Orem, Utah | |
---|---|
Nickname: Family City USA | |
Coordinates: 40°17′56″N111°41′47″W / 40.29889°N 111.69639°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Utah |
County | Utah |
Settled | 1877 |
Town charter granted | May 5, 1919 |
Named for | Walter C. Orem |
Government | |
• Mayor | David Young |
• Spokesman | Steven Downs |
• City Manager | James P. Davidson [1] |
Area | |
• Total | 18.57 sq mi (48.10 km2) |
• Land | 18.57 sq mi (48.10 km2) |
• Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
Elevation | 4,774 ft (1,455 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 98,129 [2] |
• Density | 5,267.22/sq mi (2,033.67/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
Area codes | 385, 801 |
FIPS code | 49-57300 [3] |
GNIS feature ID | 1444110 [4] |
Website | www |
Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is approximately 45 miles south of Salt Lake City.
Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Utah and Juab counties. The 2020 population was 98,129, [2] while the 2010 population was 88,328 [5] making it the 5th most populous city in Utah. Utah Valley University is located in Orem.
At one time the area was known as Sharon , a Biblical name for a mostly level strip of land running between mountains and the sea, and the name of the Vermont birth town of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. [6] Another former name was Provo Bench. [6] In an apparent attempt to attract more investment to the town and provide an easy way for the large population of farmers with orchards to ship produce, in 1914 it was named after Walter C. Orem, President of the Salt Lake and Utah Railroad in the early 1900s. [7] Orem was incorporated on May 5, 1919.
Orem is renowned for the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, and its Summerfest celebration and parade in June is a popular local attraction.[ citation needed ]
Orem is located at 40°17′56″N111°41′47″W / 40.29889°N 111.69639°W (40.298753, -111.696486). [8] Situated in a high desert, with an average elevation of 4,756 feet. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.4 square miles (48 km2), all land. The city is located near the eastern shore of Utah Lake, bordering Provo on the east and south, Vineyard to the west, Lindon contiguous to the north, and Mount Timpanogos/Wasatch Mountain range to the east.
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1890 | 435 | — | |
1900 | 692 | 59.1% | |
1910 | 1,064 | 53.8% | |
1920 | 1,664 | 56.4% | |
1930 | 1,915 | 15.1% | |
1940 | 2,914 | 52.2% | |
1950 | 8,351 | 186.6% | |
1960 | 18,394 | 120.3% | |
1970 | 25,729 | 39.9% | |
1980 | 52,399 | 103.7% | |
1990 | 67,561 | 28.9% | |
2000 | 84,324 | 24.8% | |
2010 | 88,328 | 4.7% | |
2020 | 98,129 | 11.1% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [9] [2] |
This section needs expansionwith: examples with reliable citations. You can help by adding to it. (September 2021) |
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000 [10] | Pop 2010 [11] | Pop 2020 [12] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
White alone (NH) | 73,076 | 68,433 | 68,948 | 86.66% | 77.48% | 70.26% |
Black or African American alone (NH) | 267 | 524 | 866 | 0.32% | 0.59% | 0.88% |
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 521 | 528 | 485 | 0.62% | 0.60% | 0.49% |
Asian alone (NH) | 1,202 | 1,688 | 1,968 | 1.43% | 1.91% | 2.01% |
Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 710 | 856 | 1,409 | 0.84% | 0.97% | 1.44% |
Other race alone (NH) | 103 | 162 | 469 | 0.12% | 0.18% | 0.48% |
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 1,228 | 1,913 | 4,130 | 1.46% | 2.17% | 4.21% |
Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 7,217 | 14,224 | 19,854 | 8.56% | 16.10% | 20.23% |
Total | 84,324 | 88,328 | 98,129 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of 2011 the 88,112 residents of Orem had a racial and ethnic composition of 89.3% white, 0.9% black or African American, 0.9% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.5% Pacific Islander Americans, 4% non-Hispanics reporting some other race, 2.9% two or more races reported and 14.8% Hispanic, as Orem has a large Mexican American community with other Latinos residing in the city. This contrasts with the census [3] of 2000, which showed a racial makeup of 90.80% White, 0.33% African American, 0.73% Native American, 1.45% Asian, 0.86% Pacific Islander, 3.64% from other races, and 2.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.56% of the population.
