Tooele 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 ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 72,698. 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

Tooele Tooele ( ) is a city in Tooele County in the U.S. state of Utah. The population was 35,742 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Tooele County. Located approximately 40 minutes southwest of Salt Lake City, Tooele is known for Tooele Army ...

. The county was created in 1850 and organized the following year. Tooele County 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 ...

, UT Metropolitan Statistical Area. A 2008 CNNMoney.com article identified Tooele as the

U.S. county In the United States, a county or county equivalent is an administrative subdivision of a state or territory, typically with defined geographic boundaries and some level of governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 states, whil ...

experiencing the greatest job growth since 2000. The western half is mostly covered by the

Great Salt Lake Desert The Great Salt Lake Desert (colloquially referred to as the West Desert) is a large dry lake in northern Utah, United States, between the Great Salt Lake The Great Salt Lake is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere and the ei ...

and includes the city of

Wendover Wendover is a town and civil parish at the foot of the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated at the point where the main road across the Chilterns between London and Aylesbury intersects with the once important road along t ...

(the immediate neighbor of

West Wendover, Nevada West Wendover is a small city in Elko County, Nevada, United States. The population was 4,512 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Elko micropolitan area. West Wendover is located on the eastern border of Nevada and the western edge of the ...

) and

Ibapah Ibapah ( ) is a small unincorporated community in far western Tooele County, Utah, United States, near the Nevada state line. Description The settlement is located near the Deep Creek Mountains. The site was originally established in 1859 by ...

. Within the central section lies Skull Valley, between the

Cedar Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae * Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona ...

and the

Stansbury Mountains The Stansbury Mountains are a long mountain range located in eastern Tooele County, Utah. It is named for U.S. Army Major Howard Stansbury, a topographical engineer, who led an expedition that surveyed the region. The range trends north–so ...

. It contains a few small towns as well as the

Dugway Proving Ground Dugway Proving Ground (DPG) is a United States Army facility established in 1942 to test biological and chemical weapons, located about southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah and south of the Utah Test and Training Range. Location Dugway Provin ...

. The population centers are on the eastern edge in the Tooele Valley, between the Stansbury and

Oquirrh Oquirrh is a census-designated place (CDP) in Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt Lake County, Utah, located on the slopes of the Oquirrh Mountains that gave it its name. Oquirrh was once part of Kearns, Utah, Kearns, UT. Through annexation, the city of ...

Mountains. This area contains the cities of

, Grantsville,

Erda Erda may refer to: * Earth * Erda, Utah * Elastic recoil detection analysis * Erda or Urðr, often confused with the goddess Jörð, in Richard Wagner's opera cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (''The Ring of the Nibelung'') * Energy Research and ...

, and Lake Point as well as the unincorporated community of Stansbury Park.

Tooele Army Depot Tooele Army Depot (TEAD) is a United States Army Joint Munitions Command post in Tooele County, Utah. It serves as a storage site for war reserve and training ammunition. The depot stores, issues, receives, renovates, modifies, maintains and demi ...

is located on the southern edge of the valley. The Stockton Bar geologic feature separates Tooele Valley and Rush Valley, in which the towns of Stockton, Vernon,

Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...

, and

Rush Valley Rush Valley is a long north-trending valley in the southeast of Tooele County, Utah. It lies adjacent to and attached to the south of Tooele Valley; the separation point is the low point of the valley at Rush Lake, and lies at the southeast ...

are located. Additional small towns,

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 ...

and Mercur, are located in two canyons on the south western side of the Oquirrh Mountains. Tooele is home to one of the nine statewide 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 the city of Tooele).

History

Evidence of several indigenous Native American groups has been found in Tooele County, but only the western

Shoshone The Shoshone or Shoshoni ( or ), also known by the endonym Newe, are an Native Americans in the United States, Indigenous people of the United States with four large cultural/linguistic divisions: * Eastern Shoshone: Wyoming * Northern Shoshon ...

