Short answers, pulled from the story.
Salt Lake City was founded in July 1847 by settlers led by Brigham Young, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They arrived during the Mexican-American War, having traveled into Mexican Territory to practice their religion away from persecution they had experienced in the United States.
Salt Lake City earned the nickname 'The Crossroads of the West' because of its position at the convergence of major transportation routes. The Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental highway, passed through the city in 1913, and two major cross-country freeways, I-15 and I-80, now intersect within city limits. A rail connection to the first transcontinental railroad was established in 1870.
Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics, which were selected in 1995 but were later plagued by a bid scandal that surfaced in 1998 alleging bribes had been offered to secure the bid. On the 24th of July 2024, the International Olympic Committee formally chose the city to host the 2034 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, with all facilities from the 2002 Games available for reuse.
Salt Lake City faces significant earthquake risk from the Wasatch Fault, which is considered at high risk of producing an earthquake as large as magnitude 7.5. In 2021, the Warm Springs Fault and the East Bench Fault were found to connect underneath the downtown area, increasing the risk of major metropolitan damage. A 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit nearby Magna on the 18th of March 2020, the largest in the area in modern times.
The Great Salt Lake has shrunk by two-thirds due to sustained drought and water diversions, reaching record low levels. The receding water has exposed hundreds of square miles of dry lakebed containing arsenic and other toxic chemicals, exposing millions of people in the Salt Lake metropolitan area to potentially poisonous dust. Around 65% of the water diverted from the lake goes to agriculture.
Salt Lake City had a population of 199,723 at the 2020 census, while the broader metropolitan area has an estimated 1.3 million residents. As of 2020, approximately 20.8% of residents are Hispanic or Latino, and the city is home to a large Pacific Islander population, a Bosnian American community of more than 8,000, and the third largest Sri Lankan community in the United States.