Holden is a town in Millard 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. The population was 438 at the 2020 census.

History

Holden was settled in 1855 by a group of ten families sent out by the

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the local congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Fillmore. Named Cedar Springs for the springs in the junipers that the community was built around. The town then assumed the name Buttermilk Fort because travelers passing through were encouraged to stop for a glass of cold buttermilk while resting. The town got its post office in 1864, and the town was renamed for Elijah E. Holden, a member of the

Mormon Battalion The Mormon Battalion was the only religious unit in United States military history in federal service, recruited solely from one religious body and having a religious title as the unit designation. The volunteers served from July 1846 to Jul ...

who was one of the first settlers of Holden and died while caught in a snowstorm in 1858. Post Offices, Utah, Millard County, Holden (1864-1866, 1869-Date)
from postalhistory.com accessed September 3, 2015

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of 0.6 square mile (1.4 km²), all land.

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 400 people, 140 households, and 105 families residing in the town. 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 728.7 people per square mile (280.8/km²). There were 162 housing units at an average density of 295.1 per square mile (113.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.50%

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 ...

, and 0.50% 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 1.00% of the population. There were 140 households, out of which 40.0% had children under 18 living with them, 65.0% 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, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86, and the average family size was 3.47. In the town, the population was spread out, with 34.0% under 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 20.0% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 83.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $34,000, and the median income for a family was $42,083. Males had a median income of $43,571 versus $16,250 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 town was $14,024. About 5.5% of families and 7.9% 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 ...

, including 8.5% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those aged 65 or over.

Economy

The traditional economy has been agriculture. Before the freeway, I-15, bypassed the town, there were five gas stations, a grocery store, a cafe, a swimming pool, an open-air dance hall, and a show house. Those businesses are now gone. Now there is a dental office with two dentists, a UPS transfer station where packages are delivered throughout Millard County, a nursery that grows native plants, three beauticians, a cabinet shop, a realty business, and several home businesses featuring craft items. Cattle, alfalfa hay, and corn are the main agricultural products. Most of the farms are located outside of the city limits, but they are owned and operated by farmers and ranchers that live in Holden. Primary employers in the area are Intermountain Community Hospital, Intermountain Power Project (IPP), Brush Wellman, Sunrise Engineering, the Great Lake Cheese Company of Utah, Mountain View Mushrooms, and the Kern River Gas Transmission.

References

External links