardless, the deal was made and Beckstead and others went to work. The flood plain of the Jordan was level and needed only to be cleared to begin farming if water could be taken out of the river and brought along the base of the west bluff in a ditch. The "Beckstead Ditch" that stretched eventually from the Draper Bridge (12600 South) to Sandy Road (9000 South). A brief Indian scare in 1853 caused settlers to abandon farms and homes and "fort up" at Wight's Fort on 9000 South and 4000 West. In 1859 Beckstead brought his family including seven sons and daughters south to the area at 1000 West and 11000 South to start a new settlement. Several other Mormon families joined them "under the hill" including the families of Isaac Wardle and his sons, John and William; Robert Holt and his sons, Matthew and Edward; John Winward; George Shields; George Soffe; Jesse Vincent; David Jenkins; James Wood; Thomas Alsop; William Bills; and James Oliver. Residents called the place "Gale" because the wind always seemed to be blowing. Residents dug into the bluffs to make one-room dugouts with hide doors and layered roofs of wood, brush reeds and dirt for shelter. Late comers camped out under wagon covers until shelter could be built. Some familes expanded the dugouts by adding adobe brick rooms in front of the dugout. | |||
The concern about bus safety from the South Jordan accident led to changes in state and eventually federal law mandating that buses stop and open the doors before proceeding into a railroad crossing.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.deseret.com/2009/10/21/20347488/about-utah-bus-crash-in-1938-led-to-train-laws | title=Bus crash in 1938 led to train laws | newspaper=Deseret News | location=Salt Lake City | date=October 20, 2009 | access-date=March 19, 2010}}</ref> The same railroad crossing was the site of many other crashes in the following years with the last deadly crash occurring on December 31, 1995, when three teens died while crossing the tracks in their car.<ref>{{cite news | title=New Year's Wrecks Kill Six, Including 3 in Train Collision | newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune | location=Salt Lake City | date=January 2, 2006}}</ref> The crossing was finally closed, but not until crashes occurred in 1997<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.deseret.com/1997/7/29/19326200/caption-only-s-jordan-driver-walks-away-from-train-wreck | title=S. Jordan driver walks away from train wreck| newspaper=Deseret News | location=Salt Lake City | date=July 29, 1997 | access-date=March 15, 2012}}</ref> and 2002.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.deseret.com/2002/1/15/19631759/man-critical-after-truck-train-crash | title=Man critical after truck-train crash | newspaper=Deseret News | location=Salt Lake City | date=January 15, 2002 | access-date=March 15, 2022}}</ref> | |||
], March 2006]] | |||
They cleared and farmed the fields just above the Jordan River which at the time was a crystal clear trout stream. The work was hard and came with no guarantee of success. Periodic droughts dried out crops before they produced single kernel of grain, making irrigation ditches became the life lines of South Jordan farmers. Grasshoppers threatened crops every few years. | |||
In 1950, Salt Lake County had {{convert|489,000|acre|ha}} devoted to farming.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/Historical_Publications/1950/vol%201%20Utah%20Nevada/34065055v1p31ch2.pdf | title=Statistics for Counties | work=1950 Census of Agriculture | publisher=United States Department of Agriculture | access-date=March 29, 2010 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004161414/http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/Historical_Publications/1950/vol%201%20Utah%20Nevada/34065055v1p31ch2.pdf | archive-date=October 4, 2011}}</ref> But by 1992, due to increasing population, land devoted to farming had decreased to {{convert|108,000|acre|ha}}.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/1992/Volume_1_Chapter_2_County_Tables/Utah/ut2_01.pdf | title=County Summary Highlights: 1992 | work=1992 Census of Agriculture | publisher=United States Department of Agriculture | access-date=March 29, 2010 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100307173911/http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/1992/Volume_1_Chapter_2_County_Tables/Utah/ut2_01.pdf | archive-date=March 7, 2010}}</ref> As a result of this ], South Jordan's economy went from agrarian to being a ] of Salt Lake City. Kennecott Land began a development in 2004 called Daybreak, which is a {{convert|4,200|acre|ha|adj=on}} planned community that will contain more than 20,000 homes and includes commercial and retail space.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.deseret.com/2009/8/23/20336304/bench-mark-mogul-of-daybreak-aims-to-shape-western-salt-lake-valley-s-future | title=Bench mark: Mogul of Daybreak aims to shape western Salt Lake Valley's future | newspaper=Deseret News | location=Salt Lake City | date=August 22, 2009 | access-date=March 15, 2022}}</ref> In 2022, the remaining {{convert|1,300|acre|ha|adj=on}} undeveloped land was sold to Larry H. Miller Group.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/2021/04/12/larry-h-millers-real/ | title=Larry H. Miller's real estate arm makes big move, buys booming Daybreak in South Jordan | newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune | date=April 12, 2022 | access-date=March 15, 2022}}</ref> In 1981, the ] was completed. In 2009, the ] was completed and became the second temple to be built in South Jordan. South Jordan was the first city in the world to have two temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, namely the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple and the Jordan River Utah Temple. The second city to carry that distinction is ], about 30 miles to the south of South Jordan.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/oquirrh-mountain-utah-temple/ | title=Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple | work=Temples | publisher=Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | access-date=October 6, 2012}}</ref> In May 2003 the Sri Ganesha Hindu Temple was completed.<ref>[cite web | url=//www.utahganeshatemple.org/mission | completed </ref> | |||
==Geography== | |||
In 1863 the area "west of Jordan" was divided into the North Jordan (Taylorsville), West Jordan, South Jordan, and Herriman Wards of the LDS Church giving South Jordan its name. The first building in South Jordan other than houses was the first South Jordan meetinghouse located under the hill on Cemetery Road (1055 West). The tiny structure was built in 1864 out of adobe and measaured just 14' by 18'. The "Rock Church" on the Lower Road in West Jordan was used for combined meetings of the LDS pioneers in the area. As South Jordan grew, a new and larger building was constructed on the east side of the current cememtery site in 1873. It measured 30' by 46' and had an upper and lower entrance with a granite foundation using left over materials brought from the granite quarry at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon. The upper story was made of over-sized adobe bricks. The main hall had curtains which could be pulled to section off the hall for classes. The meetinghouse also served as the "ward" school when it was held during the fall and winter months. It came to be known as the "Mud Temple". The building was used until 1908 when South Jordan Ward moved into a new builing on the Lower Road and Park Lane (10400 South. Adjacent to the church was the South Jordan Cemetery which was built on land donated by James Oliver for a burying ground. | |||
] | |||
Many local families with pioneer ancestors who lived in South Jordan have preserved stories about encounters with Nuche (Ute) in the south part of Salt Lake County. One journal names them the "Yo-No". Whether that is an approximation of the name of the band or more likely a misnomer by someone who did not understand the language is unknown. Journals record that when small groups of Ute moved along the Lower Road, they stopped to ask for food at doors where they received food the last time they passed through. Early on these were tense encounters; food was scarce, but the fear of making the Ute angry ensured that the visitors received something. Pioneers viewed these requests as begging, but for the Ute it was more like collecting rent since traditional hunting lands had been turned into fields and pastures. A few encounters strained relations between the two groups. Mistreatment of children or women by the men brought the strain to the breaking point. A few children were "adopted" after pioneers believed a young boy or girl offered for sale might be killed if the child were not purchased. It may be that the children had been captured from other bands and were viewed as a source of income. Slavery quickly became a point of contention between the Ute and the Mormons and was resolved by several short Ute-Mormon "Wars". After the end of the Black Hawk War in 1872, the Ute were forced onto reservations in the Uintah Basin. | |||
