The worldwide headquarters for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been located in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, since pioneers settled the community in 1847.
Today, Church leaders oversee Church operations in some 160 countries from this location. However, leadership is heavily decentralized throughout the world, with local, regional and national levels of administration operating mainly through a lay clergy.
Temple Square is Utah’s number one tourist attraction, drawing millions of visitors a year. Temple Square consists of the Salt Lake Temple, the Tabernacle (home of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir), the Assembly Hall and two visitors’ centers.To the east of Temple Square is a plaza where the Church Office Building, Church Administration Building, Joseph Smith Memorial Building and Relief Society Building are located. All of these buildings are used for offices for Church departments and general leadership.
West of Temple Square is the Family History Library — the world’s largest genealogical facility — and the Museum of Church History and Art.
North of Temple Square sits the Conference Center — a 21,000-seat auditorium, one of the largest in the world. It is used for semiannual meetings broadcast worldwide for the entire Church membership, as well as frequent closed-circuit conferences broadcast to specific groups of members in different parts of the world. It is also a popular venue for concerts and performances.