Wasatch Front
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The Wasatch Front (Or Greater Wasatch) is an urban area in the U.S. state of Utah. It consists of a chain of cities and towns stretched along the Wasatch Range from approximately Santaquin in the south to Brigham City in the north. Several downtown and commercial districts, the largest being that of Salt Lake City at the middle of the urban area, encompass the Wasatch Front. There are three sections to the Wasatch Front: The Salt Lake Valley, The Utah Valley and the Davis-Weber Ogden-Clearfield region north of Salt Lake.
All of the cities within the Front are connected by continuous suburban development. Cumulative population estimates of Brigham City, Weber County, Davis County, Salt Lake County, and Utah County for 2006 show that the Wasatch Front has an estimated population of 2,050,092 residents, or 80% of Utah's estimated 2006 population of 2,550,063 [1]
The primary modes of transport for the area are Interstate 15 and U.S. Route 89, both of which run down its center for the full length of about 120 miles. Other Interstates and highways provide transportation routes to local areas within the front. Such transportation routes include Interstate 84, Interstate 80, Interstate 215, Bangerter Highway (Utah State Route 154), Utah State Route 201, U.S. Route 189, and U.S. Route 6 [2]. UTA [1] provides bus and light rail service to the urban areas within the front. Additionally, a double-decker commuter rail line FrontRunner [3], the Legacy Highway project [4], and the Mountain View Corridor [5] are planned or under construction to accommodate passenger traffic between Ogden and Provo, also providing efficient transportation to west-side communities.
The Wasatch Front runs between the Wasatch Range to the east and, from north to south, the Great Salt Lake, Oquirrh Mountains, and Utah Lake on the west.
Though most residents of the area live between Ogden and Provo (a distance of 80 miles or 128 km), which includes Salt Lake proper, the fullest built-out extent of the Wasatch Front is 120 miles (193 km) long and an average of 5 miles (8 km) wide. Variation in width is due to constriction caused by the aforementioned natural barriers; thus, it never exceeds a width of approximately 18 miles (29 km).
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[edit] Population
(according to the definition of Dec. 2006)
Wasatch Front 2,550,092
Salt Lake Valley Metro 1,067,722
Utah Valley (Provo) 474,180
Davis-Weber (Ogden-Clearfield ) 497,640
Salt Lake City 178,858 West Valley City 119,841 Provo 113,984 West Jordan 94,309 Sandy 94,203 Orem 90,857 Ogden 78,086 Layton 62,716 Taylorsville 58,048 Murray 44,844 South Jordan 44,009 Bountiful 41,161 Draper 36,873 Lehi 36,021 Kearns 36,000 Riverton 35,543 Roy 35,100 Cottonwood Heights 34,954 Millcreek 31,000 Pleasant Grove 30,729 Spanish Fork 27,717 Midvale 27,249 Clearfield 27,241 Springville 25,998 American Fork 25,596 Holladay 25,308 Magna 25,000 Kaysville 23,563 East Millcreek 21,500 South Salt Lake 21,354 Syracuse 19,534 Cottonwood West 19,500 Clinton 18,811 Brigham City 18,463 North Ogden 16,798 Payson 16,748 Farmington 15,540 South Ogden 15,328 Centerville 15,075
[edit] Region
All of the Wasatch Front cities lie at an elevation of approximately 4,330 feet (1,320 m). To the east, the Wasatch Mountains rises dramatically up to an elevation of 11,752 feet (3,582 m) at Mount Timpanogos (bordering Utah Valley). The area's western boundary is formed by Utah Lake (in Utah County), the Oquirrh Mountains (in Salt Lake County), and the Great Salt Lake (in northwestern Salt Lake, Davis, Weber, and southeastern Box Elder Counties). The Wasatch Front's development is constrained by these natural barriers, and thus much of the land has been developed. Transportation issues have been complicated by the narrow north-south orientation of the valley, constrained by the natural barriers on both sides, and the rapid growth of the region.
The region has experienced considerable growth since the 1950s, with its population increasing 308% from 492,374 to 2,009,595. It encompasses three metropolitan areas and one micropolitan area, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. From north to south, these are Brigham City, population 44,810; Ogden-Clearfield, population 477,455; Salt Lake City, population 1,018,826; and Provo-Orem, population 412,361. As of 2005, all four together have a population of 2,009,595 residents. Much of the remaining undeveloped land is rapidly being developed.
Cities lying on the other side of the Wasatch Range, including Morgan, Park City, and Heber, are sometimes referred to as the "Wasatch Back" and have recently shared in the rapid growth of the region.
