West Jordan

Sister cities

• Votkinsk

History

West Jordan received its name from Mormon settlers who entered the Salt Lake Valley in 1847 under the leadership of their prophet, Brigham Young. These first European-Americans named the river flowing west of their first settlement, Salt Lake City, the Western Jordan, a reference to the River Jordan in Jordan. The name was later simplified to "Jordan River". Like its Middle Eastern namesake, the Jordan River flows from a fresh water lake (Utah Lake) to an inland salt sea (Great Salt Lake). West Jordan was founded around 1849 on the western banks of the Jordan River. One of the first sawmills in the area was built in 1850 in the city by Archibald Gardner. Gardner was a devout Mormon whose legacy can still be seen in modern West Jordan. His collection of mills and houses, now historic, have been renovated into a specialty shopping district known as Gardner Village. Early West Jordan relied primarily on agriculture, mills, and mining activity to form the base of its economy. The first leather tannery west of the Mississippi River was constructed in the city in 1851. Today, West Jordan is one of the fastest-growing cities in Utah. The population grew from 4,221 in 1970 to 27,327 in 1980, 42,892 in 1990, and 68,336 in 2000, reaching 103,712 according to the 2010 Census. Sears chose the city as its first Sears Grand location, a new store concept, which opened its doors in 2003 at the Jordan Landing shopping center. Transportation issues along with school overcrowding are the city's top concerns as it attempts to deal with rapid population growth. Current major construction projects include a new main campus for the Salt Lake Community College, the expansion of Jordan Valley Hospital, and Midvale's current transit-oriented development on the east border in the Jordan…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 30.9 square miles (80.0 km2), all land. West Jordan is bordered on the west by the Oquirrh Mountains and on the east by the Jordan River. The western neighborhoods of Welby, Copper Hills, and Jordan Hills are rapidly growing regions located along the lower slopes of the eastern Oquirrh Mountains. The fastest development is currently taking place between 4800 West and State Route 111, a highway that traverses the slopes of the Oquirrh Mountains. The city lies approximately southwest of downtown Salt Lake City. The city is bordered on the north by Taylorsville and Kearns, on the south by South Jordan, on the east by Sandy, Murray and Midvale, on the west by Copperton, and on the extreme northwestern corner by West Valley City.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  31,037
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  23,530
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  23,295
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  22,614
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  20,751
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  20,618
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  20,285
• Lesser Goldfinch

  Spinus psaltria (Say, 1822) · Aves
  19,916

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
• Cyprus High
  High · MAGNA · 2,709 students · 26.6:1 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

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 3.26 — 2026-01-04
  13 km E of Huntsville, Utah
• M 2.75 — 2025-10-08
  6 km WNW of Independence, Utah
• M 3.94 — 2025-05-01
  4 km WNW of Independence, Utah