Nephi ( ) is a city in Juab County,

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem metropolitan area. The population was 6,443 at the 2020 census. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Juab County. It was settled by Mormon pioneers in 1851 as Salt Creek, and it acquired its current name in 1882. It is the principal city in the Juab Valley, an agricultural area. Nephi was named after

Nephi, son of Lehi Nephi () is one of the central figures described in the Book of Mormon. In the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he is described as the son of Lehi (Book of Mormon), Lehi, a prophet, and ...

, from the Book of Mormon.

History

Before the area was settled, the site along Salt Creek was first a camping place along the Old Mormon Road to

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

. Mormon settlers established a settlement at the site in 1851, naming it after the creek. It retained that name until 1882 when the town and its post office became Nephi.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 4,733 people, 1,430 households, and 1,149 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was 1,133.8 people per square mile (438.2/km²). There were 1,552 housing units at an average density of 371.8 per square mile (143.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.98%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.11%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.63% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.97% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.45% of the population. There were 1,430 households, out of which 50.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.6% were non-families. 18.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.24 and the average family size was 3.72. In the city, the population was spread out, with 37.8% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 16.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $38,918, and the median income for a family was $43,327. Males had a median income of $34,792 versus $21,027 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $13,154. About 7.5% of families and 10.0% 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 ...

, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 18.2% of those age 65 or over.

Geography

Nephi is in eastern Juab County in the Juab Valley, between the Wasatch and San Pitch Mountains to the east and the lower West Hills and Long Ridge to the west. Interstate 15 runs along the eastern edge of the city, with access from Exits 222, 225, and 228. I-15 leads north to Spanish Fork and south to Scipio. Utah State Route 28, Nephi's Main Street, runs north to I-15 and south to Gunnison. Utah State Route 132 crosses Main Street in the center of town, leading southeast to Moroni and southwest to Leamington. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Nephi has a total area of , all land.

Climate

In the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, Nephi has either a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(''Cfa'') or

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(''Dfa'') depending on which variant of the system is used.

Education

It is in the Juab School District.
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Notable people

* Roger Boisjoly, engineer who tried to prevent Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' from launching, lived his final years in Nephi. * Brandon Flowers of The Killers lived in Nephi from age 8 until his junior year in Juab High School. The band's seventh studio album '' Pressure Machine'' is a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

about life in Nephi and features spoken word interviews with town residents. * Alfred McCune, railroad builder and mine operator, moved to Nephi.

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Utah County seats in Utah Cities in Juab County, Utah Provo–Orem metropolitan area Populated places established in 1851 1851 establishments in Utah Territory