West Valley City, Utah
West Valley City is a city in Salt Lake County and an inner suburb of Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah. The population was 140,230 at the 2020 census,
making it the second-most populous city in Utah after Salt Lake City. The city incorporated in 1980 from a large, quickly growing unincorporated area, combining the four communities of Granger, Hunter, Chesterfield, and Redwood. It is home to the Maverik Center and Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre.
History
The earliest known residents of the western Salt Lake Valley were Native American bands of the Ute and Shoshoni tribes.The first European people to live in the area were the Latter-day Saints. The Euro-Americans arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. The area was first staked out by settler Joseph Harker and his family in the area they named as "over Jordan".
The Granger area was settled by Welsh pioneers who came to Utah with Dan Jones in 1849. Irrigation systems and agriculture were developed in the area, and Elias Smith proposed the area's name on account of its successful farming. The population of Granger and its vicinity was about 1,000 people in 1930.
Hunter was not settled until 1876. This settlement was started by Rasmus Nielson, Edward Rushton, August Larsen and about seven others along with their families. Irrigation began in 1881 and the main crop was fruit trees.
The city began to experience rapid growth in the 1970s, when the area that is now West Valley City consisted of the four separate communities of Hunter, Granger, Chesterfield, and Redwood. These four unincorporated areas merged in 1980 to form the present-day city. During the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, West Valley City was the official venue for men's and women's ice hockey.
Plans to create a vibrant downtown district for the city were launched in 2011, including housing, commercial, and entertainment venues centered around Fairbourne Station, a civic center, hotels, a plaza, and public transport hub for the TRAX Green Line and the 3500 South MAX bus rapid transit line. Valley Fair Mall, West Valley Performing Arts Center, and the Maverik Center are located nearby, as is I-215.
Serial killer Ted Bundy was arrested in Granger on August 16, 1975, on a routine traffic stop.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.5 square miles, of which 35.4 square miles is land and 0.1 square miles is water.West Valley is located on the northwest side of the Salt Lake Valley between Salt Lake City on the north, South Salt Lake on the east, Magna on the west, and Taylorsville and Kearns Township on the south. The Oquirrh Mountains loom over the city to the west, while the Jordan River marks the eastern boundary.
West Valley City has a nonpartisan, strong city manager form of government, which means that the city manager is analogous to a corporation's CEO, while the mayor fills a role similar to chairman of the board, with the City Council acting as the "board". The mayor is a voting member of the City Council. The West Valley City Council meets each Tuesday night at 6:30 PM, except fifth Tuesdays. City Hall is located at 3600 South Constitution Boulevard.
Government
The mayor and six councilors are elected to four-year terms. Mayoral elections are held the same year as three of the councilors. The other three councilors are staggered two years from the mayoral. Two council seats are at-large, or citywide, and the remaining four seats represent districts of approximately 28,000 residents. Officials are not subject to term limits., the most recent election was held in November, 2013.In the Utah State Legislature, West Valley City is situated within Senate Districts 10, 11, and 12, represented by Luz Escamilla, Daniel Thatcher, and Karen Kwan ; and House Districts 25, 26, 27, 30, and 31, represented by Angela Romero, Matt MacPherson, Anthony Loubet, Jake Fitisemanu, and Verona Mauga. Federally, West Valley City lies in the 2nd and 4th congressional districts, represented by Republicans Chris Stewart and Burgess Owens.
Police
The West Valley City Police Department provides law enforcement services to the city. the police chief is Colleen Jacobs, a 21 year veteran of the department, who oversees 218 sworn officers and 47 support staff.In 2013, the city police's narcotics unit was disbanded after an officer-involved critical incident revealed drugs and money had not been booked into evidence. Officers in the unit were also found to be keeping change and small items from seized vehicles, and placing tracking devices on potential suspects' vehicles without warrants.
In 2016, Officer Cody Brotherson was killed in the line of duty, the department's only such fatality.
In 2019, an officer shot and killed a handcuffed man who was attempting to pull an officer's gun out of its holster: this killing was found legally justified by the district attorney.
Demographics
2020 census
According to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2018, there were 136,401 people in West Valley City. The racial makeup of the city was 46.5% non-Hispanic White, 2.3% Black, 1.1% Native American, 6.0% Asian, 3.9% Pacific Islander, and 4.2% from two or more races. 38.1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.As of the census of 2010, there were 129,480 people, 38,535 households, and 34,900 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,647.32 people per square mile. There were 38,978 housing units at an average density of 1,097.97 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 65.37% White, 1.96% African American, 1.26% Native American, 4.97% Asian, 3.64% Pacific Islander, 18.96% from other races, and 3.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 33.13% of the population.
There were 38,535 households, out of which 47.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.6% were non-families. 14.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.36 and the average family size was 3.71.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 33.7% under the age of 18, 12.9% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 5.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,773, and the median income for a family was $48,593. Males had a median income of $32,116 versus $22,693 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,031. About 6.7% of families and 8.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.0% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Companies based in West Valley City include Backcountry.com, C.R. England, FranklinCovey, and USANA Health Sciences.Top employers
According to the City's 2017 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, these are the top employers in the city:| # | Employer | # of Employees |
| 1 | Discover Financial | 4,200 |
| 2 | United Parcel Service | 1,320 |
| 3 | Swift Transportation | 1,118 |
| 4 | Select Portfolio Servicing | 987 |
| 5 | Hexcel | 953 |
| 6 | Verizon Wireless | 916 |
| 7 | West Valley City | 909 |
| 8 | Sutter Health | 804 |
| 9 | USANA Health Sciences | 778 |
| 10 | Walmart | 629 |
| 11 | Jacobsen Construction | 616 |
| 12 | Pride Transport | 606 |
| 13 | Six Continents | 587 |
| 14 | C.R. England | 544 |
| 15 | Wheeler CAT | 520 |
| 16 | ATK Launch Systems | 452 |
| 17 | Old Dominion Freight Line | 441 |
| 18 | Jordan Valley Medical | 418 |
| 19 | Zions Bank Commercial | 414 |
| 20 | Freightliner of Utah | 402 |
| 21 | Hunt Electric | 397 |
| 22 | Federal Express | 396 |
| 23 | Zions Bank Data | 366 |
| 24 | YRC Worldwide | 360 |
| 25 | ADP | 338 |