The 2000 Census counted 84,324 people, 23,382 households, and 19,079 families. The population density at that time was 4,572.6 people per square mile (1,765.5 people/km2). There were 24,166 housing units at an average density of 1,310.4 per square mile (505.9/km2). There were 23,382 households, out of which 48.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.0% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.4% were non-families. 12.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.57 and the average family size was 3.93.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 35.4% under the age of 18, 17.4% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 14.5% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $52,703, and the median income for a family was $59,066. Males had a median income of $42,249 versus $30,742 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,971. About 10.3% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16% of those under age 18 and 6% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2002, over 97% of all church-going citizens of Orem are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. [13] [ better source needed ] Due to the high numbers of Latter-day Saints in the area, Church President Russell M. Nelson announced a temple in Orem on October 5, 2019. [14] The temple is located a half mile south of the Interstate 15 exit at University Parkway on South Geneva Road.
Orem is located in the Alpine School District [15] and is home to three high schools, three junior high schools, and 14 elementary schools. [16] Stevens-Henager College is also located in Orem, as is an education center of Utah State University.
Utah Valley University is a public university operated by the state of Utah. UVU is one of the United States' only Open Enrollment Universities offering acceptance to all applicants. As a university, UVU offers a wide variety of bachelor's and master's degrees. UVU is the largest and fastest growing public university in Utah with its attendance of over 43,000 undergraduates. [17] The campus's notable features include the UCCU Center, the Digital Learning Center library, the Hal Wing Track and Field Complex, and the Woodbury School of Business. The Roots of Knowledge stained glass display is located in the Fulton Library on campus. [18]
The city of Orem is governed by a council-manager system. The mayor and council members are elected and serve part-time, while the city manager is appointed and serves full-time. There are six city council members that serve alongside the mayor. The mayor and city council are elected to staggered four year terms. [19]
Name | Position | Elected/Appointed | Year First Elected/Appointed | Number of Terms Served (Includes Current Term) | Current Term Ends |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
David Young | Mayor | Elected | 2021 [20] | 1 | 2025 [20] |
Jenn Gale | City Council | Elected | 2023 [21] | 1 | 2027 [21] |
Chris Killpack | City Council | Elected | 2023 [21] | 1 | 2027 [21] |
Jeff Lambson | City Council | Elected | 2019 [22] | 2 | 2027 [21] |
Tom Macdonald | City Council | Elected | 2013 [23] | 3 | 2025 [24] |
LaNae Millett | City Council | Elected | 2021 [25] | 1 | 2025 [25] |
David Spencer | City Council | Elected | 2013 [23] | 3 | 2025 [24] |
Brenn Bybee | City Manager | Appointed | 2023 [26] | N/A | N/A |
List of mayors of Orem (years served):
Orem has a wide variety of stores and businesses. Orem is also home to University Place, the oldest mall in Utah County, opened in March 1973. [30]
According to the city's 2023 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, [31] the top employers in the city are:
# | Employer | # of employees | Percent of Total City Employment |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Utah Valley University | 3,030 | 5.9% |
2 | Alpine School District | 1,222 | 2.4% |
3 | City of Orem | 569 | 1.1% |
4 | Timpanogos Regional Hospital | 507 | 1.0% |
5 | Avetta, LLC | 500 | 1.0% |
6 | Wal-Mart | 499 | 1.0% |
7 | Target Corporation | 409 | 0.8% |
8 | United Parcel Service, Inc. | 360 | 0.7% |
9 | Costco | 350 | 0.7% |
10 | U.S. Synthetic Corporation | 347 | 0.7% |
Total | 7,793 | 15.3% |
Several notable companies started in Orem:
Orem has been home to a number of professional sports teams in addition to being the home to Utah Valley University's Wolverines athletic teams. The Orem Owlz minor league baseball team, a rookie league affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels, began play in 2005. [32] The Owlz won 5 championships and had more than 90 major league players as part of the team. [33] The Owlz played their home games at UCCU Ballpark on the campus of Utah Valley University. The stadium has a capacity of 5,000 spectators. [34] The Owlz competed in the Pioneer League against teams from Colorado, Idaho, Montana and one team in Utah - the Ogden Raptors. [35] They relocated to Windsor, Colorado, in 2021 and became the Northern Colorado Owlz. [36]
Orem has also been the home to two indoor football teams as well as a G League professional basketball team. In 1998, the Utah Catzz played their only season in the Professional Indoor Football League as the league only lasted one season. The Utah Flash was an NBA G League affiliate of the Philadelphia 76ers that was established in 2007.
