Skip to main content

South Salt Lake Journal

Look no further than South Salt Lake for interesting sights and features

Aug 05, 2020 03:24PM ● By Bill Hardesty

By Bill Hardesty | [email protected]

The dog days of summer are here. Grab some fresh lemonade and read about 10 unique things about South Salt Lake City.

1. Home of the Spaghetti Bowl

Not far from downtown SSLC, two freeways (I-15, I-80) and Utah State Route 201 meet. The connection is nicknamed the Spaghetti Bowl. In 2017, about 300,000 vehicles traveled through the Spaghetti Bowl. This connection is such a landmark that it is represented in the SSLC logo. The horizontal bar represents I-80 and the vertical bar represents I-15 with the black block representing the Spaghetti Bowl. The white S touches the lines representing how these freeways affect SSLC.

2. TRAX Central Pointe

The TRAX’s station at 221 W. 2100 South is appropriately called Central Pointe because the blue line from Draper, the red line from Daybreak, the green line from West Valley City, and the s-line from Sugar House all meet at this station.

3. Water tower

At 2500 S. West Temple stands a special, unique part of SSLC history. As Julie Taylor, public relations coordinator for SSLC, explained.

“It is called the Horton Tank after Horace Ebenezer Horton, who was a founder of the Chicago Bridge and Iron Company that built the tank. At the time it was built, in 1949, it was the first tank of its kind to be constructed out of the company's Utah workshop, and was the only one of its kind in Utah. The tank held water for 40 years but was replaced by different wells and storage systems that still serve the city today. The tank still stands tall (at 162 feet) as a symbol of the city and our pride in having our own city water system.”

4. 200 East

On 200 East between Claybourne Avenue and 2700 South, the road becomes a one-way road heading north. This is because the right of way becomes too narrow for two vehicles. The assumption is that historically this part of 200 East was an alley and homes were built preventing expanding the road because in the end, the road works.

5. Most diverse suburb in Utah 

While not the most diverse city (that goes to West Valley City), SSLC is ranked No. 1 most diverse suburb in Utah according to Niche.com. Niche.com uses data from a variety of sources to determine grades. In the case of SSLC, the city was given two A+ for nightlife and health and fitness. The city received As for outdoor activities, diversity, and commute. Other areas were scored lower, giving SSLC an overall score of B.

6. Woodrow Wilson Elementary

Woodrow Wilson Elementary School is unique for two reasons. The first is how many languages are spoken by the students. Last year, over 30 cultures were represented and languages spoken. In addition, Woodrow Wilson is unique because it occupies part of the old FHP hospital.

7. Central Park

The area running from State Street to 300 East and 2500 South to 3000 South is known as Central Park. It is a historical name. Jesse Fox Jr. developed the area of South Lake and referred to it as Central Park around 1890. He was impressed with Central Park in New York City and wanted the same green space in an urban setting. In 1936, the Town of Central Park was approved. The former Woodrow Wilson Elementary, now the Central Park Community Center, still provides open space for soccer, baseball and for families to enjoy.

8. Utah International Charter School

The Utah International Charter School (350 E. Baird Cir.) is a charter middle school and high school. It is the only school in Utah that is designed specifically for helping English-language learners and new Americans get a jump on their education by using teaching methods developed by the International Network for Public Schools. They have small class sizes with the average of 20 students. In the 2019-2020 school year, the school had 229 students, of whom 90% were born outside the United States.

9. National AVID Demo School

Granite Park Junior High School is a national AVID Demo School—the only one in Utah. AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a college-focused program helping students develop learning skills. GPJHS has used the AVID approach for years and have implemented it so well that those seeking information about AVID visit GPJHS.

10. Web address

SSLC’s web address is a .com rather than a .gov. The uniqueness started about 15-20 years ago. The city purchased SouthSaltLakeCity.com in the beginning before .gov was available. The city decided they needed a shorter address and tried to purchase SSLC.gov. However, the controlling agency in the federal government would not allow it. The agency required the complete name of the city and had to include the state of Utah in the domain name (e.g., SouthSaltLakeCity.Utah.gov). This didn’t shorten the name. In fact, it would have made it more complicated. The city decided to buy SSLC.com and abandon efforts to buy sslc.gov.

Do you know of other unique things about SSLC? Let us know.