Home / Markets / Salt Lake City Guides / West Valley City

Neighborhood Guide

West Valley City, UT

Four farm towns -- Granger, Hunter, Redwood, and Chesterfield -- merged into one city in 1980 and grew into Utah's second-largest, home to the arena that hosted 2002 Olympic ice hockey and one of the most demographically diverse populations in the state.

Jump to Neighborhood FAQ ↓

Aerial view of West Valley City, Utah, showing dense residential subdivisions, a shopping center, and the Salt Lake Valley floor toward the Great Salt Lake and mountains — West Valley City, seen from the air. Photo: Supercarwaar, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What West Valley City is actually like

Joseph Harker and his family crossed the Jordan River and settled the area in 1848, and the pioneer farming communities that followed -- Granger, Hunter, Redwood, and Chesterfield -- built out their own infrastructure over the next century rather than one unified town: a paved 3500 South by 1918, the Granger-Hunter Improvement District in 1949, a local bank in 1956, Granger High School in 1958, and a chamber of commerce in 1961 (West Valley City).

Those four communities officially joined together and incorporated as a single city, West Valley City, in 1980 -- and grew fast enough afterward to become Utah's second-most-populous city, behind only Salt Lake City itself (Wikipedia). The city's defining civic landmark arrived with the Maverik Center (opened as the E Center), which hosted men's and women's ice hockey during the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics -- still the anchor of a city-owned entertainment district that also includes the Utah Cultural Celebration Center, Rocky Mountain Raceways, and USANA Amphitheatre (Wikipedia).

West Valley City's population reached an estimated 137,491 as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau), with a 2020 Census demographic profile that's genuinely mixed by Utah standards: 49.5% White, 39.4% Hispanic or Latino, 5.7% Asian, 4.6% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and 2.8% Black (Wikipedia). UTA's TRAX Green Line, which opened August 7, 2011, gives the city direct light-rail service to both Salt Lake City International Airport and downtown Salt Lake City (Wikipedia).

Home values in West Valley City

Zillow's Home Value Index for West Valley City was $465,915 as of August 31, 2026, up 0.4% year-over-year (Zillow). Utah taxes income at a flat 4.45% rate for every individual filer (Tax Foundation), on top of which the state levies a 6.10% sales tax with an average combined state-and-local rate of 7.19% statewide -- though Salt Lake County's own combined rate runs slightly above that average, at 7.45% (4.85% state plus a 2.6% county-and-local add-on) (Avalara). Property taxes work differently than in most states: Utah's constitution shields 45% of a primary, owner-occupied home's fair market value from taxation entirely, so only 55% of assessed value is actually taxed -- a structural exemption open to any qualifying primary residence, not tied to the owner's age or income, administered through a one-time Residential Property Declaration filed with the county assessor (Utah State Tax Commission). That exemption helps keep Utah's statewide average effective property tax rate low -- the Tax Foundation puts it at roughly 0.48% of home value, a separate AskDoss analysis at roughly 0.55%, both well under the national average near 0.9% (AskDoss).

Evenings and weekends

West Valley City doesn't have a dedicated bar-and-restaurant strip, and local coverage of its newest addition has said so directly: when Squatters opened a Corner Pub inside Valley Fair Mall (3555 Constitution Blvd) in January 2025, the write-up described the west side of the county as long underserved for exactly this kind of place (The Salt Lake Tribune). Most evenings otherwise run through what's booked at the Maverik Center -- Utah Grizzlies hockey in winter, touring concerts other nights -- or the outdoor Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre (formerly USANA) each summer, both drawing a crowd for a specific show rather than a walkable night out. The Utah Cultural Celebration Center adds recurring festival nights, including the Wasatch International Food Festival and a Día de los Muertos celebration. The Thursday farmers market at Centennial Park (5405 W 3100 South) runs June through October with live music and food trucks. Outside an event night, this is a quiet, early-closing city; people wanting a bar scene drive to Sugar House or Downtown Salt Lake City.

