Box Elder County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

at the northwestern corner of

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. At the 2020 United States census, the population was 57,666, up from the 2010 figure of 49,975. Its

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 ...

and largest city is Brigham City. The county was named for the

box elder ''Acer negundo'', also known as the box elder, boxelder maple, Manitoba maple or ash-leaved maple, is a species of maple native to North America from Canada to Honduras. It is a fast-growing, short-lived tree with opposite, ash-like compound l ...

trees that abound in the county. Box Elder County is part of the Ogden- Clearfield, UT Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

- Provo-

Orem Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is approximately south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Me ...

, UT Combined Statistical Area. Box Elder County. Box Elder County is home to two regional campuses of

Utah State University Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public university, public land grant colleges, land-grant research university with its main campus in Logan, Utah, United States. Founded in 1888 under the Morrill Land-Grant Acts as Utah's federal ...

(located in Brigham City and Tremonton).

History

The county was created by the

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 st ...

legislature on January 5, 1856, with the territory partitioned from Weber County. Its boundaries were altered in 1862 by adjustments between counties and in 1866 when all its area in the now-existent state of

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

(which had gained territorial status in 1861 and statehood in 1864) was formally partitioned. The county boundaries were finally altered in 1880 by adjustments between

Salt Lake A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water that has a concentration of salts (typically sodium chloride) and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least three grams of salt per liter). I ...

and

Weber Weber may refer to: Places United States * Weber, Missouri, an unincorporated community * Weber City, Virginia, a town * Weber City, Fluvanna County, Virginia, an unincorporated community * Weber County, Utah * Weber Canyon, Utah * Weber R ...

counties. Its boundary has remained unchanged since 1880. The

California Trail The California Trail was an emigrant trail of about across the western half of the North American continent from Missouri River towns to what is now the state of California. After it was established, the first half of the California Trail f ...

followed Goose Creek from a point just north of the Idaho/Utah border southwest across northwestern Box Elder County to Little Goose Creek in northeastern Elko County, Nevada. The link-up of the

first transcontinental railroad America's first transcontinental railroad (known originally as the "Pacific Railroad" and later as the "Overland Route (Union Pacific Railroad), Overland Route") was a continuous railroad line built between 1863 and 1869 that connected the exis ...

occurred at Promontory Summit, Utah in 1869. The

Spiral Jetty ''Spiral Jetty'' is a work of land art constructed in April 1970 that is considered to be the most important work by American sculptor Robert Smithson. Smithson documented the construction of the sculpture in a 32-minute color film also titled ' ...

, an earthwork sculpture by

Robert Smithson Robert Smithson (January 2, 1938 – July 20, 1973) was an American artist known for sculpture and land art who often used drawing and photography in relation to the spatial arts. His work has been internationally exhibited in galleries and mu ...

, was built on the north shore of the

Great Salt Lake The Great Salt Lake is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere and the eighth-largest terminal lake in the world. It lies in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah and has a substantial impact upon the local climate, partic ...

in Box Elder County in 1970. On November 19, 2005, sculptor Zaq Landsberg declared his plot to be independent from the United States, creating the Republic of Zaqistan.

Geography

Box Elder County lies at the northwest corner of Utah. Its west border abuts the east border of the state of

and its north border abuts the south border of the state of

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

. Its territory includes large tracts of barren desert, contrasted by high, forested mountains. The

Wasatch Front The Wasatch Front is a major metropolitan region in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Utah. It consists of a chain of contiguous cities and towns stretched along the Wasatch Range from Santaquin in the south to Pleasant View in the n ...

lies along the south-eastern border, where the main cities are found. The terrain generally slopes to the south (toward the

), although the NW corner of the county slopes to the north, allowing runoff from that area to flow to the Snake River drainage. The county's highest point is a mountain ridge near the NW corner, at ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (15%) is water. It is the fourth-largest county in Utah by area. In the east lie the

Wellsville Mountains The Wellsville Mountains are a mountain range in Box Elder and Cache counties in Utah, United States, that is part of the Wasatch Range. Description The range separates the Cache Valley from the Wasatch Front (Bear River Valley), as well as ...

, a branch of the

Wasatch Range The Wasatch Range ( ) or Wasatch Mountains is a mountain range in the western United States that runs about from the Utah-Idaho border south to central Utah. It is the western edge of the greater Rocky Mountains, and the eastern edge of the Gr ...

