Sandy, Utah
Encyclopedia
Salt Lake County, Utah
Salt Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. It had a population of 1,029,655 at the 2010 census. Its county seat and largest city is Salt Lake City, the state capital. It occupies Salt Lake Valley, as well as parts of the surrounding mountains, the Oquirrh Mountains to the west...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is a suburb of Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City metropolitan area
The Salt Lake City Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in north central Utah, anchored by Salt Lake City. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 968,858. As of July 1, 2009 the U.S...
. The population was 87,461 at the 2010 census, making it the sixth-largest city in Utah.
Sandy is home to the South Towne Center
South Towne Center
South Towne Center is a shopping mall in Sandy, Utah, United States, located just east of Interstate 15 on 10600 South. The property, built in 1986, contains of retail space with 150 stores and restaurants...
shopping mall, the Jordan Commons entertainment and dining complex, and the Southtowne Exposition Center. It is also the location of the soccer-specific
Soccer-specific stadium
Soccer-specific stadium is a term used mainly in the United States, Canada, Australia and South Korea coined by Lamar Hunt, to refer to a sports stadium either purpose built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multipurpose...
Rio Tinto Stadium, which hosts Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake is an American professional soccer club based in Sandy, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. The team competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. They currently play their home games at Rio Tinto Stadium. Real Salt Lake won...
home games, and opened on October 8, 2008.
History
Located at the base of the Wasatch MountainsWasatch Range
The Wasatch Range is a mountain range that stretches approximately from the Utah-Idaho border, south through central Utah in the western United States. It is generally considered the western edge of the greater Rocky Mountains, and the eastern edge of the Great Basin region...
thirteen miles (19 km) south of Salt Lake City, Sandy was a likely area for early settlement. The area was first used by nomadic bands of Paiute
Paiute
Paiute refers to three closely related groups of Native Americans — the Northern Paiute of California, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon; the Owens Valley Paiute of California and Nevada; and the Southern Paiute of Arizona, southeastern California and Nevada, and Utah.-Origin of name:The origin of...
, Shoshone
Shoshone
The Shoshone or Shoshoni are a Native American tribe in the United States with three large divisions: the Northern, the Western and the Eastern....
, and Bannock
Bannock (tribe)
The Bannock tribe of the Northern Paiute are an indigenous people of the Great Basin. Their traditional lands include southeastern Oregon, southeastern Idaho, western Wyoming, and southwestern Montana...
Indians who roamed along the base of the mountains as they travelled from their winter home at Utah Lake
Utah Lake
Utah Lake is a freshwater lake in the U.S. state of Utah. On the western side of Utah Valley, the lake is overlooked by Mount Timpanogos and Mount Nebo. The lake's only river outlet, the Jordan River, is a tributary of the Great Salt Lake and is highly regulated with pumps. Evaporation accounts...
to their summer fishing grounds at Bear Lake
Bear Lake County, Idaho
Bear Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 6,411 . The county seat is Paris, and Montpelier is the largest city....
.
Permanent settlers first moved into Sandy during the 1860s and 1870s because of the availability of land in the less crowded southern end of the Salt Lake Valley
Salt Lake Valley
Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably West Valley City, Murray, Sandy, and West Jordan; its total population is 1,029,655 as of 2010...
. The original plat
Plat
A plat in the U.S. is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Other English-speaking countries generally call such documents a cadastral map or plan....
was essentially one square mile, situated on an alluvial terrace
Alluvial plain
An alluvial plain is a relatively flat landform created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms...
running north and south along the eastern edge of the Jordan River
Jordan River (Utah)
The Jordan River in the U.S. state of Utah is a river about long. Regulated by pumps at its headwaters at Utah Lake, it flows northward through the Salt Lake Valley and empties into the Great Salt Lake. Four of Utah's five largest cities—Salt Lake City, West Valley City, West Jordan and...
drainage system and paralleling the mountain range. Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
named Sandy City in 1873 for its thirsty soil.