According to the ], the city has a total area of {{convert|22.22|sqmi|km2|sigfig=2}}, of which {{convert|0.09|sqmi|km2}}, 0.4 percent, is water.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019" /> | |||
A school was constructed in 1873 on the Lower Road built of red bricks. It was a ward school with a local board of trustees responsible for hiring teachers and overseeing its operation. In 1876 work was completed on the South Jordan Canal which took water out of the Jordan River in Bluffdale and bought it above the river bluffs for the first time. This canal parallels 1300 West and in time joined the North Jordan Canal in Taylorsville and Granger. As a result, most of the families moved up away from the river onto the "flats" above the river which they could now irrigate. Several homes along 1300 South which were built during this time can still be seen. | |||
A new school was built on the corner of 10400 South and 1300 West (the Lower Road) closer to where people were living. Across the street was the Bishop's Tithing Yard. | |||
The relative flatness of South Jordan is due to lacustrine sediments of a ] lake called ]. Lake Bonneville existed from 75,000 to 8,000 years ago; at its peak some 30,000 years ago, the lake reached an elevation of {{convert|5200|ft|m}} above sea level and had a surface area of {{convert|19800|sqmi|km2}}.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1=Brimhall | first1=Willis H. | last2=Merritt | first2=Lavere B. | title=Geology of Utah Lake: Implications for Resource Management | journal=Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs | issue= 5: Utah Lake Monograph | year=1981 | pages=25–27 | url=https://ojs.lib.byu.edu/ojs/index.php/gbnmem/article/view/2942/3290 | access-date=April 19, 2010}}</ref> The elevation of South Jordan ranges from approximately {{convert|4300|ft|m}} near the Jordan River in the east and rises gently to the foothills of the Oquirrh Mountains at {{convert|5200|ft|m}}.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://earth.gis.usu.edu/utah/basic.phtml | title=Virtual Utah | publisher=Utah State | access-date=April 19, 2010 | archive-date=June 18, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100618044351/http://earth.gis.usu.edu/utah/basic.phtml | url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
1881 brought a diptheria epidemic to the Salt Lake Valley. Many familes lost children or spent time in qurantine until the illness passed. The Utah and Salt Lake Canal brought water near Redwood Road that same year. | |||
==Demographics== | |||
Competition between neighboring towns took many forms. In 1882 a rabbit hunt competition was held between South Joran and Riverton followed by a dance. Riverton lost by nine rabbits and the dance was held at the South Jordan meetinghouse two days later. Baseball was popular spectator sport and the Red Gales made up of players from the south part of the county played for many years in their red uniforms. Later a baseball league was established in the valley which sponsored regular seasons for wagon loads of spectators. Riverton, which was founded after South Jordan, quickly outgrew South Jordan and its business district at Redwood and 126000 South attracted customers from South Jordan on a regualr basis. Midvale was the next closest business district and occasional trips to the bank or stores on dusty or muddy roads took a long time. Sandy was for the most part a bustling mining town with too many "gentiles". | |||
South Jordan had its own post office from 1877 to 1887 when it became the Gale Post Office until 1901 when all mail was handled out of Sandy. A single postman carried all the mail for South Jordan, West Jordan, Riverton, BLuffdale and Draper. Route 2, Sandy Utah included all of the cities on the west side of Jordan River and Draper until the 1940's when house numbers were assigned. Mail was handled from West Jordan and then from Riverton until the new South Jordan Post Office was built. | |||
{{US Census population | |||
Roads in the area were poor. In wet weather wagons could be mired up the "bellies" of the wagons. In dry weather the mixture of dust and horse manure clung to everything. The roads were rutted and rough. Horse teams occasionally graded the worst of the ruts, but the next rainstorm started the process all over again. | |||
|1940= 869 | |||
|1950= 1048 | |||
|1960= 1354 | |||
|1970= 2942 | |||
|1980= 7492 | |||
|1990= 12220 | |||
|2000= 29437 | |||
|2010= 50418 | |||
|2020= 77487 | |||
|align-fn=center | |||
|footnote=Population 2010 and 2020<ref name="QuickFacts">{{Cite web | url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/southjordancityutah | title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: South Jordan city, Utah | publisher=US Census | access-date=August 19, 2021}}</ref> | |||
}} | |||
According to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau,<ref name="QuickFacts" /> as of 2020, there were 77,487 people in South Jordan. The racial makeup of the city was 84.7% non-Hispanic ], 1.0% ], 0.2% ], 3.8% ], 0.8% ], and 2.6% from two or more races. 7.1% of the population were ] or ] of any race. | |||
In the 1890's two new crops were introduced which changed farming in South Jordan. Alfalfa hay took the place of the tougher native grasses which had been used up to that point for feed for livestock. Alfalfa had to be irrigated and in good years three crops could be cut and stored. The other crop was sugar beets. Farmer liked sugar beets because they could be sold for cash at the Utah-Idaho sugar factory in Lehi. Older residents can remember the beet dump at Redwood and 10400 South where the beets were weighed and then taken to the "new" sugar factory in West Jordan. | |||
As of the 2010 ], there were 50,418 people residing in 14,333 households. The ] was 2,278 people per square mile (880/km<sup>2</sup>). There were 14,943 housing units at an average density of 675.3 per square mile (260.8/km<sup>2</sup>). The racial makeup of the city was 91.5% ], 0.2% ], 0.2% ], 2.6% ], 0.9% ], and 2.4% from two or more races. ] or ] of any race were 6.0% of the population. The racial makeup of Salt Lake County was 81.2% White, 1.6% African American, 0.9% Native American, 3.1% Asian, 1.4% Pacific Islander, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic of any race was 16.4%. The racial makeup of Utah was 92.9% White, 1.3% African American, 1.4% Native American, 3.3% Asian, 1.5% Pacific Islander, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic of any race was 13%.<ref name="demographics">{{cite web | url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/1600000US4970850 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212162645/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/1600000US4970850 | url-status=dead | archive-date=February 12, 2020 | title=South Jordan City Demographics | publisher=U.S. Census Bureau | access-date=January 29, 2011}}</ref><ref name="countycensus">{{cite web | url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/49/49035.html | title=Fact Sheet for Salt Lake County | publisher=U.S. Census Bureau | date=January 24, 2012 | access-date=January 30, 2012 | archive-date=July 14, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714215428/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/49/49035.html | url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
A new school was built in 1892. | |||
There were 14,433 households, out of which 46.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.5% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.1% were non-families. 11.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.83 compared to 2.94 for Salt Lake County and 3.03 for Utah.<ref name="demographics" /><ref name="countycensus" /> | |||
The turn of the century saw the establishment of the first businesses in South Jordan. Joseph Holt opened the Jordan Mercantile near the school on 1300 West and 10400 South in 1894. He cut ice and stored it in an ice house for use during the summer. It had a hall upstairs that was used for dances, plays and the first talking pictures when they came along. The South Jordan Milling Company opened in 1895, but burned down in 1902. It was replaced by the White Fawn Flour Mill was built on the Beckstead Ditch on Mill Road (10400 South). South Jordan's first telephone was installed at the mill. In 1903 the enlarged Utah and Salt Lake Canal was completed which brought land even farther west into cultivation. This canal parallels Redwood Road. But 1901-1903 brought such a severe drought that there wasn't enough water in the Jordan to fill the canals. Plans were made for adding larger pumps to pull water out of Utah Lake into the Jordan River, but for financial reasons the pumps weren't installed and functioning until August of 1903. Perhaps as many as one-quarter of families in southern Salt Lake County packed up and left. Farms wouldn't sell even at half-price; reportedly one farm was sold for a single good milk cow. | |||
In the city, the population was spread out, with 37.8% under the age of 20, 6.0% from 20 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.<ref name="demographics" /> | |||
The town built a baseball diamond and grandstand in 1909 for baseball games. It was torn down during World War I and plnated in wheat as part of a patriotic garden effort. The ball diamond was rebuilt for a time and then the land was turned into a ward welfare farm. | |||
