Beaver County is a
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
in west central
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, United States. As of the
2010 United States Census
The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...
, the population was 6,629.
Its
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
and largest city is
Beaver. The county was named for the abundance of
beaver in the area.
History
Explorers of European descent first visited present-day Beaver County in 1776
Domínguez-Escalante Expedition. The proposed territory of Deseret (soon changed to
Utah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th state ...
) began with the arrival of
Mormon pioneers in 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 the
Utah territorial legislature 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. 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 created
Colorado Territory
The Territory of Colorado was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 28, 1861, until August 1, 1876, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Colorado.
The territory was organized in the ...
, 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 the
Nevada Territory
The Territory of Nevada (N.T.) was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until October 31, 1864, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Nevada.
Prior to the creation of the Nevada ...
on 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, when
Piute County
Piute County ( ) is a county in south-central Utah, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 1,556, making it the second-least populous county in Utah. The county seat is Junction, and the largest town is Circlevil ...
was created from Beaver territory.
A quarter of the county's workers are employed by hog processor
Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods, Inc., is an American pork producer and food-processing company based in Smithfield, Virginia, in the United States, and an independent subsidiary of WH Group. Founded in 1936 as the Smithfield Packing Company by Joseph W. Luter ...
.
Geography
Beaver County lies on the west side of Utah. Its west border abuts the east border of the state of
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...
. 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.
[''Beaver County UT'' Google Maps (accessed 13 March 2019)]
/ref> The terrain slopes to the west and north; its highest point is a mountain crest on its east border, at 12,011' (3661m) ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.08%) is water.
The Tushar Mountains
The Tushar Mountains are the third-highest mountain range in Utah after the Uinta Mountains and the La Sal Range. Located in the Fishlake National Forest, Delano Peak, 12,174 ft (3,711 m) NAVD 88, is the highest point in both Beaver and ...
lies on the eastern boundary of the county, reaching to in elevation and providing water for the farming communities of Beaver and Manderfield. To the west, barren desert valleys typify the scenery, separated by mountains lightly forested with junipers.
Adjacent counties
* Lincoln County, Nevada
Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,345. Its county seat is Pioche. Like many counties in Nevada, it is dry and sparsely populated, though notable for containing the Area ...
- west
* Millard County
Millard County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 12,503. Its county seat is Fillmore, and the largest city is Delta.
History
The Utah Territory legislature created the county o ...
- north
* Sevier County - northeast
* Piute County
Piute County ( ) is a county in south-central Utah, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 1,556, making it the second-least populous county in Utah. The county seat is Junction, and the largest town is Circlevil ...
- east
* Garfield County - southeast
* Iron County - south
Protected areas
* Fishlake National Forest
Fishlake National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in south central Utah. The namesake for the forest is Fish Lake, the largest freshwater mountain lake in the state.
Wildlife
Animals that inhabit this forest are elk, shrews, deer, b ...
(part)
* Indian Peak State Game Management Area
* Minersville National Forest (part)
[
]
Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census
The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...
, there were 6,629 people, 2,265 households, and 1,697 families in the county. The population density was 2.56/sqmi (0.99/km2). There were 2,908 housing units at an average density of 1.12/sqmi (0.43/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 89.0% white, 1.1% Asian, 1.1% American Indian, 0.3% Pacific islander, 0.2% black or African American, 6.9% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 10.8% of the population.[ In terms of ancestry, 35.2% were ]English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, 15.5% were German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
, 10.6% were Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
, 6.8% were Scottish, and 2.3% were American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
.
Of the 2,265 households, 41.8% had children under 18 living with them, 63.2% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.1% were non-families, and 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.92, and the average family size was 3.44. The median age was 31.9 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $41,514, and the median income for a family was $46,426. Males had a median income of $40,167 versus $26,215 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,131. About 12.6% of families and 17.9% of the population were below the poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 25.1% of those under age 18 and 15.3% of those age 65 or over.
Politics and Government
Beaver County voters have traditionally voted Republican. In no national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.
" ,
, Board of Education
, 14
, style="text-align:center;" , Mark Huntsman
, style="text-align:center;" , Nonpartisan
, style="text-align:center;" , 2014
, -
Communities
Cities
* Beaver (county seat)
* Milford Milford may refer to:
Place names Canada
* Milford (Annapolis), Nova Scotia
* Milford (Halifax), Nova Scotia
* Milford, Ontario
England
* Milford, Derbyshire
* Milford, Devon, a place in Devon
* Milford on Sea, Hampshire
* Milford, Shro ...
Towns
* Minersville
Unincorporated communities
* Adamsville
* Cook Corner
* Greenville
* Manderfield
* North Creek[
]
Former communities
* Arago City
* Blueacre
* Cunningham Hill
* Frisco
* Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincol ...
* Murdock
* Newhouse
* Shauntie
* Shenandoah City
* Smyths
Smyths Toys Superstores is an Irish multinational chain provider of children's toys and entertainment products with over 200 shops throughout Ireland, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and France. The business is owned by the Smy ...
* Sulphurdale
* Three Creeks
* Upton
* Yellow Banks[
]
Recreation
* The American Discovery Trail
The American Discovery Trail is a system of recreational trails and roads that collectively form a coast-to-coast hiking and biking trail across the mid-tier of the United States. Horses can also be ridden on most of this trail. The coastal tra ...
traverses the county running through both Beaver and Milford.
* Elk Mountain is home to the Eagle Point Ski area.
* Rock Corral Recreation Area, an area of geologic interest managed by the BLM
BLM most commonly refers to:
* Black Lives Matter, an international anti-racism movement and organization
* Bureau of Land Management, a U.S. federal government agency
BLM may also refer to:
Organizations
* BLM (law firm), United Kingdom and ...
See also
*
* List of counties in Utah
There are 29 counties in the U.S. state of Utah. There were originally seven counties established under the provisional State of Deseret in 1849: Davis, Iron, Sanpete, Salt Lake, Tooele, Utah, and Weber. The Territory of Utah was created i ...
*
References
;Specific
;General
*
External links
*
{{Authority control
1856 establishments in Utah Territory
Populated places established in 1856