-speaking

Goshute The Goshutes are a tribe of Western Shoshone Native Americans. There are two federally recognized Goshute tribes today: * Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, located in Nevada and Utah * Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians of ...

tribe claim the desolate lands as their ancestral home. The Goshute's traditional territory includes most of modern Tooele County. The Great Salt Lake Desert, which comprises much of the northern portion of the county, provided a major stumbling block for the ill-fated Donner-Reed Party in 1846. Its crusty sand slowed the group's wagons to such an extent that the group spent six days crossing its 80-mile length, severely sapping the group's resources and leading to their eventual disaster. In 1847,

Mormon pioneers The Mormon pioneers were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), also known as Latter-day Saints, who Human migration, migrated beginning in the mid-1840s until the late-1860s across the United States from the ...

settled in the neighboring

Salt Lake Valley Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City, Utah, Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably Murray, Utah, Murray, Sandy, Uta ...

. Initially, Tooele Valley was used as a major grazing ground for Mormon cattle owners from Salt Lake and Utah Valleys. In 1849 the first white settlers established permanent roots in the Tooele Valley. Building a

saw mill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

, the settlement was called E.T. City after LDS leader E.T. Benson. The territorial legislature first designated Tooele County—initially called "Tuilla"—on January 31, 1850, with significantly different boundaries. Its government was not organized at that time, and the area was attached to Salt Lake County for judicial and administrative purposes. It is speculated the name derives from a Native American chief, but controversy exists about whether such a chief lived. Alternate explanations hypothesize that the name comes from "''tu-wanda''", the Goshute word for "

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...

", or from "''tule''", a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

word of

Aztec The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the Post-Classic stage, post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central ...

origins meaning "

bulrush Bulrush is a vernacular name for several large wetland graminoid, grass-like plants *Sedge family (Cyperaceae): **''Cyperus'' **''Scirpus'' **''Blysmus'' **''Bolboschoenus'' **''Scirpoides'' **''Isolepis'' **''Schoenoplectus'' **''Trichophorum'' ...

". The Goshutes did not accept Mormon encroachment on their traditional homeland. The Mormons occupied the best camping sites near reliable springs, hunted in Goshute hunting grounds, and overgrazed the meadowland, leaving it unfit for sustaining the animals and plants used by the Goshutes. Mormons believed that Utah was a promised land given to them by God, and did not recognize any Goshute claim to the land. Goshutes began confiscating Mormon cattle that trespassed onto their property. In response, the Mormons ordered their armies to kill the Goshutes. In 1850, they ambushed a Goshute village, but the Goshutes were able to defend themselves without casualties. Later that year, a contingent of at least 50 men attacked the Goshute camp, killing nine and suffering no casualties. In 1851, General Daniel H. Wells took 30 people prisoners. After they tried to escape, Wells executed them. Similar attacks occurred throughout the 1850s with Goshutes typically being on the losing side. By June 10, 1851, the county government was organized. On that date the county attachment to Salt Lake County was terminated. By 1852, Grantsville, Batesville, and Pine Canyon (later named Lincoln) were settled. In 1855 the town of Richville was designated

, but it soon became clear that

was much larger. In 1861 the territorial legislature allowed the county to select a new seat, and Tooele was selected. In 1859 Robert B. Jarvis, a U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs representative, convinced some of the

nomad Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...

ic bands to congregate at a

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

reservation called Deep Creek. The results looked promising, but Jarvis' resignation in 1860 led support to disappear and the farm to be abandoned. Jarvis' replacement, Benjamin Davies, noted the Goshutes had lost faith in the federal government, and recommended limiting further encroachments on Goshute land, but his suggestions were largely ignored. Twenty-two overland

stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...

outposts were built in Goshute territory, often on the sites of rare natural springs. Goshute attacks on mail outposts escalated in 1860, resulting in dozens of deaths in alternating waves of raids. At the outbreak of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, federal troops left the area leaving defense in the hands of the

Nauvoo Legion The Nauvoo Legion was a state-authorized Latter-day Saints Militias and Military Units, militia of Nauvoo, Illinois, United States from February 4, 1841 until January 29, 1845. Its main function was the defense of Nauvoo and surrounding Latte ...

