Raw Stats...
Salt Lake City is the tiny capital of Utah, located in the Southwestern United States. It has a tidy population, not overcrowded like most of the major cities in India, but not deserted like the rest of Utah. It was founded way back in 1847 by prosecuted Mormon pioneers, who finally found refuge by the Great Salt Lake. Today, SLC is the world headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and while 61% of Utahns are Mormons, the city itself is quite diverse, thanks in part to the cultural amalgam that is the U. Nestled in the Wasatch Valley, SLC provides a scenic and pleasant mountain-view to most of its inhabitants. The University itself is located at an elevation above the city at about 4,600 ft, and affords a magnificent view of the valley.
Meanwhile, the U is host to around 30,000 grads and undergrads (from over 110 countries), and 14,000 staff members. Covering 1,534 acres and around 300 buildings, it is one of the biggest campuses this side of the country. Apart from providing the standard services to the students, it has a major stadium (Rice-Eccles Stadium) that seats 45,000, performing arts venue (Kingsbury Hall) and recreational facility (Einar Nielsen Field House). The Marriott Library holds around 2.8 millions books alone, among 4 million other forms of media.
Art, Architecture & Culture...
Downtown Salt Lake City is an eclectic mix of the arts, as can be seen by simply taking a stroll down any of its streets. The lamp-posts, clocks and even some of the buildings contribute to that quiant, old-fashioned look. The SLC skyline is not a cousin of Manhattan's, but still manages to hold your interest. The tallest buildings are mostly banks and the World HQ of the LDS Church. SLC also boasts the State Capitol building, which many of the biggest and best universities lack (not being in a state capital and all). Downtown Salt Lake is close to the University, connected by various buses and the Trax. Currently, there is much renovation taking place; about $1.5 bn is expected to be invested in Downtown alone.
The entire city is sprinkled with beautiful commercial and residential buildings. The Utah Heritage Foundation provides guided tours to these, or encourages you to take your own. Downtown is also home to the Utah Symphony, Utah Opera, Ballet West, Dance Theater, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (Grammy Award winning ensemble, it is listed as one of the 1000 Places To See Before You Die by multiple authors), Utah Arts Festival and many more museums and art galleries. Concerts occur regularly, covering almost all genres. Fine dining or cheap grub, cuisines from around the world are here to satisfy your taste buds. All this, and over 2 million square feet of shopping space for the shop-a-holic in you!
Entertainment...
Downtown is the place to be after dark. Choose from comedy clubs, piano duels, karaoke bars, multiplexes and more than 100 restaurants and private clubs, guranteed to satisfy you, no matter your orientation. Salt Lake City is probably synonymous, even to this day to those who don't know it, as the host of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. The reason is simple: SLC has the best snow in the world, and no, we're not just bragging. Called "The Greatest Snow on Earth", the surrounding Wasatch mountains are home to 7 world-class ski resorts.
As if this wasn't enough, Utah is host to an annual Shakespearean festival in Cedar City, the world famous Sundance Film Festival in Park City, and a host of annual parades, including the St. Patrick's Day parade in March. For the more educated type of entertainment, SLC is host to the Hansen Planetarium and the Hogle Zoo, Trolley Square (a shopping, dining and entertainment marketplace, in ye olde style), Lagoon (an amusement park; the closest we get to Six Flags) and the Fort Douglas Military Museum at Upper Campus. For the sports fan, we have the Utah Jazz (Utah's premier entry to the NBA), the Salt Lake Bees (baseball), the Utah Blaze & Real Salt Lake (soccer), the Utah Grizzlies (ice-hockey) all competing in their respective leagues to get the glory for their home state. As a student you might be more interested in the friendly rivalry between the Utah Utes and the BYU Cougars during college American football season. With so much to do, life is seldom a dull moment.
Nearby Places...
Due to its strategic location, Salt Lake City can be your central departure point for all the beauty Utah has to show. The Heber Valley Historic Railroad, the International Peace Gardens, Mt. Timpanogos Cave (a national monument) all lie very close to the heart of Salt Lake City. If you decide to be a bit more outgoing, there's the Rocky Mountain Raceway (Utah's very own speedway, home to drag and drift races), the pristine beauty of Park City, the old ruins of Utah's mining towns, the five national parks (Arches, Bryce, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef & Zion) containing the most beautiful sights of natural landscape the state has to offer, and of course, the Great Salt Lake itself.
So, you see, coming to the U is a good idea! Not only do you get to experience a whole new culture, you get the surroundings to go with it. And oh yes, don't forget to pack a camera!
