Layton City is a leader in economic development for the region, with immediate adjacency to Hill Air Force Base, a large hospitality district (1,000+ hotel beds) and conference center, the Layton Hills Mall, multiple nationally recognized retail and food chains, the East Gate Business Park, and the Weber State University-Davis campus.

They challenged Kaysville's authority to tax their property, claiming they received no municipal services.

[8] This dispute reached the United States Supreme Court in 1894 as the case of Linford v. Ellison, which was decided in favor of the Layton property owners.

The creation of Hill Air Force Base to the north in 1940,[11] followed shortly by the United States' entry into World War II, led to a dramatic population increase.

Growth slowed after the war, but Layton continued to develop as a suburban bedroom community, as those not employed at the Air Force base began commuting to the Salt Lake City or Ogden areas.

It is bordered by Clearfield to the northwest, Hill Air Force Base to the north, South Weber to the northeast, the Wasatch Mountains to the east, Kaysville to the south, Great Salt Lake wetlands to the southwest and Syracuse to the west.

As of 2020[update], the city council members are Tom Day (since 2013), Dawn Fitzpatrick (since 2020), Clint Morris (since 2019), Dave Thomas (since 2019), and Zach Bloxham (since 2019).

[22] Layton has an extended branch of Weber State University and is part of Davis School District.

U.S. 89 runs north–south along the eastern edge of Layton, adjacent to the western slope of the Wasatch Mountains, and provides access to Weber Canyon via I-84 to the north in South Weber, then merges with I-15 and Legacy Parkway to the south in Farmington, near Lagoon Amusement Park.

Utah State Route 193 runs east–west through northern Layton, past the south gate of Hill Air Force Base, connecting U.S. 89 to I-15 in Clearfield.

Utah Transit Authority (UTA) provides bus service and FrontRunner commuter rail.

Layton's major retail district includes the Layton Hills Mall, movie theaters, Davis Conference Center, and "Restaurant Row", nicknamed such due to the large number of national chain restaurants located along its one-mile stretch.

Adams Canyon, a popular hiking destination, is located east of Highway 89.

Gambel Oak, Douglas Fir, and Fern Bush are a few plant species found along the trail.