How did Holladay, Utah get its name?
Holladay is named for John Holladay, who led a pioneer group into the Salt Lake Valley and became a local church leader there. The City of Holladay's history says that when he was named branch president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the area, "the village took upon itself the name of Holladay's Settlement or Holladay's Burgh." Over time the name became simply Holladay. Sources differ slightly on his title. A National Park Service article says the town bears the name of "one of the early bishops of the ward." Both accounts point to the same thing: a town named for its local church leader. Be careful with what you find online about the man himself, because some accounts blend him with a John Daniel Holladay, so dates and middle names vary. The community stayed unincorporated for generations. Holladay became a city in its own right on November 30, 1999.
When was Holladay settled?
The city dates the Mississippi Company's arrival in the valley to July 29, 1847, and an independent pioneer chronology records a Mississippi group arriving that same day. According to the city's account, the group found a spring-fed stream within weeks, called it Spring Creek, and a few men built dugouts there and stayed the winter.
More settlers followed. The National Park Service records a later group of Mississippi Saints arriving in October 1848, and Murray City's history places the start of the scattered south-valley settlement in the fall of that year. The wider area went by several names, including Mississippi Ward, Cottonwood, Big Cottonwood and South Cottonwood.
Commerce grew up at the intersection of Highland Drive and Murray-Holladay Road, the same corner Cottonwood Mall would later occupy.
Is Holladay part of Salt Lake City?
No. Holladay is a separate city in Salt Lake County, and it has been since 1999. For decades it was an unincorporated part of the county. On May 4, 1999, residents voted by over 83% to incorporate, and the City of Holladay-Cottonwood was incorporated on November 30, 1999. The name was shortened to Holladay a month later.
The city has grown since then. It annexed an area to the north and east in October 2002, and in January 2015 it squared up its northeastern border with the area from 2700 East to Wasatch Boulevard and 3900 South to 4500 South. It runs on a council-manager form of government, with a mayor elected at large and five council members elected by district.
State boundary data shows it adjoining Murray, Cottonwood Heights and Millcreek.
Why does Holladay mail say Salt Lake City?
Because mailing cities come from the post office, and they do not always follow city limits. USPS says the city in an address typically describes where the delivery unit is located, which may differ from the town where the home sits.
| ZIP | Share of Holladay's addresses | Share of the ZIP that is Holladay |
|---|---|---|
| 84117 | 54.3% | 60.5% |
| 84124 | 31.4% | 44.5% |
| 84121 | 14.4% | 10.6% |
Sources: Utah address points and municipal boundaries, counted by residential address, retrieved October 2026.
All three ZIP codes also serve homes in other cities, so a ZIP does not prove a Holladay address. The Salt Lake City ZIP code guide breaks down each one.
What was the old mall in Holladay?
Cottonwood Mall, which opened in 1962 and which The Salt Lake Tribune calls Utah's first mall. By late 2007 it sat largely vacant, and the city had declared the structure blighted that August.
Crews demolished it in 2008, leaving only the Macy's store. Macy's outlasted the mall by nearly a decade, with its closure announced in 2017. After voters rejected one proposal in 2018, the site became the development known today as Holladay Hills, which city records call Royal Holladay Hills.
Where should you go next if you are looking in Holladay?
Start with what the city is like today. Is Holladay a good place to live? covers the current numbers, and Holladay's neighborhoods explains how the areas differ. For a specific address, I am glad to look up the parcel and walk the street with you. Contact me here or call 801-628-1281.