Located in the central part of the Salt Lake Valley, and next to the Jordan River, Midvale was an early target for settlers in Utah. Permanent homes began as early as the 1850s, with one of the earliest homes still preserved today. The population grew quickly in the 1870s thanks to its central location, the use of railroad, and its connection to the mining in Bingham Canyon, the western area of present-day Midvale became an important industrial area for Utah. To support this growth, the eastern area of present-day Midvale provided agriculture and housing.
Incorporation The name "Midvale" was presumably adopted due to the area’s central location within the Salt Lake Valley. In 1909 Midvale officially became a city and in the 1910 census had a population of 1,760.
Growth Fort Union Fort Union, historically Union, was an early settlement area on the eastern edge of present-day Midvale. When Midvale annexed the Fort Union Area, it brought an established housing population. However, it did not just provide the city with a much larger population base, it also brought the city the shops of Fort Union. The shops provide both shopping and office space for Midvale.
Bingham Junction Bingham Junction, originally known as the Sharon Steel site, is on the western border of Midvale and is roughly 446 acres in size. The area originally started seeing economic development as early as 1871 as a slag site for mining, which operated as such until 1958. Upon testing, it appeared to have large amounts of lead, arsenic and heavy metals, rendering the property unusable. Through mediation, help from the EPA and other parties, the area underwent a major cleanup and restoration project that saw its name removed from the NPL in 2006. Since Bingham Junction's removal from the NPL, the area underwent major changes. It brought about thousands of new households to the city. In connection with the added residential, major corporations moved to the area, where Overstock, CHG, and Savage now use as their headquarters. Also, other major companies have brought their operation to the area, including Marriott, Zagg and IHC. Entertainment followed with the first-ever Top Golf in Utah resides in the Bingham Junction area. As other important shopping centers such as Winco and other dining options. The EPA now considers this a success story and estimates as of 2018 there are 56 on-site businesses with at least 2,646 employees. Bingham Junction is also home to a stop on the red line, that goes from the western edges of Salt Lake County to the University of Utah, Utah's flagship university.
Jordan Bluffs Following in the success of the Bingham Junction Area, the area known as Jordan Bluffs is beginning the early phase of similar redevelopment. Jordan Bluffs is situated south of Bingham Junction and was originally part of the Sharon Steel slag site. It comprises 351 acres in the south west region of Midvale. Jordan Bluffs is in the beginning phases of redevelopment, but current proposals could see an additional 3,500 housing units and over 1,000,000 square feet of office space within the next ten years. ==Transportation==