or local, national, and international sporting events and Olympic athlete traini ng.

[21] Tourism has increased since the Olympic games,[22][not in citation given ] but business did not pick up immediately following them.[23] Salt Lake City ha s expressed interest in bidding for the 2022 Winter Olympics[24][25] Salt Lake City hosted the 16th Winter Deaflympic games in 2007, taking place in the venues in Salt Lake City and Park City,[26][dead link] and Rotary Internatio nal chose the city as the host site of their 2007 convention, which was the sing le largest gathering in Salt Lake City since the 2002 Winter Olympics.[27] The U .S. Volleyball Association convention in 2005 drew 39,500 attendees. Geography[edit]

Astronaut Photography of Salt Lake City, Utah taken from the International Space Station (ISS) Downtown Salt Lake City Main article: Geography of Salt Lake City Salt Lake City has a total area of 110.4 mi2 (285.9 km) and an average elevation of 4,327 feet (1,320 m) above sea level. The lowest point within the boundaries of the city is 4,210 feet (1,280 m) near the Jordan River and the Great Salt Lak e, and the highest is Grandview Peak, at 9,410 feet (2,868 m).[28][dead link] The city is located in the northeast corner of the Salt Lake Valley surrounded b y the Great Salt Lake to the northwest and the steep Wasatch and Oquirrh mountai n ranges on the eastern and western borders, respectively. Its encircling mounta ins contain many narrow glacial and stream carved canyons. Among them, City Cree k, Emigration, Millcreek, and Parley's border the eastern city limits. The Great Salt Lake is separated from Salt Lake City by extensive marshlands and mudflats. The metabolic activities of bacteria in the lake result in a phenomen on known as "lake stink", a scent reminiscent of foul poultry eggs, two to three times per year for a few hours.[29][dead link] The Jordan River flows through t he city and is a drainage of Utah Lake that empties into the Great Salt Lake. The highest mountaintop visible from Salt Lake City is Twin Peaks, which reaches 11,330 feet (3454 m).[30] Twin Peaks is located southeast of Salt Lake City in the Wasatch Range. The Wasatch Fault is found along the western base of the Wasa tch and is considered overdue for an earthquake as large as 7.5. Catastrophic da mage is predicted in the event of an earthquake with major damage resulting from the liquefaction of the clay- and sand-based soil and the possible permanent fl ooding of portions of the city by the Great Salt Lake.[31] The second-highest mountain range is the Oquirrhs, reaching a maximum height of 10,620 feet (3,237 m) at Flat Top. The Traverse Mountains to the south extend to 6,000 feet (1,830 m), nearly connecting the Wasatch and Oquirrh Mountains. The mountains near Salt Lake City are easily visible from the city and have sharp ve rtical relief caused by massive ancient earthquakes, with a maximum difference o f 7,099 feet (2164 m) being achieved with the rise of Twin Peaks from the Salt L ake Valley floor.[30] The Salt Lake Valley floor is the ancient lakebed of Lake Bonneville which exist ed at the end of the last Ice Age. Several Lake Bonneville shorelines can be dis tinctly seen on the foothills or benches of nearby mountains. A panoramic view of Salt Lake City, June 2009. Layout[edit] Plat of Salt Lake City, circa 1870s The city, as well as the county, is laid out on a grid plan.[32][dead link] Most major streets run very nearly north-south and east-west. The grid's origin is t he southeast corner of Temple Square, the block containing the Salt Lake Temple

