Grantsville, Utah
Encyclopedia
Grantsville is the second most populous city in Tooele County
, Utah
, United States
. It is part of the Salt Lake City
, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area
. The population was 6,015 at the 2000 census. The city has grown slowly and steadily throughout most of its existence, but rapid increases in growth occurred during the 1970s and 1990s. Recent rapid growth has been attributed to the nearby Deseret Peak
recreational center, the Miller Motorsports Park
raceway and to the newly built Wal-Mart
Distribution Center located just outside the city.
passed through the city in 1925 after it was realigned to the north, spurring business along Main Street.
, and on the east are the Oquirrh Mountains
and the Great Salt Lake
and on the west side the Stansbury Range. SR-138
passes through the city, heading northwest to intersect with I-80 and east to Stansbury Park
.
The climate is hot during the summer and cold and snowy during the winter. Although Grantsville can be affected by lake-effect snow off of the Great Salt Lake, most of the time it is too far southwest.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 17.9 square miles (46.2 km²), of which, 17.8 square miles (46.1 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.22%) is water.
of 2000, there were 6,015 people, 1,856 households, and 1,527 families residing in the city. The population density
was 337.7 people per square mile (130.4/km²). There were 1,979 housing units at an average density of 111.1 per square mile (42.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.71% White, 0.08% African American, 1.20% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 1.48% from other races
, and 1.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.46% of the population.
There were 1,856 households out of which 49.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.4% were married couples
living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.7% were non-families. 15.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.24 and the average family size was 3.62.
In the city the population was spread out with 36.7% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,614, and the median income for a family was $50,433. Males had a median income of $38,715 versus $24,548 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $15,681. About 4.3% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.
Due to a fire on July 13, 2009, Grantsville Elementary School has been forced to close until a new elementary school is built.
The Old Folks Sociable honors all residents and former residents who are 75 years and older. Grantsville High School, home to the Old Folks Sociable, becomes a gathering place for high school class reunions and family reunions. The Sociable is also a celebration of Grantsville’s heritage. For residents and former residents it is a walk down memory lane. Events include a 5K run, a car show, a program, a reception for honored guests, a dinner, and a dance. All residents and former residents (eighteen years and older) are invited to attend. The Old Folks Sociable is held each year during the month of March.
Tooele County, Utah
Tooele County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000, the population was 40,735 and by 2005 was estimated at 51,311. Its county seat and largest city is Tooele....
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is part of the Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area
Salt Lake City metropolitan area
The Salt Lake City Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in north central Utah, anchored by Salt Lake City. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 968,858. As of July 1, 2009 the U.S...
. The population was 6,015 at the 2000 census. The city has grown slowly and steadily throughout most of its existence, but rapid increases in growth occurred during the 1970s and 1990s. Recent rapid growth has been attributed to the nearby Deseret Peak
Deseret Peak
Deseret Peak is the highest peak in the Stansbury Mountains. It is located in the Deseret Peak Wilderness area west of Grantsville, Utah and east of Skull Valley Indian Reservation. The site is a popular destination for hikers as the area is a contrast of the alpine wilderness with the surrounding...
recreational center, the Miller Motorsports Park
Miller Motorsports Park
Miller Motorsports Park is an auto, motorcycle, bicycle and kart racing facility located in the unincorporated Erda area just outside Tooele, Utah.- The Track :...
raceway and to the newly built Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
Distribution Center located just outside the city.
History
Grantsville was first known by the name Twenty Wells, due to the many sweetwater artesian springs in the area. It was first settled in 1848 as a seasonal livestock grazing site for stock owners in Salt Lake City. The first permanent settlers arrived in 1850 to establish one of Brigham Young's more than 350 Mormon colonies throughout Utah Territory. By then, the fortified town was known as Willow Creek. Three years later, with almost 30 families living in the settlement, it was renamed Grantsville in honor of George D. Grant, the leader of a detachment of the Nauvoo Legion militia sent to control hostile Native Americans in the Tooele Valley. Grant is also known for leading a group to rescue members of the Martin Handcart Company. The later years of the decade brought many hardships to Grantsville's citizens, including drought, grasshopper infestations, and the settlement's temporary abandonment in advance of the arrival of Johnston's Army. Ironically, the arrival of the army and its construction of Camp Floyd in nearby Cedar Valley ended up greatly blessing Grantsville's settlers as they were then able to trade with the army for many needed provisions. By the end of the next decade, the 1860s, Grantsville had become a largely self-sufficient oasis of orchards and shade trees at the edge of the Territory's western deserts. Brigham Young himself visited Grantsville on several occasions, both officially and unofficially, and dedicated the first permanent church building in 1866. The building stands today, thought it is no longer owned by the Church. The Lincoln HighwayLincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States of America.Conceived and promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey,...
