The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced groundbreaking dates for three temples in the Western United States — the Smithfield Utah, Burley Idaho and Yorba Linda California temples.
President Russell M. Nelson announced all three temple locations as part of the 20 new temples locations he identified in the April 2021 general conference.
All three groundbreaking ceremonies will be invitation-only events, according to the event information provided by Newsroom.
Smithfield Utah Temple
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Smithfield Utah Temple will be Saturday, June 18. Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will preside, joined by a fellow Apostle, Elder Gary E. Stevenson.
Projected as a three-story temple of approximately 81,000 square feet, the temple is planned to sit on a 13.3-acre site at the intersection of 800 West and 100 North in Smithfield.
The temple’s exterior rendering was published Nov. 24, 2021, with the site location and general dimensions released earlier, on June 10, 2021.
The Smithfield temple is one of Utah’s 28 total temples — announced, under construction, under renovation or in operation. Beside the state’s 17 dedicated temples, others that have been announced or are under construction are in Ephraim, Heber Valley, Layton, Lindon, Orem, St. George (Red Cliffs), Saratoga Springs, Syracuse, Taylorsville and Tooele (Deseret Peak).
Burley Idaho Temple
Elder Brent H. Nielson of the Presidency of the Seventy will preside when leaders break ground for the Burley Idaho Temple on Saturday, June 4.
The temple — a two-story edifice of approximately 38,600 square feet — will be built on a 10.1-acre site at 40 South and 150 East in Burley. The temple site and size were announced June 23, 2021, with an exterior rendering released on Sept. 17, 2021.
Idaho is home to more than 462,000 Church members in 1,181 congregations and 132 stakes. The Burley temple will be the state’s seventh, with six operating temples, in Idaho Falls, Boise, Rexburg, Twin Falls, Meridian and Pocatello. An eighth temple — for north Rexburg — was announced in October 2021 general conference.
Yorba Linda California Temple
Groundbreaking for the Yorba Linda California Temple is scheduled for Saturday, June 18. Elder Mark A. Bragg, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Church’s North America West Area, will preside.
As announced July 15, 2021, the Yorba Linda Temple — a single-story edifice of approximately 30,000 square feet — will be built on a 5.4-acre site at the intersection of Bastanchury Road and Osmond Street. Yorba Linda is a suburban city in northeastern Orange County, some 35 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. An exterior rendering of the temple was released on Sept. 17, 2021.
It will be California’s ninth temple, with the state being home to seven operating temples — in Fresno, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Oakland, Redlands, Sacramento and San Diego. An eighth — the Feather River California Temple — is under construction in Yuba City.
About 750,000 Latter-day Saints in more than 1,200 congregations reside in the state, with 21,000-plus in the Yorba Linda temple district.
