The city occupies the southwest end of the Salt Lake Valley at an elevation of 4,330 feet (1,320 m). The valley is surrounded by mountains that rise dramatically to an elevation of 11,752 feet (3,582 m). Named after the nearby Jordan River, the limits of the city begin on the river's western bank and end in the eastern foothills of the Oquirrh Mountains, where Bingham Canyon Mine, the world's largest man-made excavation, is located.
Settled in the mid-19th century, the city has developed into its own regional center in the 21st century. Currently the city has four major retail centers; Jordan Landing is one of the largest mixed-use planned developments in the Intermountain West. Companies headquartered in West Jordan include Wasatch Software, Cyprus Credit Union, Mountain America Credit Union, Fairchild Semiconductor, and Dunford Bakeries. The city has one major hospital, Jordan Valley, and a campus of Salt Lake Community College, which is designed to become the main campus upon completion in 2020.
City landmarks include Gardner Village, established in 1850 and the historic Sugar Factory, built in 1916. It is also the location of South Valley Regional Airport, formally known as "Salt Lake Airport #2". The airport serves general aviation operations as well as a base for the Utah Army National Guard for Apache and Black Hawk helicopters.
As of the census of 2000, there were 68,336 people, 18,897 households, and 16,232 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,211.3 people per square mile (853.9/km²). There were 19,597 housing units at an average density of 634.2/sq mi (244.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.76% White, 0.64% African American, 0.56% Native American, 2.04% Asian, 0.94% Pacific Islander, 4.76% from other races, and 2.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.07% of the population.
There were 18,897 households out of which 57.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.0% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.1% were non-families. 10.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.60 and the average family size was 3.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 37.8% under the age of 18, 12.2% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 14.8% from 45 to 64, and 3.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $55,794, and the median income for a family was $57,818. Males had a median income of $38,141 versus $26,391 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,221. About 4.1% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.
Interstate 15, a twelve-lane freeway, is located east of the city limits, providing access from the north and south, while Interstate 215, an eight-lane beltway, is located northeast of the city. Bangerter Highway (State Route 154), a six-lane expressway, traverses the center of the city, just east of South Valley Regional Airport and the Jordan Landing shopping center. Due to severe traffic congestion plaguing the rapidly growing city, "A ten-lane freeway in the Mountain View Corridor is planned to have three exits in the city and run north-south at 5800 West. The road is currently undergoing environmental review and no date for completion has been set.
New Bingham Highway, mostly a four-lane road, begins as 7720 South at State Street (U.S. Route 89) in Midvale, curves into 7800 South as it enters the city, and finally heads southwest to end at Copperton. Redwood Road (State Route 68), a six-lane road, runs through the eastern portion of the city. In the far western extremes of the city, State Route 111, a two-lane road, runs through the developing rural area along the foothills. Development between 4800 West and SR-111 is continuing rapidly with more development extending past SR-111 to as far as 7400 West.
West Jordan is served by the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) bus system, which run every half-hour during peak hours. All of the routes running into the city connect to nearby TRAX stations in Midvale and Sandy or to downtown Salt Lake City. Service in the city was increased during the August 2007 redesign of the bus system. A TRAX light rail line is also under construction. This line will begin at the Fashion Place West station in Murray and run southwest through West Jordan, with 6 stops planned in the city, before turning south and terminating at the Daybreak Community in South Jordan. Completion of this route is expected by 2011.
Transportation has been a major issue in city politics. The city's population has expanded rapidly from about 4,000 in 1970 to almost 100,000 in 2005, outstripping the capacity of roadways and infrastructure. At City Council meetings it has been common for residents, particularly those on the western edge of the city, to complain about having one-hour commutes to downtown Salt Lake City, a distance of 26 miles (42 km). The mayor has blamed this situation on the fact that the city is the most populated in the state that is not directly served by a freeway. To help allieviate traffic pains, West Jordan is improving and widening roads throughout the city in projects such as adding a westbound lane to 7800 south at the split from New Bingham Highway, adding a left turn lane onto Airport Road at New Bingham, and extending 9000 south to have four continuous lanes to 5600 West.