until General

Patrick E. Connor Patrick Edward Connor (March 17, 1820Rodgers, 1938, p. 1 – December 17, 1891) was an Irish American soldier who served as a Union (American Civil War), Union General officer, general during the American Civil War. He is most notorious for ...

arrived in

from

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

in 1862. Connor acted ruthlessly toward the natives. He killed over 300 Shoshone in Southern

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), ...

in 1863. Connor's men attacked Native American camps, sometimes indiscriminately, but through 1863 stage coach companies had lost 16 men and over 150

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

s to depredations. A peace treaty was signed in 1863 which included an

annuity In investment, an annuity is a series of payments made at equal intervals based on a contract with a lump sum of money. Insurance companies are common annuity providers and are used by clients for things like retirement or death benefits. Examples ...

of goods and

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

1000 in compensation of killed game in exchange for an end to the hostilities, and use of routes through the natives' territories. The treaty did not cede Goshute control of land, but a follow-up agreement made in June 1865 did. General Connor, who was

anti-Mormon Anti-Mormonism refers to individuals, literature and media that are opposed to the beliefs, adherents, or institutions of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement as a whole. It may include hostility, prejudice, discrimination, persecution, ...

, also encouraged his troops to prospect for minerals. Connor believed that

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 ...

would bring non-Mormons to

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 ...

. After his men discovered

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

, and

zinc Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...

deposits in Tooele County in 1864 he was proven right. The Rush Valley Mining District was established by soldiers in the western

Oquirrh Mountains The Oquirrh Mountains ( ) is a mountain range that runs north–south for approximately 30 miles (50 km) to form the west side of Utah's Salt Lake Valley, separating it from Tooele Valley. The range runs from northwestern Utah County– ...

and more than 100 claims were staked in the first year. Two new mining towns,

and Lewiston ballooned to over 6000 people each in the 1870s, exceeding the population of Tooele and all the Mormon settlements in the area. Tooele County as originally defined extended into present-day

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 ...

. The county's borders were adjusted in 1852, in 1854, in 1856, in 1861, and in 1862. When

Nevada Territory The Territory of Nevada (N.T.) was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until October 31, 1864, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Nevada. Prior to the creation of the Neva ...

was created in 1862, the county's borders were impacted, and when the Territory became a state (1864), Tooele County was formally divested of all its Nevada area. Two more boundary adjustments were made in 1870 and 1880, after which it has retained its boundaries to the present.

Republic of Tooele

From 1874 to 1879, non-Mormon politicians from the Liberal Party of Utah gained control of Tooele County, the first time any non-Mormons had success in Utah politics. Whimsically, they called the county the Republic of Tooele. The 1874 election marked the first success of the

Liberal Party, which was organized in 1870. The party viewed the large non-Mormon mining population in the county as a natural environment for electoral success and campaigned fiercely in Tooele's mining districts leading up to the June 1874 election. The non-Mormon appointed governor of Utah Territory, George L. Woods, campaigned for the Liberals in Tooele County. Tooele County Courthouse and City Hall

The incumbent Mormon People's Party observed several Tooele polling places on election day and lodged complaints of fraud after the Liberal Party triumphed by about 300 votes out of 2,200. The People's Party alleged Liberal Party supporters had voted more than once, that many had not been residents for the required six months, and they were not taxpayers—according to territorial law, only taxpayers could vote in elections. The People's Party called attention to the 2,200 votes cast in the election although only 1,500 Tooele County

property tax A property tax (whose rate is expressed as a percentage or per mille, also called ''millage'') is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or Wealth t ...

payers were on record. Incumbents refused to yield control of the Tooele County recorder's office and the Tooele County Courthouse because of the alleged fraud. Governor Woods dismissed the complaints and certified the Liberal victory. Third District Court Judge James B. McKean ruled that no evidence showing illegal activity had been presented. McKean construed

poll tax A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources. ''Poll'' is an archaic term for "head" or "top of the head". The sen ...