In 1863, there were only four homes between Union (7200 South) and Dunyon (Point of the Mountain): the Thayne homestead at 6600 South and 800 East, one in Crescent, one at Dunyon, and a fourth outside present-day Sandy boundaries altogether. Within a few years, Thomas Allsop, a Yorkshire farmer who had immigrated to Utah in 1853, owned almost half of present-day Sandy from County Road to Fourth East along Alta Road to Lindell Parkway. LeGrand Young owned the land between Fourth East and State Street.
Farmers willing to try their hand at the thirsty soil that inspired Sandy's name took up land along State Street, which stretched from downtown Salt Lake City to Point of the Mountain. But it was mining that shaped Sandy's first four decades. When silver mining
Silver mining
Silver mining refers to the resource extraction of the precious metal element silver by mining.-History:Silver has been known since ancient times. It is mentioned in the Book of Genesis, and slag heaps found in Asia Minor and on the islands of the Aegean Sea indicate that silver was being separated...
began in Little Cottonwood Canyon
Little Cottonwood Canyon
Little Cottonwood Canyon lies within the Wasatch-Cache National Forest along the eastern side of the Salt Lake Valley, roughly 15 miles from Salt Lake City, Utah. The canyon is part of Granite, a CDP and “Community Council” designated by Salt Lake County. The canyon is a glacial trough , carved by...
, entrepreneurs recognized Sandy's value as a supply station; soon its main street was lined with hotels, saloons, and brothels serving miners ready to spend their newly earned wages. Three major smelters
Smelting
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...
were located in Sandy. They were the Flagstaff, the Mingo, and the Saturn. These made Sandy the territory's most significant smelting center for a number of years.
The railroad was also significant in determining the course of Sandy's history. Built in 1873, the railroad connected Sandy to Salt Lake City and facilitated the transportation of ore and other products both in and out of the area. A streetcar line in 1907 facilitated the transportation of locals to jobs in Salt Lake City; and the automobile later continued to serve that function.
When the mines failed in the 1890s, Sandy faltered, then underwent a significant economic transformation into an agricultural community. The fact that Sandy did not disappear, like so many other mining towns that dwindled with their mother lodes, was due to its location, resources, and the spirit of its inhabitants.
Sandy was incorporated in 1893, largely as part of an effort to combat what Mormon inhabitants considered "unsavory" elements in the town. Due to its mine-based beginnings, Sandy was somewhat of a boomtown
Boomtown
A boomtown is a community that experiences sudden and rapid population and economic growth. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons,...
, unlike the majority of other rural Utah towns. After incorporation, it was almost as if Sandy had redefined itself. Gone were the large numbers of single, transient men. By 1900 there was only a handful of saloons and hotels, and Sandy began to more closely resemble other rural Utah towns — a place where everyone knew everyone else. Church, farming, business, and family formed the focus of the inhabitants' world.
This pace and way of life continued for more than six decades, interrupted only by wars, the Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, and the changing seasons. No significant jumps in population, economic trends, or social patterns altered the predictable and stable rhythm of life.
In the late 1960s, however, this rural town dramatically changed course with its second boom. It had always been assumed by local leaders and citizens that Sandy would grow outward from its logical and historic center—the nexus of Main and Center streets. However, population growth overwhelmed the physical center as neighborhoods spread out in every direction over the land.
During the 1970s, pocket communities took shape, providing the services, schools, and shopping traditionally offered by a city. Annexation
Annexation
Annexation is the de jure incorporation of some territory into another geo-political entity . Usually, it is implied that the territory and population being annexed is the smaller, more peripheral, and weaker of the two merging entities, barring physical size...
issues became prominent as Salt Lake County and Sandy vied for control over land and resources. Sandy became a collection of small local communities identified by a youthful, family-oriented population. Although it was initially perceived as a bedroom community, and often still is, it has since developed a thriving commercial center along State Street and other various arterial roads.
