Independence, Utah
Encyclopedia
Independence is a town in Wasatch County
, Utah
, United States
. 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.
, Independence lies on a popular recreational corridor between Heber City and Strawberry Reservoir
.
unanimously passed H.B. 466, a bill
that amended the state law on petition
s 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, even a single majority landowner. 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. In July 2007 Ruby's Inn, in Garfield County
, became the first to take advantange of the law, incorporating as Bryce Canyon City
.
A group of Wasatch County landowners led by developer Mel McQuarrie filed the first petition to incorporate Independence on 12 October 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 17 December 2007.
In its review of the second petition, the Wasatch County Council allowed some potential Independence residents to opt out of the proposal on 6 February 2008, then denied incorporation again on 13 February 2008, this time for insufficient population.
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. There must also be at least five petition sponsors, who were not allowed themselves to own more than 40 percent of the land. An effort to make the new law retroactive failed, and petitions filed under H.B. 466 went forward. Among those grandfathered
in were the third Independence petition, which had been filed just before the repeal, as well pending requests for the town of Hideout
, also in Wasatch County, and Powder Mountain
in Weber County
.
The Wasatch County Council finally granted the petition to incorporate Independence on 2 April 2008.
As of the census
of 2010, there were 164 people residing in the town. 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.
Wasatch County, Utah
Wasatch County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. It was named for a Ute Indian word meaning mountain pass or low place in the high mountains. Its county seat and largest city is Heber City.The county is governed by a county council with an appointed county manager.Wasatch County is...
, 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...
. Lying just east of U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 40 in Utah
The west end of U.S. Route 40 is in the U.S. state of Utah at Silver Creek Junction with Interstate 80. From there it heads southeast through Heber City and east into Colorado on its way to the Mid-Atlantic.-Route description:U.S...
southeast of Heber City, Independence was incorporated
Incorporated town
-Canada:Incorporated towns are a form of local government in Canada, which is a responsibility of provincial rather than federal government.-United States:...
in 2008 under a controversial, short-lived state law. The population was 164 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Independence is a sparsely populated rural community in Daniel's Canyon in the Wasatch Mountains. It consists of farmland and wooded mountain slopes. Just to the southeast of the young town of DanielDaniel, Utah
Daniel is a town in Wasatch County, Utah, United States. The population was 770 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a census-designated place . Daniel incorporated as a town in February 2006...
, Independence lies on a popular recreational corridor between Heber City and Strawberry Reservoir
Strawberry Reservoir
Strawberry Reservoir is a large reservoir in the U.S. state of Utah. It is Utah's most popular fishery, receiving over 1.5 million angling hours annually and is part of the program. Game fish in the reservoir include sterilized rainbow trout, bear lake cutthroat trout, kokanee salmon and crayfish....
.
History
In 2007, the Utah State LegislatureUtah State Legislature
The Utah State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. It is a bicameral body, comprising the Utah House of Representatives, with 75 Representatives, and the Utah Senate, with 29 State Senators...
unanimously passed H.B. 466, a bill
Bill (proposed law)
A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....
that amended the state law on petition
Petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer....
s 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, even a single majority landowner. 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
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
and town council
Town council
A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
from a list of individuals approved by the petitioners. In July 2007 Ruby's Inn, in Garfield County
Garfield County, Utah
Garfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000 the population was 4,735. It was named for James A. Garfield, President of the United States in 1881. Its county seat and largest city is Panguitch.-Geography:...
, became the first to take advantange of the law, incorporating as Bryce Canyon City
Bryce Canyon City, Utah
Bryce Canyon City 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 23 July 2007 under a controversial, short-lived state law...
.
A group of Wasatch County landowners led by developer Mel McQuarrie filed the first petition to incorporate Independence on 12 October 2007, but county officials denied it for an incomplete land survey
Cadastre
A cadastre , using a cadastral survey or cadastral map, is a comprehensive register of the metes-and-bounds real property of a country...
. Some residents who would have been included in the original boundaries of the proposed town petitioned to be annexed
Annexation
Annexation is the de jure incorporation of some territory into another geo-political entity . Usually, it is implied that the territory and population being annexed is the smaller, more peripheral, and weaker of the two merging entities, barring physical size...
into nearby Daniel
Daniel, Utah
Daniel is a town in Wasatch County, Utah, United States. The population was 770 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a census-designated place . Daniel incorporated as a town in February 2006...
, rather than be included in Independence. The incorporation petitioners re-filed on 17 December 2007.
In its review of the second petition, the Wasatch County Council allowed some potential Independence residents to opt out of the proposal on 6 February 2008, then denied incorporation again on 13 February 2008, this time for insufficient population.
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. There must also be at least five petition sponsors, who were not allowed themselves to own more than 40 percent of the land. An effort to make the new law retroactive failed, and petitions filed under H.B. 466 went forward. Among those grandfathered
Grandfather clause
Grandfather clause is a legal term used to describe a situation in which an old rule continues to apply to some existing situations, while a new rule will apply to all future situations. It is often used as a verb: to grandfather means to grant such an exemption...
in were the third Independence petition, which had been filed just before the repeal, as well pending requests for the town of Hideout
Hideout, Utah
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, the town was incorporated in 2008 under a controversial, short-lived state law...
, also in Wasatch County, and Powder Mountain
Powder Mountain
Powder Mountain is a ski resort located east of Eden, Utah and stretching between Weber and Cache counties. Powder Mountain is less accessible to out-of-town skiers than other Utah ski resorts, and is primarily visited by locals.-History:...
in Weber County
Weber County, Utah
Weber County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah, occupying a stretch of the Wasatch Front, part of the eastern shores of Great Salt Lake, and much of the rugged Wasatch Mountains. As of the 2000 census, the population was 196,533, an increase of 24.1% over its population in 1990. By...
.
The Wasatch County Council finally granted the petition to incorporate Independence on 2 April 2008.
Demographics
At Independence's incorporation, the Utah Population Estimates Committee produced an official population estimate of 117. Many of the residents live on land that has been in their families for generations.As of the census
Census
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 2010, there were 164 people residing in the town. 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.