Founded 1850 Largest city Provo Time zone Mountain: UTC-7/-6 Area 5,553 km² Population 551,891 (2013) | Named for Ute Tribe Congressional districts 3rd, 4th Website www.utahcounty.gov County seat Provo Unemployment rate 2.9% (Apr 2015) | |
Colleges and Universities Brigham Young University Destinations Provo, Orem, Draper, Spanish Fork, American Fork Points of interest Mount Timpanogos, Wasatch Range, Monte L Bean Life Science, Brigham Young University, BYU Museum of Paleontology | ||
Utah County is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2010 census, the population was 516,564, making it the second-most populous county in Utah. The county seat and largest city is Provo, which is the third-largest city in the state. The county was created in 1850 and named for the Spanish name (Yuta) for the Ute Indians.
Contents
- Map of Utah County UT USA
- Geography
- Adjacent counties
- National protected areas
- Demographics
- Religion
- Government
- Infrastructure
- Politics
- Education
- Towns
- Census designated places
- Unincorporated communities
- In popular culture
- References
Map of Utah County, UT, USA
Utah County is part of the Provo-Orem, UT Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Salt Lake City-Provo-Orem, UT Combined Statistical Area.
In 2010, the center of population of Utah was located in Utah County, in the city of Saratoga Springs.
Utah County is one of seven counties in the United States to share the same name as the state it is located in (the other six counties being Arkansas County, Hawaii County, Idaho County, Iowa County, New York County, and Oklahoma County).
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,144 square miles (5,550 km2), of which 2,003 square miles (5,190 km2) is land and 141 square miles (370 km2) (6.6%) is water.
Utah Valley lies at the center of the county, lined by the mountains of the Wasatch Range on the east. Utah Lake occupies a large part of the valley. The elevation ranges from 4,487 feet (1,368 m) above sea level at the lake to 11,928 feet (3,636 m) at the peak of Mount Nebo.
Adjacent counties
National protected areas
Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 516,564 people, 140,602 households, and 114,350 families residing in the county. The population density was 259 people per square mile (100/km²). There were 148,350 housing units, at an average density of 74 per square mile (29/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.4% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian or Alaska Native, 1.4% Asian, 0.8% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 4.6% some other race, and 2.7% from two or more races. 10.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 140,602 households, out of which 47.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.9% were headed by married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.7% were non-families. 11.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.4% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.57, and the average family size was 3.88.
In the county, the population was spread out with 35.2% under the age of 18, 15.8% from 18 to 24, 28% from 25 to 44, 14.5% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24.6 years. For every 100 females there were 100.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.7 males.
At the 2000 census, 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.
The five most reported ancestries in Utah County are:
Religion
88.1% Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
10.1% Non Religious
1.8% Other
Government
The government is an elected county commission made up of three commissioners. Utah County commissioners are elected at-large. As of 2015, the three county commissioners are William C. Lee, Greg Graves, and Larry Ellertson. Commissioners Lee and Graves were elected in 2014, and the seat held by Commissioner Ellertson is up for election in 2016. Other elected officials include the county sheriff, the county clerk, and the county attorney.
Utah County's growth was recognized by the state legislature in 2011 by adding one new state Senate seat and two House district seats.
Infrastructure
The I-15 CORE project, which has recently been completed, was an expansion project that added multiple lanes on Interstate 15 through most of Utah County. This expanded 24 miles (39 km) of freeway and was scheduled for completion in December 2012, but was finished ahead of schedule and under budget, in November 2012.
Politics
Utah County has been 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 third in votes received. In the 2004 presidential election, 85.99% voted for George W. Bush. In the 2008 U.S. presidential election, the county voted for John McCain by a 58.9% margin over Barack Obama, compared to McCain winning by 28.1% statewide. Eight other Utah counties voted more strongly in favor of McCain. In the 2012 election, Mitt Romney received 88.32% of the vote.
Education
Utah County has three school districts. They are Alpine, Provo, and Nebo.
It also has two universities: Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University. The county also has the Mountainland Applied Technology College.