UPDATE: LDS temple location announced for Smithfield
UPDATE: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the location of the Smithfield Utah Temple on Thursday.
The Smithfield Utah Temple will be built at the intersection of N 800 West and W 100 North. The temple is planned to be a three-story building of approximately 81,000 square feet.
A groundbreaking date has not been set, and design plans for the temple are still being developed. Construction of the Smithfield Utah Temple was announced during the church’s General Conference in April.
The Smithfield Utah Temple will be constructed at the intersection of N 800 West and W 100 North.
At the end of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ General Conference in April, President Russell M. Nelson announced 20 new temples, including one to be built in Smithfield, Utah.
Once completed, the temple will be the second in Cache Valley, after the Logan temple, and the 25th in Utah. Roughly two-thirds of the state’s population are members of the church.
Smithfield is just north of Logan and, as of 2019, had an estimated population of 12,025.
Nelson also announced 19 other temples:
- Oslo, Norway
- Brussels, Belgium
- Vienna, Austria
- Kumasi, Ghana
- Beira, Mozambique
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Singapore, Republic of Singapore
- Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Cali, Colombia
- Querétaro, México
- Torreón, México
- Helena, Montana
- Casper, Wyoming
- Grand Junction, Colorado
- Farmington, New Mexico
- Burley, Idaho
- Eugene, Oregon
- Elko, Nevada
- Yorba Linda, California
According to the church, this is the second-highest number of temples announced at one time. The other instance was in 1998, when 32 new temples were announced, though locations were not given.
The church has 251 temples announced, under construction or operating.
Many of these temples have been partially or fully closed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nelson encouraged church members to do all they can “to bring COVID numbers down” in their areas. He said this would make it possible for temple openings to increase.