One could easily mistake Tooele County, Utah, home of the Great Salt Lake, barren Great Lake Desert, and the Bonneville Salt Flats for leading a quiet and sleepy existence. In reality, Tooele County faces many of the same challenges reserved for larger urban centers. Most of the county’s 60,000 residents inhabit its eastern border with commutes to Salt Lake City a mere 30-minutes. As a result, the last decade has seen eastern Tooele County swell with new bedroom communities and legions of commuters.
According to a CNN Money.Com research report, Tooele County had the fastest job growth (123.35%) in the U.S. from 2000-2007. Though this dynamic growth has created a new vibrancy in this former mining mecca, it has challenged the region’s infrastructure, especially the County’s emergency services.
