Salt Lake City, state capital of Utah and a landlocked region of the US southwest, is a city of surprises. As well as being the world headquarters for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – 66 per cent of Utah’s population are LDS followers – it’s also home to a sizeable LGBTQ+ community; it was dubbed the gayest city in the US in 2012, and between 2016 and 2020 was presided over by a lesbian mayor. While these respective communities may not seem like obvious bedfellows, a 2019 poll by Public Religion Research Institute revealed that over three-quarters of Utahns supported laws that protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination, evidence of the special culture that has developed in the West Desert region.
Surrounded by the dramatic snow-topped Wasatch and Oquirrh mountains, Salt Lake City is also a major destination for outdoor pursuits with plentiful hiking and biking opportunities year round, and some of the best ski resorts in the world come winter. Around 40 miles outside of Salt Lake is also the birthplace of the country’s biggest independent film festival, Sundance.