passed through the city in 1925 after it was realigned to the north, spurring business along Main Street.
Geography
Grantsville is located at 40°35′45"N 112°27′55"W (40.595699, -112.465404). It is bordered on the south by South Mountain, which separates Rush Valley from Tooele Valley. To the north is Stansbury IslandStansbury Island
Stansbury Island is the second largest island within the Great Salt Lake in Utah, USA. Located in Tooele County, it is considered an island even though a dirt causeway connects it to the main land. Stansbury Island was named after Howard Stansbury, the leader of a government expedition that...
, and on the east are the Oquirrh Mountains
Oquirrh Mountains
The Oquirrh Mountains is a mountain range that run north-south for approximately 30 miles to form the west side of Utah's Salt Lake Valley, separating it from Tooele Valley. The range begins in northwest Utah County and stops at the south shore of the Great Salt Lake. The highest elevation is...
and the Great Salt Lake
Great Salt Lake
The Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah, is the largest salt water lake in the western hemisphere, the fourth-largest terminal lake in the world. In an average year the lake covers an area of around , but the lake's size fluctuates substantially due to its...
and on the west side the Stansbury Range. SR-138
Utah State Route 138
State Route 138 is a highway completely within Tooele County in northern Utah that connects Grantsville to Erda and Stansbury Park. The route runs twenty miles and is the old routing of U.S. Route 50 Alternate and U.S...
passes through the city, heading northwest to intersect with I-80 and east to Stansbury Park
Stansbury Park, Utah
Stansbury Park is a census-designated place in Tooele County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,385 at the 2000 census; the 1990 census population was 1,049....
.
The climate is hot during the summer and cold and snowy during the winter. Although Grantsville can be affected by lake-effect snow off of the Great Salt Lake, most of the time it is too far southwest.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 17.9 square miles (46.2 km²), of which, 17.8 square miles (46.1 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.22%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 6,015 people, 1,856 households, and 1,527 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 337.7 people per square mile (130.4/km²). There were 1,979 housing units at an average density of 111.1 per square mile (42.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.71% White, 0.08% African American, 1.20% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 1.48% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.46% of the population.
There were 1,856 households out of which 49.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.7% were non-families. 15.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.24 and the average family size was 3.62.
In the city the population was spread out with 36.7% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,614, and the median income for a family was $50,433. Males had a median income of $38,715 versus $24,548 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $15,681. About 4.3% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Grantsville is in the Tooele County School District and has two elementary schools (Grantsville and Willow), Grantsville Junior High School, and Grantsville High School. There are also a few preschools.Due to a fire on July 13, 2009, Grantsville Elementary School has been forced to close until a new elementary school is built.
Events
The Old Folks Sociable is the traditional social event of the year. The Old Folks Sociable idea started in 1875 when professional photographer Charles Savage and LDS Church Presiding Bishop Edward Hunter inaugurated “Old Folks Day” to honor fathers and mothers. The first Old Folks Sociable held in Grantsville was on January 6, 1884. This annual event is believed to have been canceled only twice in its 125 year history.The Old Folks Sociable honors all residents and former residents who are 75 years and older. Grantsville High School, home to the Old Folks Sociable, becomes a gathering place for high school class reunions and family reunions. The Sociable is also a celebration of Grantsville’s heritage. For residents and former residents it is a walk down memory lane. Events include a 5K run, a car show, a program, a reception for honored guests, a dinner, and a dance. All residents and former residents (eighteen years and older) are invited to attend. The Old Folks Sociable is held each year during the month of March.