On 1 July 1980 the city's new officials were sworn in, with Henry H. Price as mayor and Renee W. MacKay and Jerry L. Wagstaff as city commissioners. West Valley City was begun with no money, with borrowed equipment and personnel, and housed in a converted warehouse; in addition, it faced a disincorporation vote within a week. Since no financial institution would lend the new city funds, city officials were forced to pay for gasoline for the city's police cars with personal funds. On 8 July, the disincorporation vote failed by a margin of over 2,500 votes.

Though the population steadily grew in the western section of Salt Lake County, it remained largely agricultural until the 1960s. Development progressed haphazardly. Subdivisions were built without sidewalks, gutters, and landscaping. By 1978 the population had increased to 72,000, and increasing service problems and perceived county indifference provoked residents to action. Some believed incorporation was the solution.

See: Black, Rosa Vida, comp. Under Granger Skies; History of Granger 1849-1963 (1964); Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, Salt Lake Company, Tales of a Triumphant People: A History of Salt Lake County, Utah County, Utah 1847-1900 (1947); Study of the Economic Impact of Incorporating West Valley City (1979).