Getting around

West Valley City's own Walk Score, 43 on its dedicated page, puts it squarely in "Car-Dependent" territory -- most errands still mean a car or an EMBARK-style UTA bus. The real exception is the TRAX Green Line's four in-city stations, which give residents near West Valley Central, Redwood Junction, Decker Lake, or River Trail a genuine car-free ride to downtown Salt Lake City or the airport.

West Valley City FAQ

Is West Valley City walkable?

Not especially -- Walk Score's own dedicated page scores it 43 ("Car-Dependent"), with a 35 Transit Score and 45 Bike Score. The TRAX Green Line's four in-city stations are the real exception, giving residents near them a direct, car-free ride to downtown Salt Lake City or the airport.

How did four different town names end up as one city?

Granger, Hunter, Redwood, and Chesterfield were separate pioneer farming communities that built out their own infrastructure -- roads, a bank, a high school -- over roughly a century before officially incorporating together as West Valley City in 1980. It's now Utah's second-most-populous city.

Is West Valley City really where the 2002 Olympics happened?

Yes -- the arena now known as the Maverik Center (originally the E Center) hosted men's and women's ice hockey during the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, and remains the anchor of the city's own entertainment district today.

Does West Valley City flood?

The Jordan River runs along part of the city's eastern edge, so river-adjacent parcels there do carry floodplain designations, but the more structural, citywide risk across this part of the Salt Lake Valley is earthquake and liquefaction exposure from the Wasatch Fault, not river flooding.

What school district serves West Valley City?

Granite School District, Utah's third-largest, with 21 elementary schools, four junior highs, and two high schools -- Granger (1958) and Hunter (1990) -- serving the city. Confirm the specific zoned school for an address via Granite's own attendance-boundary maps.

Who lives in West Valley City?

An estimated 137,491 residents as of mid-2025, with a genuinely mixed 2020 Census demographic profile -- 49.5% White, 39.4% Hispanic or Latino, 5.7% Asian, 4.6% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and 2.8% Black -- among the most diverse populations in the state.

Nearby alternatives*

West Jordan

A few miles south via Bangerter Highway or Redwood Road -- Utah's third-largest city, sharing a similar farm-town-to-suburb history and a JVWCD-sourced water supply.

Downtown & Central City

The TRAX Green Line's direct, car-free connection from West Valley Central Station -- the metro's job center and where the Green Line terminates on its other end.

South Jordan

Several miles south along the Jordan River corridor -- a faster-growing, higher-priced city built around the Daybreak master-planned community.

Compare West Valley City to these side by side →

See what makes Salt Lake City stand out — verified, named medical, dietary, sports, and other specialty resources you won't find in most metros.

