25 YEARS & Counting

Saratoga Springs City Sees Amazing Growth During Its Short History

After decades of operation on the shore of Utah Lake, the popular Saratoga Resort closed for good in 1993. That loss to the area, however, led to the formation of one of Utah County’s fastest-growing communities.

Investors purchased the former resort land and work began on creating Saratoga Springs, a 600-acre master-planned community in the area. By July of 1997, curbs, gutters and sidewalks were in place and home builders were on site.

At the time, it was one of the largest master-planned communities in the state.

Homes went up as fast and they could be built, and the developers and landowners became interested in seeing the area incorporated as a city.

On Dec. 30, 1997, the Utah County Commission approved the creation of the Town of Saratoga Springs. The new town encompassed 6,944 acres and was home to less than 200 residents.

“We want to keep this a model city that maintains and improves on the standards of living that brought people to the area,” said Robert Kramer, a member of the newly created Saratoga Springs Town Council, at the time.

In a May 9, 2017, article in the Daily Herald, then Saratoga Springs City Councilman Bud Poduska recalled his experience of moving into a newly constructed home located five miles south of the Saratoga Springs neighborhood development. He only had a handful of neighbors, most of the roads were still gravel, and there were no grocery stores, schools, churches or gas stations.

“It was all just farms and sage brush. When we had to drive into Lehi for something, sometimes we’d call the neighbor and say, ‘Hey, I’m low on gas, can you follow me in?’ It was a bit like the wild, wild West,” Poduska said.

It’s not a small town hidden in western Utah County anymore. Since its formal beginning, Saratoga Springs has experienced explosive residential growth. By 2010, its population had grown to around 18,000; in 2020, there were more than 38,000 residents.

Just 23 years after its incorporation, Saratoga Springs had grown to become Utah’s 24th-largest city. In fact, the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development identified Saratoga Springs as experiencing the fastest growth rate in the state from 2000 to 2010: 1,672.8%.

The growth hasn’t slowed down; it appears residents can look forward to a continued increase in population well into the future. The Saratoga Springs city website states the city is expected to have more than 120,000 residents at build out.

Commercial growth took a while to catch up with residential development, but eventually it exploded as well. Instead of having to drive to Lehi or even the Provo/Orem area, resi- dents now enjoy visiting major retailers such as Walmart and Costco as well as a wide variety of restaurants within their own community.

AnnElise’ Harrison, public relations specialist and events supervisor for Saratoga Springs City, listed a few reasons she believes people have been drawn to the city.

“First, location, location, location,” she said. Saratoga Springs lies in between the Salt Lake City metropolitan area and the Provo/Orem area, meaning having a home in Saratoga Springs is a good choice for people working in either area. It also means a job change from Salt Lake County to Utah County is less likely to require a family to move.

“I think the other thing about Saratoga Springs is you can kind of get away” from the city, Harrison said.

Despite all the development, there’s still a lot of open space in the city, and residents enjoy beautiful views of Utah Lake and the Wasatch mountain range.

The city’s location near the Jordan River, Utah Lake and the Lake Mountains also provides residents with a lot of outdoor activities.

“There’s just so many different recreational opportunities right outside of people’s back doors, and I think that is appealing to people,” Harrison said.

Saratoga Springs City has developed a variety of popular parks within its borders, including Neptune Park, which includes pavilions, an event stage and a playground with a unique 30-foot-tall climbing structure.

Shay Park has a train theme and miniature train tracks where train rides are periodically offered. Patriot Park has a baseball theme and is home to baseball and softball fields, pickleball courts, a playground and pavilions. A mountain bike park was finished last year in the city, Harrison said.

Last year, Saratoga Springs celebrated its 25th year as a city, and this year, thousands of people will join the city’s residents in a celebration of the opening of the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple, the latest notable event to occur in the city.

As we mark this significant moment for Saratoga Springs, here is a look back at some of the significant events that have occurred during the city’s history.