as within the meaning of being a taxpayer. Since no evidence was provided there were over 300 carpetbaggers or repeat votes in the election, McKean sustained the tally and authorized deputy United States Marshals Service, U.S. Marshals to install the Liberal candidates. The recorder's office was seized when it was momentarily abandoned, but a contingent of People's Party supporters and incumbents held the county courthouse night and day. The marshals and Liberal Party candidates, outnumbered, attempted to negotiate with the armed and barricaded Mormons. Aware that a show of aggression could spark a battle, the parties were nonetheless unable to come to an agreement to hand over power. Judge McKean issued an even more strongly worded injunction, and Brigham Young advised his followers that they had an obligation to obey the federal courts. The county courthouse was abandoned, thus beginning about five years of Liberal Party rule. However, the Utah Territory, Utah territorial legislature, which had the last say on the qualifications of its members, refused to seat the Liberal Party representative from Tooele County. The Liberals won an unopposed 1876 election. In 1876, the territorial legislature passed bills requiring voter registration and requiring women's suffrage for local elections—women had been voting in territorial elections since 1870. The Liberal Party, typically supported by male miners casually interested in politics, opposed both measures. In 1878 the Liberal majority in Tooele County disappeared, and the People's Party regained control in 1879 after more than six months of Liberal procedural delays. The Republic of Tooele era was characterized by subsequent politicians as one of excessive spending. The county was left with about $16,000 debt, significantly more than it started with.

Modern Tooele

Mining continued to play an important part in Tooele County into the 20th century, but the county benefited from two major military bases located in the western portion of the county. Wendover Air Force Base, now closed, was the training base of the Enola Gay crew, which dropped the first Nuclear weapon, atomic weapon in 1945. The

, built in 1942, formerly housed the largest store of chemical weapon, chemical and biological weapons, 45 percent of the nation's, in the United States, at the Deseret Chemical Depot. Starting August 1996, the store was reduced by destruction in a controversial weapons incinerator, at the Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility; the last such weapon was destroyed in January 2012. Since the 1980s, much of Tooele County's economic prospects have centered around private hazardous waste disposal facilities. Between 1988 and 1993, hazardous waste landfills and incinerators have been installed at Clive, Utah, Clive and Aragonite, Utah, Aragonite.J. Matthew Shumway and Richard H. Jackson, "Place Making, Hazardous Waste, and the Development of Tooele County, Utah". ''The Geographical Review'', 98 (2008), pp. 433-455. This, coupled with uranium mine tailings from Salt Lake County which were disposed in Tooele County in the 1980s, the presence of the Deseret Chemical Depot, and a high-polluting magnesium facility in Rowley, Utah, Rowley, have contributed to a general perception of Tooele County as a "sacrifice zone" for unwanted wastes. News coverage for the county is provided by the ''Tooele Transcript-Bulletin'' newspaper. On September 8, 2004, the Genesis (spacecraft), Genesis spacecraft crashed into the desert floor of the

in Tooele County. The county's western portion is home to the Bonneville Salt Flats, traversed by Interstate 80 in Utah, Interstate 80 and the Wendover Cut-off, the former routing of the Victory Highway in Utah, Victory Highway.

Geography

Tooele County lies on the west side of Utah. Its west border abuts the east border of the state of

. Its northeast border abuts the Great Salt Lake. Three significant mountain ranges run north–south through the county. Its east boundary line is delineated by the crestline of the

, which separate the Tooele Valley from the Salt Lake Valley. The

parallel the Oquirrhs in the eastern part of the county, and the Cedar Mountains (Tooele County, Utah), Cedar Mountains also run parallel to the other two through the east-central part of the county. There are also isolated prominences across the county, especially at its SW corner. The county terrain is largely arid and unused for agriculture unless irrigation water is available.''Tooele County UT'' Google Maps
/ref> The county generally slopes to the north. Its highest elevation is Deseret Peak Wilderness, Deseret Peak in the Stansburys, at ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (4.7%) is water. Covering vast amounts of the Great Salt Lake desert west of

, Tooele County is the second largest county in

and among the driest. The Skull Valley Indian Reservation lies in Skull Valley (Utah), Skull Valley, between the Cedar and Stansbury mountain ranges.

