Located in Salt Lake County, Murray is a suburb in the Salt Lake City-Ogden, Utah metro area, just south of South Salt Lake on Hwy 89 (State Street).
The area where Murray City is presently situated was known by its early settlers as South Cottonwood. By 1860, approximately 20 families lived along the Cottonwood Creeks.The population estimate for July 1, 1998 was 33,167, an increase of 1,893 since 1990.