austin

Austin

chicago

Chicago

denver

Denver

lasvegas

Las Vegas

madison

Madison

nashville

Nashville

philly

Philly

pittsburgh

Pittsburgh

portland

Portland

saltlake

Salt Lake

seattle

Seattle

twincities

Twin Cities

We make podcasts and newsletters that connect people with the cities they love.

City Cast Salt Lake

Every year I have grand ideas about Halloween costumes and subsequently wait too long to make any of them happen. In the spirit of changing that, let’s brainstorm some Salt Lake City-themed costumes for 2025.

The lore of the billboard matriarch has only grown since Julia Reagan died in 2024. Read up on 

 was recently unveiled, and I can’t wait to get my hands on a life-sized Tusky mask. What size jersey do you think he wears?

Take notes from our young friend above and do your best impression of closed roads and traffic cones. The construction is finally over on 2100 South, and the jury’s still out on whether it was worth it, but a little arts and crafts could capture hearts this Halloween.

 now that construction’s done. [Hey Salt Lake 📰]

 is so iconic, we put it in our skyline logo. So why not make a costume that lets people know how big a coat to wear without having to drive downtown.

, this has the potential for a great costume. Shout out to Arianna for her incredible interpretation at our 

RE: Salt Lake Halloween Costumes

Share an SLC-themed costume idea 👻

The best halloween costume ideas with a Salt Lake City theme.

Salt Lake City Halloween Costume Ideas 2025

The Most Salt Lake Halloween Costumes

Find the best of everything that Salt Lake City has to offer.

Salt Lake’s Best

Salt Lake's Best

), here are some of our favorite facts about the 801, from why it’s the best area code 

 to the details and people that make it special here.

With a proclamation from Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, 801 Day became an 

. It’s a one-of-a-kind celebration of Salt Lake City that highlights the delightful quirks that unite us. 

 is sure to be Salt Lake-ier than ever, and even features a Salt Laker costume contest (calling all parents to dress up your kid as Julia Reagan).

 for our area code. Salt Lake Tribune reporter Andy Larsen told us that AT&T was looking for a system to unify dialing across the country, so they assigned area codes with zero in the second spot to smaller states.

 is located on a block in downtown Salt Lake City and holds a rich history for Japanese Americans in Utah, 

a slice of the new sports and entertainment district

 — now Edison Street — has long been known as a historically Black neighborhood. The city “rebranded” the street in 1906 to encourage white-owneded businesses to move in, which displaced residents. Swedish immigrants once thrived in 

, a several block section around Hot Springs Road and 1500 North.

 in 2023, but living here has come to mean fighting for thoughtful growth and neighborhood identities.

Downtown SLC blocks are uniquely wide, measuring 600 by 600 feet, which may make them among the 

 was designed to tell you where you are at any given time in relation to Temple Square and why our streets read like coordinates. Going to 300 South 2100 East? That means three blocks down and 21 blocks east of Template Square. Kinda wild, but very easy.

So many of your favorite movies were filmed here. Some scenes of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” were shot at 

 as a fake Los Angeles. “Footloose” was filmed at many locations in Utah including 

 in the 801. The house in the horror film “Hereditary” is a real 

(And they love to stop here on their way to Vegas.) Lead singer 

 in 1965, singing that the 801 has “got the grooviest kids.” Between 1963 and 1973, the band played at Lagoon’s Patio Gardens at least a dozen times. We think the modern version of this must be “

How lucky are we that we’re just a short drive away from some of the 

. There are 23 cities in Salt Lake County, and buried under many of their concrete jungles are the seven different creeks that flow from the 

Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics and, partly because we’ve already got the infrastructure, the Olympics are coming back in 2034. For a fun parable of our Olympic legacy, check out City Cast Salt Lake podcast host Ali Vallarta’s obsession with the 

, which was installed for the 2002 Olympics.

🎉 Come celebrate 801 Day with us!

In honor of 801 Day,  here are some of our favorite facts about the 801, from why it’s the best area code ever to the details and people that make it special here.

Fast Facts About The 801: Salt Lake City

Fast Facts About The 801

What Salt Lakers have been wondering. We break down why things in Salt Lake City are the way they are and how they work.

Salt Lake, Explained

The local propaganda trend is hitting on TikTok, so Hey Salt Lake editor Terina Ria, host Ali Vallarta, and executive producer Emily Means shared the Utah propaganda they are and aren’t buying into on an episode of the 

Terina says: "Propaganda I’m not falling for is 

. Because propaganda I do fall for is food safety. Pasteurization, people. It was introduced over a hundred years ago for a reason. We need it. It helps us. Anytime that I've gotten sick from food, it's always felt like the biggest betrayal. I am usually a sucker for a wellness trend, but raw milk is just something that I cannot get behind.”

Terina says: ”I am a sucker for the Utah scone, otherwise known as 

. I do like a British cone, but the Utah scone is just superior. I mean, you know, it's fried and the British scone is dry. I feel like everybody has their favorite spot that they get their scones growing up in Utah. For me it's always been 

 to go somewhere, it's the worst part of my day. I'm like white knuckling the steering wheel as everyone drives 90 plus miles an hour past me. And I'm like, it's 70 here, people. This highway should not exist in Salt Lake County.”

 You could argue it’s one of the most successful propaganda to come out of the state. The goal of this campaign was to prove to people around the country that you could see all five National Parks in one road trip. And the Mighty Five campaign, I pulled some numbers: It generated $1.9 billion in visitor spending directly attributable to the advertising at the time.”

