As of the 2020 census, the city population was 8,201. It lies in the Mormon Corridor, just off Interstate 70, approximately 40 miles (64km) east of its junction with Interstate 15. The county can be best described as "rural diversified" due to the convergence of agricultural, retail and industrial activities. Richfield has developed as a regional tourist center because it is located on the interstate freeway about halfway between Los Angeles, California and Denver, Colorado, attracting many automobile travelers who stop at the city.
Richfield is remote from larger cities, about 100 miles (160km) or more in any direction from more populous towns such as Salt Lake City, while dozens of smaller communities are found in the general area. Some examples are Sigurd, Venice, Glenwood, and Central Valley. Its remoteness, plus its location on major transportation corridors, makes it central Utah's de facto regional capital, a shopping and "commercial capital of a vast mountain-valley region."[5] Many people from the region drive to Richfield to shop, bowl, golf, to attend theater, concerts, or for religious gatherings. They are also drawn to the community college, affiliated with Snow College, and go there to receive medical care. Richfield is part of "Panoramaland;" it is on the thoroughfare to several nearby national parks and national forests.
History
Prehistoric people occupied the Richfield area for more than 7,000 years. Fremont culture remains are found near most community sites in the Sevier area. They are dated from approximately CE 1 to CE 1000. In the late summer of 1776, Father Escalante and his party of Spanish explorers passed through the general vicinity, looking for a trail to link Nuevo Mexico and California. During the late 1820s, Jedediah Smith and other fur traders crossed the area. Sevier County lay on one of the variants on the Old Spanish Trail between Santa Fe, New Mexico, and California and was used by travelers between 1830 and 1850.
In early January 1864, a party of ten men under the leadership of Albert Lewis came from Sanpete County, Utah, and arrived in what is now Richfield. The Mormon settlers found fertile soil, good water, and wood in the nearby hills. They decided that it was a desirable site for a settlement. These pioneers made a dwelling place for all ten men, which they called 'The Hole in the Ground.' They carefully covered this hole with brush willows and other materials and made a crude chimney of rocks. This dugout was located on today's Main Street. These men spent the remainder of the winter in this dwelling, planning and preparing for when they could bring their families.
The early Mormon settlements were abandoned in 1867 due to the conflict known as the Black Hawk War. But, when resettled in 1871, Richfield grew to become a regional center. The coming of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad in 1891 opened the valley for expanded agricultural commerce and mining.
As in most settled areas of rural Utah, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) plays a prominent role. The Mormons were highly industrious settlers. From 1847, when they founded Salt Lake City, until 1877, they founded 360 towns.[6] Following direction from Brigham Young, Latter-day Saints founded the town and outlying hamlets about 150 years ago. Members of the LDS Church are predominant among the residents.[7]
Even in this heart of Mormon country, non-Mormons and non-participating Mormons, the latter euphemistically called "less-actives," fill a percentage of elected offices.[8] Due largely to combined influences of conservative rural culture and the Latter-day Saints, the voters of the city and the surrounding county are predominately Republican.
The Richfield area has 20 major denominational churches including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, St. Elizabeth Catholic Church, First Baptist Church, Sister of Holy Cross, Jehovah's Witnesses, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Assembly of God, and others.
Geography and climate
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.3 square miles (14km2), all land. Richfield is located 5,280 feet (1,610m) above sea level.
Richfield is served by major transportation access – situated along Interstate 70 and within 30 minutes of Interstate 15. Richfield is located 159 miles (256km) from Salt Lake City and 164 miles (264km) from St. George.
Richfield experiences a cold semi-arid climate (KöppenBSk) with four distinct seasons. Winter high temperatures average in the 30s and 40s with many milder days; low temperatures average in the teens and twenties, with a few mornings starting near or below zero. Snowfall is common, but usually melts in a day or two; however, deeper lasting snow cover is not uncommon. Still, December and January average among Richfield's drier months. Summer days are warm, with normal July highs in the 90s and occasional hot spells that near 100°F or 37.8°C. Nighttime temperatures during the summer are comfortable—usually in the 50s or 60s. From July through September, “monsoonal” thunderstorms frequently form over the nearby peaks contributing to over a third of the 8.12 inches or 206.2 millimetres of annual rainfall.[9] Because of its low humidity and mile-high altitude, the Sevier Valley experiences its average first frost by late September and its last in late May, despite the typically warm fall and spring days. Richfield's record high is 104°F (40°C), set on July 23, 1931, and July 13–14, 1939, and the record low is −33°F (−36.1°C), set on February 6, 1989.[10]
Average January temperatures are a high of 41.0°F (5.0°C) and a low of 17.0°F (−8.3°C). Average July temperatures are a high of 90.4°F (32.4°C) and a low of 53.7°F (12.1°C). There are an average of 44.3 afternoons with highs of 90°F (32.2°C) or higher and an average of 176.0 mornings with lows of 32°F (0°C) or lower.
