Ophir is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

in Tooele 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

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 ...

, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 24 at the 2020 census, a decrease of 14 from the

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

figure of 38.

History

Ophir was named for the nearby canyon and

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

district, where gold, silver-lead deposits were found in the 1860s. The mining district was named for the biblical

Ophir Ophir (; ) is a port or region mentioned in the Bible, famous for its wealth. Its existence is attested to by an inscribed pottery shard found at Tell Qasile (in modern-day Tel Aviv) in 1946, dating to the eighth century BC, which reads "''go ...

, from where

King Solomon King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by f ...

brought back gold to

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. In 1911, zinc was recovered and various mining operations continued until 1959. Prior to 2016, Ophir was one of the smallest incorporated municipalities in Utah. However, after a town government could not be formed from the remaining citizens in 2016, the town was disincorporated.

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 0.2 square mile (0.4 km), all land.

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 23 people, 10 households, and 6 families in the town. The population density was 143.0 people per square mile (55.5/km). There were 33 housing units at an average density of 205.1 per square mile (79.6/km). The racial makeup of the town was 95.65% White and 4.35% Asian. Of the 10 households 20.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couples living together, and 40.0% were non-families. 40.0% of households were one person and 20.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 3.17. The age distribution was 8.7% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 8.7% from 25 to 44, 43.5% from 45 to 64, and 30.4% 65 or older. The median age was 54 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.0 males. The median household income was $50,000 and the median family income was $49,167. Males had a median income of $46,875 versus $13,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,906. None of the population or 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 ...

References

External links

{{authority control Census-designated places in Tooele County, Utah Census-designated places in Utah Salt Lake City metropolitan area Mining communities in Utah Populated places disestablished in 2016 Former towns in Utah

History

Geography

Demographics

See also

References

External links