Major highways

* Interstate 80 in Utah, Interstate 80 * Utah State Route 36 * Utah State Route 73 * Utah State Route 112 * Utah State Route 138 * Utah State Route 179 * Utah State Route 196 * Utah State Route 199

Adjacent counties

* Box Elder County, Utah, Box Elder County - north * Weber County, Utah, Weber County - northeast (across Great Salt Lake) * Davis County, Utah, Davis County - east (across Great Salt Lake) * Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt Lake County - east * Utah County, Utah, Utah County - east * Juab County, Utah, Juab County - south * White Pine County, Nevada -southwest * Elko County, Nevada - west

Protected areas

* Salt Springs Waterfowl Management Area * Timpie Springs Waterfowl Management Area * Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest (part) ** Wasatch National Forest (part) * Deseret Peak Wilderness Area

Lakes

* Atherley Reservoir * Big Spring (near Callao, Utah, Callao) * Big Spring (Skull Valley) * Big Spring (near Timpie Springs) * Black Spring * Blue Lake (Salt Springs Waterfowl Management Area) * Blue Lakes (in and near Grantsville) * Chadman Spring * Cold Spring * Deep Creek Reservoir * Dry Lake (Dugway Proving Ground) * Dry Lake (East Tintic Mountains) * Grantsville Reservoir * Greasewood Pond * Great Salt Lake (partially) * Horseshoe Springs * Jacobs Hole * JB Reservoir * Jenning Springs * Kanaka Lake * Last Chance Lakes * Mill Pond * Muskrat Spring * North Table Mountain Reservoir * North Willow Lake * Oswald Reservoir * Redden Springs * Rock Bottom Pond * Rocky Spring * Rush Lake (Tooele County, Utah), Rush Lake * Salt Springs * Scribner Spring * Settlement Canyon Reservoir * Simpson Springs * South Willow Lake * Staley Reservoir * Stansbury Lake * SunTen Lake I * SunTen Lake II * Swimming Hole * Timpie Springs * Valley Reservoir * Vernon Reservoir * Warm Spring (near

) * Warm Springs (near Grantsville) * Willow Patch Springs * Wilson Health Springs

Demographics

2020 census

According to the 2020 United States census and American Community Survey, 2020 American Community Survey, there were 72,698 people in Tooele County with a population density of 10.3 people per square mile (4.0/km²). Among non-Hispanic and Latino Americans, Hispanic or Latino people, the racial makeup was 58,199 (80.1%) White Americans, White, 436 (0.6%) African Americans, African American, 445 (0.6%) Native American, 511 (0.7%) Asian Americans, Asian, 637 (0.9%) Pacific Islander Americans, Pacific Islander, 282 (0.4%) from Race and ethnicity in the United States census, other races, and 2,666 (3.7%) from Multiracial Americans, two or more races. 9,522 (13.1%) people were Hispanic or Latino. There were 36,687 (50.46%) males and 36,011 (49.54%) females, and the population distribution by age was 23,959 (33.0%) under the age of 18, 41,869 (57.6%) from 18 to 64, and 6,870 (9.5%) who were at least 65 years old. The median age was 31.4 years. There were 22,087 households in Tooele County with an average size of 3.29 of which 17,531 (79.4%) were families and 4,556 (20.6%) were non-families. Among all families, 13,990 (63.3%) were Marriage, married couples, 1,398 (6.3%) were male householders with no spouse, and 2,143 (9.7%) were female householders with no spouse. Among all non-families, 3,572 (16.2%) were a single person living alone and 984 (4.5%) were two or more people living together. 10,566 (47.8%) of all households had children under the age of 18. 17,970 (81.4%) of households were Owner-occupancy, owner-occupied while 4,117 (18.6%) were Renting, renter-occupied. The median income for a Tooele County household was $76,737 and the median family income was $83,730, with a per-capita income of $27,702. The median income for males that were Full-time job, full-time employees was $57,579 and for females $40,845. 5.9% of the population and 4.7% of families were below the Poverty threshold, poverty line. In terms of education attainment, out of the 40,623 people in Tooele County 25 years or older, 3,224 (7.9%) had High school dropouts in the United States, not completed high school, 12,971 (31.9%) had a high school diploma or equivalency, 15,055 (37.1%) had some college or associate degree, 6,091 (15.0%) had a bachelor's degree, and 3,282 (8.1%) had a Postgraduate education, graduate or professional degree.

