NORTH SALT LAKE— A short drive across Utah will reveal many cities that have grown beyond their bounds and expanded into other municipalities: West and South Jordan, North and South Ogden, West Weber and more are all examples. Far from being unusual, expansions like these are a healthy sign of growth in a community.

Such has been the case for North Salt Lake. Though it could be argued that the history of North Salt Lake really starts in 1847 with the arrival of the vanguard company of pioneers from the East, the story of the town really begins much later, in the twentieth century.

The period of time between 1930 and 1950 was brutally formative for the entire world community. In the short span of 20 years, the world suffered through the Great Depression, with drought affecting much of the United States. Then, the most catastrophic event in modern history, World War II, saw the loss of an entire generation’s worth of people, and those that did return were affected for the rest of their lives. 

The world that they created, the world we live in now, has seen its fair share of changes too, but, North Salt Lake’s story starts immediately following that tragic time. In 1946, many men and women were returning from service overseas and starting their lives over again, many from the ground up. 

As more and more servicemen and women returned and began starting their families, the need for housing increased exponentially. From Utah alone, more than 46,000 men and women would serve between 1941 and 1946. To meet these needs, one developer purchased a large parcel of land in the area, including water rights to water that the residents of the area desperately needed.

In order to ensure that there was enough water to go around, these residents petitioned and were granted the status of an incorporated town in September of 1946, taking as their name the moniker of the local post office off the railroad. 

Since then, the city of North Salt Lake has grown and incorporated more area, bringing more residents, but being careful to preserve their own proud history. More information on the history behind North Salt Lake can be found at https://nslcity.org/251/History-of-the-City.