Ali says: “It seems like all anyone does is complain about it. I can't remember the last time that I had a friend who went 

 and when I was like, ‘How was it’ that they didn't just start complaining or ranting about the experience, the parking, the traffic, getting up at four o'clock in the morning to, you know, eat a frozen breakfast burrito and get your ass in line. The injuries, I just, I don't get it. How fun can it be?”

➕ Thoughts on Crown Burgers, fry sauce, and more!

Utah Propaganda We Are And Aren’t Falling For

Utah Propaganda We Are (And Aren’t) Falling For

Like many holidays in the United States, Pioneer Day on July 24 commemorates a very specific event in a rather complicated history. So what’s the deal with this statewide celebration?

On July 24, 1847, Brigham Young and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints arrived in the Salt Lake Valley after trekking thousands of miles across the country to escape religious persecution in Illinois, following the murder of their founder, Joseph Smith, in 1844. Young reportedly commemorated the momentous occasion by uttering, “This is the right place.” By the end of 1847, nearly 2,000 Mormons had settled in what they called “the promised land.”

The first Pioneer Day was celebrated locally in 1849 with a parade and various performances. It is an official holiday in the state of Utah.

The aspirations of the Mormon pioneers came at a great price for the Indigenous people of Utah, leading to the spread of disease, wars, and namely the dispossession of land — sometimes through violent means. There are several major recognized tribes — Ute, Paiute, Navajo, Goshute, and Shoshone — who called the valley home before the settlers arrived, though each of them consists of smaller groups or "bands" with distinct traditions.

Many Indigenous people in Utah are making a push for education and greater inclusion around the holiday, and modern counter-celebrations like “

” (a play on the word “pioneer”) seek to 

challenge a prevailing historical narrative

How Do You Celebrate Pioneer Day?

What Is Pioneer Day in Utah?

What Is Pioneer Day?

With nicer weather comes the opportunity to plan a getaway. So why not head down to the town of Helper, around two hours southeast of Salt Lake City. It’s got infinite charm and a burgeoning arts community. Salt Lake’s own 

Once a busy coal mining town, “helper” locomotives would stand by to assist trains making the trip up to Soldier Summit, hence the name Helper.

Dwindling mines took a toll on the town, so residents took to the arts to help revitalize its economy, as illustrated in a lovely video from Communities by Design, “

Mythologically, rural Utah is associated with conservative views, but Helper is home to 

, where you can catch up on Helper’s evolution through the decades.

And as with any small town, one must stroll down main street to get acclimated. There, you’ll find art galleries like 

, a car-lover’s playground. Go antiquing at 

 brings together creatives and vendors for a unique alchemy of arts and history. Dates for this year have yet to be announced, but it typically takes place in August.

Pick up a hot dog from the tiny Filling Station, or a beer and a slice of pizza at 

From parks to ball fields, there are plenty of 

 The converted filling station is a true 

Get to Know Helper, Utah

Everything to know about Salt Lake City neighborhoods: Where to go, eat, shop, drink, and more.

Salt Lake Neighborhood Guides

Neighborhood Guides

Before it was a full-month celebration, there was Women’s History Week. In 1978, a group of women in Santa Rosa, California, recognized that 

 in academics, so they organized a week in March to celebrate and educate others about women’s contributions in the U.S.

During the week of March 8, over a hundred women participated in essay contests, distributed curriculum materials at local schools, and held a parade. The event's success soon inspired women’s groups nationwide to hold similar events.

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the week of March 8 National Women’s History Week. Seven years later, Congress designated March as Women’s History Month.

The group from Santa Rosa, now known as the 

, selected the week of March 8 to correspond with 

, officially recognized by the United Nations in 1977.

 of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The first Women’s Day on Feb. 28, 1909, honored the first anniversary of the garment worker’s strikes that saw thousands of women take to Manhattan’s streets. That strike was timed to honor another garment worker’s rally from March 1857. On March 3, 1913, thousands of 

 marched in Washington, D.C., to fight for a woman’s right to vote.

In 1911, inspired by the day of recognition held in the U.S., more than a million people rallied in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland to hold the first International Women’s Day rally. On March 8, 1917, 

many women went on strike during the Russian Revolution

, which many believe led to the selection of March 8 as the international day.

Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

.” Here are some ways to honor women this month.

How do you honor Women’s History Month in Salt Lake?

International events, such as International Women's Day, may be why we celebrate women's history in March.

Celebrate Women’s History Month in Salt Lake

How March Became Women’s History Month

Have you ever wondered why Utah is the “Beehive State?” Sure, we have a lot of native nectar-producing plants, and thus, a lot of bees. But as of 2019, the state ranked 

. Like many things in Utah, the state name has to do with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

When the pioneers ventured into the territory that would later become a state named after the Ute tribes that preceded European settlers, they were met with a terrain that required perseverance and an industrious disposition. These are two qualities embodied in honeybees, communal and hard-working pollinators that work in unison.

Brigham Young, who was president of the church when they arrived in the valley in the late 1840s, wanted to call the area “Deseret.” It's the 

 in the Book of Mormon, a scripture of the church.

On March 4, 1959, Utah officially became the Beehive State and “industry” its state motto. The beehive is emblazoned on the state flag, harkening back to the spirit of Utah’s dominant religion.

history

The Most Salt Lake Halloween Costumes

Fast Facts About The 801

Utah Propaganda We Are (And Aren’t) Falling For

Latest articles

The Most Salt Lake Halloween Costumes

Fast Facts About The 801

Utah Propaganda We Are (And Aren’t) Falling For

What Is Pioneer Day?

Get to Know Helper, Utah

How March Became Women’s History Month

The Reason Utah is Called ‘The Beehive State’

Latest articles

What Is Pioneer Day?

Get to Know Helper, Utah

How March Became Women’s History Month

The Reason Utah is Called ‘The Beehive State’