Environmental concerns

Heavy industry and the resulting pollution of the air, soil, and groundwater has affected the region in several ways. The US Environmental Protection Agency has reported that Tooele-based Renco Group, US Magnesium discharges dangerous toxins and cancerous byproducts. In 2008, the US Government considered listing the area as a Superfund site. Tooele County was listed in 1989 as having the worst air in Utah, according to Federal agencies and environmental groups. The Tooele County Health Department notes that the chemical output of the heavy industry can be particularly dangerous in the winter, because the region's climate and setting create winter inversions, suspending the toxins in the air, and posing "serious health concerns". Due to the history of toxic waste disposal in the area, Tooele County and Utah residents have opposed plans to dispose of nuclear waste in the county boundaries. A high level nuclear waste site proposed to be built at the Goshute Tribe Reservation in Skull Valley faced opposition until the plan slowly fizzled out. Projects to dispose of depleted uranium at Energy Solution's Clive facility continue to cause controversy.

Politics and government

From 1932 United States presidential election in Utah, 1932 through 1968 United States presidential election in Utah, 1968, Tooele County tended Democratic, selecting the Democratic nominee in every election save 1956 United States presidential election in Utah, 1956 (but being blue enough to vote for Adlai Stevenson II, Stevenson in 1952 United States presidential election in Utah, 1952). From 1972 United States presidential election in Utah, 1972 on, however, it has become powerfully Republican, voting Democratic only once in this period thus far, for Bill Clinton in 1996 United States presidential election in Utah, 1996 (with a low plurality and by a narrow margin).

Education

All parts of Tooele County are in the Tooele School District.
Text list
/ref> Tooele is home to one of the nine statewide regional campuses of Utah State University.

Communities

Cities

* Grantsville * Lake Point *

(county seat) *

Towns

* Stockton * Vernon

Census-designated places

* Dugway, Utah, Dugway *

* Stansbury Park

Townships

* Lincoln, Utah, Pine Canyon (aka Lincoln)

Unincorporated communities

* Delle, Utah, Delle *

* Gold Hill, Utah, Gold Hill *

* Lofgreen, Utah, Lofgreen * South Rim, Utah, South Rim * Terra, Utah, Terra

Ghost towns

* Ajax, Utah, Ajax * Aragonite, Utah, Aragonite * Arinosa, Utah, Arinosa * Barro, Utah, Barro * Bauer, Utah, Bauer * Benmore, Utah, Benmore * Burmester, Utah, Burmester * Center, Utah, Center * Clifton, Utah, Clifton * Clive, Utah, Clive * Flux, Utah, Flux * Iosepa, Utah, Iosepa * Jacob City, Utah, Jacob City * Knolls, Utah, Knolls * Low, Utah, Low * Mercur * Pehrson, Utah, Pehrson * Rowley, Utah, Rowley * Salduro, Utah, Salduro * Scranton, Utah, Scranton * Slagtown, Utah, Slagtown * Sunshine, Utah, Sunshine * Topliff, Utah, Topliff * West Dip, Utah, West Dip

References

External links

*
Tooele County School District

Tooele County Chamber of Commerce
{{Coord, 40.45, -113.18, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-UT_source:UScensus1990 Tooele County, Utah, 1851 establishments in Utah Territory Populated places established in 1851 Salt Lake City metropolitan area The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah