The land was treated by the United States as public domain no aboriginal title by the Northwestern Shoshone was ever ceded or relinquished by treaty with the United States. The Goshutes (or, Gosiutes) also lived in the vicinity of Salt Lake and the valleys to the west.

One local Shoshone tribe, the Western Goshute tribe, had names for the Jordan River, City Creek, and Red Butte Canyon (Pi'o-gwût, So'ho-gwût, and Mo'ni-wai-ni). At the time of Salt Lake City's founding, the valley was within the territory of the Northwestern Shoshone. Main article: History of Salt Lake City External videoġ0 Towns that Changed America, WTTW, 56:02, segment from 12:00–16:20 īefore settlement by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Shoshone, Weber Ute, and Paiute had dwelt in the Salt Lake Valley for thousands of years. Sustained drought in Utah has more recently strained Salt Lake City's water security and caused the Great Salt Lake level drop to record low levels, and impacting the state’s economy, of which the Wasatch Front area anchored by Salt Lake City constitutes 80%. Salt Lake City and the surrounding area are also the location of several institutions of higher education including the state's flagship research school, the University of Utah. It is the industrial banking center of the United States. It is home to a significant LGBT community and hosts the annual Utah Pride Festival. It is known for its politically liberal and diverse culture, which stands at contrast with the rest of the state's conservative leanings. Salt Lake City has developed a strong tourist industry based primarily on skiing and outdoor recreation. Two major cross-country freeways, I-15 and I-80, now intersect in the city. It was traversed by the Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental highway, in 1913. Immigration of international members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, mining booms, and the construction of the first transcontinental railroad initially brought economic growth, and the city was nicknamed 'The Crossroads of the West'. In 1868, the word 'Great' was dropped from the city's name.

Owing to its proximity to the Great Salt Lake, the city was originally named Great Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City's street grid system is based on a standard compass grid plan, with the southeast corner of Temple Square (the area containing the Salt Lake Temple in downtown Salt Lake City) serving as the origin of the Salt Lake meridian. The Mormon pioneers, as they would come to be known, entered a semi-arid valley and immediately began planning and building an extensive irrigation network which could feed the population and foster future growth. Salt Lake City was founded July 24, 1847, by early pioneer settlers, led by Brigham Young, who were seeking to escape persecution they had experienced while living farther east. It is also the central core of the larger of only two major urban areas located within the Great Basin (the other being Reno, Nevada). Salt Lake City is further situated within a larger metropolis known as the Salt Lake City–Ogden–Provo Combined Statistical Area, a corridor of contiguous urban and suburban development stretched along a 120-mile (190 km) segment of the Wasatch Front, comprising a population of 2,606,548 (as of 2018 estimates), making it the 22nd largest in the nation. With a population of 199,723 in 2020, the city is the core of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which had a population of 1,257,936 at the 2020 census.

state of Utah, as well as the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S.

Salt lake city time zone