Salt Lake City (population 159,936; metropolitan area 1,072,227; territory - 75 square miles (194 square kilometers)) is the capital and the largest city of Utah and one of the chief centers of culture, finance, industry, and transportation of the Rocky Mountain States. Salt Lake City and Ogden form the center of a metropolitan area that covers Davis, Salt Lake, and Weber counties. About two-thirds of Utah's people live in this 2,099-square-mile (5,436-square-kilometer) area.
Salt Lake City lies in the Salt Lake Valley at the foot of the Wasatch Range of the Rocky Mountains. It is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) southeast of Great Salt Lake.
Mormon pioneers fleeing religious persecution in Illinois founded Salt Lake City on July 24, 1847. When their leader, Brigham Young, saw the scenic land, he declared: "This is the right place. Drive on."
The Salt Lake City metropolitan area has more than 700 manufacturing plants. Its leading industries make aircraft parts, chemicals, computer software, electronics, food products, and metal products. A number of petroleum refineries are also in the area.
The city owes much of its industrial importance to the rich natural resources in the area. For example, the largest open-pit copper mine in North America operates in nearby Bingham Canyon. Chemical plants take large amounts of chlorides, magnesium, and potash from Great Salt Lake.
Many ski resorts and camping areas in the Wasatch Range help make tourism an important industry in Salt Lake City.
Passenger trains and four rail freight lines serve the city. Airlines use Salt Lake City International Airport. The city has 2 daily newspapers, the Deseret News and the Tribune; 7 TV stations; and about 30 radio stations.
The Salt Lake City School District consists of 27 elementary schools and 3 high schools. The city has 2 private schools and 7 church-supported schools. The University of Utah and Westminster College of Salt Lake City are in the city.
The city is the home of Ballet West, a dance company; the Pioneer Theatre; the Mormon Tabernacle Choir; the Utah Opera Company; and the Utah Symphony Orchestra. Other cultural attractions include the Hansen Planetarium, the Hogle Zoo, the Salt Lake Art Center, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, and the Utah Museum of Natural History. The International Peace Gardens feature the flowers and displays representing 25 countries.
Salt Lake City has a mayor-council form of government. The voters elect a mayor and seven council members to four-year terms.

The Sister-City Agreement between Chernivtsi and Salt Lake City was signed on July 20, 1989.