Club | Sport | League | Venue | Established | Concluded | Championships | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Orem Owlz | Baseball | Pioneer League, Baseball | UCCU Ballpark | 2005 | 2020 | 5 | The Pioneer League 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
Utah Catzz | Football | Professional Indoor Football League | UCCU Center | 1998 | 1998 | 0 | The Professional Indoor Football League only operated for one year during the 1998 season. |
Utah Flash | Basketball | NBA G League | UCCU Center | 2007 | 2011 | 0 | The Utah Flash was later moved and is now known as the Delaware Blue Coats. |
Utah Valley Thunder | Football | American Indoor Football Association | UCCU Center | 2009 | 2009 | 0 | The Utah Valley Thunder returned to the Arena Football League until 2013. |
Several modes of transportation are available in Orem. The Utah Transit Authority operates the Frontrunner train, Utah Valley Express (UVX) bus rapid transit and regular bus service in the city. The Orem station serves Utah Transit Authority's FrontRunner train. [37] The UVX route runs from Orem Central Station through UVU and along University Parkway through Orem's uptown near its southern boundary with Provo, which is where the opposite end of the bus line is located. [38]
The road system includes an Interstate highway, US highways, state highways, and city-maintained roads. Interstate 15 runs through the west side of Orem with four interchanges in the city. [39] US Highway 89 (State Street) runs northwest–southeast through the middle of the city, while US Highway 189 (University Avenue) passes through a short section of northeast Orem. There are also four state routes that pass through the city - SR-52 (800 North/Canyon Parkway), SR-114 (Geneva Road), SR-241 (1600 North), and SR-265 (University Parkway). [40]
Notable groups include:
Orem has more than 20 parks throughout the city. In 2017, the Orem Splash Pad opened at Palisade Park. The Splash Pad uses 1,000 gallons per minute and has a weave spray nozzle as well as 22 other spray nozzles. [42] The Skate Park opened in 2002 and has a quarter acre of cemented space for extreme sport use. [43] City Center Park is home to the annual Orem Summerfest as well as concerts and other cultural events. [44] City parks include: [45]
Orem has one sister city in Ürümqi, China, according to the Utah League of Cities and Towns and the Utah Sister Cities Coalition. [46]
Utah County is the second-most populous county in the U.S. state of Utah. The county seat and largest city is Provo, which is the state's fourth-largest city, and the largest outside of Salt Lake County. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 665,665.
Provo is a city in and the county seat of Utah County, Utah, United States. It is 43 miles (69 km) south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front, and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south. With a population at the 2020 census of 115,162, Provo is the fourth-largest city in Utah and the principal city in the Provo-Orem metropolitan area, which had a population of 526,810 at the 2010 census. It is Utah's second-largest metropolitan area after Salt Lake City.
Pleasant Grove, originally named Battle Creek, is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, known as "Utah's City of Trees". It is part of the Provo–Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 37,726 at the 2020 Census.
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.
Utah Valley University (UVU) is a public university in Orem, Utah. UVU offers master's, bachelor's, associate degrees, and certificates. Previously called Utah Valley State College, the school attained university status in July 2008.
Utah Valley is a valley in North Central Utah located in Utah County, and is considered part of the Wasatch Front. It contains the cities of Provo, Orem, and their suburbs, including Alpine, American Fork, Cedar Hills, Elk Ridge, Highland, Lehi, Lindon, Mapleton, Payson, Pleasant Grove, Salem, Santaquin, Saratoga Springs, Spanish Fork, Springville, Vineyard and Woodland Hills. It is known colloquially as "Happy Valley".
The Orem Owlz were a Minor League Baseball team located in Orem, Utah, United States, from 2001 to 2020. The team competed in the Pioneer League as a Rookie League affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The Owlz played their home games at Home of the Owlz on the campus of Utah Valley University. They were previously known as the Provo Angels from 2001 to 2004. In conjunction with a contraction of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Pioneer League, of which the Owlz had been members since 2001, was converted from an MLB-affiliated Rookie Advanced league to an independent baseball league and granted status as an MLB Partner League. Concurrent to this change, the Owlz relocated to Windsor, Colorado, and became the Northern Colorado Owlz.