The median income for a household in the city was $104,597,<ref name="QuickFacts" /> Salt Lake County was $74,865 and Utah was $71,621. Males had a median income of $65,722 versus $41,171 for females. The ] for the city was $39,453.<ref name="QuickFacts"/> About 1.6% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the ], including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 2.4% of those age 65 or over. In Salt Lake County, 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line and 8.9% of the population in Utah was below the ]. Of those people 25 years and older in the city, 97.1% were high school graduates compared to 90.8% in Salt Lake County and 87.5% in Utah. Those over 25 with a Bachelor's degree or higher weas 42.2%<ref name="QuickFacts"/> of South Jordan's population. | |||
With the passage of complusory education laws in 1890 and the establishment of the Jordan School District in 1904, a new school was constructed at 10400 South and 1300 West. It was a tall red brick building with four rooms on each level and a large staricase in the middle. 1907 saw construction of the white brick school at 10400 South and 1300 West. | |||
There were 22,368 people employed over the age of 16 with 17,258 people working in the private sector, 2,744 in the government sector, 1,186 self-employed and 32 unpaid family workers. The mean travel time to work was 23.8 minutes. There were 4,153 people employed in educational services, health care and social assistance. There were 2,862 people employed in professional, scientific, management, administrative and waste management services. There were 2,420 people employed in finance, insurance, real estate and rental and leasing. There were 2,316 people employed in retail trade, 1,633 in construction and 2,050 in manufacturing.<ref name="economic">{{cite web | url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/1600000US4970850 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212085249/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/1600000US4970850 | url-status=dead | archive-date=February 12, 2020 | title=Fact Sheet for South Jordan, Economic Characteristics | publisher=U.S. Census Bureau | access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref> | |||
In 1914 the Salt Lake Interurban was constructed which made it possible to travel to Salt Lake or as far south as Payson. It was an electric narrow-gauge line and was a huge success. It was nicknamed "the Red Heifer". A tiny yellow station called at first the "Gale Station" and later the "Redwood Station". That year also saw the first water system. It was a subscription service with the South Jordan Pipeline Company which meant that people who wanted to be connected paid a fee for installation and water. The pipes were made of long wooden strips and wrapped in thin steel cables. 1914 saw the advent of electricity in South Jordan, however, not everyone saw the immedaite benefits. The "Highline" Canal was completed in 1914 promising to change 12,000 acres of dry farms into irrigated farmland. But the amount of water was so small as it was a secondary canal and the pumps were too small to lift the amount of water required. 1914 also saw the completion of Jordan High School on State Street in Sandy. Students were taken to school in horse drawn 'busses'. | |||
===Crime=== | |||
1918 brought the ravages of the Spanish Flu epidemic. In October 2,300 cases of influenza were diagnosed and 125 people died of it in Salt Lake County. The epidemic continued into November causing the election that year to be held out of doors in large tents. The County Commission ordered the wearing of gauze masks when shopping or doing business. Schools and churches were ordered closed and people avoided contact with individuals who were infected. The courageous women who nursed the sick going house to house despite the danger were an inspriation to many people at that time. The epidemic gradually subsided by the spring of 1919. | |||
For the year 2019, the ] (FBI) reported the city had 73 ]s reported to law enforcement, up from 27 in 2010; there were also 1,124 reports of ]s, up from 1,050 in 2010.<ref name=crime2019>{{cite web | url=https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2019/crime-in-the-u.s.-2019/tables/table-8/table-8-state-cuts/utah.xls | title=Utah Offenses Known to Law Enforcement | publisher=] | access-date=March 14, 2022}}</ref><ref name=crime>{{cite web | url=https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/tables/table-8/10tbl08ut.xls | title=Utah Offenses Known to Law Enforcement by State by City, 2010 | publisher=] | date = September 2009 | access-date=January 30, 2012}}</ref> The violent ] was 94 per 100,000 people compared to a national average of 379 and 236 for Utah. The property crime rate was 1,148 per 100,000 compared to a national rate of 2,110 and 1,682 for the State.<ref name=crime2019 /><ref>{{cite web | url=https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2019/crime-in-the-u.s.-2019/topic-pages/tables/table-4 | title=Crime in the United States by Region, Geographic Division, and State, 2018–2019 | publisher=] | access-date=March 14, 2022}}</ref> The FBI defines violent offenses to include forcible rape, robbery, murder, non-negligent manslaughter, and aggravated assault. Property crimes are defined to include arson, motor vehicle theft, larceny, and burglary.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/offenses-known-to-law-enforcement | title=Offenses Known to Law Enforcement | publisher=Federal Bureau of Investigation | access-date=January 30, 2012}}</ref> | |||
1920 saw the reconstruction of Redwood Road with a cement base. People were excited about the new "Macadam" road. | |||
For the year 2020, statistics published by the ]'s Bureau of Criminal Identification showed South Jordan had a total of 60 police officers for a rate of .75 officers per 1,000 residents. City police made a total of 998 arrests, up from 910 in 2010. Total crimes reported were 3,338, up from 2,096 crimes in 2010. Total crimes contain categories that include everything from murder, rape and assault to disorderly conduct and DUI. The ] rate per 1,000 people was 19.17, down from 21.42 in 2010.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://bci.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2021/10/Crime-in-Utah-2020.pdf | title=2020 Crime in Utah Report | publisher=Bureau of Criminal Identification | pages=56, 74, 126 | access-date=March 14, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://bci.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2015/01/2010-year-end.pdf | title=2010 Crime in Utah Report | publisher=Bureau of Criminal Identification | pages=20, 69 | access-date=March 14, 2022}}</ref> | |||
The 1920's were very hard times for farmers. Prices for all fram products crashed in 1922 and reamined low fdor the next twenty years. Families who had borrowed money to cultivate new acreage or boy farm equipment were unable to pay the loans and foreclosures haunted many families. | |||
==Parks and recreation== | |||
The Jordan School district built a rectangular gymnasium next to the South Jordan elementary at the intersection of 10400 South and 1300 West in 1929. It was used by the school and the community until 2006 when it was torn down. | |||
The city has 35 municipal parks and playgrounds that includes areas for ], ], ], ], and ], ], ], ] and ]. Other recreational facilities owned by South Jordan City include the Aquatic and ], ] providing the senior programs, three fishing ponds stocked with ] and ] by the ], and Mulligan's two ] and two nine-hole ].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sjc.utah.gov/parks-recreation/ | title=Parks | publisher=South Jordan City | access-date=March 14, 2022}}</ref> | |||
In 1931 The Utah Lake Distribution Canal was built along the "Pole Line Road" (2700 West). | |||
The Depression hit South Jordan residents hard. There were bank runs and bank failures at the Sandy Bank and at the Jordan Valley Bank in Riverton where many people had their life savings. People helped each other as much as possible but families were forced off their farms when the banks foreclosed on outstanding loans. Bottling and canning came back into common use as people tried to store food they grew on the farms. Children wore hand-me-down clothing and shoes to save money. A severe drought in 1933 and 1934 put many farm families out of business. Many temperature records for hottest daytime temperatures were set in 1933 and have yet to be broken. | |||
] | |||
The Depression was indirectly responsible for the incorporation of South Jordan. The city needed a water tank to store water for residents living along Redwood Road. The only way to get government money was to incorporate. Citizens voted to incorporate on 8 November 1935 and immediately bonded itself to get money for the water tank. J Reuben Petersen, president of the South Jordan Pipeline Company, was elected South Jordan first "mayor". For many years the town office was located in the building where Newbold's Gas Station was located. Even as recently as 1975 the city had only three full-time employees. Two part-time workers were hired in the summer to take care of the cemetery and the new South Jordan City Park on Redwood Road and dig water connections a few times a summer for new homes under construction. The WPA built sidewalks along parts of Redwood Road, the Lower Road, and along 10400 South. | |||
