Beaver Countyis acountyin west centralUtah,United States. As of the2020 United States census,the population was 7,072,[2]up from the 2010 figure of 6,629.[3]Itscounty seatand largest city isBeaver.[4]The county was named for the abundance ofbeaverin the area.
Beaver County | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofUtah | |
 Utah's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:38°20′N113°14′W/ 38.34°N 113.23°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Utah |
| Founded | 1856 |
| Named for | North American beaver |
| Seat | Beaver |
| Largest city | Beaver |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,592 sq mi (6,710 km2) |
| • Land | 2,590 sq mi (6,700 km2) |
| • Water | 2.1 sq mi (5 km2) 0.08% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 7,072 |
• Estimate (2023)[1] | 7,233 |
| • Density | 2.7/sq mi (1.1/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7(Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6(MDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | beaver |
History
editExplorers of European descent first visited present-day Beaver County in the 1776Domínguez-Escalante Expedition.The proposed territory of Deseret (soon changed toUtah Territory) began with the arrival ofMormon pioneersin 1847. After the immediate Great Salt Lake City area was settled, settlers moved into more outlying areas, including the future Beaver County area. The county was created by theUtah territoriallegislature from a section of Iron County on January 5, 1856, before the settlement of Beaver town was founded later that year. The county was named for the animal, which was plentiful there.[5]The county boundary as delineated by that act included areas in present-day Colorado and Nevada. The defined boundary was altered on January 16, 1861, by the creation of two counties in present Nevada. The county area was effectively reduced on February 28, 1861, by the US Congress when it createdColorado Territory,taking all of the Beaver County areas east of 109 degrees longitude. The county's boundary was enlarged on January 17, 1861, by the addition of parcels from Millard, Sanpete, and St. Mary's counties. However, its west area was reduced by the creation of theNevada Territoryon July 14, 1862 (this adjustment was altered on May 5, 1866, by the action of the US Congress, effectively ceding all Beaver County area west of 114 degrees longitude to Nevada counties). The county area was also reduced on January 16, 1865, whenPiute Countywas created from Beaver territory.[6]
A quarter of the county's workers are employed by hog processorSmithfield Foods.[7]
Geography
edit
Beaver County lies on the west side of Utah. Its west border abuts the east border of the state ofNevada.The west part of the county consists of low rolling hills punctuated by isolated mountains. The east edge of the county runs to the crest of a north–south-running mountain ridge.[8]The terrain slopes to the west and north; its highest point is a mountain crest on its east border, at 12,011 ft (3,661 m) ASL.[9]The county has a total area of 2,592 square miles (6,710 km2), of which 2,590 square miles (6,700 km2) is land and 2.1 square miles (5.4 km2) (0.08%) is water.[10]
TheTushar Mountainslies on the eastern boundary of the county, reaching to 12,000 feet (3,700 m) in elevation and providing water for the farming communities ofBeaverand Manderfield. To the west, barren desert valleys typify the scenery, separated by mountains lightly forested withjunipers.[citation needed]
Adjacent counties
edit- Lincoln County, Nevada- west
- Millard County- north
- Sevier County- northeast
- Piute County- east
- Garfield County- southeast
- Iron County- south
Protected areas
edit- Fishlake National Forest(part)
- Indian Peak State Game Management Area
- Minersville National Forest (part)
Demographics
edit| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 785 | — | |
| 1870 | 2,007 | 155.7% | |
| 1880 | 3,918 | 95.2% | |
| 1890 | 3,340 | −14.8% | |
| 1900 | 3,613 | 8.2% | |
| 1910 | 4,717 | 30.6% | |
| 1920 | 5,139 | 8.9% | |
| 1930 | 5,136 | −0.1% | |
| 1940 | 5,014 | −2.4% | |
| 1950 | 4,856 | −3.2% | |
| 1960 | 4,331 | −10.8% | |
| 1970 | 3,800 | −12.3% | |
| 1980 | 4,378 | 15.2% | |
| 1990 | 4,765 | 8.8% | |
| 2000 | 6,005 | 26.0% | |
| 2010 | 6,629 | 10.4% | |
| 2020 | 7,072 | 6.7% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 7,233 | [1] | 2.3% |
| US Decennial Census[11] 1790–1960[12]1900–1990[13] 1990–2000[14]2010–2018[3]2019[15]2020[2] | |||
According to the2020 United States census[16]and2020 American Community Survey,[17]there were 7,072 people in Beaver County with apopulation densityof 2.7 people per square mile (1.1/km2). Among non-Hispanic or Latinopeople, the racial makeup was 5,717 (80.8%)White,23 (0.3%)African American,70 (1.0%)Native American,32 (0.5%)Asian,21 (0.3%)Pacific Islander,8 (0.1%) fromother races,and 135 (1.9%) fromtwo or more races.1,066 (15.1%) people were Hispanic or Latino.