. In the west is a large, mostly uninhabited desert area. The

lies in the southeastern corner of the county. The combined

Interstate 15 Interstate 15 (I-15) is a major Interstate Highway in the Western United States, running through Southern California and the Intermountain West. I-15 begins near the Mexican border in San Diego County and stretches north to Alberta, Ca ...

/ Interstate 84 runs northward in the eastern part of the county. The two routes diverge at Tremonton, with I-84 heading northwest past Snowville into central and western Idaho and I-15 heading north past

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

and

Portage Portage or portaging ( CA: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a '' ...

into eastern Idaho.

Major highways

* * (Brigham City) * (Tremonton) * * (Brigham City) * (Tremonton) * * * * * * * * *

Adjacent counties

* Cache County - northeast * Weber County - east * Davis County - southeast (across

) * Tooele County - south *

Elko County, Nevada Elko County is a County (United States), county in the northeastern corner of Nevada, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 53,702. Its county seat is Elko, Nevada, Elko. The county was established ...

- west *

Cassia County, Idaho Cassia County is a county in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 Census the county had a population of 24,655. The county seat and largest city is Burley. Cassia County is included in the Burley, ID Micropolitan Statistical Area. Histor ...

- northwest *

Oneida County, Idaho Oneida County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census the county had a population of 4,564. The county seat and largest city is Malad City, Idaho, Malad City. Most ...

- north

National protected areas

* Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge * Caribou-Targhee National Forest (part) * Golden Spike National Historic Site *

Sawtooth National Forest Sawtooth National Forest is a United States National Forest, National Forest that covers 2,110,408 acres (854,052 ha) in the U.S. states of Idaho (~96 percent) and Utah (~4 percent). Managed by the U.S. Forest Service in the United States Depart ...

(part) * Wasatch-Cache National Forest (part)

Demographics

2020 census

According to the 2020 United States census and 2020 American Community Survey, there were 57,666 people in Box Elder County with a

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 ...

of 10.0 people per square mile (3.9/km²). Among non- Hispanic or Latino people, the racial makeup was 49,361 (85.6%)

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 ...

, 161 (0.3%)

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 ...

, 383 (0.7%) Native American, 438 (0.8%) Asian, 98 (0.2%)

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 ...

, 102 (0.2%) from other races, and 1,586 (2.8%) from

two or more races Multiracial Americans, also known as mixed-race Americans, are Americans who have mixed ancestry of two or more races. The term may also include Americans of mixed-race ancestry who self-identify with just one group culturally and socially (cf. t ...

. 5,537 (9.6%) people were Hispanic or Latino. There were 29,190 (50.62%) males and 28,476 (49.38%) females, and the population distribution by age was 18,255 (31.7%) under the age of 18, 31,620 (54.8%) from 18 to 64, and 7,791 (13.5%) who were at least 65 years old. The median age was 33.0 years. There were 18,678 households in Box Elder County with an average size of 3.09 of which 14,609 (78.2%) were families and 4,069 (21.8%) were non-families. Among all families, 11,985 (64.2%) 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 ...

, 969 (5.2%) were male householders with no spouse, and 1,655 (8.9%) were female householders with no spouse. Among all non-families, 3,482 (18.6%) were a single person living alone and 587 (3.1%) were two or more people living together. 7,722 (41.3%) of all households had children under the age of 18. 14,543 (77.9%) of households were owner-occupied while 4,135 (22.1%) were renter-occupied. The median income for a Box Elder County household was $63,573 and the median family income was $73,446, with a

per-capita income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of unde ...

of $25,835. The median income for males that were full-time employees was $52,960 and for females $36,673. 7.9% of the population and 6.4% of families 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 ...

. In terms of education attainment, out of the 32,717 people in Box Elder County 25 years or older, 2,325 (7.1%) had not completed high school, 9,937 (30.4%) had a

high school diploma A high school diploma (sometimes referred to as a high school degree) is a diploma awarded upon graduation of high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary s ...

or equivalency, 12,701 (38.8%) had some college or

associate degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

, 5,656 (17.3%) had a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

, and 2,098 (6.4%) had a graduate or

professional degree A professional degree, formerly known in the US as a first professional degree, is a degree that prepares someone to work in a particular profession, practice, or industry sector often meeting the academic requirements for licensure or accreditatio ...

