SALT LAKE CITY AND WORLD PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS

SALT LAKE CITY AND WORLD PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS

Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Utah. With an estimated population of 191,180 in 2013, the city lies at the core of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,153, Salt Lake City is further situated within a larger metropolis known as the Salt Lake City-Ogden-Provo Combined Statistical Area. This region is a corridor of contiguous urban and suburban development stretched along an approximately 120-mile (190 km) segment of the Wasatch Front, comprising a total population of 2,423,912 as of 2014. It is one of only two major urban areas in the Great Basin  and the largest in the Intermountain West.

Salt Lake City, Utah’s high-elevation capital, is bordered by the buoyant waters of the Great Salt Lake and the snow-capped peaks of the Wasatch Range. Downtown’s 10-acre Temple Square, headquarters of the Mormon Church, is home to the majestic, 19th-century Salt Lake Temple and the neo-Gothic Assembly Hall. The acclaimed Mormon Tabernacle Choir performs in the square’s domed Tabernacle.

Salt Lake City was founded on July 24th, 1847 by Mormons led by Brigham Young who had reached this desert valley after an eighteen-month trek from Illinois. The settlers soon began to irrigate the land and build up a town. Starting from present-day Temple Square, they laid out an ambitious grid plan which still determines the layout of the city. The area, then under Mexican sovereignty, was ceded to the United States under the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. The Mormons took advantage of this change to establish a state of their own based on their religious ideas. The capital of this state of Deseret ("honey-bee") was Salt Lake City.

The young city claimed a similar status for the territory of Utah, established in 1850, whose first Governor was Brigham Young. The gold rush in the West and the completion of the transcontinental railroad brought increasing numbers of people to the city, which now achieved a modest degree of prosperity. After the Mormons officially renounced polygamy, Utah was admitted to the Union as the 45th state. During the 20th century the city developed at a great pace, tripling its population between 1900 and 1930, and thereafter it grew rapidly into a large modern city.

Temple Square is the holy place of the Mormons. On this 10 acres square, with trees and flowerbeds, are the Mormon Temple, the Mormon Tabernacle, the Temple Annex, the Assembly Hall, several monuments, and information centers which supply information on the doctrines and the history of the Mormon faith. he Joseph Smith Memorial Building is located in Temple Square. It was built in 1911 and originally known as the Hotel Utah, but renamed in honor of the first president of the Mormon Church. Some of the decorative features include marble columns, art glass and a grand staircase. On site are the Legacy Theater, conference rooms, the FamilySearch Center, and restaurants. With more than 80 acres, Liberty Park is Salt Lake City's largest public park and features a variety of recreational activities. This green space is a lovely nature retreat, with mature trees, a pond, a pool, and sports areas. The park is also home to the Tracy Aviary.

Prof. John Kurakar