Geography and climate
Sandy is located at 40°34′21"N 111°51′35"W (40.572415, -111.859610).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 22.4 square miles (57.9 km²), of which, 22.3 square miles (57.8 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.09%) is water.
The major residential region of eastern Sandy climbs high on the slopes of the Wasatch Range
Wasatch Range
The Wasatch Range is a mountain range that stretches approximately from the Utah-Idaho border, south through central Utah in the western United States. It is generally considered the western edge of the greater Rocky Mountains, and the eastern edge of the Great Basin region...
while the western section lies at the bottom of the valley. Interstate 15 and State Street (US-89) run through the western portions of the city, while the Jordan River
Jordan River (Utah)
The Jordan River in the U.S. state of Utah is a river about long. Regulated by pumps at its headwaters at Utah Lake, it flows northward through the Salt Lake Valley and empties into the Great Salt Lake. Four of Utah's five largest cities—Salt Lake City, West Valley City, West Jordan and...
forms part of the western border with West Jordan
West Jordan, Utah
West Jordan is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. West Jordan is a rapidly growing suburb of Salt Lake City and has a mixed economy. According to the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 103,712, placing it as the fourth most populated in the state. The city occupies the...
and South Jordan
South Jordan, Utah
South Jordan is a city in the U.S. state of Utah. The city lies in the Salt Lake Valley between the peaks of the Oquirrh Mountains and the peaks of the Wasatch Mountains and is part of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 88,418 people, 25,737 households, and 21,773 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 3,960.5 people per square mile (1,528.8/km²). There were 26,579 housing units at an average density of 1,190.5 per square mile (459.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.52% White, 0.50% African American, 0.35% Native American, 2.17% Asian, 0.31% Pacific Islander, 1.50% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.38% of the population.
There were 25,737 households out of which 51.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.4% were non-families. 11.6% 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 3.42 and the average family size was 3.73.
In the city the population was spread out with 34.5% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 5.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $66,458, and the median income for a family was $70,801 (these figures had risen to $73,322 and $81,257 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $47,031 versus $29,661 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $22,928. About 2.8% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Sandy is located in the Canyons School DistrictCanyons School District
Canyons School District is a school district in Sandy, Utah, United States which serves the communities of Alta, Cottonwood Heights, Draper, Midvale and Sandy. David S. Doty is the superintendent. It was created after local residents voted to split the Jordan School District. Canyons schools have...
, which citizens voted to create in 2007 out of the eastern Jordan School District
Jordan School District
Jordan School District was the largest of Utah school districts , It now employs 2,631 teachers and other licensed personnel who educate more than 48,000 students. An additional 2,610 employees provide support services for the system...
and which began operation at the beginning of the 2009-10 school year. Sandy has eighteen elementary schools (Alta View, Altara, Bell View, Brookwood, Crescent, East Sandy, Edgemont, Granite, Lone Peak, Oakdale, Park Lane, Peruvian Park, Quail Hollow, Sandy, Silver Mesa, Sprucewood, Sunrise, Willow Canyon), six middle schools (Albion, Crescent View, Eastmont, Indian Hills, Mount Jordan, Union), four high schools (Jordan, Hillcrest, Brighton, and Alta), one technical school (Canyons Technical Education Center—CTEC), and one alternative high school (Southpointe).
Transportation
I-15Interstate 15
Interstate 15 is the fourth-longest north–south Interstate Highway in the United States, traveling through the states of California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, and Montana from San Diego to the Canadian border...
runs down the western side of Sandy, with three exits (at 9000 South, 10600 South and 11400 South) located in the city. U.S. Route 89
U.S. Route 89
U.S. Route 89 is a north–south United States Highway with two sections, and one former section. The southern section runs for 848 miles from Flagstaff, Arizona, to the southern entrance of Yellowstone National Park...
runs parallel to I-15 through the city as State Street, and Utah State Route 209
Utah State Route 209
State Route 209 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Utah, following 9000 South and other east–west streets south of Salt Lake City...
