Independence, Utah

Last updated

Independence
Town
Wasatch County Utah incorporated and unincorporated areas Independence highlighted.svg
Location in Wasatch County and the State of Utah
Coordinates: 40°23′37″N111°17′32″W / 40.39361°N 111.29222°W / 40.39361; -111.29222
CountryUnited States
State Utah
County Wasatch
Incorporated June 5, 2008
Founded byMelvin McQuarrie
Area
[1]
 • Total30.55 sq mi (79.12 km2)
 • Land30.55 sq mi (79.12 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
[2]
7,073 ft (2,156 m)
Population
 (2010) [3]
 • Total164
 • Estimate 
(2019) [4]
198
 • Density6.48/sq mi (2.50/km2)
Time zone UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code
84032
Area code 435
GNIS feature ID2547778 [2]
Website www.independenceut.org

Independence is a town in Wasatch County, Utah, United States. [2] Lying just east of U.S. Route 40 southeast of Heber City, Independence was incorporated in 2008 under a controversial, short-lived state law. The population was 164 at the 2010 census.

Contents

Geography

Independence is a sparsely populated rural community in Daniel's Canyon in the Wasatch Mountains. It consists of farmland [5] and wooded mountain slopes. Just to the southeast of the young town of Daniel, Independence lies on a popular recreational corridor between Heber City and Strawberry Reservoir.

History

In 2007, the Utah State Legislature unanimously passed H.B. 466, a bill that amended the state law on petitions to incorporate a town. The new provisions allowed a petition for a new town with 100–999 residents to be filed with just the signatures of the owners of a majority of the land area, [6] even a single majority landowner. [7] If the petition met the conditions of state law and its signers owned the majority of the land by value, the new law required the county government to grant the petition and appoint a mayor and town council from a list of individuals approved by the petitioners. [6] In July 2007 Ruby's Inn, in Garfield County, became the first to take advantage of the law, incorporating as Bryce Canyon City. [8]

A group of Wasatch County landowners led by developer Mel McQuarrie filed the first petition to incorporate Independence on October 12, 2007, but county officials denied it for an incomplete land survey. Some residents who would have been included in the original boundaries of the proposed town petitioned to be annexed into nearby Daniel, rather than be included in Independence. The incorporation petitioners re-filed on December 17, 2007. [7]

In its review of the second petition, the Wasatch County Council allowed some potential Independence residents to opt out of the proposal on February 6, 2008, then denied incorporation again on February 13, 2008, this time for insufficient population. [9]

By March 2008, the legislature had amended the law again, unanimously passing H.B. 164, which required a petition for incorporation to have the support of half the residents, and provided for an elected mayor and town council. [10] There must also be at least five petition sponsors, who were not allowed themselves to own more than 40 percent of the land. [11] An effort to make the new law retroactive failed, and petitions filed under H.B. 466 went forward. [10] Among those grandfathered in were the third Independence petition, which had been filed just before the repeal, [12] as well as pending requests for the town of Hideout, also in Wasatch County, and Powder Mountain in Weber County. [13]

The Wasatch County Council finally granted the petition to incorporate Independence on April 2, 2008. [5]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
2010 164—
2019 (est.)198 [4] 20.7%
U.S. Decennial Census [14]

At Independence's incorporation, the Utah Population Estimates Committee produced an official population estimate of 117. [15] Many of the residents live on land that has been in their families for generations. [9]

As of the census of 2010, there were 164 people living in the town. [3] There were 66 housing units. The racial makeup of the town was 98.2% White, 0.6% Asian, 0.6% from some other race, and 0.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.8% of the population.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utah</span> U.S. state

Utah is a landlocked state in the 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 its northeast, Idaho to its north, and Nevada to its west. In comparison to all the U.S. states and territories, Utah, with a population of just over three million, is the 13th largest by area, the 30th most populous, and the 11th least densely populated. Urban development is mostly concentrated in two regions: the Wasatch Front in the north-central part of the state, which includes the state capital, Salt Lake City, and is home to roughly two-thirds of the population; and Washington County in the southwest, which has somewhat more than 180,000 residents. Most of the western half of Utah lies in the Great Basin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davis County, Utah</span> County in Utah, United States

Davis County is a county in northern Utah, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 362,679, making it Utah's third-most populous county. Its county seat is Farmington, and its largest city by both population and area is Layton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salt Lake County, Utah</span> County in Utah, United States

Salt Lake County is located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 1,185,238, making it the most populous county in Utah. Its county seat and largest city is Salt Lake City, the state capital. The county was created in 1850. Salt Lake County is the 37th most populated county in the United States and is one of four counties in the Rocky Mountains to make it into the top 100. Salt Lake County has been the only county of the first class in Utah – under the Utah Code is a county with a population of 700,000 or greater. Although, Utah County directly to the south has recently reached this threshold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tooele County, Utah</span> County in Utah, United States

Tooele County is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 72,698. Its county seat and largest city is Tooele. The county was created in 1850 and organized the following year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wasatch County, Utah</span> County in Utah, United States

Wasatch County is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 34,788. Its county seat and largest city is Heber City. The county was named for a Ute word meaning "mountain pass" or "low place in the high mountains".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocky Ridge, Utah</span> Town in the state of Utah, United States

Rocky Ridge is a town on the northeastern edge of Juab County, Utah, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 733, and in 2018 the estimated population was 833.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herriman, Utah</span> City in Utah, United States

Herriman is a city in southwestern Salt Lake County, Utah. The population was 55,144 as of the 2020 census. Although Herriman was a town in 2000, it has since been classified as a third-class city by state law. The city has experienced rapid growth since incorporation in 1999, as its population was just 1,523 at the 2000 census. It grew from being the 111th-largest incorporated place in Utah in 2000 to the 14th-largest in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magna, Utah</span> City in Utah, United States

