Utah County, Utah

Infobox U.S. County
county = Utah County
state = Utah
seal
seallink
map size = 150
founded year = 1852
seat wl = Provo
largest city wl = Provo
area_total_sq_mi = 2141
area_total_km2 = 5545
area_land_sq_mi = 1998
area_land_km2 = 5176
area_water_sq_mi = 143
area_water_km2 = 369
area percentage = 6.66%
census yr = 2000
pop = 368536
density mi
density km
time zone
UTC offset
DST offset
footnotes
web = www.co.utah.ut.us
named for = The Ute Native Americans

Utah County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000, the population was 368,536 and by 2007 was estimated at 483,702. It was named for the Spanish name (Yuta) for the Ute Indians. The county seat and largest city is Provo. The center of population of Utah is located in Utah County, in the city of Lehi. [ [http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt Population and Population Centers by State: 2000] ]

Utah County is part of the Provo-Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,141 square miles (5,545 km²), of which, 1,998 square miles (5,176 km²) of it is land and 143 square miles (369 km²) of it (6.66%) is water.

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Adjacent Counties

* Salt Lake County, Utah - (north)
* Tooele County, Utah - (west)
* Wasatch County, Utah - (east)
* Juab County, Utah - (south and west)
* Sanpete County, Utah - (south central)
* Carbon County, Utah - (south on east)
* Duchesne County, Utah - (southeast)

National protected areas

* Ashley National Forest (part)
* Manti-La Sal National Forest (part)
* Timpanogos Cave National Monument
* Uinta National Forest (part)
* Wasatch-Cache National Forest (part)

Government

The government is an elected county commission made up of three commissioners. Other elected officials include the county sheriff, the county clerk, and the county attorney.

Politics

Utah County is referred to as "the most Republican county in the most Republican state in the United States." In the 1992 presidential election, George H. W. Bush received the most votes and Bill Clinton was fourth in votes received.Fact|date=October 2007 In the 2004 presidential election, 85.99% voted for George W. Bush. [ [http://www.co.utah.ut.us/Dept/ClerkAud/Elections/ElectRslts/2004_gen/index.htm#1 Utah County General Election, Official Results, November 2, 2004] ] However, in 2000, Rich County, Utah cast more of its vote for Bush (88.91%) than Utah County.Fact|date=October 2007

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 368,536 people, 99,937 households, and 80,749 families residing in the county. The population density was 184 people per square mile (71/km²). There were 104,315 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile (20/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.36% White, 0.30% Black or African American, 0.60% Native American, 1.06% Asian, 0.58% Pacific Islander, 3.25% from other races, and 1.85% from two or more races. 7.00% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The top 5 Ethnic groups in Utah County are: [ [http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genealogyInfo.php?locIndex=22854 Utah County, Utah, Ancestry & Family History] ]
* English-30%.
* German-10%
* Danish-7%
* Mexican-5%
* Scottish-4%

By 2005 non-Hispanic whites were 87.7% of the county population. 0.4% of the population was African-American. The Native American population was holding steady at 0.6%, but it should be remembered with the county population growing quite fast, this meant the number of Native Americans was on the rise. Pacific Islanders were still 0.6% of the population. Latinos were now 8.4% of the population. [ [http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/49/49049.html U.S.Census Bureau, State & County QuickFacts, Utah County, Utah] ]

In 2000 There were 99,937 households out of which 48.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.80% were married couples living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.20% were non-families. 11.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.59 and the average family size was 3.86.

In the county, the population was spread out with 34.10% under the age of 18, 21.00% from 18 to 24, 25.90% from 25 to 44, 12.70% from 45 to 64, and 6.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 98.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $45,833, and the median income for a family was $50,196. Males had a median income of $37,878 versus $22,656 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,557. About 6.80% of families and 12.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.40% of those under age 18 and 4.80% of those age 65 or over.

By 2006 the population had risen 26.1% to 464,760.

Happy Valley

About 88% of Utah County residents are LDS. [ [http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0%2C1249%2C455030805%2C00.html] ] "Happy Valley" is a common nickname for the region (also known as Utah Valley). The term is sometimes used in a pejorative or ironic sense.

In popular culture

* The 2007 film " [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790612/ American Fork] " was filmed in that city.
* The film "Brigham City" was filmed in Mapleton, Utah. Despite the name of the film Richard Dutcher had Mapleton, not Brigham City, in mind in making the film.

Cities and towns

*Alpine, incorporated in 1855
*American Fork, incorporated in 1853
*Cedar Fort, incorporated in 1965
*Cedar Hills, incorporated in 1976
*Draper, incorporated in 1978 and annexed land in Utah County in 2004
*Eagle Mountain, incorporated in 1996
*Elk Ridge, incorporated in 1976
*Fairfield, incorporated in 2004
*Genola, incorporated in 1935
*Goshen, incorporated in 1910
*Highland, incorporated in 1977
*Lehi, incorporated in 1852
*Lindon, incorporated in 1924
*Mapleton, incorporated in 1948
*Orem, incorporated in 1919
*Payson, incorporated in 1853
*Pleasant Grove, incorporated in 1855
*Provo, incorporated in 1849
*Salem, incorporated in 1920
*Santaquin, incorporated in 1932
*Saratoga Springs, incorporated in 1997
*Spanish Fork, incorporated in 1855
*Springville, incorporated in 1853
*Vineyard, incorporated in 1989
*Woodland Hills

Unincorporated communities

*Benjamin
*Elberta
*Lake Shore
*Palmyra
*Spring Lake
*Thistle (ghost town)
*West Mountain

External links

* [http://www.co.utah.ut.us/ Utah County Online]
* [http://www.SugarHouseTrolley Utah County Trolley] An alternative to TRAX (in the preliminary stages).
* [http://www.utah-county-jail.com Utah County Jail] Information about the Utah County Jail.

References