West Valley City

Salt Lake County, Utah

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West Valley City Hall is located at 3600 South Constitution Boulevard, West Valley City, UT 84119.
Phone: 801‑966‑3600.


Hawarden (Ira W Bennion House)

Neighborhoods

From the community's beginnings in the late 1800's to the present, West Valley City [†] has transformed from an agricultural community to a diverse suburban community with a large employment base. The City is now over 85 percent built out, with a third of all land in the City developed as commercial or industrial. The renovation of the Valley Fair Mall and the development of the Highbury and Fairbourne Station areas have created exciting new retail and residential opportunities for the City. In addition to changes through development, the City is expected to become more ethnically diverse and have a higher percentage of seniors in the future.

Through the 1970s, many residents in the Granger, Hunter and Redwood area began to look at creating a new city through incorporation. They were increasingly frustrated with high taxes, limited control of the planning and zoning process, the threat of annexation of the northern part of Granger Hunter by Salt Lake City, and a perception that the east side of the Valley was getting more County attention than the west side.

Yet, there was considerable opposition from those who felt that the proposed city did not have an adequate tax base. Opponents were also worried because the law at the time required second class cities, those with populations over 60,000, to form their own school districts. Estimates showed that the proposed city would reach that population in a few years, adding the costs of setting up a new school district to the costs of setting up a new city government. This was the deciding factor for many people, and the initial attempt at incorporation was defeated in 1978.

The idea did not die. That same year, the Legislature changed the law so that second class cities were no longer required to create separate school districts. This eliminated much of the financial concern and made the incorporation idea more feasible to residents. Another vote was held in February 1980, and this time the residents of Granger, Hunter and Redwood narrowly approved incorporation. The opposition did not give up and scheduled a disincorporation vote for July 8, one week after the official birth of the City. They were unable to dissolve the new city, however, as residents again expressed support for incorporation.

† West Valley City General Plan, 2015, www.wvc-ut.gov, accessed June, 2024.

Nearby Towns: Magna Twp • West Jordan City •


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