DoTerra Field at UCCU Ballpark, is a baseball park in the western United States, on the campus of Utah Valley University (UVU) in southwestern Orem, Utah. It is the home field of the Utah Valley Wolverines of the NCAA Division I Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
Provo Airport, formerly Provo Municipal Airport, is a public-use airport on east shore of Utah Lake on the southwestern edge of Provo, in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is a small regional airport with domestic flights mainly to destinations in the western United States.
Hotel Roberts was a historic hotel located in central Provo, Utah, United States, that was formerly listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
University Place, previously known as University Mall, is a single-story shopping mall located in Orem, Utah, United States. It currently has three anchor stores: Dillard's, RC Willey, and Al's Sporting Goods. The mall is owned and managed by Woodbury Corporation. With 1,500,000 square feet (140,000 m2) of retail space and 5,400 parking spaces, it was once the largest shopping mall in Utah.
The Provo–Orem, UT Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget, is an area consisting of two counties in Utah, anchored by the cities of Provo and Orem. As of the 2020 census, the MSA had a population of 671,185.
The Salt Lake City metropolitan area is the metropolitan area centered on the city of Salt Lake City, Utah. The Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau currently define the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area as comprising two counties: Salt Lake and Tooele. As of the 2020 census, the MSA had a population of 1,257,936. The Salt Lake City Metropolitan Area and the Ogden-Clearfield Metropolitan Area were a single metropolitan area known as the Salt Lake City-Ogden Metropolitan Area until being separated in 2005.
The Timpanogos Storytelling Festival takes place Labor Day weekend at the end of each summer in Lehi, Utah. The festival draws a combined attendance of about 26,000 people each year, making it one of the largest storytelling festival in the United States. The festival typically lasts two days and invites professional storytellers from throughout the United States. In addition to daytime performances on Friday and Saturday, there are typically themed public performances in the evenings, such as Look Who's Talking, Bedtime Stories, My Favorite Stories, and Laughing' Night.
John Ream Curtis is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Utah's 3rd congressional district since 2017. Before his election to Congress, Curtis, a Republican, served as mayor of Provo, Utah, from 2010 to 2017. On November 7, 2017, he won a special election to replace Jason Chaffetz in Congress after Chaffetz resigned. He was reelected in 2018, 2020, and 2022. He is the Republican nominee in the 2024 United States Senate election in Utah.
Utah Valley Express, also known as UVX, is a bus rapid transit (BRT) line in central Utah County, Utah, United States. The line is operated by the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) and runs between southwest Orem to south central Provo by way of Utah Valley University (UVU) and Brigham Young University (BYU). It began service with a soft opening on August 13, 2018 while the station platforms were being finished and was formally opened on January 9, 2019. It is the second of several BRT lines that UTA has or is planning in Utah County and the Salt Lake Valley.
The Mount Timpanogos Transit Center was a staffed, open air bus transfer station in southeast Orem, Utah, United States. It functioned as both the Utah Transit Authority's (UTA) customer service center for Utah County, as well as a bus transfer center for UTA's buses in east central Utah Valley. Prior to the opening of the FrontRunner commuter rail extension south to Provo in 2012), it was the busiest bus stop within the entire UTA bus system.
Meridian School is a private non-denominational liberal arts school in Springville, Utah, serving students from preschool to twelfth grade.
The municipal flag of Provo, Utah, United States, features the city's logo on a light blue field. It was adopted on January 6, 2015, after a multi-year debate to replace the previous one. The former flag, adopted in 1989, was ridiculed in particular for its perceived ugliness and its similarity to the Centrum logo, and was voted one of the worst American city flags by the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA).
The Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine is a private, for-profit medical school for osteopathic medicine located in the city of Provo in the U.S. state of Utah. It is the third medical school in the state, and the second school of osteopathic medicine.
Howard Tayler is the award-winning cartoonist responsible for Schlock Mercenary and the inventor of the "chupaqueso." He's married and lives in Orem, UT[...].