There were 3,758 (53.14%) males and 3,314 (46.86%) females, and the population distribution by age was 2,162 (30.6%) under the age of 18, 3,862 (54.6%) from 18 to 64, and 1,048 (14.8%) who were at least 65 years old. The median age was 34.4 years.
There were 2,276 households in Beaver County with an average size of 3.11 of which 1,692 (74.3%) were families and 584 (25.7%) were non-families. Among all families, 1,368 (60.1%) weremarried couples,140 (6.2%) were male householders with no spouse, and 184 (8.1%) were female householders with no spouse. Among all non-families, 497 (21.8%) were a single person living alone and 87 (3.8%) were two or more people living together. 900 (39.5%) of all households had children under the age of 18. 1,719 (75.5%) of households wereowner-occupiedwhile 557 (24.5%) wererenter-occupied.
The median income for a Beaver County household was $66,705 and the median family income was $75,066, with aper-capita incomeof $24,540. The median income for males that werefull-time employeeswas $53,514 and for females $36,696. 4.1% of the population and 2.9% of families were below thepoverty line.
In terms of education attainment, out of the 3,871 people in Beaver County 25 years or older, 334 (8.6%) hadnot completed high school,1,046 (27.0%) had ahigh school diplomaor equivalency, 1,492 (38.5%) had some college orassociate degree,862 (22.3%) had abachelor's degree,and 137 (3.5%) had agraduateorprofessional degree.
Politics and government
editBeaver County voters have traditionally voted Republican. In no national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.Jimmy Carterin 1976 was the last Democrat to even come within ten points of winning Beaver County.
| Position | District | Name | Affiliation | First elected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | 24 | Derrin Owens | Republican | 2020[18] | |
| Senate | 28 | Evan Vickers | Republican | 2012[19] | |
| House of Representatives | 68 | Merrill Nelson | Republican | 2012[20] | |
| House of Representatives | 73 | Phil Lyman | Republican | 2018[21] | |
| Board of Education | 14 | Mark Huntsman | Nonpartisan | 2014[22] | |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 2,781 | 86.29% | 394 | 12.22% | 48 | 1.49% |
| 2020 | 2,695 | 86.94% | 357 | 11.52% | 48 | 1.55% |
| 2016 | 1,838 | 73.37% | 264 | 10.54% | 403 | 16.09% |
| 2012 | 2,174 | 84.92% | 346 | 13.52% | 40 | 1.56% |
| 2008 | 1,902 | 75.54% | 542 | 21.53% | 74 | 2.94% |
| 2004 | 2,023 | 79.52% | 493 | 19.38% | 28 | 1.10% |
| 2000 | 1,653 | 73.40% | 541 | 24.02% | 58 | 2.58% |
| 1996 | 1,164 | 55.59% | 687 | 32.81% | 243 | 11.60% |
| 1992 | 1,040 | 49.27% | 668 | 31.64% | 403 | 19.09% |
| 1988 | 1,286 | 60.89% | 816 | 38.64% | 10 | 0.47% |
| 1984 | 1,516 | 67.95% | 708 | 31.73% | 7 | 0.31% |
| 1980 | 1,477 | 68.47% | 621 | 28.79% | 59 | 2.74% |
| 1976 | 1,088 | 52.41% | 963 | 46.39% | 25 | 1.20% |
| 1972 | 1,332 | 64.88% | 682 | 33.22% | 39 | 1.90% |
| 1968 | 989 | 50.87% | 795 | 40.90% | 160 | 8.23% |
| 1964 | 792 | 39.98% | 1,189 | 60.02% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 971 | 45.65% | 1,156 | 54.35% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 1,190 | 53.60% | 1,030 | 46.40% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 1,277 | 55.16% | 1,038 | 44.84% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 1,057 | 46.69% | 1,190 | 52.56% | 17 | 0.75% |
| 1944 | 958 | 45.88% | 1,128 | 54.02% | 2 | 0.10% |
| 1940 | 1,101 | 45.78% | 1,303 | 54.18% | 1 | 0.04% |
| 1936 | 913 | 40.38% | 1,337 | 59.13% | 11 | 0.49% |
| 1932 | 969 | 44.03% | 1,218 | 55.34% | 14 | 0.64% |
| 1928 | 1,149 | 54.98% | 936 | 44.78% | 5 | 0.24% |
| 1924 | 989 | 53.34% | 578 | 31.18% | 287 | 15.48% |
| 1920 | 1,056 | 57.49% | 741 | 40.34% | 40 | 2.18% |
| 1916 | 842 | 38.38% | 1,291 | 58.84% | 61 | 2.78% |
| 1912 | 671 | 39.75% | 602 | 35.66% | 415 | 24.59% |
| 1908 | 945 | 56.02% | 714 | 42.32% | 28 | 1.66% |
| 1904 | 869 | 58.17% | 593 | 39.69% | 32 | 2.14% |
| 1900 | 682 | 51.90% | 629 | 47.87% | 3 | 0.23% |
| 1896 | 205 | 16.24% | 1,057 | 83.76% | 0 | 0.00% |
Communities
edit
Recreation
edit- TheAmerican Discovery Trailtraverses the county running through both Beaver and Milford.