Salt Lake County operates two regional parks inside the city. The {{convert|120|acre|ha|adj=on}} Equestrian Park that sits adjacent to South Jordan City Park. The park grounds contain a ], a ] and ] field, indoor arenas and stables.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.visitsaltlake.com/equestrian-center/ | title=Salt Lake County Equestrian Park | publisher=Visit Salt Lake | access-date=March 14, 2022}}</ref> The Salt Lake County Fair is held every August at the park. The {{convert|65|acre|ha|adj=on}} Bingham Creek Regional Park includes multi-purpose sport fields, a destination playground, a ] course, and biking and other multi-use trails along the creek. A {{convert|90|acre|ha|adj=on}} addition is in the planning stages that will include areas for ], basketball, pickleball, tennis and volleyball.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sjc.utah.gov/bingham-creek-regional-park/ | title=Bingham Creek Regional Park | publisher=South Jordan City | access-date=March 14, 2022}}</ref> | |||
December 1938 saw the most tragic event in the history of the south county area. On December 2 a bus loaded with students from South Jordan, Riverton, and Bluffdale crossed in front of an oncoming train obscured by fog and snow. The bus was broadsided killing the bus driver and twenty-three students. The shocked communities held mass funerals in the days immediately folllowing. The concern about bus safety led to changes in state and eventually federal law mandating that buses stop and open the doors before proceeding into a railroad crossing. | |||
The {{convert|67|acre|ha|adj=on}} Oquirrh Lake sits inside {{convert|137|acre|ha}} of park and wetlands located at the Daybreak Community. Recreational opportunities include ], ], ]ing and ]ing. The lake has been stocked with trout, ], channel catfish, and ].<ref name=daybreak>{{cite web | url=https://www.daybreakutah.com/frequently-asked-questions/ | title=Frequently Asked Questions | publisher=Daybreak | access-date=March 14, 2022}}</ref> In addition to the lake, the Daybreak community includes {{convert|22|mi|km}} of trails, 37 parks and five swimming pools.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.mydaybreak.com/places___spaces/parks.php | title=Parks | publisher=Daybreak | access-date=March 14, 2022}}</ref> The lake, parks and pools are privately owned by Daybreak's ] and are for residents only.<ref name=daybreak /> | |||
The LDS community in South Jordan had outgrown the old adobe church and built a new one in 1926 which can still be seen on 1300 West near 10400 South as a private residence. A Relief Society Hall had been constructed earlier just south of the new church. Since crop farming brought little cash during the Depression, some farmers took up poultry farming, raising sheep, and raising mink. Others gave up farming and went to work at the Copper Mine where a new process had finally made copper mining profitable. | |||
Privately owned, but open to the public, Glenmoor Golf course is inside city limits.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://golfglenmoor.com/ | title=Glenmoor Golf Course | publisher=Glenmoore Golf Course | access-date=March 14, 2022}}</ref> Salt Lake County-owned Mountain View Golf Course is {{convert|0.3|mi|km}} north in West Jordan<ref>{{cite web | url=https://slco.org/golf/mountain-view/| title=Mountain View Golf Course | publisher=Salt Lake County | access-date=March 14, 2022}}</ref> and Sandy-owned River Oaks Golf Course borders the Jordan River.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://sandy.utah.gov/1174/River-Oaks-Golf | title=River Oaks Golf Course | publisher=Sandy City | access-date=March 14, 2022}}</ref> | |||
Entertainment had to be inexpensive and baseball was truly the best game in town. A women's baseball league was started in 1934 so teams from the nearby towns could play each other. | |||
==Government== | |||
South Jordan saw several new small businesses. Gold Holt's store on Redwood and 10400 South was started in 1928 and was the first gas station in town. Earl Beckstead's store called "H and E Service where the South Jordan Parkway now runs was begun in 1933. Howard Newbold's Garage opened between the two other stores after World War II. | |||
South Jordan has a six-member council form of government.<ref>{{cite news |date= |title=City Manager |newspaper=South Jordan Website |url=https://www.sjc.utah.gov/227/City-Manager |access-date=February 3, 2023}}</ref> The council, the city's legislative body, consists of five members and a mayor, each serving a four-year term. The council sets policy, and the city manager oversees day-to-day operations. {{As of|2022}}, the mayor is Dawn R. Ramsey. The city council meets the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 6:30 pm.<ref name=city>{{cite web | title=South Jordan City | publisher=South Jordan City Council | url=https://www.sjc.utah.gov/city-council/ | access-date=March 14, 2022}}</ref> | |||
Utah is one of the country's most ] states<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/114016/state-states-political-party-affiliation.aspx | title=State of the States: Political Party Affiliation | publisher=Gallup | access-date=April 22, 2010}}</ref> and South Jordan follows Utah's trend with only Republican state and federal elected officials. South Jordan is part of ] of the ]. For the state government between 2023 and 2033, the city is part of ]'s 17th district, and parts of the 39th, 44th, 45th, 46th and 48th districts in the ].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://le.utah.gov/GIS/findDistrict2022.jsp | title=Utah State Legislative District Maps | publisher=Utah State Legislature | access-date=March 15, 2022}}</ref> | |||
World War II brought about significant changes for the residents of South Jordan. After Pearl Harbor in 1941 thousands of men were drafted or volunteered for one of the armed forces. Utah's location on the main rail lines and far enough inland to prevent attack made it ideal for war industries. The Depression came to an abrupt end as everyone went back to work. The war effort brought prices up sharply for farm products, wages rose as companies competed for workers. Women and minorities entered the work force in large numbers for the first time. 50,000 new jobs were created during the war and many young people who stayed at home took up and remained in occupations that took them off the farms. 10,000 people worked a the Remington Small Arms Factory and thousands of others at Hill Air Force Base, Kearns Army air Base, Tooele, Clearfield, and Ogden Depots. | |||
==Education== | |||
The increased number of automobiles in use after the war brought an end to the interurban railway. The line closed in 1946, and the rail lines and station were dismantled. | |||
South Jordan lies within ]. The district has seven elementary schools (Daybreak, Eastlake, Elk Meadows, Golden Fields, Jordan Ridge, Monte Vista, and South Jordan Elementaries), three middle schools (South Jordan and Elk Ridge, and Mountain Creek) and two high schools (] and ]) serving the students of South Jordan.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://planning.jordandistrict.org/boundaries/ | title=Boundaries, Maps & Bus Stops | access-date=March 12, 2022 | publisher=Jordan School District}}</ref> In addition, there is ] public charter high school, Early Light Academy and Hawthorne Academy public charter elementaries and two private schools (American Heritage and Stillwater Academy). | |||
], a private university, houses schools of pharmacy, dentistry, and nursing.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.roseman.edu/about-roseman-university/roseman-university-campuses/south-jordan-campus/ | title=Roseman University in Utah | publisher=Roseman University | access-date=March 12, 2022}}</ref> | |||
The winter of 1948-49 was the worst in living memory. Snowdrifts lay five to seven feet deep across the roads making travel impossible. There wasn't any equipment to plow except horse-drawn implements to clear roads. | |||
==Transportation== | |||
The town decided that something had to be done about the cemetery. Over a period of years, mounded graves were leveled, the old faded wooden markers were replaced and a fence constructed around it to keep livestock out of the cemetery. It was resurveyed and many upright stone markers were laid flat. Grass was planted in 1950 and a water pump installed so that it could be watered with irrigation pipes during the summer months. Land was donated for cemetery extensions to the west and north for future use. Eventually the city passed an ordinance prohibiting upright markers. In the 1990's the ordinance was changed again to permit them. | |||
], a twelve-lane freeway, is located on the eastern edge of the city and provides two interchanges inside city limits at 10600 South and 11400 South. Bangerter Highway (]), a six-lane ], traverses the center of the city with interchanges at 9800 South, 10400 South and 11400 South. The ], an eventual ten-lane freeway, is located on the western edge of the Daybreak Community.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.udot.utah.gov/mountainview/ | title=Mountain View Corridor | publisher=Utah Department of Transportation | access-date=March 30, 2010}}</ref> | |||