Explore Specialty Resources →

Quick facts

County: Salt Lake County
Transit: Walk Score's own dedicated page for West Valley City scores it 43 ("Car-Dependent"), with a 35 Transit Score and 45 Bike Score (Walk Score) -- a somewhat higher figure than the 36 Walk Score Walk Score's own statewide Utah city list shows for the same city, a normal source-to-source variance rather than a contradiction (Walk Score). UTA's TRAX Green Line serves four stations inside city limits -- West Valley Central, Redwood Junction, Decker Lake, and River Trail -- on its route between the airport and downtown Salt Lake City (Wikipedia).
Landmarks: Maverik Center (hosted 2002 Olympic ice hockey), Utah Cultural Celebration Center, Rocky Mountain Raceways, USANA Amphitheatre, Stonebridge Golf Course, The Ridge Golf Course, and Valley Fair Mall
Commute to Downtown: Roughly 9 miles west of downtown Salt Lake City -- typically a 15-20 minute drive via I-215 and I-80, or a direct ride on UTA's TRAX Green Line from West Valley Central Station into downtown without a car.
Natural hazards: The Jordan River forms part of West Valley City's eastern edge, and the whole city sits on the Salt Lake Valley's old lakebed sediment -- but the Wasatch Fault's earthquake risk, not river flooding, is this cluster's real defining hazard.
more
The Wasatch Fault is a roughly 240-mile active normal fault running from Malad City, Idaho, to Fayette, Utah, along the base of the Wasatch Range through the Salt Lake and Utah valleys (Utah Geological Survey). Research summarized by Envision Utah puts the odds of a magnitude 6.75-or-greater earthquake somewhere along the Wasatch Front at 43% over the next 50 years, with more than 60% of structures across the Salt Lake Valley projected to sustain damage in a full-scale rupture, given how much of the region's older building stock predates modern seismic codes (Envision Utah). A separate, joint Utah Geological Survey/USGS study cited by the state's own Division of Emergency Management puts the broader odds of any damaging Utah earthquake at roughly 50% over that same 50-year window, and the odds of a magnitude 6.0-or-greater quake specifically at 57% (Utah Division of Emergency Management). Much of the development along the Wasatch Front, including large stretches of the Salt Lake Valley floor, sits on saturated lakebed sediment left behind by ancient Lake Bonneville, which adds liquefaction risk on top of shaking risk in a major event (Envision Utah). West Valley City's eastern boundary runs along the Jordan River, so river-adjacent parcels there carry real floodplain designations even though most of the city sits well back from the water; the more structural, citywide risk is the earthquake and liquefaction exposure described above, common to this entire part of the valley. Always check FEMA's Flood Map Service Center and the Utah Geological Survey's own hazard-mapping tools for a specific address -- risk varies meaningfully by block, elevation, and proximity to a canyon mouth or the Jordan River even within the same city.
Terrain, sidewalks & stairs: West Valley City sits on the flat floor of the Salt Lake Valley, with no real grade change anywhere in the city. Housing is overwhelmingly post-WWII construction -- single-story ranch and split-level homes with a step-free or one-step entry are the norm here, not the raised pioneer-era entries found in the valley's older neighborhoods.
more
West Valley City's own general plan acknowledges that sidewalks are required in all new development, but many of the older Granger, Hunter, Redwood, and Chesterfield-era subdivisions still lack a complete network, with gaps persisting even on some major streets (West Valley City). All four of the city's TRAX stops -- West Valley Central, Redwood Junction, Decker Lake, and River Trail -- run on the Green Line's low-floor Siemens S70 cars: press the blue button at the door and an automated ramp deploys onto the platform at level, no staff assistance needed (Wheelchair Travel). That's a real difference from the older, high-floor Blue Line cars used farther south in this valley, which still require a station-side ramp and an operator-deployed bridge plate. None of this substitutes for checking a specific address or route yourself before a move.
Nearest hospital: Holy Cross Hospital - West Valley, at 3460 South Pioneer Parkway (4155 West), is a 102-bed Level 3 trauma, stroke, and STEMI center that's operated on this site since 1964 (originally as Valley West Hospital), now under CommonSpirit Health as of May 2023 (Wikipedia).
Property taxes: County & state rates →
Relocating here: Employers, licensing & the metro basics →
Zoning & HOA character: Local rules & HOA character →
Utilities: Rocky Mountain Power, a PacifiCorp subsidiary, is the dominant electric utility across this part of the Wasatch Front, serving roughly 1,031,000 of its 1,264,000 total retail customers within Utah (Rocky Mountain Power). For water, West Valley City is a member agency of Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District (JVWCD), a public water-conservancy district established in 1951 that wholesales roughly 90% of the municipal water it delivers to member cities and districts across a Salt Lake County service area of more than 600,000 residents, with the remaining 10% delivered directly on a retail basis (Wikipedia). -- the city's own Public Works water division handles retail billing, more than 100 monthly water-quality samples, and conservation programs locally, while JVWCD wholesales the treated water itself; West Valley City reports the lowest per-capita water usage among JVWCD's member agencies (West Valley City).

Metro context ▾

Weather facts for the whole metro are on the Salt Lake City metro snapshot →.

Schools

West Valley City lies within Granite School District, Utah's third-largest at roughly 67,000 students across 9 high schools, 15 junior high schools, and 62 elementary schools district-wide -- Granger High (1958) and Hunter High (1990) are both inside the city (Wikipedia). Confirm the specific zoned elementary, middle, and high school for an address via Granite's own attendance-boundary maps before making an offer.