Salt Lake City: Livability in the 21st Century

Likely directly attributable to its stone’s-throw mountain
proximity, in recent years Salt Lake City has earned
a slew of awards and accolades, including a No. 3 and
No. 4 ranking on Forbes 2012 Best Big Cities for Jobs
and 2011 Best Cities for Young Professionals lists,
respectively. Salt Lake City also landed a Top 20 ranking
of cities responding to climate change by ICLEI-Local
Governments for Sustainability in 2013; Salt Lake City
is consistently ranked one of the healthiest metro areas
in the United States; and in 2012 Salt Lake City was
ranked America’s ‘gayest’ city by The Advocate magazine.
Diverse props for a city barely more than 150 years old.
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Opposite: Salt Lake City’s climate is relatively rare in that the winters are cold and snowy, and summers are hot and dry. The valley grows lush with greenery in the
spring; deep red Gambel oak trees and golden quaking aspens bring the mountains alive with color in the fall. Particularly cold storms have delivered snow to the
Salt Lake Valley as early as mid-September and as late as the end of the May.
P A R T O N E
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