- Elk Mountainis home to the Eagle Point Ski area.
- Rock Corral Recreation Area, an area of geologic interest managed by theBLM
Education
editThere is one school district,Beaver School District.[24]
See also
edit
References
edit- Specific
- ^ab"Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedMarch 24,2024.
- ^ab2020 Population and Housing State Data | Utah
- ^ab"State & County QuickFacts".United States Census Bureau.Archived fromthe originalon June 29, 2011.RetrievedDecember 29,2013.
- ^"Find a County".National Association of Counties. Archived fromthe originalon July 4, 2012.RetrievedJune 7,2011.
- ^Van Cott, J. W., 1990, Utah Place Names,ISBN0-87480-345-4
- ^"[[Newberry Library]]. Individual County Chronologies - Beaver County UT (accessed March 25, 2019)".Archived fromthe originalon March 6, 2016.RetrievedMarch 25,2019.
- ^"1 in 4 employees in this Utah county work for one company — and it's cutting jobs".The Salt Lake Tribune.RetrievedJune 15,2022.
- ^abcdBeaver County UTGoogle Maps (accessed 13 March 2019)
- ^""Find an Altitude/Beaver County UT" Google Maps (accessed March 13, 2019) ".Archived fromthe originalon May 21, 2019.RetrievedMarch 14,2019.
- ^"2010 Census Gazetteer Files".US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012.RetrievedMarch 27,2015.
- ^"US Decennial Census".US Census Bureau.RetrievedMarch 27,2015.
- ^"Historical Census Browser".University of Virginia Library.RetrievedMarch 27,2015.
- ^Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995)."Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990".US Census Bureau.RetrievedMarch 27,2015.
- ^"Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000"(PDF).US Census Bureau. April 2, 2001.RetrievedMarch 27,2015.
- ^"QuickFacts. Beaver County, Utah".RetrievedMay 17,2020.
- ^United States Census Bureau."2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (DHC)".RetrievedNovember 2,2024.
- ^United States Census Bureau."American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2009-2022)".RetrievedNovember 2,2024.
- ^"Senator Owens Utah Senate".senate.utah.gov.RetrievedNovember 16,2021.
- ^"Senator Vickers Utah Senate".senate.utah.gov.RetrievedNovember 15,2021.
- ^"Rep. Nelson, Merrill F."Utah House of Representatives.Archived fromthe originalon November 15, 2021.RetrievedNovember 15,2021.
- ^"Rep. Lyman, Phil".Utah House of Representatives.Archived fromthe originalon November 15, 2021.RetrievedNovember 15,2021.
- ^"Mark Huntsman".www.schools.utah.gov.Archived fromthe originalon November 15, 2021.RetrievedNovember 15,2021.
- ^Leip, David."Atlas of US Presidential Elections".uselectionatlas.org.RetrievedMarch 30,2018.
- ^"2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Beaver County, UT"(PDF).U.S. Census Bureau.RetrievedSeptember 28,2024.-Text list
- General
- Murphy, Miriam B. (1994),"Beaver County",in Powell, Allan Kent (ed.),Utah History Encyclopedia,Salt Lake City UT:University of Utah Press,ISBN0874804256,OCLC30473917,archived fromthe originalon January 13, 2017,retrievedOctober 30,2013
External links
edit