Salt Lake City is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah, as well as the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With an estimated population of 200,567 in 2019, the city is the core of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a population of 1,222,540. Salt Lake City is further situated within a larger metropolis known as the Salt Lake City–Ogden–Provo Combined Statistical Area, a corridor of contiguous urban and suburban development stretched along a 120-mile (190 km) segment of the Wasatch Front, comprising a population of 2,606,548, making it currently the 22nd largest in the nation. It is the larger of only two major urban areas located within the Great Basin. It is the least populous city to have an NBA team.
West Jordan is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. It is a rapidly growing suburb of Salt Lake City and has a mixed economy. According to the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 103,712, placing it as the fourth most populous in the state. The city occupies the southwest end of the Salt Lake Valley at an elevation of 4,330 feet (1,320 m). Named after the nearby Jordan River, the limits of the city begin on the river's western bank and end in the eastern foothills of the Oquirrh Mountains, where Kennecott Copper Mine, the world's largest man-made excavation is located.
Ross Carl "Rocky" Anderson is an American attorney and politician. He served two terms as the 33rd mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah from 2000–08. He is the Executive Director of High Road for Human Rights and a founding member of the Justice Party.
Jackie Biskupski is an American Democratic politician, who served as the 35th Mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah. Upon taking office, Biskupski became Salt Lake City's 35th mayor, the city's first openly gay mayor, and the second female mayor. She is also a former member of the Utah House of Representatives, representing the 30th District in Salt Lake County from 1999 to 2011.
The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the U.S. state of Utah have significantly evolved in the 21st century. Protective laws have become increasingly enacted since 2014, despite the state's reputation as socially conservative and highly religious. Same-sex marriage has been legal since the state's ban was ruled unconstitutional by federal courts in 2014. In addition, statewide anti-discrimination laws now cover sexual orientation and gender identity in employment and housing, and the use of conversion therapy on minors is prohibited. In spite of this, there are still a few differences between the treatment of LGBT people and the rest of the population.
Gary Richard Herbert is an American politician who served as the 17th Governor of Utah from 2009 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he chaired the National Governors Association during the 2015–2016 cycle.
Ralph Elihu Becker Jr. is an American politician and attorney who served as the Minority Leader of the Utah State House of Representatives and the 34th mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah.
Scott Milne Matheson Jr. is a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. He has served on that court since 2010.
Michael Kent Winder is an American businessman, author, and politician. He was the mayor of West Valley City, Utah between 2010 and 2014. A Republican, he currently represents District 30 in the Utah House of Representatives, a position to which he was first elected in November 2016. He is the author of twelve published books on Utah and LDS history, including Presidents and Prophets: The Story of America's Presidents and the LDS Church. He has received criticism in the press for using false identities and undisclosed pseudonyms for city promotion, for a political attack, and for editing of the Wikipedia article about him.
The Hinckley Institute of Politics is a nonpartisan institute located on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City, Utah. Its purpose is "to engage students in transformative experiences and provide political thought leadership" through involving students in practical politics and in governmental, civic and political processes.
Luz Robles Escamilla is the Senator for the Utah State Senate's 1st District, defeating Republican Carlton Christensen for the seat November 4, 2008 after having beaten incumbent Sen. Fred Fife for the party nomination earlier that year.
John Ream Curtis is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Utah's 3rd congressional district since 2017. A Republican who was once a Democrat, he served as mayor of Provo, Utah from 2010 to 2017. On November 7, 2017, he won a special election to replace Jason Chaffetz in Congress, after Chaffetz resigned.
David Keith Nelson is an American activist for the protection of equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. He founded or helped found several LGBT-related nonprofit organizations in Utah and helped direct others. His work with the Democratic Party encouraged many LGBT Utahns to serve as party leaders. His work as a legislative and executive lobbyist accomplished the adoption of several LGBT- and weapon-friendly state and local laws, rules, ordinances and policies, and the rejection of other legislation.
Occupy Salt Lake City was a collaboration that began on October 6, 2011 at Pioneer Park in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, and has included protests and demonstrations. The protests were based on the Occupy Wall Street movement that started in New York City on September 17, 2011. The Occupy Salt Lake City mission is to stand in solidarity with those also protesting in Wall Street, the United States, and around the world.
Scott Daniels is an attorney who has been a prominent public figure in the state of Utah, having served as a Utah State Senator and a State judge.
Spencer James Cox is an American attorney and politician serving as the 18th governor of Utah since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, Cox served as the eighth lieutenant governor of Utah from 2013 to 2021.
Daniel W. Thatcher is an American politician and a Republican member of the Utah State Senate representing District 12 since January 1, 2011.
Derek Kitchen is an American politician from Salt Lake City, Utah. He is a member of the Utah State Senate representing Utah's 2nd senate district, and formerly a Councilmember on the Salt Lake City Council representing Council District 4.
The COVID-19 pandemic began in the U.S. state of Utah in early March 2020 with travel-related cases. Residents stockpiled goods, large conferences were made remote-only, postponed, or cancelled; a state of emergency was declared, and some public universities and other colleges switched to online-only classes. After the first case of community spread was found on March 14, Utah faced a shortage of testing kits, and public schools were ordered to be closed. Community spread was confirmed in more counties, and the state issued a public health order prohibiting dine-in service in restaurants and gatherings of more than 10 people except in grocery stores. A 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck the Wasatch Front on March 18, hampering the pandemic response.
The Mayor of Salt Lake County is the head of the executive branch of the county government of Salt Lake County, Utah in the United States.