runs east/west, terminating within the Wasatach mountains at Alta Ski Resort. The Utah Transit Authority
Utah Transit Authority
The Utah Transit Authority operates a public transportation system throughout the Wasatch Front of Utah, United States. It operates fixed route buses, express buses, ski buses, three light rail lines , and a commuter rail line from Salt Lake City to Pleasant View, north of Ogden. UTA is based in...
operates a bus system that reaches into the city, as well as the TRAX
UTA TRAX
TRAX is a three-line light rail system in Utah's Salt Lake Valley, serving Salt Lake City and several of its suburbs throughout Salt Lake County. The system is operated by the Utah Transit Authority ....
light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
system, which originates in Downtown Salt Lake City
Downtown Salt Lake City
Downtown is the oldest district in Salt Lake City. The grid from which the entire city is laid out originates at Temple Square, the location of the Salt Lake Temple.-Location:...
and ends at 10000 South near Jordan High School and the Sandy Civic Center. A light rail extension from 10000 South to Draper
Draper
Draper is the now largely obsolete term for a wholesaler, or especially retailer, of cloth, mainly for clothing, or one who works in a draper's shop. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher. The drapers were an important trade guild...
is planned for construction in 2011. There are a total of 3 TRAX stations located in the city. The city's roads are located on the same "grid system" as the rest of Salt Lake County.
Notable natives and residents
- Heather AndersonHeather AndersonHeather Nicole Anderson is a beauty queen from Sandy, Utah who competed for the Miss USA title in 2007 where she placed in the top 10. She finished 6th overall, placing 5th in swimsuit and 7th in evening gown....
- Miss Utah USAMiss Utah USAThe Miss Utah USA competition is the pageant who selects the representative for the state of Utah in the Miss USA pageant.Utah has been quite successful at Miss USA, with 20 placements as of 2009. Their most consistent period was in the 1950s and 1960s. Utah has produced one Miss USA in 1960...
2007 - John BrzenkJohn BrzenkJohn Brzenk is a professional armwrestler from the United States. He competes in the Professional Armwrestling League, and as of 2009 is the number-one armwrestler in the world...
- professional arm-wrestler - Jim FullingtonJim FullingtonJames "Jim" Fullington better known by his ring name Sandman, is an American professional wrestler, best known for his career with Extreme Championship Wrestling , where he developed into a "Hardcore Icon"...
- professional wrestler - Bonnie GrittonBonnie GrittonBonnie Gritton is an American classical pianist.As well as performing in concert, she teaches piano performance and pedagogy at the University of Utah. Dr. Gritton made her debut performance at age 15, when she played Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto, accompanied by the Utah Symphony Orchestra. She...
- pianist and professor - Julianne HoughJulianne HoughJulianne Alexandra Hough is an American professional ballroom dancer, country music singer and actress. She is most widely known for being a two-time champion of ABC's Dancing with the Stars. She earned a Creative Arts Primetime Emmy nomination in 2007 for choreography...
- professional dancer - Derek HoughDerek HoughDerek Hough is an American dancer, choreographer, musician and actor. A world champion in Latin American Dance, Hough has appeared since September 2007 on the hit U.S...
- professional dancer - DaMarques JohnsonDaMarques JohnsonDaMarques Johnson is an American mixed martial artist. He was the runner up for the welterweights on The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom.-Background:...
- Mixed martial artist currently in the UFC Welterweight division - Doug JolleyDoug JolleyDoug Jolley is a former American football tight end in the National Football League.-Life:Jolley attended Brigham Young University, where he was a first-team All-Mountain West selection in 2001. He was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft, and was a starter on...
- professional American footballNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
player - Megan JoyMegan JoyMegan Joy Allman , formerly known as Megan Joy Corkrey, is an American singer-songwriter and actress from Sandy, Utah, who was the ninth place finalist on the eighth season of American Idol. Joy made her acting debut with a small role in the 2011 film Hall Pass...
