What Park City is known for

Located in northern Utah in the United States of America, the Park City Destination is home to a variety of cities, with Park City being the namesake of the region. Park City is a short distance away from Salt Lake City to the west, which is the capital city of Utah and is also located in the destination. Both towns were fundamental in the hosting of the 2002 Winter Olympics, with some deeming it "the most successful Winter Olympics ever." Park City itself received hundreds of thousands of visitors during that time as they hosted precisely one-third of all medal events for the competition. Apart from this recent achievement, the town is known for a variety of attractions, some of which are available during all times of the year. Park City Mountain Resort, Utah Olympic Park, and Deer Valley Resort each host activities that take place year-round.[1] 

Park City is also famous for being one of the locations of the Sundance Film Festival that takes place each January. The festival allows American and international independent filmmakers to display their work and participate in various competitions. Multiple famous filmmakers got their "big break" at Sundance, such as Quentin Tarantino, Todd Field, and Kevin Smith. Additionally, the event was fundamental in the popularity of films such as Super Troopers, The Blair Witch Project, and Saw. Over the years, the Sundance Film Festival has increased in its own popularity to the point that many high-profile celebrities have attended the event. Event managers have made efforts to reduce these activities in order to continue catering to lesser-known film creators, though results have been mixed in their success.[10]

Apart from Park City itself, the Park City Destination is home to many cities, including Ogden, Farmington, Draper, and Midway. Salt Lake City, however, is the largest metropolis in the destination, with a population of just under 200,000 in its city proper and an additional million residents in its combined metro area, for a total of approximately 1.26 million people. The city is not only the capital for the state of Utah but also acts as the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one of the most prominent religions in the area. Pioneers of the church first settled the area in 1847 and would eventually construct a city block called Temple Square, which is a popular tourist attraction in modern times. Other notable activities to pursue in the area include skiing and participating in other forms of outdoor recreation.[9]

Regarding specific tourist attractions, the Park City Destination is home to Lagoon Amusement Park, Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, Soldier's Hollow, and the Bonneville Speedway. Lagoon is located in Farmington, Utah, and has a wide selection of theme park rides.[5] The Bonneville Speedway, on the other hand, is part of the natural salt formations that comprise the Bonneville Salt Flats. The long stretches of flat ground have made the area a gathering place for motorsports enthusiasts, and multiple land speed records have been set on the premises.[3]

Geography

One of the most unique features of the Park City Destination is the fact that it contains such a wide variety in geographical composition. For example, the topography to the west of the region is mostly comprised of wide expanses of salt flats and other desert terrains. The Great Salt Lake takes up a sizeable proportion of the destination's central regions before the geography becomes more urban in the Salt Lake City area to the east. Park City itself lies on the opposite side of the Twin Peaks mountains from Salt Lake City and experiences enough snow to have justified hosting the Winter Olympics in 2002. This diversity in biomes and climates allows for a wide variety of outdoor activities and attractions.

The Bonneville Salt Flats in the destination's western sections are home to the Bonneville Speedway. This designated area was first used for motorsports in 1912, though its popularity wouldn't increase significantly until the 1930s, when a few individuals decided to use it to set land speed world records. Deteriorating salt has made events on the salt flats less common, though Speed Week is still something that occurs annually.[3]

Salt is not only an identifying feature of the Bonneville Salt Flats but also of the nearby Great Salt Lake. The body of water is unique for a handful of reasons, though one of them is the fact that it is "the largest inland body of salt water in the Western Hemisphere" and is, in fact, "one of the most saline inland bodies of water in the world." Because of this, the lake has chemical characteristics that are comparable to oceans, though its salinity is greater. Fish of any kind cannot survive in its waters, though other forms of wildlife feed off of the minerals.[4]

The Park City Destination is somewhat rectangular in shape, with its eastern corners being Randolph and Heber City to the north and south, respectively. Stretching from Utah's state borders with Colorado to the east and Nevada to the west, the destination's western half is virtually absent of communities. Life is still present in much of the Park City Destination, however. Scientists have identified thousands of floral species in Utah, in addition to mammals, birds, and insects. Joshua trees, blue spruce, Siler pincushion cacti, Deseret milk-vetch, and chokecherry are all varieties of plants that can be found in the state. A few of the mammals of the area include jackrabbits, antelopes, Utah prairie dogs, and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep.[7]

Because of the previously-mentioned variety in the destination's climate, it can be challenging to provide accurate weather-related data for the area. That being said, Park City has average temperatures that generally range from 12 to 79 degrees Fahrenheit and it is suggested that tourists visit the town between early July to mid-August for warm-weather activities. The city receives significantly more snow than rain over the course of any given year, with average snowfall rates exceeding 5 inches per month from November to April. December has the highest annual average of 11.3 inches of snow and one of the lowest averages for rain with only 0.2 inches.[6]

History

Much of the Park City Destination's history centers around Utah's state capital, Salt Lake City, which can be found in the southeast portion of the destination. Though there had been infrequent dwellings in the area by people of European descent, the first major group to settle the area were pioneers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in July of 1847. Forced to abandon homes in the eastern United States, the pioneers were seeking a more secluded area to practice their religion in safety. The religion's leader at the time, Brigham Young, was recorded as saying, "This is the right place," upon arriving in the Salt Lake Valley. Only four days later, Brigham designated a section of land for a future temple of worship, and the block on which it stood would eventually be known as Temple Square.[9]

Park City itself was first settled in 1868 when a group of soldiers stationed near Salt Lake City discovered veins of silver in nearby hills. The mineral was prospected more significantly in 1872 when a few men tapped into a notably rich vein in Ontario Canyon. These activities would only develop more extensively over the years, leading to the incorporation of Park City as a town in 1884. Eventually, approximately $400 million dollars worth of silver was harvested from the mountains around the city and helped to drive the economy of Park City for decades. Another unique aspect of the town's history is that it wasn't established by pioneers of The Church of Jesus Christ. Park City is one of the only towns in Utah's history to have been established by someone not of the religion.[8]

Both Park City and Salt Lake City saw extensive recognition when the region was chosen to host the XIX Olympic Winter Games in 2002. Park City hosted one-third of the events that took place during that time, and many of the venues and locations used for the Olympics remain today as tourist attractions.[8] Salt Lake City ended up seeing a profit as a result of the Winter Olympics, which is one of only a few locations in recent history that has done so. Tourism rates in the region increased as a result of the event and as such, Salt Lake City has attempted to bid for another chance to host the Olympics. So far, these attempts remain unsuccessful.[9]