Sandy City

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Located at the base of the Wasatch Mountains thirteen miles south of  Salt Lake City, Sandy was a likely area for early settlement. Permanent  settlers first moved into Sandy during the 1860s and 1870s because of  the availability of land in the less crowded southern end of the Salt  Lake Valley.  Brigham Young named Sandy City in 1873 for its thirsty  soil.

Sandy was incorporated in 1893, largely as part of an effort to  combat what Mormon inhabitants considered “unsavory” elements in the  town. By 1900 there was only a handful of saloons and hotels, and Sandy  began to more closely resemble other rural Utah towns — a place where  everyone knew everyone else. Church, farming, business, and family  formed the focus of the inhabitants’ world.

During the 1970s, pocket communities took shape, providing the  services, schools, and shopping traditionally offered by a city.  Annexation issues became prominent as Salt Lake County and Sandy vied  for control over land and resources. Sandy became a collection of small  local communities identified by a youthful, family-oriented population.  Although it was initially perceived as a bedroom community, and often  still is, it has since developed a thriving commercial center along  State Street and other various arterial roads.

Sandy  today is the sixth-largest city in Utah . The population was 88,418 at  the 2010 census.  Sandy is home to the South Towne Center shopping mall,  the Jordan Commons entertainment and dining complex, and the Southtowne  Exposition Center. It is also the location of the soccer-specific Rio  Tinto Stadium, which hosts Real Salt Lake home games, and opened on  October 8, 2008.