Sevier County, Utah
Sevier County is a county in Utah, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 21,522. Its county seat and largest city is Richfield.
Pando, a clonal quaking aspen stand, that, according to some sources, is the oldest and largest organism on Earth, is located in this county.
History
Evidence of indigenous peoples residing in Sevier County up to 5,000 BP has been unearthed. The Fremont culture of Native Americans occupied the area from about 2000 to 700 BP. The Clear Creek site contains native petroglyphs from that period.In Utah, the Numic- speaking peoples of the Uto-Aztecan language family evolved into four distinct groups in the historical period: the Northern Shoshone, Goshute or Western Shoshone, Southern Paiute, and Ute peoples. This territory's central and eastern sections were occupied primarily by various bands of the Ute.
The first modern sighting of the Sevier River was most likely by the Catholic fathers Silvestre Vélez de Escalante and Francisco Atanasio Domínguez, on their expedition to California in 1776. The Old Spanish Trail was the route they mapped. Over the next century, this trail carried fur trappers, hunters, government officials, traders, and settlers.
Settlement of this area began when Richfield was first settled. Mormon settlers arrived on June 15, 1864, most of whom had emigrated from Scandinavian countries. Because of the growth in this small community, the people soon petitioned Utah Territory officials about a separate county.
On January 16, 1865, the Utah Territory legislature created the county, with the area annexed from Sanpete County. It was named for the Sevier River. The county seat was Big Spring. The county borders were adjusted in 1866, 1880, 1890, and in 1921. A clarification of boundary lines corresponding to government survey lines was completed in 1931, marking the present configuration of Sevier County.
Although the county was in place by 1865, much of Sevier County was abandoned in the Black Hawk War in 1867. Attempts to resettle the area were not successful until 1870. By 1874, 753 residents lived in the area.
Geography
Sevier County terrain consists of semi-arid but arable rolling areas punctuated by northeast–southwest mountain ridges, usually forested. The highest point is Fish Lake Hightop in the Central Utah Plateau, at ASL. The county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.Major highways
*Adjacent counties
- Sanpete County – north
- Emery County – east
- Wayne County – southeast
- Piute County – south
- Beaver County – southwest
- Millard County – west
Protected areas
- Capitol Reef National Park
- Fishlake National Forest
- Fremont Indian State Park and Museum
- Koosharem Reservoir Recreation Site
- Manti-La Sal National Forest
- Sand Ledges Recreation Area
- Willow Creek Wildlife Management Area
Lakes
- Abes Reservoir
- Acord Lakes
- Annabella Reservoir
- Bear Valley Reservoir
- Big Lake
- Boobe Hole Reservoir
- Broadhead Lakes
- Cold Spring
- Coots Slough
- Crater Lakes
- Davis Hollow Reservoir
- Deep Lake
- Duck Lake
- Emerald Lakes
- Farnsworth Reservoir
- Farrell Pond
- Fish Lake
- Floating Island Lake
- Forsyth Reservoir
- Gardner Hollow Reservoirs
- Gates Lake
- Hamilton Reservoir
- Harves River Reservoir
- Hepplers Ponds
- Hunts Lakes
- Indian Springs
- Jeffery Reservoir
- Jensen Spring
- Johnson Valley Reservoir
- Killian Spring
- Koosharem Reservoir
- Lake Louise
- Lost Creek Reservoir
- Lower Hunts Lake
- Magelby Reservoir
- Meeks Lake
- Mill Meadow Reservoir
- Morrell Pond
- Mud Lake
- Oles Pond
- Ox Spring
- Paradise Valley Lake
- Redmond Lake
- Rex Reservoir
- Rim Seep
- Rocky Ford Reservoir
- Saleratus Reservoir
- Salina Reservoir
- Sargent Lake
- Scrub Flat Reservoir
- Sheep Valley Reservoir
- Silas Spring
- Skutumpah Reservoir
- Slide Lake
- Snow Fence Pond
- Snow Lake
- Solomon Reservoir
- Spring Reservoir
- The Potholes
- Three Creeks Reservoir
- Three Lakes
- Tidwell Pond
- Twin Lake
- Twin Ponds
- Washburn Reservoir
- Willies Flat Reservoir
- Willow Creek Reservoir
- Willow Lake
- Wood Hollow Reservoir
Demographics
2020 census
According to the 2020 United States census and 2020 American Community Survey, there were 21,522 people in Sevier County with a population density of 11.3 people per square mile. Among non-Hispanic or Latino people, the racial makeup was 19,396 White, 65 African American, 313 Native American, 40 Asian, 49 Pacific Islander, 49 from other races, and 557 from two or more races. 1,053 people were Hispanic or Latino.There were 10,870 males and 10,652 females, and the population distribution by age was 6,449 under the age of 18, 11,325 from 18 to 64, and 3,748 who were at least 65 years old. The median age was 36.3 years.
There were 7,464 households in Sevier County with an average size of 2.88 of which 5,555 were families and 1,909 were non-families. Among all families, 4,491 were married couples, 362 were male householders with no spouse, and 702 were female householders with no spouse. Among all non-families, 1,640 were a single person living alone and 269 were two or more people living together. 2,777 of all households had children under the age of 18. 5,752 of households were owner-occupied while 1,712 were renter-occupied.
The median income for a Sevier County household was $55,361 and the median family income was $62,058, with a per-capita income of $24,041. The median income for males that were full-time employees was $50,183 and for females $36,000. 14.3% of the population and 12.3% of families were below the poverty line.
In terms of education attainment, out of the 13,469 people in Sevier County 25 years or older, 1,206 had not completed high school, 4,206 had a high school diploma or equivalency, 5,242 had some college or associate degree, 1,931 had a bachelor's degree, and 884 had a graduate or professional degree.
Features
Interstate 70 runs through the county. As Richfield is about halfway between the major cities of Los Angeles, California and Denver, Colorado, it has built a hospitality industry, with motels and restaurants serving travelers.Fremont Indian State Park is found in the Clear Creek Canyon, adjacent to I-70. It is noted for its archaeological remains from the ancient Native American Fremont culture. Its museum displays found artifacts.