Manti ( ) is a city in and 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 Sanpete 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 3,429 at the 2020 United States Census.

Description

Manti was the first community in Utah to be settled outside 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 ...

and served as the hub for the formation of many other communities in Central Utah. The

Manti Utah Temple The Manti Utah Temple (formerly the Manti Temple) is the fifth constructed Temple (LDS Church), temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The temple construction was completed in 1888. Located in the city of Manti, Utah, it was ...

, the fifth temple built by

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

is found in Manti and dominates the area's skyline. Manti formerly hosted the Mormon Miracle Pageant for two weeks each summer.

History

Manti was one of the first communities settled in what was to become Utah. Chief

Walkara Chief Walkara (c. 1808 – 1855; also known as Wakara, Wahkara, Chief Walker or Colorow) was a Northern Ute leader of the Utah Indians known as the Timpanogos, Timpanogo and Sanpete Band. He had a reputation as a diplomat, horseman and warrior, a ...

(or Walker), a Ute Tribe leader, invited

Brigham Young Brigham Young ( ; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until h ...

to send pioneers to the area to teach his people the techniques of successful farming. In 1849, Brigham Young dispatched a company of about 225 settlers, consisting of several families, to the Sanpitch (now Sanpete) Valley. Under the direction of Isaac Morley and George Washington Bradley (1813-1891), the settlers arrived at the present location of Manti in November. They endured a severe winter by living in temporary shelters dug into the south side of the hill on which the Manti Temple now stands. Brigham Young named the new community Manti, after a city mentioned in the

Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, first published in 1830 by Joseph Smith as ''The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi''. The book is one of ...

. Manti was incorporated in 1851. The first mayor of Manti was Dan Jones. Manti served as a hub city for the settlement of other communities in the valley. Relations with the local Native Americans deteriorated rapidly, and the Wakara’s War soon ensued. The war consisted primarily of various raids conducted by the Native Americans against Mormon outposts in Central and Southern Utah. The Walker War ended in the mid-1850s in an understanding negotiated between Brigham Young and Wakara. Shortly after that, Welcome Chapman and Wakara oversaw the baptism of scores of Wakara's tribe members. Although immediate hostilities ended, none of the underlying conflicts were resolved. Findlay, Linnie T.M. "Welcome Chapman". '' Saga of the Sanpitch.'' 1989. Vol. 21, pp. 111–118. In 1865 Utah's Black Hawk War erupted when an incident between a Manti resident and a young chieftain exploded into open warfare between the Mormon settlers and the local Native Americans. Forts were built in Manti and other nearby communities. Smaller settlements in the area were temporarily abandoned for the duration of the war. In the fall of 1867, Chief Black Hawk made peace with the settlers, but sporadic violence occurred until 1872, when federal troops intervened. Many Mormon settlers who fought and died in the wars are buried in the Manti Cemetery. Most of the Utes were eventually relocated to the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation in Eastern Utah.

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 city has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.1 km²), all land. Manti has a

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 ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dfb'') with warm summers and cold winters, receiving on average barely enough rainfall to avoid a

semi-arid A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a aridity, dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below Evapotranspiration#Potential evapotranspiration, potential evapotranspiration, but not as l ...

classification (''BSk''). Its high elevation means that the climate is cooler than other populated areas of Utah, especially during summer. Summers highs average in the mid-80s°F, with winter highs in the mid-30s°F. Winter lows, however, dip to around 15–20 °F. Pacific storms move through the region from October through May and spring is the wettest season. However, summer, which is the driest season, primarily relies on precipitation from scattered diurnal thunderstorm activity and the

Gulf of California The Gulf of California (), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Vermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja California peninsula from ...

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...

. Winter and spring see frequent snowfall. Precipitation averages 12.70 inches and snowfall 52.2 inches. The record high temperature is 110 °F (43 °C), set on August 6, 1895, while the record low is −27 °F (−33 °C), set on January 22, 1937. Although Utah as a whole only averages 2–3 tornadoes per year, Manti was hit directly by an F2 tornado on September 8, 2002. The tornado was on the ground for 15 minutes and managed to cause $2 million in damage as it tore through southeastern Manti. No one was injured or killed in the incident.

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 3,040 people, 930 households, and 742 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 1,560.2 people per square mile (601.9/km²). There were 1,010 housing units at an average density of 518.3 per square mile (200.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.48%

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 ...

, 0.07%

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 ...

, 1.58% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.43%

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 ...

, 0.49% from other races, and 0.89% 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 2.60% of the population. There were 930 households, out of which 46.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.0% 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, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.2% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.25 and the average family size was 3.74. In the city, the population was spread out, with 38.1% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 20.6% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $32,844, and the median income for a family was $37,163. Males had a median income of $30,156 versus $22,500 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 $12,677. About 11.4% of families and 13.0% 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 16.0% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Manti is located in the South Sanpete School District,
Text list
/ref> and has one elementary school, as well Manti High School, who have the Templars as their mascot and compete in the 3A level of competition (out of five levels). Middle school students attend in nearby

Ephraim Ephraim (; , in pausa: ''ʾEp̄rāyīm'') was, according to the Book of Genesis, the second son of Joseph ben Jacob and Asenath, as well as the adopted son of his biological grandfather Jacob, making him the progenitor of the Tribe of Ephrai ...

Notable people

* William Harrison Folsom (1815-1901), architect and designer of the Manti Temple * Julia Christiansen Hoffman (1856–1934), artist and arts patron, Portland,

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

* Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, Hot-Rod art, customizing and pinstriping, notable for Rat Fink * Joyce Eliason (1934-2022), American author, television writer and producer

References

External links

The Official Manti City website

Historic Old City Hall
– a tourist information center, local history museum, and social hall
John Patten DUP Museum
– a

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that is preserved as a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a variety of ...

run by the Manti chapter of the

Daughters of Utah Pioneers The International Society Daughters of Utah Pioneers (ISDUP, DUP) is a women's organization dedicated to preserving the history of the European settlers of the geographic area covered by the State of Deseret and Utah Territory, including Mormon pi ...

{{authority control Cities in Utah Cities in Sanpete County, Utah County seats in Utah Populated places established in 1849 1849 establishments in the State of Deseret