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Salt Lake City had no paved streets in 1890. The 275 miles of dirt streets were rated among the dirtiest in the West. By 1920, Salt Lake City had 73 miles of paved streets.
Utah began building its link to the transcontinental highway in 1916. The Lincoln Highway became the first paved roadway allowing drivers to drive from New York to San Francisco in 1923.
In 1920, a Chamber of Commerce brochure described Salt Lake City as having the “Broadest and most beautifully laid out streets in the world,” and it was “Known to be one of the most scientifically arranged cities in America.”
By 1925, Salt Lake City had 62 automobile dealerships and 30,000 automobiles.
In 1928, Salt Lake City became the first city in the world to use trolley buses with pneumatic tires and soon after became the first to adopt rear-engine motor buses.
Fun Firsts:
1901: First statewide traffic laws created in Connecticut
1913: First drive-in gas station opened in Pittsburgh
1919: First gasoline tax introduced in Oregon
1921: First drive-in restaurant opened in Dallas: The Pig Stand
1922: First suburban shopping center opened in St. Louis
1923: Hertz becomes the first national car rental agency
1933: First drive-in theater opens in New Jersey
1946: Drive-through teller windows at banks are now common
1946: First 7-Eleven convenience store opens
1948: First McDonald’s roadside fast-food restaurant opens in San Bernardino, California
1950: First mass-production compact car: the Rambler
1962: First child car seat with safety belt introduced
1974: Air bags introduced as a new safety option
1984: First law requiring the use of seatbelts created in New York
Sources:
Sillitoe, Linda. Welcoming the World,(Salt Lake County, Utah: 1996), 121-123.
The Impact of the Automobile on the 20th Century.
http://l3d.cs.colorado.edu/systems/agentsheets/New-Vista/automobile/timeline.html
Accessed 9/18/07.
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