Midvale

History

Located in the central part of the Salt Lake Valley, and next to the Jordan River, Midvale was an early target for settlers in Utah. Permanent homes began as early as the 1850s, with one of the earliest homes still preserved today. The population grew quickly in the 1870s thanks to its central location, the use of railroad, and its connection to the mining in Bingham Canyon, the western area of present-day Midvale became an important industrial area for Utah. To support this growth, the eastern area of present-day Midvale provided agriculture and housing. The name "Midvale" was presumably adopted due to the area’s central location within the Salt Lake Valley. In 1909 Midvale officially became a city and in the 1910 census had a population of 1,760. Fort Union, historically Union, was an early settlement area on the eastern edge of present-day Midvale. When Midvale annexed the Fort Union Area, it brought an established housing population. However, it did not just provide the city with a much larger population base, it also brought the city the shops of Fort Union. The shops provide both shopping and office space for Midvale. Bingham Junction, originally known as the Sharon Steel site, is on the western border of Midvale and is roughly 446 acres in size. The area originally started seeing economic development as early as 1871 as a slag site for mining, which operated as such until 1958. Upon testing, it appeared to have large amounts of lead, arsenic and heavy metals, rendering the property unusable. Through mediation, help from the EPA and other parties, the area underwent a major cleanup and restoration project that saw its name removed from the NPL in 2006. Since Bingham Junction's removal from the NPL, the area underwent major changes. It brought about thousands…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.8 square miles (15.1 km), all land. The western border of Midvale is the Jordan River, which flows down the center of the Salt Lake Valley. This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot summers and cold winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Midvale has a humid continental climate, abbreviated Dfb on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  32,857
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  26,245
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  25,363
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  22,909
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  22,147
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  21,261
• Lesser Goldfinch

  Spinus psaltria (Say, 1822) · Aves
  21,007
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  20,717

Largest nearby schools

• Granger High
  High · WEST VALLEY CITY · 3,481 students · 26:1 ratio
• Copper Hills High
  High · WEST JORDAN · 2,841 students · 25.6:1 ratio
• Taylorsville High
  High · TAYLORSVILLE · 2,770 students · 26.1:1 ratio
• Hunter High
  High · WEST VALLEY CITY · 2,595 students · 25.2:1 ratio
• Mountain Ridge High
  High · HERRIMAN · 2,507 students · 24.3:1 ratio
• Bingham High
  High · SOUTH JORDAN · 2,482 students · 24.6:1 ratio
• Corner Canyon High
  High · DRAPER · 2,434 students · 26.2:1 ratio
• Kearns High
  High · KEARNS · 2,382 students · 25.9:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.86 — 2026-08-07
  6 km NNW of Saratoga Springs, Utah
• M 3.52 — 2026-02-14
  4 km NNW of West Valley City, Utah
• M 3.5 — 2026-02-05
  6 km WNW of Lehi, Utah
• M 2.71 — 2026-02-05
  41 km ENE of Oakley, Utah
• M 2.97 — 2026-01-22
  41 km SSE of Evanston, Wyoming
• M 4.65 — 2026-01-22
  40 km S of Evanston, Wyoming