In 1957 the boundaries for Bingham High School were changed so students from South Jordan were transported to Copperton by bus. Many parents protested this decision fearing that it wasn't safe for the students to travel so far. The school district refused to change the decision and a whole generation of children attended Bingham High School in Copperton. | |||
] ] train at the ], August 2011]] | |||
The city bought land for a new city park on Redwood Road in 1963. Improvements were added over time. The oldest trees were planted by 1973. A grandstand, bowery, and restrooms were added as well. | |||
South Jordan is served by the ] (UTA) bus system and UTA's ] ] ].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.rideuta.com/projects/midJordanLightRail/overview.aspx | title=Overview | work=Mid-Jordan TRAX Line | publisher=] | date=February 2010 | access-date=March 30, 2010}}</ref> The Red Line connects the TRAX line running to downtown Salt Lake City and the ]. Two TRAX stations, with park and ride lots, are located inside the Daybreak Community. The South Jordan Parkway Station is located at approximately 10600 South and has 400 shared park and ride spaces. The Daybreak Parkway Station is located at 11400 South and has 600 park and ride spaces. Two other stations are located inside West Jordan at the city boundary with South Jordan, the 5600 West Old Bingham Highway Station and the 4800 West Old Bingham Highway Station.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.rideuta.com/files/ProjectInformation&Map.pdf | title=Mid-Jordan Transit Corridor Project Information | publisher=Utah Transit Authority | access-date=March 20, 2010 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713124852/http://www.rideuta.com/files/ProjectInformation%26Map.pdf |archive-date=July 13, 2014}}</ref> The travel time between the Daybreak Parkway Station to downtown Salt Lake City is approximately 60 minutes.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.rideuta.com/projects/midJordanLightRail/overview.aspx | title=Overview | publisher=Utah Transit Authority | access-date=March 20, 2010}}</ref> | |||
UTA's '']'' ] system has ] at South Jordan's eastern edge at 10200 South. The ''FrontRunner'' extends north to ] and south to ].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ksl.com/?sid=9870195&nid=148 | title=Exclusive look at ''FrontRunner'' South rail through Jordan Narrows | work=] | publisher=]|location=] | date=March 2, 2010 | access-date=March 30, 2010}}</ref> | |||
By 1973 environmental concerns about the Jordan River gave rise to the Jordan River Parkway. The plan was to create and "urban oasis" along the twenty miles of the river in Utah and Salt Lake Counties. There was some discussion about building a flood control dam somewhere in West Jordan or South Jordan. Residents joked about suddenly having lakefront property. The dam idea proved to be too costly and was quietly set aside. But the plans to clean up the once clear trout stream have progressed ever since. This change was badly needed because the Jordan had become the Salt Lake Valley's open sewer. It had been used to carry away pollutants for years by smelters, municipal sewage treatment facilities, laundries, and slaughterhouses for generations. 1975 saw the completion of the newest Bingham High School on 10400 South, the fourth school of the same name. South Jordan had just 3,000 residents that year. | |||
==Infrastructure== | |||
1974 brought the first city-wide sewer system. The old septic tanks and field drains were disconnected. | |||
In 1981 the LDS Church announced the construction of the Jordan River Temple, South Jordan's most noticeable landmark on property donated by the descendants of Willam M Holt. | |||
Electric service to South Jordan residents is provided by ]. Natural gas service is provided by ]. High-speed internet connections are provided by ], ] and ]. | |||
Kennecott Copper began an enormous development in South Jordan called Daybreak. It will eventually be a planned community that will more than double South Jordan's population. | |||
South Jordan city owns the water distribution system. Drinking water is provided by ]. Secondary water, a non-potable water used for landscaping, is provided from the canals running through the city.<ref name=water>{{cite web |url=https://www.sjc.utah.gov/water |title=Water Services |publisher=South Jordan City |access-date=March 12, 2022 |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226143912/https://www.sjc.utah.gov/water/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> South Valley Sewer District operates the sewer system. South Jordan City contracts out to Ace Recycling and Disposal for curbside pickup of household garbage and recycling.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sjc.utah.gov/garbage/ | title=Sanitation Services - Garbage |publisher=South Jordan City |access-date=March 12, 2022}}</ref> | |||
In 2007 a second LDS temple was announced in western South Jordan at Daybreak; the only city in the world with two LDS temples. | |||
] and ] operate large clinics in the city. | |||
==Demographics== | |||
Population History | |||
==Economy== | |||
1895 621 residents | |||
According to South Jordan's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the principal employers in the city are:<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sjc.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/FY2020-CAFR-Electronic-Version.pdf | title=2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report | publisher=South Jordan City | date=January 19, 2021 | access-date=March 12, 2022 | page=152}}</ref> | |||
1908 600 residents | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
1975 2900 residents | |||
|- | |||
! # | |||
! Employer | |||
! # of Employees | |||
|- | |||
| 1 | |||
| Merit Medical | |||
| 2,086 | |||
|- | |||
| 2 | |||
| ] | |||
| 1,663 | |||
|- | |||
| 3 | |||
| Ultradent | |||
| 1,502 | |||
|- | |||
| 4 | |||
| ] | |||
| 1,000 | |||
|- | |||
| 5 | |||
| ] | |||
| 760 | |||
|- | |||
| 6 | |||
| AdvancedMD | |||
| 655 | |||
|- | |||
| 7 | |||
| City of South Jordan | |||
| 502 | |||
|- | |||
| 8 | |||
| ] | |||
| 480 | |||
|- | |||
| 9 | |||
| ] | |||
| 475 | |||
|- | |||
| 10 | |||
| Physician's Group of Utah<br>(]) | |||
| 453 | |||
|} | |||
==Notable people== | |||
As of the ]{{GR|2}} of 2000, there were 29,437 people, 7,507 households, and 6,771 families residing in the city. The ] was 544.6/km² (1,410.6/mi²). There were 7,721 housing units at an average density of 142.8/km² (370.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.51% ], 0.30% ], 0.10% ], 1.01% ], 0.48% ], 1.29% from ], and 1.31% from two or more races. ] or ] of any race were 3.27% of the population. | |||
* ] - (b. 1939), is an American artist, sculptor, and inventor. | |||
There were 7,507 households out of which 58.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 83.3% were ] living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 9.8% were non-families. 7.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.92 and the average family size was 4.16. | |||
* ] - (b. 1992), is an ] linebacker for the ]. | |||
* ] - (b. 1989), is a Tongan ] defensive tackle who played for the ]. | |||
* ] - (b. 1999), is an ] wide receiver and return specialist for the ]. | |||
* ] - (b. 1982) is a retired Winter Olympics short track speed skating competitor and member of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame (inducted 2019). | |||
* ] - (b. 1973) is an American Olympics archer who was a member of the American squad. | |||
==See also== | |||
In the city the population was spread out with 39.2% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 4.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females there were 100.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males. | |||
{{portal|Utah}} | |||
* ] | |||
==References== | |||
The median income for a household in the city was $75,433, and the median income for a family was $76,809. Males had a median income of $52,165 versus $30,260 for females. The ] for the city was $20,938. About 0.9% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the ], including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over. | |||
{{Reflist}} | |||
== |
==Bibliography== | ||
* {{Citation | first= Ronald R. | last= Bateman | contribution= South Jordan | contribution-url= http://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/s/SOUTH_JORDAN.html | editor-last= Powell | editor-first= Allan Kent | year= 1994 | title= Utah History Encyclopedia | location= Salt Lake City, Utah | publisher= ] | isbn= 0874804256 | oclc= 30473917 | access-date= October 31, 2013 | archive-date= January 13, 2017 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170113130245/http://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/s/SOUTH_JORDAN.html | url-status= dead }} | |||
# {{cite web | |||
* {{Cite book | last=Bateman | first=Ronald R. | title=Of Dugouts and Spires: The History of South Jordan, Utah | year=1998 | publisher=South Jordan City Corporation}} | |||