- finalist on American Idol season 8 - Karl MeltzerKarl MeltzerKarl Meltzer is an ultrarunner and ultrarunning coach based in Sandy, Utah. While many ultramarathoners tend to be vegetarian, vegan, and anti-alcohol or caffeine, Meltzer has been seen with bacon, red bull, and microbrews...
- ultra-marathon runner, 2006 North-American ultra-runner of the year by UltraRunning Magazine - Paul MillsapPaul MillsapPaul Millsap is an American professional basketball player currently with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association. As a 6'8", 250 lbs. power forward from Louisiana Tech University, Millsap was selected by the Jazz in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft. His game was initially...
- professional basketball player for the Utah JazzUtah JazzThe Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association... - Grant H. PalmerGrant H. PalmerGrant H. Palmer is an American educator best known for his controversial work, An Insider's View of Mormon Origins, which led directly to his disfellowshipment in 2004 from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....
- historian and author - Jamie PierreJamie PierreMatthew Jamison "Jamie" Pierre was a professional free skier. Pierre set a world-record cliff jump of at the Grand Targhee Resort in Wyoming. He skied away with a bleeding cut lip from being hit by a shovel when his partners dug him out of his 12 foot bomb hole...
- professional free skierFreeskiingFreeskiing or Newschool skiing involves tricks, jumps, and terrain park features, such as rails, boxes, jibs, or other obstacles. This form of skiing resulted from a combination of the growth in popularity of snowboarding as well as the progression of Freestyle skiing... - Dick SimonDick SimonDick Simon is one of the oldest men to ever have raced in the Indianapolis 500. He was 55 years old during his final Indy 500 start in 1988. A multiple starter and top-ten finisher in the race, he also became a car owner, founding Dick Simon Racing helping to begin the IndyCar careers of Stéphan...
- race car driver - Brent Steffensen - stuntman and American Ninja WarriorAmerican Ninja WarriorAmerican Ninja Warrior is a spin-off of Sasuke. It began on December 12, 2009 in Los Angeles, California, with the top 10 competitors moving on to compete at Mount Midoriyama in Japan...
competitor - Mike WeirMike WeirMichael Richard Weir, CM, O.Ont is a Canadian professional golfer on the PGA Tour. He spent over 110 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings between 2001 and 2005. He is best known for winning the Masters in 2003....
- professional golfer - Mary Elizabeth WinsteadMary Elizabeth WinsteadMary Elizabeth Winstead is an American actress. She is best known for her scream queen roles in the horror films Final Destination 3, Black Christmas, Death Proof, and The Thing...
- actress
In the media
- The 1992 TV movie Deliver Them From Evil: The Taking of Alta View is based on the Alta View Hospital hostage incidentAlta View Hospital hostage incidentThe Alta View Hospital hostage incident began the night of September 20, 1991 when Richard Worthington, armed with a shotgun, a handgun and sticks of dynamite arrived at Alta View Hospital in Sandy, UT in an attempt to kill Dr...
that took place in Sandy in 1991. - Elizabeth SmartElizabeth Smart kidnappingThe kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart occurred on June 5, 2002, when 14-year-old American girl Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her Salt Lake City, Utah, bedroom...
was discovered walking down the street with her captors in Sandy nine months after being abducted from her home. This scene was not dramatized in the CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
movie The Elizabeth Smart Story. - The fictional HBO drama Big LoveBig LoveBig Love is an American television drama that aired on HBO between March 2006 and March 2011. The show is about a fictional fundamentalist Mormon family in Utah that practices polygamy...
is set in Sandy.
Sister cities
Piedras NegrasPiedras Negras, Coahuila
-Natural Resources:This region generates a large amount of the national production of coal, one of the most economically important non-metallic minerals in the state.-Tourism:Piedras Negras' main tourist attractions are:...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
Riesa
Riesa
Riesa is a town in the district of Meißen in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is located at the river Elbe, approx. 40 km northwest of Dresden.The world's first 110 kV power line was inaugurated between Riesa and Lauchhammer in 1912....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...