Editing West Jordan, Utah (section)

==History==
[[File:West Jordan Ward Utah.jpeg|thumb|left|The historic West Jordan Ward Meeting House of the [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|LDS Church]]. It is now the Museum of the [[Daughters of Utah Pioneers]].]]
West Jordan received its name from Mormon settlers who entered the [[Salt Lake Valley]] in 1847 under the leadership of their [[prophet]], [[Brigham Young]]. These first European-Americans named the river flowing west of their first settlement, Salt Lake City, the [[Jordan River (Utah)|Western Jordan]], a reference to the [[River Jordan]] in Jordan. The name was later simplified to "Jordan River". Like its Middle Eastern namesake, the Jordan River flows from a fresh water lake ([[Utah Lake]]) to an inland salt sea ([[Great Salt Lake]]). West Jordan was founded around 1849 on the western banks of the Jordan River.

One of the first sawmills in the area was built in 1850 in the city by [[Archibald Gardner]].<ref>{{Citation | last = Moosman | first = Glen | title = Utah History Encyclopedia | publisher = University of Utah Press | year = 1994 | chapter = West Jordan | chapter-url = https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/w/WEST_JORDAN.shtml | url = https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221103120112/https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/w/WEST_JORDAN.shtml | archive-date = November 3, 2022 | isbn =9780874804256 | access-date = March 26, 2024}}</ref> Gardner was a devout [[Mormon]] whose legacy can still be seen in modern West Jordan. His collection of mills and houses, now historic, have been renovated into a specialty shopping district known as ''Gardner Village''.

Early West Jordan relied primarily on agriculture, mills, and mining activity to form the base of its economy. The first [[Leather tanning|leather tannery]] west of the [[Mississippi River]] was constructed in the city in 1851.{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}}

Today, West Jordan is one of the fastest-growing cities in Utah. Growth has been phenomenal, beginning in the 1970s and continuing unabated since. The population grew from 4,221 in 1970 to 27,327 in 1980, 42,892 in 1990, and 68,336 in 2000, reaching 103,712 according to the 2010 Census. [[Sears, Roebuck and Company|Sears]] chose the city as its first ''Sears Grand'' location, a new store concept, which opened its doors in 2003 at the Jordan Landing shopping center. Transportation issues along with school overcrowding are the city's top concerns as it attempts to deal with rapid population growth.

Current major construction projects include a new main campus for the [[Salt Lake Community College]], the expansion of Jordan Valley Hospital, and Midvale's current [[transit-oriented development]] on the east border in the Jordan River bed.

West Jordan has become a regional center for government services. The Veteran’s Park Area includes City Hall, the Thomas Rees Justice Center that houses the West Jordan Police and Justice Court. Also included in the area is Fire Station 52, the Salt Lake County Health Department, Utah Third District Court, the Salt Lake District Attorney’s Office, and the Viridian Events Center and Library. The Park also includes a rodeo arena, a senior center (operated by [[Salt Lake County, Utah|Salt Lake County]]), and Gene Fuller Recreation Center, name after former boxing great Gene Fullmer.