Avenues Community Profile
First surveyed in the 1850s and known locally as “The Aves”, The Avenues is Salt Lake City’s oldest neighborhood. Though the homes are naturally older staples of Salt Lake, today’s Avenues neighborhood is generally considered younger, more progressive, and somewhat “artsy” when compared to other parts of SLC. The culture (and easy access to downtown) attracts plenty of younger professionals to the area, transforming what was once old-fashioned into a trendy, vintage-style stomping ground.
Located along the “Northeast Bench” of the Wasatch Mountains that frame Salt Lake City, “The Aves” is a charming and picturesque place to live. Many streets of the neighborhood feature Victorian-era homes that have been renovated and restored, resulting in a classic, old-city feel when walking the streets. Close to downtown Salt Lake, Memory Grove/City Creek Canyon, the University of Utah and more, the Avenues remain a prime place to live – especially for the up-and-coming generation.
Avenues School District
As the oldest neighborhood in Salt Lake City, The Avenues naturally has a more colorful past. It was the first section of Salt Lake City to deviate from the original ten-acre (40,000 m²) block grid pattern, and, up until 1884, residents in the northeastern Avenues had to haul their own water for everyday use. Eventually protests prompted the city to install pipelines along 6th Avenue, but those living in the higher Avenues would remain without water until as late as 1908.
In spite of water problems, though, the Avenues still proved to be an attractive residential neighborhood during this time. Transportation was a major draw for settlement in the Avenues, as the Salt Lake Railway Company offered mule and horse-drawn trolley rides from the neighborhood by 1872 (the trolleys later became, as most things, electric in 1889). Additionally, the old Primary Children’s Hospital was located in The Avenues. As time went on and the city grew, however, the rise of other, more affluent neighborhoods like Federal Heights made the Avenues a less popular place to live.
By the 1960s the neighborhood had suffered from a marked deterioration. Landlords at the time often found it economically advantageous to let properties go neglected, and the once-thriving neighborhood became somewhat dilapidated. Residents formed the Greater Avenues Community Council (GACC) in response to these problems, to help revitalize and restore livability to this historic area. Today, The Aves has been revitalized and is once again considered by many to be one of Salt Lake’s most desirable neighborhoods.
Due to the fact that The Avenues is not technically a city, but rather a neighborhood within Salt Lake, no demographic information exists specifically for the area. If you are interested in finding out more regarding the demographics and statistics of Salt Lake City, please visit Utah.gov. However, it should be noted that a major part of the Utah Democratic Party resides in The Avenues area.