| title =South Jordan City Demographics | |||
* {{Cite book | editor-last=Cuch | editor-first=Forrest S. | title=A History of Utah's American Indians | publisher=Utah State University Press | location=Logan | year=2000 | isbn=978-0-913738-48-1 | url=http://historytogo.utah.gov/people/ethnic_cultures/the_history_of_utahs_american_indians | access-date=March 17, 2010 | archive-date=June 21, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110621215504/http://historytogo.utah.gov/people/ethnic_cultures/the_history_of_utahs_american_indians/ | url-status=dead }} | |||
| publisher =South Jordan City | |||
* {{Cite book | last=Janetski | first=Joel C | title=The Ute of Utah Lake | publisher=University of Utah Press | location=Salt Lake City | year=1991 | isbn=978-0-87480-343-3}} | |||
| date =] | |||
* {{Cite book | last=Madsen | first=Brigham D. | title=The Shoshoni Frontier and the Bear River Massacre | year=1985 | publisher=University of Utah Press | location=Salt Lake City | isbn=978-0-87480-494-2}} | |||
| url =http://www.sjc.utah.gov/populat.asp | |||
* {{Cite book | last=Madsen | first=David B. | title=Exploring the Fremont | publisher=Utah Museum Natural History | location=Salt Lake City | year=2002 | isbn=978-0-940378-35-3}} | |||
| accessdate =2007-03-21 }} | |||
== Famous People == | |||
*] Former Playmate, actress | |||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
{{commons category|South Jordan, Utah}} | |||
* | |||
* {{official website|https://www.sjc.utah.gov}} | |||
{{Mapit-US-cityscale|40.561598|-111.960889}} | |||
* | |||
{{Geographic location | |||
|Centre = South Jordan | |||
|North = ] | |||
|Northeast = ] | |||
|East = ] | |||
|Southeast = ] | |||
|South = ], ] | |||
|Southwest = | |||
|West = ]<br/>] | |||
|Northwest = | |||
}} | |||
{{Salt Lake County, Utah}} | {{Salt Lake County, Utah}} | ||
{{Utah}} | {{Utah}} | ||
{{Authority control}} | |||
{{good article}} | |||
] | |||
] | ] | ||
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Latest revision as of 11:29, 12 November 2024
City in Salt Lake County, Utah, United StatesCity in Utah, United States
South Jordan, Utah | |
---|---|
City | |
South Jordan City Hall, March 2006 | |
Location in Salt Lake County and the state of Utah. | |
Coordinates: 40°33′42″N 111°57′39″W / 40.56167°N 111.96083°W / 40.56167; -111.96083 | |
Country | United States |
State | Utah |
County | Salt Lake |
Established | 1859 |
Incorporated | November 8, 1935 |
Named for | Jordan River |
Government | |
• Type | council–manager |
• Mayor | Dawn Ramsey |
• Manager | Gary L. Whatcott |
Area | |
• Total | 22.31 sq mi (57.77 km) |
• Land | 22.22 sq mi (57.54 km) |
• Water | 0.09 sq mi (0.23 km) |
Elevation | 4,439 ft (1,353 m) |
Population | |
• Total | 77,487 |
• Density | 3,452.07/sq mi (1,332.86/km) |
Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain (MST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
ZIP code | 84009, 84095 |
Area code(s) | 385, 801 |
FIPS code | 70850 |
GNIS feature ID | 1432728 |
Website | www |
South Jordan is a city in south central Salt Lake County, Utah, United States, 18 miles (29 km) 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 10,000-foot (3,000 m) Oquirrh Mountains and the 11,000-foot (3,400 m) Wasatch Mountains. The city has 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of the Jordan River Parkway that contains fishing ponds, trails, parks, and natural habitats. The Salt Lake County fair grounds and equestrian park, 67-acre (27 ha) Oquirrh Lake, and 37 public parks are located inside the city. As of 2020, there were 77,487 people in South Jordan.
Founded in 1859 by settlers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and historically an agrarian town, South Jordan has become a rapidly growing bedroom community of Salt Lake City. Kennecott Land, a land development company, has recently begun construction on the master-planned Daybreak Community for the entire western half of South Jordan, potentially doubling South Jordan's population. South Jordan was the first municipality in the world to have two temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Jordan River Utah Temple and Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple), it now shares that distinction with Provo, Utah. The city has two TRAX light rail stops, as well as one commuter rail stop on the FrontRunner.
History
Pre-European
The first known inhabitants were members of the Desert Archaic Culture who were nomadic hunter-gatherers. From 400 A.D. to around 1350 A.D., the Fremont people settled into villages and farmed corn and squash. Changes in climatic conditions to a cooler, drier period and the movement into the area of ancestors of the Ute, Paiute, and Shoshone, led to the disappearance of the Fremont people. When European settlers arrived, there were no permanent Native American settlements in the Salt Lake Valley, but the area bordered several tribes – the territory of the Northwestern Shoshone to the north, the Timpanogots band of the Utes to the south in Utah Valley, and the Goshutes to the west in Tooele Valley.
The only recorded trapper to lead a party through the area was Étienne Provost, a French Canadian. In October 1824, Provost's party was lured into an Indian camp somewhere along the Jordan River north of Utah Lake. The people responsible for the attack were planning revenge against Provost's party for an earlier unexplained incident involving other trappers. Provost escaped, but his men were caught off-guard and fifteen of them were killed.
Early Latter-day Saint settlement
On July 22, 1847, an advanced party of the first Latter-day Saint pioneers entered the valley and immediately began to irrigate land and explore the area with a view to establishing new settlements. Alexander Beckstead, a blacksmith from Ontario, Canada, moved his family to the West Jordan area in 1849, and became the first of his trade in the south Salt Lake Valley. He helped dig the first ditch to divert water from the Jordan River, powering Archibald Gardner's flour mill. In 1859, Beckstead became the first settler of South Jordan by moving his family along the Jordan River where they lived in a dugout cut into the west bluffs above the river. The flood plain of the Jordan was level, and could be cleared for farming if a ditch was constructed to divert river water along the base of the west bluff. Beckstead and others created the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) "Beckstead Ditch", which is still in use for irrigation of city parks and Mulligan's golf course.
In 1863, the South Jordan Branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized as a branch of the West Jordan Ward, giving South Jordan its name. The Branch consisted of just nine families. A school was built in 1864 out of adobe and also served as the Church Meetinghouse for the South Jordan Branch. As South Jordan grew, a new and larger building was constructed in 1873 on the east side of the site of the present-day cemetery. It had an upper and lower entrance with a granite foundation using left-over materials brought from the granite quarry at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon. The upper story was made of oversized adobe bricks. The main hall had curtains which could be pulled to section off the hall for classes. The meetinghouse also served as the "ward" school when it was held during the fall and winter months. It came to be known as the "Mud Temple", and was in use until 1908.
In 1876, work was completed on the South Jordan Canal which took water out of the Jordan River in Bluffdale and brought it above the river bluffs for the first time. As a result of the new canal, most of the families moved up away from the river onto the "flats" above the river which they could now irrigate. In 1881, the Utah and Salt Lake Canal was completed. It runs parallels to the west side of today's Redwood Road. With the completion of the canal system, greater acreage could be farmed, which led to the area's population increasing.
Twentieth century
In the late 1890s, alfalfa hay was introduced and took the place of tougher native grasses which had been used up to that point for feed for livestock. In good years, alfalfa could produce three crops that were stored for winter. Sugar beets were introduced to South Jordan around 1910. Farmers liked sugar beets because they could be sold for cash at the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company factory in West Jordan.
A big celebration was held on January 14, 1914, to commemorate the arrival of electrical power, the addition of a water tank and supply system for indoor pumping and a new park for South Jordan. By the 1930s, the area needed a water tank to store water for residents living further west. The only way to get a federal grant was to incorporate and become a city. Citizens voted to incorporate on November 8, 1935, and immediately issued bonds to obtain money for the water tank. The city was initially governed by a Town Board with responsibilities over parks, water and the cemetery. In 1978, the city moved to a mayor-council form of government and assumed local supervision of police, fire, road and building inspections from Salt Lake County.
