The population was , at the census , [ 4 ] making it the second-most populous city in Utah after Salt Lake City. The city incorporated in from a large, quickly growing unincorporated area, combining the four communities of Granger, Hunter, Chesterfield, and Redwood. The first European people to live in the area were the Latter-day Saints. The area was first staked out by settler Joseph Harker and his family in the area they named as "over Jordan" referring to the land west of the Jordan River , which runs through the valley.
Irrigation systems and agriculture were developed in the area, and Elias Smith proposed the area's name on account of its successful farming. The population of Granger and its vicinity was about 1, people in Hunter was not settled until This settlement was started by Rasmus Nielson, Edward Rushton, August Larsen and about seven others along with their families.
Irrigation began in and the main crop was fruit trees. The city began to experience rapid growth in the s, when the area that is now West Valley City consisted of the four separate communities of Hunter, Granger, Chesterfield, and Redwood. These four unincorporated areas merged in to form the present-day city. On May 19, , the city unveiled an official plan to create a downtown area for the city over the course of 10 years, building on plans and development that already existed.
The center will include a civic center consisting of city hall, a courthouse, police headquarters, and a library , an eight-story Embassy Suites hotel, a plaza, and residential development, as well as the end of the TRAX Green Line , and a stop on the South MAX bus rapid transit line. As of [update] , the development is incomplete with the TRAX line having opened in and the hotel in , but the City Hall and the government center still under construction. Serial killer Ted Bundy was arrested in Granger on August 16, , on a routine traffic stop.
According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of The Oquirrh Mountains loom over the city to the west, while the Jordan River marks the eastern boundary. West Valley City has a nonpartisan , strong city manager form of government, which means that the city manager is analogous to a corporation's CEO, while the mayor fills a role similar to chairman of the board, with the City Council acting as the "board".
