The modern economy of Salt Lake City is service-oriented.
In the past, nearby steel, mining and railroad operations provided a strong
source of income with Silver King Coalition Mines, Geneva Steel, Bingham Canyon
Mine, and oil refineries. Today the city's major industries are government,
trade, transportation, utilities, and professional and business services. The
city is known as the "Crossroads of the West" for its central
geography in the Western United States. The daytime population of Salt Lake
City proper swells to over 315,000 people, not including tourists or students.