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 49,975 people, 16,058 households, and 12,891 families in the county. The

was . There were 17,326 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 91.77%

, 0.34%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 0.82% Native American, 0.89% Asian, 0.17%

, 3.77% from other races, and 2.24% from two or more races. 8.31% of the population were

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. There were 16,058 households, out of which 41.32% had children under 18 living with them, 67.44% were

living together, 8.69% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.72% were non-families. 17.16% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.39% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.09, and the average family size was 3.50. The county population contained 36.60% under the age of 20, 5.55% from 20 to 24, 25.37% from 25 to 44, 21.35% from 45 to 64, and 11.13% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.59 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 96.61 males.

Ancestry

As of 2015, the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Box Elder County were: * 26.0% were of English ancestry * 12.7% were of German ancestry * 9.3% were of American ancestry * 8.4% were of Danish ancestry * 5.5% were of Irish ancestry * 4.5% were of Scottish ancestry

Education

Elementary

* Century * Discovery * Fielding * Foothill * Garland * Grouse Creek * Lake View * McKinley * Mountain View * North Park * Park Valley * Snowville * Three Mile Creek * Willard

Intermediate

* Alice C. Harris * Adele C. Young

Middle

* Bear River * Box Elder

High

* Bear River High School - Garland *

Box Elder High School Box Elder High School (BEHS) is a public high school located in Brigham City, Utah. Part of the Box Elder School District, it serves approximately 1,500 students in the 10th through 12th grades in Utah's Box Elder County. The school's boundaries ...

- Brigham City * Sunrise High School - Brigham City

Speciality schools

* Early Learning Center * Independent Life Skills Center

Post secondary

* Utah State University-Brigham City * Utah State University-Tremonton * Bridgerland Technical College - Brigham City

Politics and government

Box Elder voters are overwhelmingly Republican. In no national election since 1944 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate, and the last Democrat to obtain one-quarter of the county's vote was

Hubert Humphrey Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American politician who served from 1965 to 1969 as the 38th vice president of the United States. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Minnesota from 19 ...

in 1968.

Communities

Cities

* Bear River City * Brigham City (county seat) * Corinne *

Garland A garland is a decorative braid, knot or wreath of flowers, leaves, or other material. Garlands can be worn on the head or around the neck, hung on an inanimate object, or laid in a place of cultural or religious importance. In contemporary times ...

* Honeyville *

Perry Perry or pear cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally in England (particularly Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire), parts of South Wales, France (especially Normandy and Anjou), Canada, Austral ...

* Tremonton * Willard

Towns

* Deweyville * Elwood * Fielding *

Howell Howell may refer to: Places In the United States * Howell, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Howell, Evansville, a neighborhood in Indiana * Howell, Michigan, a city in Livingston County * Howell County, Missouri * Howell, Missouri, a ...

Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...

* Snowville

Census designated places

* Riverside * South Willard * Thatcher

Unincorporated communities

Bothwell Bothwell () is a Protected area, conservation village in the South Lanarkshire council area of Scotland and part of the Greater Glasgow area. It lies on the north bank of the River Clyde, adjacent to Uddingston and Hamilton, Scotland, Hamilton, ...

* Collinston * Grouse Creek * Harper Ward * Lynn * Park Valley * Penrose *

Promontory A promontory is a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the s ...

* Yost

Ghost towns

* Blue Creek * Cedar Creek * Golden * Hardup *

Jackson Jackson may refer to: Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson oil field in Durham, ...

* Kelton *

Kosmo Kosmo may refer to: * Kosmo (GIS), a desktop geographic information system * Kosmo, Utah, a ghost town in Box Elder County, Utah, United States * Kosmo!, a newspaper published in Malaysia See also * Cosmo (disambiguation) Cosmo may refer to: ...

* Lucin * Matlin * Promontory Point * Russian Settlement *

Terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk a ...

Washakie Washakie (1804/1810 – February 20, 1900) was a prominent leader of the Shoshone people during the mid-19th century. He was first mentioned in 1840 in the written record of the American fur trapper, Osborne Russell. In 1851, at the urging of ...

* Salinburg, Utah

References

External links

*
County Health Department
{{authority control 1856 establishments in Utah Territory Populated places established in 1856