The wettest calendar year was 1936 with 13.00 inches (330.2mm) and the driest 1976 with 4.36 inches (110.7mm). The most rainfall in one month was 4.50 inches (114.3mm) in October 1907. The most rainfall in 24 hours was 2.40 inches (61.0mm) on December 12, 1906. There are an average of 64 days with measurable precipitation. Average snowfall is 17.8 inches (450mm). The snowiest year was from July 2009 to June 2010 with 62.0 inches (1,570mm). The most snow in one month was 30.0 inches (0.76m) in April 1912.[11]
Climate data for Richfield, Utah (Richfield Radio KSVC), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present
As of the census[3] of 2010, there were 7,551 people living in the city. The population density was 1,424.7 people per square mile (551.2/km2). There were 2,792 housing units at an average density of 526.79 per square mile (200.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.41% White, 0.39% African American, 3.29% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.35% of the population.
In 2000, there were 2,166 households, out of which 44.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.2% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.3% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.45.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 35.4% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 17.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,024, and the median income for a family was $40,284. Males had a median income of $33,000 versus $20,489 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,320. About 7.0% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.5% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.
The city has seen an increase in population in every decennial census since 1940, at which time it was reported to have 3,584 people living in the city.[14]
Richfield Municipal Airport is located one mile southwest of the city.[17]
Education
Richfield is located in the Sevier School District. There are two elementary schools (Ashman and Pahvant), one middle school (Red Hills), one high school (Richfield), and one alternative high school (Cedar Ridge).[18] There is also a satellite campus of Snow College.[19]
Sevier County is a county in Utah, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 21,522. Its county seat and largest city is Richfield.
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.
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Ephraim is a city in Sanpete County, Utah, United States. The population was 5,611 at the 2020 census, making it the largest city in Sanpete County. It is the location of Snow College and is located along U.S. Route 89.
Manti is a city in and the county seat of Sanpete County, Utah, United States. The population was 3,429 at the 2020 United States Census.
Glenwood is a town in Sevier County, Utah, United States. The population was 464 at the 2010 census.
Monroe is a city in Sevier County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,256 at the 2010 United States Census.
Salina is a city in Sevier County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,660 at the 2020 census.
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St. George is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Utah, United States. Located in southwestern Utah on the Arizona border, it is the principal city of the St. George Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The city lies in the northeasternmost part of the Mojave Desert, immediately south of the Pine Valley Mountains, which mark the southern boundary of the Great Basin. St. George lies slightly northwest of the Colorado Plateau, which ends at the Hurricane Fault. The city is 118 miles (190 km) northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, and 300 miles (480 km) south-southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah, on Interstate 15.
The Sevier River is a 400-mile (640 km)-long river in the Great Basin of southwestern Utah in the United States. Originating west of Bryce Canyon National Park, the river flows north through a chain of high farming valleys and steep canyons along the west side of the Sevier Plateau before turning southwest and terminating in the endorheic basin of Sevier Lake in the Sevier Desert. It is used extensively for irrigation along its course, with the consequence that Sevier Lake is usually dry.
Fishlake National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in south central Utah. The namesake for the forest is Fish Lake, the largest freshwater mountain lake in the state.
Joseph Angell Young was an apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Young is one of the few Latter-day Saints in history to have been ordained to the office of apostle without ever becoming a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles or the First Presidency.
Robert Dixon Young was a leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Venice is an unincorporated community in northwestern Sevier County, Utah, United States.
Willard Washington Bean was an American middleweight boxer and a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 1905, Bean claimed the title of middleweight champion of the world. He was also instrumental in the acquisition of a number of significant properties for the LDS Church, including the Hill Cumorah.
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