of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; the north-south axis is Main Street; and the east-west axis is South Temple Street. Addresses are coordinate s within the system (similarly to latitude and longitude). The streets are relat ively wide, at the direction of Brigham Young, who wanted them wide enough that a wagon team could turn around without "resorting to profanity."[33] These wide streets and grid pattern are typical of other Mormon towns of the pioneer era th roughout the West. Though the nomenclature may initially confuse new arrivals and visitors, most co nsider the grid system an aid to navigation.[citation needed] Some streets have names, such as State Street, which would otherwise be known as 100 East. Other s treets have honorary names, such as the western portion of 300 South, named Adam Galvez Street (in honor of a local Marine corporal killed in action) or others ho noring Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Csar Chvez, and John Stockton. These h onorary names appear only on street signs and cannot be used in postal addresses . The Salt Palace In the Avenues neighborhood, north-south streets are given letters of the alphab et, and east-west streets are numbered in 2.5-acre (1.0 ha) blocks, smaller than those in the rest of the city. Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, planned the layout in th e "Plat of the City of Zion" (intended as a template for Mormon towns wherever t hey might be built). In his plan the city was to be developed into 135 10-acre ( 4.0 ha) lots. However, the blocks in Salt Lake City became irregular during the late 19th century when the LDS Church lost authority over growth and before the adoption of zoning ordinances in the 1920s. The original 10-acre (4.0 ha) blocks allowed for large garden plots, and many were supplied with irrigation water fr om ditches that ran approximately where modern curbs and gutters would be laid. The original water supply was from City Creek. Subsequent development of water r esources was from successively more southern streams flowing from the mountains to the east of the city. Some of the old irrigation ditches are still visible in the eastern suburbs, or are still marked on maps, years after they were gone. T here are still some canals that deliver water as required by water rights. There are many lots, in Salt Lake City and surrounding areas, that have irrigation wa ter rights attached to them. Local water systems, in particular Salt Lake City P ublic Utilities, have a tendency to acquire or trade for these water rights. The se can then be traded for culinary water rights to water imported into the valle y. At its peak, irrigation in the valley comprised over one hundred distinct can al systems, many originating at the Jordan Narrows at the south end of the valle y. Water and water rights were very important in the 19th and early 20th centuri es, as heavy agricultural usage changed into a more urban and suburban pattern. Canal water companies were gradually replaced by culinary water systems. Neighborhoods[edit] See also: Buildings and sites of Salt Lake City, Utah - Neighborhoods and areas and Buildings and sites of Salt Lake City, Utah#Neighborhoods and areas Salt Lake City has many informal neighborhoods. The eastern portion of the city has higher property values than its western counterpart. This is a result of the railroad being built in the western half as well as scenic views from inclined grounds in the eastern portion. Housing is more affordable on the west side, whi ch results in demographic differences. Interstate 15 was also built in a north-s outh line, further dividing east and west sides of the city. The west side of the city has historically been a working-class neighborhood, bu t recently the more affordable nature of the area has enticed many professionals to the neighborhood. For example, the small, increasingly trendy Marmalade Dist rict on the west side of Capitol Hill, considered seedy as recently as 5 years a go, was heavily gentrified and is now an eclectic and desirable location. During the 1970s and 1980s, gang activity was also centered in the western neighborhoo ds of Rose Park, Poplar Grove, and Glendale.

Sugar House Sugar House, in southeastern Salt Lake City, has a reputation as a liberal neigh borhood and until recently possessed a district of locally owned specialty and n iche shops on the corner of 2100 South and 1100 East.[34] The stores that once o ccupied the street have recently moved to new locations to make way for a condom inium and office complex, although the developers have stated that they wish to maintain the character of the area, and retail shops will be allowed at street-l evel once the complex is completed.[35][36] Despite these assurances, residents have been very vocal in their concerns that the neighborhood will lose its uniqu e eclectic appeal and have panned what they call the destruction of one of the f ew locally owned business districts in the valley.[37] Just northeast of Downtown is The Avenues, a neighborhood outside of the regular grid system on much smaller blocks. The area from South Temple North to 6th Ave nue is a Historical District that is nearly entirely residential, and contains m any historical Victorian era homes. Recently the Avenues is becoming known for i ntimate restaurants and shops opening in old retail space mixed within the commu nity like Hatch Family Chocolates, Avenues Bistro on Third and Jack Mormon Coffe e. The Avenues are situated on the upward-sloping bench in the foothills of the Wasatch Range, with the earlier built homes in the lower elevation. The Avenues, along with Federal Heights, just to the east and north of the University of Uta h, and the Foothill area, south of the University, contain gated communities, la rge, multi-million dollar houses, and fantastic views of the valley. Many consid er this some of the most desirable real estate in the valley. In addition to larger centers like Sugar House and Downtown, Salt Lake City cont ains several smaller neighborhoods, each named after the closest major intersect ion. Two examples are the 9th and 9th (located at the intersection of 900 East a nd 900 South Streets) and 15th & 15th (located at the intersection of 1500 East and