One of the worst school bus accidents in United States history occurred on December 1, 1938. A bus loaded with 38 students from South Jordan, Riverton, and Bluffdale crossed in front of an oncoming train that was obscured by fog and snow. The bus was broadsided killing the bus driver and 23 students. The concern about bus safety from the South Jordan accident led to changes in state and eventually federal law mandating that buses stop and open the doors before proceeding into a railroad crossing. The same railroad crossing was the site of many other crashes in the following years with the last deadly crash occurring on December 31, 1995, when three teens died while crossing the tracks in their car. The crossing was finally closed, but not until crashes occurred in 1997 and 2002.
In 1950, Salt Lake County had 489,000 acres (198,000 ha) devoted to farming. But by 1992, due to increasing population, land devoted to farming had decreased to 108,000 acres (44,000 ha). As a result of this urbanization, South Jordan's economy went from agrarian to being a bedroom community of Salt Lake City. Kennecott Land began a development in 2004 called Daybreak, which is a 4,200-acre (1,700 ha) planned community that will contain more than 20,000 homes and includes commercial and retail space. In 2022, the remaining 1,300-acre (530 ha) undeveloped land was sold to Larry H. Miller Group. In 1981, the Jordan River Utah Temple was completed. In 2009, the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple was completed and became the second temple to be built in South Jordan. South Jordan was the first city in the world to have two temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, namely the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple and the Jordan River Utah Temple. The second city to carry that distinction is Provo, Utah, about 30 miles to the south of South Jordan. In May 2003 the Sri Ganesha Hindu Temple was completed.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.22 square miles (58 km), of which 0.09 square miles (0.23 km), 0.4 percent, is water.
The relative flatness of South Jordan is due to lacustrine sediments of a pleistocene lake called Lake Bonneville. Lake Bonneville existed from 75,000 to 8,000 years ago; at its peak some 30,000 years ago, the lake reached an elevation of 5,200 feet (1,600 m) above sea level and had a surface area of 19,800 square miles (51,000 km). The elevation of South Jordan ranges from approximately 4,300 feet (1,300 m) near the Jordan River in the east and rises gently to the foothills of the Oquirrh Mountains at 5,200 feet (1,600 m).
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1940 | 869 | — | |
1950 | 1,048 | 20.6% | |
1960 | 1,354 | 29.2% | |
1970 | 2,942 | 117.3% | |
1980 | 7,492 | 154.7% | |
1990 | 12,220 | 63.1% | |
2000 | 29,437 | 140.9% | |
2010 | 50,418 | 71.3% | |
2020 | 77,487 | 53.7% | |
Population 2010 and 2020 |
According to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2020, there were 77,487 people in South Jordan. The racial makeup of the city was 84.7% non-Hispanic White, 1.0% Black, 0.2% Native American, 3.8% Asian, 0.8% Pacific Islander, and 2.6% from two or more races. 7.1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
As of the 2010 census, there were 50,418 people residing in 14,333 households. The population density was 2,278 people per square mile (880/km). There were 14,943 housing units at an average density of 675.3 per square mile (260.8/km). The racial makeup of the city was 91.5% White, 0.2% African American, 0.2% Native American, 2.6% Asian, 0.9% Pacific Islander, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.0% of the population. The racial makeup of Salt Lake County was 81.2% White, 1.6% African American, 0.9% Native American, 3.1% Asian, 1.4% Pacific Islander, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic of any race was 16.4%. The racial makeup of Utah was 92.9% White, 1.3% African American, 1.4% Native American, 3.3% Asian, 1.5% Pacific Islander, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic of any race was 13%.
There were 14,433 households, out of which 46.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.5% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.1% were non-families. 11.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.83 compared to 2.94 for Salt Lake County and 3.03 for Utah.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 37.8% under the age of 20, 6.0% from 20 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $104,597, Salt Lake County was $74,865 and Utah was $71,621. Males had a median income of $65,722 versus $41,171 for females. The per capita income for the city was $39,453. About 1.6% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 2.4% of those age 65 or over. In Salt Lake County, 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line and 8.9% of the population in Utah was below the poverty line. Of those people 25 years and older in the city, 97.1% were high school graduates compared to 90.8% in Salt Lake County and 87.5% in Utah. Those over 25 with a Bachelor's degree or higher weas 42.2% of South Jordan's population.
There were 22,368 people employed over the age of 16 with 17,258 people working in the private sector, 2,744 in the government sector, 1,186 self-employed and 32 unpaid family workers. The mean travel time to work was 23.8 minutes. There were 4,153 people employed in educational services, health care and social assistance. There were 2,862 people employed in professional, scientific, management, administrative and waste management services. There were 2,420 people employed in finance, insurance, real estate and rental and leasing. There were 2,316 people employed in retail trade, 1,633 in construction and 2,050 in manufacturing.
Crime
For the year 2019, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported the city had 73 violent crimes reported to law enforcement, up from 27 in 2010; there were also 1,124 reports of property crimes, up from 1,050 in 2010. The violent crime rate was 94 per 100,000 people compared to a national average of 379 and 236 for Utah. The property crime rate was 1,148 per 100,000 compared to a national rate of 2,110 and 1,682 for the State. The FBI defines violent offenses to include forcible rape, robbery, murder, non-negligent manslaughter, and aggravated assault. Property crimes are defined to include arson, motor vehicle theft, larceny, and burglary.
For the year 2020, statistics published by the Utah Department of Public Safety's Bureau of Criminal Identification showed South Jordan had a total of 60 police officers for a rate of .75 officers per 1,000 residents. City police made a total of 998 arrests, up from 910 in 2010. Total crimes reported were 3,338, up from 2,096 crimes in 2010. Total crimes contain categories that include everything from murder, rape and assault to disorderly conduct and DUI. The index crime rate per 1,000 people was 19.17, down from 21.42 in 2010.
Parks and recreation
The city has 35 municipal parks and playgrounds that includes areas for baseball, softball, football, soccer, and lacrosse, volleyball, pickleball, tennis and skateboarding. Other recreational facilities owned by South Jordan City include the Aquatic and Fitness center, Community Center providing the senior programs, three fishing ponds stocked with rainbow trout and catfish by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, and Mulligan's two miniature golf and two nine-hole executive golf courses.
Salt Lake County operates two regional parks inside the city. The 120-acre (49 ha) Equestrian Park that sits adjacent to South Jordan City Park. The park grounds contain a horse racing track, a polo and dressage field, indoor arenas and stables. The Salt Lake County Fair is held every August at the park. The 65-acre (26 ha) Bingham Creek Regional Park includes multi-purpose sport fields, a destination playground, a disc golf course, and biking and other multi-use trails along the creek. A 90-acre (36 ha) addition is in the planning stages that will include areas for BMX, basketball, pickleball, tennis and volleyball.
The 67-acre (27 ha) Oquirrh Lake sits inside 137 acres (55 ha) of park and wetlands located at the Daybreak Community. Recreational opportunities include fishing, sail boating, kayaking and canoeing. The lake has been stocked with trout, bigmouth bass, channel catfish, and bluegill. In addition to the lake, the Daybreak community includes 22 miles (35 km) of trails, 37 parks and five swimming pools. The lake, parks and pools are privately owned by Daybreak's home owners association and are for residents only.
Privately owned, but open to the public, Glenmoor Golf course is inside city limits. Salt Lake County-owned Mountain View Golf Course is 0.3 miles (0.48 km) north in West Jordan and Sandy-owned River Oaks Golf Course borders the Jordan River.
