Additionally, the historic Murray Theatre hosts a variety of performances, primarily musical, throughout the year, and has hosted screenings for the Slamdance Film Festival. The city-sponsored Murray Park Amphitheatre also hosts summertime plays in the cozy outdoor setting of Murray Park, which is a popular event for families of all sizes and ages.

The Murray City School District was created on January 1, 1906 and has ten schools: Seven elementaries, two middle schools, and one high school.

Murray High School is a 4-A school in Utah’s 5 Division high school sports leagues (1A being the smallest; 5A the largest). Coincidentally, the school was used to film parts of the High School Musical movie series for the Walt Disney Company.

When residents on the eastern boundary of Murray annexed themselves into the city in 2004, three Granite School District schools were included: Cottonwood High School, Twin Peaks Elementary, and Woodstock Elementary School. No school district boundaries were changed due to this annexation.

Also worth mentioning is Murray’s one major private school, Mount Vernon Academy. Founded in 1975, it is fully accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges. Mt. Vernon offers a complete educational program for grades Pre-K through 12.

You can visit GreatSchools.org for more information, including parent reviews on all the schools within the Murray area.

Before being permanently settled by Mormon pioneers in 1848, the area now known as Murray City was a natural area that served as the seasonal home of Paiute, Shoshone, and Bannock Native American tribes. The tribes camped along creek banks and stream beds during their migrations, leaving artifacts of their encampments along the Jordan River, some near Willow Pond Park in Murray.

A year after the Mormon pioneers settled the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, branches of the group called the Mississippi Saints began to develop a scattered settlement in the south end of the valley. At the time, the area was distinguished by names such as the Mississippi Ward, Cottonwood, Big Cottonwood, and South Cottonwood. By the 1860s, written records tell us that at least 20 families were living in the area known today as Murray City.