Getting Around Salt Lake City: A Primer for Prospective Transplants (West Jordan: neighborhoods, university)

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by nemmert

I dunno... I still like the scheme where I grew up... just seems a bit more intuitive as there isn't so much redudancy... taking 300 West to 300 North just doesn't sit well in my mind...My address growing up was 105 11th Ave NW... as a 105 everyone knew it was between 1st Street and 2nd Street.... as NW people knew it was the 11th avenue North of Main Street and West of Collins Avenue. All streets were East West, all avenues were North South...To me, having the number split the quadrant of the city just bugs my mind a bit. I'm sure I'll get used to it in time, it's definitely not difficult... simply not the way I'd have done it.

If you just remember that the city has a center point (Temple Square) and that these weird addresses just tell you how far and in what direction you are from it, you should be fine. You've got to be either north or south of Temple Square, but you can't be both. You've got to be either east or west of Temple Square, but you can't be both.

105 East 1100 North = 1.05 blocks east of Temple Square and 11.00 blocks north of Temple Square.

[sp2007]

Unless your north of Salt Lake county, then just fugetaboutit.

[hilgi]

Originally Posted by nemmert

My realtor told me the same thing... I responded in much the same way! Of course, I can get lost in Walmart so my sense of direction in general just isn't that great.

Getting lost in a Super Walmart is easy to do, I once went so far back in one I ended up in another one across town. :-)

[UtahRoots]

There are some "name" streets in the Salt Lake Valley, so it's theoretically possible for somebody to tell you that they live on the corner of Valley St. and Holladay Blvd., but if you ask for the coordinates they'll be able to give them to you.

Also, getting around is a lot easier if you learn a few north-south streets and a few east-west streets to use routinely. If you are moving here, those really become important.

For example, State Street runs north/south through the whole valley. Seventh east is another good north/south road, as is Thirteenth East. West of State St., there aren't as many good north/south roads that go for long distances.

Going east/west there are Eighth South, Thirteenth South, Seventeenth South, Twenty-first South, Thirty-third South, Thirty-ninth South, and Forty-fifth South that can take you from a location on the east side of the valley to another on the west side (or vice versa).

If you can drive on, and get used to several of those roads, you will learn to use them to get close to your final destination without wandering around on some road that ends or that is interrupted.

Roads that end with "00" (like 1300 South) are more likely to be major through-streets than roads that end with non-zeros (like 1624 South).

Quiz:
How do you say "1300 South" (Answer: "Thirteenth South")

If a business is located at 749 South 500 East, which road, 749 South or 500 East, would be most likely to be a main through-road? (Answer 500 East)

How do you write "Seventh East" (Answer: 700 East).

If a business is located at 1375 South 900 West, how many blocks south of Temple Square will it be? (Answer: Almost 14 blocks. It's more than half way between 1300 and 1400 South).

[PopsNegro]

I kind of like the grid. It's way easier than Denver.

[mlb]

However, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER. EVER tell an outsider to turn "at the Stake Center".

They'll be lost for hours looking for a STEAK HOUSE.....

[rallybug]

Originally Posted by sp2007

Of course its not all perfect. I learned the hard way that although this system works fine in Salt Lake County, in Davis County (for example) the grid system restarts with each town's Center and Main Streets (but not all of course, Woods Cross, West Bountiful and N Salt Lake are all based on Bountiful, but it restarts with Centerville then Farmington etc).

But once you do figure it out, it is a very simple way to learn your way around town.

Just to confuse things - south NSL addresses are based on the NSL center point, not Bountiful's, but northern NSL address have both NSL and Bountiful co-ordinates, until you reach 350 N (NSL) or 3800 S (Bountiful) - same street, but after that, heading south, they're NSL co-ordinates, not Bountiful ones.

[sp2007]

I also like in Centerville how they try to have both the Centerville grid street names (100 N, 300 W) and "normal" streetnames "Park Ave" on the same street sign, thus making it so small you can read it unless you are right on top of it.

[BuckeyezRule]

I'm a big fan of the grid system. I'm even more a master of finding places here. =) Though, for those who were born & raised here, sometimes, they can't find where they are going. lol

[kaytidid]

According to this article from KSL News, Salt Lake ranks as one of the top cities for getting around without a car.

Salt Lake among top cities for living car-free | ksl.com