Government
South Jordan has a six-member council form of government. The council, the city's legislative body, consists of five members and a mayor, each serving a four-year term. The council sets policy, and the city manager oversees day-to-day operations. As of 2022, the mayor is Dawn R. Ramsey. The city council meets the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 6:30 pm.
Utah is one of the country's most Republican states and South Jordan follows Utah's trend with only Republican state and federal elected officials. South Jordan is part of Utah's 4th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives. For the state government between 2023 and 2033, the city is part of Utah Senate's 17th district, and parts of the 39th, 44th, 45th, 46th and 48th districts in the Utah House of Representatives.
Education
South Jordan lies within Jordan School District. The district has seven elementary schools (Daybreak, Eastlake, Elk Meadows, Golden Fields, Jordan Ridge, Monte Vista, and South Jordan Elementaries), three middle schools (South Jordan and Elk Ridge, and Mountain Creek) and two high schools (Bingham High School and Herriman High School) serving the students of South Jordan. In addition, there is Paradigm public charter high school, Early Light Academy and Hawthorne Academy public charter elementaries and two private schools (American Heritage and Stillwater Academy).
Roseman University of Health Sciences, a private university, houses schools of pharmacy, dentistry, and nursing.
Transportation
Interstate 15, a twelve-lane freeway, is located on the eastern edge of the city and provides two interchanges inside city limits at 10600 South and 11400 South. Bangerter Highway (State Route 154), a six-lane expressway, traverses the center of the city with interchanges at 9800 South, 10400 South and 11400 South. The Mountain View Corridor, an eventual ten-lane freeway, is located on the western edge of the Daybreak Community.
South Jordan is served by the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) bus system and UTA's TRAX light rail Red Line. The Red Line connects the TRAX line running to downtown Salt Lake City and the University of Utah. Two TRAX stations, with park and ride lots, are located inside the Daybreak Community. The South Jordan Parkway Station is located at approximately 10600 South and has 400 shared park and ride spaces. The Daybreak Parkway Station is located at 11400 South and has 600 park and ride spaces. Two other stations are located inside West Jordan at the city boundary with South Jordan, the 5600 West Old Bingham Highway Station and the 4800 West Old Bingham Highway Station. The travel time between the Daybreak Parkway Station to downtown Salt Lake City is approximately 60 minutes.
UTA's FrontRunner commuter rail system has a station at South Jordan's eastern edge at 10200 South. The FrontRunner extends north to Ogden and south to Provo.
Infrastructure
Electric service to South Jordan residents is provided by Rocky Mountain Power. Natural gas service is provided by Questar. High-speed internet connections are provided by Comcast, Qwest and Google.
South Jordan city owns the water distribution system. Drinking water is provided by Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District. Secondary water, a non-potable water used for landscaping, is provided from the canals running through the city. South Valley Sewer District operates the sewer system. South Jordan City contracts out to Ace Recycling and Disposal for curbside pickup of household garbage and recycling.
University of Utah and Veterans Affairs operate large clinics in the city.
Economy
According to South Jordan's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the principal employers in the city are:
# | Employer | # of Employees |
---|---|---|
1 | Merit Medical | 2,086 |
2 | Jordan School District | 1,663 |
3 | Ultradent | 1,502 |
4 | Willis Towers Watson | 1,000 |
5 | Walmart | 760 |
6 | AdvancedMD | 655 |
7 | City of South Jordan | 502 |
8 | Intermountain Healthcare | 480 |
9 | OOCL | 475 |
10 | Physician's Group of Utah (Steward Health Care System) |
453 |
Notable people
- Edward J. Fraughton - (b. 1939), is an American artist, sculptor, and inventor.
- Harvey Langi - (b. 1992), is an NFL linebacker for the Denver Broncos.
- Star Lotulelei - (b. 1989), is a Tongan NFL defensive tackle who played for the Buffalo Bills.
- Dax Milne - (b. 1999), is an NFL wide receiver and return specialist for the Washington Commanders.
- Apolo Ohno - (b. 1982) is a retired Winter Olympics short track speed skating competitor and member of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame (inducted 2019).
- Denise Parker - (b. 1973) is an American Olympics archer who was a member of the American squad.
See also
References
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- ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: South Jordan city, Utah". US Census. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
- "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
- Madsen, David B. (1994), "The Fremont", in Powell, Allan Kent (ed.), Utah History Encyclopedia, Salt Lake City, Utah: University of Utah Press, ISBN 0874804256, OCLC 30473917, archived from the original on November 1, 2013, retrieved October 31, 2013
- Madsen 2002, pp. 13–14
- Madsen 1985, pp. 6–7
- Janetski 1991, pp. 32–33
- Cuch 2000, p. 75
- Alter, Cecil (1941). "Journal of W.A. Ferris 1830–1835". Utah Historical Quarterly. 9: 105–106. doi:10.2307/45057569. JSTOR 45057569.
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- ^ Bateman 1994, p. 513
- Bateman 1998, p. 8
- ^ "Water Services". South Jordan City. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- Jensen, Andrew, ed. (1941). "South Jordan Ward". Encyclopedic History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Publishing Company. p. 816. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
- ^ Jensen, Andrew (1889). "South Jordan Ward". The Historical Record: A Monthly Periodical, Devoted Exclusively to Historical, Biographical, Chronological and Statistical Matters. 5: 335. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
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- "Bench mark: Mogul of Daybreak aims to shape western Salt Lake Valley's future". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. August 22, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
- "Larry H. Miller's real estate arm makes big move, buys booming Daybreak in South Jordan". Salt Lake Tribune. April 12, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
- "Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple". Temples. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
- [cite web | url=//www.utahganeshatemple.org/mission | completed
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- "Virtual Utah". Utah State. Archived from the original on June 18, 2010. Retrieved April 19, 2010.
- ^ "South Jordan City Demographics". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ "Fact Sheet for Salt Lake County". U.S. Census Bureau. January 24, 2012. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
- "Fact Sheet for South Jordan, Economic Characteristics". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
- ^ "Utah Offenses Known to Law Enforcement". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
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- "Crime in the United States by Region, Geographic Division, and State, 2018–2019". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- "Offenses Known to Law Enforcement". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
- "2020 Crime in Utah Report" (PDF). Bureau of Criminal Identification. pp. 56, 74, 126. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- "2010 Crime in Utah Report" (PDF). Bureau of Criminal Identification. pp. 20, 69. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- "Parks". South Jordan City. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- "Salt Lake County Equestrian Park". Visit Salt Lake. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- "Bingham Creek Regional Park". South Jordan City. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Daybreak. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- "Parks". Daybreak. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- "Glenmoor Golf Course". Glenmoore Golf Course. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- "Mountain View Golf Course". Salt Lake County. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- "River Oaks Golf Course". Sandy City. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- "City Manager". South Jordan Website. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
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Bibliography
- Bateman, Ronald R. (1994), "South Jordan", in Powell, Allan Kent (ed.), Utah History Encyclopedia, Salt Lake City, Utah: University of Utah Press, ISBN 0874804256, OCLC 30473917, archived from the original on January 13, 2017, retrieved October 31, 2013
- Bateman, Ronald R. (1998). Of Dugouts and Spires: The History of South Jordan, Utah. South Jordan City Corporation.
- Cuch, Forrest S., ed. (2000). A History of Utah's American Indians. Logan: Utah State University Press. ISBN 978-0-913738-48-1. Archived from the original on June 21, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
- Janetski, Joel C (1991). The Ute of Utah Lake. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press. ISBN 978-0-87480-343-3.
- Madsen, Brigham D. (1985). The Shoshoni Frontier and the Bear River Massacre. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press. ISBN 978-0-87480-494-2.
- Madsen, David B. (2002). Exploring the Fremont. Salt Lake City: Utah Museum Natural History. ISBN 978-0-940378-35-3.
External links
Places adjacent to South Jordan, Utah | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities of Salt Lake County, Utah, United States | ||
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County seat: Salt Lake City | ||
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Unincorporated communities | ||
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Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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