The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-03-26
Comparison Made Between To-
peka and Salt Lake City.
Where Taxes Are Over Three
Times as High.
WHERE WOMEN WORK.
Property Values Are Higher
Than in Topeka.
Where Opportunities Are Gone:
Yet Topeka Grows.
SATURDAY.

Out in the middle of 5000 square
miles of desert desolation a beautiful
city has been built. Not much there
to develop a city but marriage and
Mormonism. Plenty of salt there to
preserve, plenty of air to purify, pIen-
ty of sand and rock to solidify, but
Salt Lake City has not the Industries,
has not the fertile valley. the natural
advantages, the rainfall nor the outlet
for its resources, if any there be, that
Topeka has yet the highest prices on
real estate in the business portion of
the honey bee" city are $500 a
front foot within two blocks of the
federal building, $4,000 three blocks
away and $1,000 is paid for the
cheapest dirt in Salt Lake City's bust
mes district. Investors have figured
and bartered for months and years
front foot for the best lots on Kansas
avenue.
The followers of Brigham Young,
who struggled through the valley of
learned two things before they left
Council Bluffs and civilization in that
memorable spring of 1S47, the vanity
of lady and the value of land. Sure
enough. They have forgotten neither.
In Salt Lake City there are points
of interest to the Sightseer, the Nor
mon temple, the gigantic turtle back
ed tabernacle and the assembly hall,
furnish employment to bread winners.
To the casual observer. they are sim
ply superfluous ornaments.
Three or four railroads have been
vision and terminal point for one or
two of them, but no extensive shops.
no general offices, no factories.
In the "home on the mountain top"
where the women do the work, the
men pay taxes just the same and to
the extent of $1.95 on the 800 and
the valuations there are three times
that in Topeka. For the same prop
erty. the Salt Lake City citizen pays
1913 taxes while the property owner
in Topeka pays $1.56-
The highest price paid for vacant
residence lots in Topeka is $50 for a
front foot. IN Salt Lake City the
highest reaches $3.50 a front foot. Six
teen block from the business center OF
Salt Lake City vacant lots sell for $50
front foot while Elmhurst still sells
for only SIS a front foot OF course
lots in Elmhurse are being transfer
red from the original buyers to others
for prices in advance of the figure
quoted but some of the best lots in the
beautiful addition are yet to be sold
and lower in price than similar loca-
lions in the Mormon town on the
crest of the Rocky mountains.
Salt Lake City has a greater popula-
ton than Topeka, but why shouldn't
it.? That population began increasing
seven years before Topeka was found
ed. Even then, -McNally place
the figures for 1909 at $4,000, while
Topeka has nearly If not more than
$4,000.
A peculiar religion is the foundation
for Salt Lake City while Topeka is sup
ported by fertile fields around about,
manufactures of many kinds. rail-
roads and thorough consistent COM
mercialism. In Topeka there are more
elegant homes and fewer novels, more
banks and fewer county charges, more
streets paved and fewer puddles, more
possibilities for greater things in the
future mad more pleasant and commo-
dious homes TO be erected in Elmhurst
in the near future than anywhere in
the United States.
Elmhurst grows, increasing still.
topeka Kan; Topeka VIII.