Murray City, Utah: American Idol runner-up, David Archuleta’s hometown

As I wrote in my post about Blue Springs, Missouri, David Cook’s hometown, I wondered about these hometowns during the segment of American Idol where the contestants go back to visit where they are from. The places that are big enough to hold the crowds that gather to cheer on their hometown favorites always seem to be a mall or a football field–not the things that distinguish one town from another or draw travelers to them.

Even though David Archuleta didn’t win, here’s a Murray City post anyway. Its history, like Blue Springs’ history, tells the tale of settlers moving west. In Murray City, the first to show up were the Mormon pioneers, however, over time, the ethnic groups and religions have become quite diverse, partly because of the railroad. Murray City once had the largest ore smelter in the region.

Murray City is also similar to Blue Springs in its population count and its location to a large metropolitan area. Murray City is close to Salt Lake City.

So, what is there to do in Murray City besides troll around looking for David Archuleta hangouts? There is a lot to do if you live in Murray City, but it’s not set up for tourists that I can tell. Here’s what I found to do.

You can tour the Murray City Museum at the city hall to find out about the city’s history.

At the Heritage Center there are dances and various classes that you might be able to stop in as a visitor, but they are set up for town residents, I imagine.

The Murray Park Amphitheater offers performances through the Arts in the Park Series. Just like in Blue Springs, you can golf.

In my impression, Murray City is one of the places to live, and not necessarily to visit, unless you’re on the lookout for David Archuleta. Just remember, the guy is a person and not a tourist attraction.