Magna is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. The current population of the city stands at 29,251 according to the 2020 census, a 10.4% increase over 26,505 in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Millcreek, Utah</span> City in Utah, United States

Millcreek is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States, and part of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The population as of the 2020 census was 63,380. Prior to its incorporation on December 28, 2016, Millcreek was a census-designated place (CDP) and township.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murray, Utah</span> City in Utah, United States

Murray is a city situated on the Wasatch Front in the core of Salt Lake Valley in the U.S. state of Utah. Named for territorial governor Eli Murray, the city had a population of 50,637 as of the 2020 United States Census. Murray shares borders with Taylorsville, Holladay, South Salt Lake, Millcreek and West Jordan, Utah. Once teeming with heavy industry, Murray's industry mix has now shifted significantly toward healthcare, retail, and professional, scientific, and technical services. Known for its central location in Salt Lake County, Murray has been called the Hub of Salt Lake County. Unlike most of its neighboring communities, Murray operates its own police, fire, power, water, library, and parks and recreation departments and has its own school district. While maintaining many of its own services, Murray has one of the lowest city tax rates in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heber City, Utah</span> City in Utah, United States

Heber City is a city and county seat of Wasatch County, Utah. The population was 16,856 as of the 2020 United States census. The city is located 43 miles southeast of Salt Lake City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midway, Utah</span> City in Utah, United States

Midway is a city in northwestern Wasatch County, Utah, United States. It is located in the Heber Valley, approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Heber City and 28 miles (45 km) southeast of Salt Lake City, on the opposite side of the Wasatch Mountains. The population was 6,003 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wasatch Front</span> Region in Utah, United States

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 mostly contiguous cities and towns stretched along the Wasatch Range from Santaquin in the south to Logan in the north, and containing the cities of Salt Lake City, Provo, Orem, Bountiful, Layton, and Ogden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ rights in Utah</span>

The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Utah have significantly evolved in the 21st century. Protective laws have become increasingly enacted since 2014, despite the state's reputation as socially conservative and highly religious. Utah's anti-sodomy law was invalidated in 2003 by Lawrence v. Texas, and fully repealed by the state legislature in 2019. Same-sex marriage has been legal since the state's ban was ruled unconstitutional by federal courts in 2014. In addition, statewide anti-discrimination laws now cover sexual orientation and gender identity in employment and housing, and the use of conversion therapy on minors is prohibited. In spite of this, there are still a few differences between the treatment of LGBTQ people and the rest of the population, and the rights of transgender youth are restricted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Becker (Utah politician)</span> American politician

Ralph Elihu Becker Jr. is an American politician, planner, and attorney who served as the Minority Leader of the Utah State House of Representatives and the 34th mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryce Canyon City, Utah</span> Town in the state of Utah, United States

Bryce Canyon City, sometimes shown as Bryce on maps, is a town in Garfield County, Utah, United States, adjacent to Bryce Canyon National Park. The town, formerly known as Ruby's Inn, was officially incorporated on July 23, 2007, under a short-lived state law. The population was 336 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hideout, Utah</span> Town in the state of Utah, United States

Hideout is a town in the northwestern corner of Wasatch County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. Lying just to the north and east of Jordanelle Reservoir along Utah State Route 248 (SR-248), the town was incorporated in 2008 under short-lived state law. The population was 656 at the 2010 census.

Utah is the 30th most populous state in the United States with a population of about 3.3 million, according to projections from the US Census Bureau's 2017 estimates. The state has also been characterized by a tremendous amount of growth in the last decade, with the highest percent increase in population of any state since 2010. Utah has a surface area of 84,899 square miles, though around 80% of its population is concentrated around a metropolitan area in the north-central part of the state known as the Wasatch Front.

References

  1. ↑ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Town of Independence
  3. 1 2 "American FactFinder". factfinder2.census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
  4. 1 2 "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Palmer, Rebecca Palmer (April 9, 2008). "Wasatch County town of Independence to be incorporated". Deseret News . Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2009.
  6. 1 2 "H.B. 466—Incorporation of a Town Amendments". le.utah.gov. Utah State Legislature. 2007. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
  7. 1 2 Dougherty, Joseph M. (December 18, 2007). "Petition filed to create 3rd new city in Wasatch". Deseret News . Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Archived from the original on January 31, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2009.
  8. ↑ Stolz, Martin (July 24, 2007). "In Utah, a 'Company Town' Means Just That". The New York Times . New York City. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
  9. 1 2 Palmer, Rebecca (February 14, 2008). "Wasatch County Council votes against creation of 2 new towns". Deseret News . Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2009.
  10. 1 2 Smart, Christopher (March 5, 2008). "Senate OKs town-incorporation bill". The Salt Lake Tribune . Salt Lake City: Brian Huntsman. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  11. ↑ "H.B. 164—Town Incorporation Process Amendments". le.utah.gov. Utah State Legislature. 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
  12. ↑ "Mayor, town council selection delayed in Wasatch County". Deseret News . Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. May 8, 2008. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Background". powdermountaincitizensrights.com. Powder Mountain Citizen's Rights Coalition. Retrieved December 3, 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  14. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". census.gov. United States Census Bureau . Retrieved June 4, 2015– via webcitation.org.
  15. ↑ "GOPB DEA Sub County Estimates". governor.utah.gov. Governor's Office of Planning and Budget – State of Utah. 2008. Archived from the original on September 1, 2009. Retrieved September 29, 2009– via web.archive.org.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.