Payson, Utah
Encyclopedia
Payson is a city in Utah County
, Utah
, United States
. It is part of the Provo
–Orem
, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area
. The population was 12,716 at the 2000 census. The current mayor is Rick Moore, who in the 2009 election was the first write-in candidate ever to defeat an incumbent mayor in the state of Utah.
in 1872.
In 1873 a high school was established in Payson, the first such institution in Utah south of Salt Lake City. It closed down in 1876 due to the rise of Brigham Young Academy. An opera house was built in Payson in 1883. In the late 1800s, a factory making horse collar
s operated in Payson.
When the Strawberry Valley Reclamation Project was completed in 1912, the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company
decided to place a sugar beet
processing factory in the area. The plant was completed in October 1913. By 1915, the biggest year for the factory, 5014 acres (20.3 km²) were planted, yielding 36,915 tons of sugar beets, which were processed into 7722 tons of sugar. Due to low yields, the plant was closed in 1926 and dismantled in 1940; harvests were processed in the Utah-Idaho Sugar factories in Lehi
and Spanish Fork
.
of 2000, there were 12,716 people, 3,654 households, and 3,058 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,871.8 people per square mile (723.1/km²). There were 3,855 housing units at an average density of 567.5 per square mile (219.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.02% White, 0.13% African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.24% Pacific Islander, 3.52% from other races
, and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.79% of the population.
There were 3,654 households out of which 51.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.8% were married couples
living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.3% were non-families. 14.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.47 and the average family size was 3.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 38.3% under the age of 18, 12.8% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 14.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 101.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $43,539, and the median income for a family was $47,491. Males had a median income of $32,244 versus $20,869 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $14,588. About 7.0% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.
Payson's population has doubled in the past decade. In 1990, the population was 8,700. Payson was on the southern end of Utah valley's real estate boom. The Utah County government estimates the population in Payson is over 15,000, a majority of newcomers came from Salt Lake City.
Payson is where most of the 1984 hit movie Footloose was filmed, in settings such as Payson High School and "Sudsie"s', an old and local car wash. The town was also one of the locations for the 1985 thriller Warning Sign
The town is also a film favorite for seminary
videos filmed by the LDS Church. The popular Mormon film Baptists at our Barbecue was also shot on Payson's historic Main Street. Most recently, Payson was used to film most of the Disney Channel movie Hatching Pete
.
Payson was originally named Peteetneet, after a Ute
Indian chief who lived near Payson's current location. However, the pioneering residents decided to change the name to Payson, after James Pace, due to the fact that no one outside of Payson knew how to spell or say Peteetneet. A monument still stands to Chief Peteetneet at the Peteetneet Museum and Cultural Arts Center, originally the first school in Payson. The Peteetneet Museum is a historical gem in the community and is known for its historical significance, beauty, and great sledding. A committee headed by Marv Loy Egget has recently raised funds for the Peteetneet Museum glass elevator. Construction was completed on it the summer of 2008. http://www.peteetneetmuseum.org/
Payson is a historical city that celebrates its heritage through monuments such as the historic Main Street, Peteetneet Museum and Cultural Arts Center, and several Payson Historical Society markers that note houses and other historical sites in the city over a hundred years old.
The city is known for being the birthplace of singer-songwriter
Jewel. Payson was the setting of the 1975 children's movie Banjo the Woodpile Cat
. It tells of a cat who leaves his woodpile home on his owner's farm for the urban life of Salt Lake City and then returns to Payson with his new and old friends. Several Disney movies and some LDS films
have been filmed in the historic Payson area.
The city has large numbers of persons with Scottish
and Scots-Irish
ancestry. However, the expansion of the Salt Lake metropolitan area into Payson has changed the city's ethnic and religious makeup with additions of Catholic, Presbyterian, Evangelist, and Wiccan. One of the largest and best-known Wiccan covens in Utah County can be found in Payson. Also the imprint of Scandinavia
n settlement is found in thousands of residents with Scandinavian (i.e. Danish and Swedish) surnames.
On January 25, 2010, the LDS church announced that a new temple
is to be built in Payson.
. Public schools in this district within Payson include the following: Payson High School, Payson Junior High School, Mt. Nebo Jr. High, Barnett Elementary, Parkview Elementary, Springlake Elementary, Taylor Elementary, Wilson Elementary. Payson High School is one of the very few schools in the USA that has its own Bagpipe Band.
Utah County, Utah
Utah County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000, the population was 368,536 and by 2008 was estimated at 530,837. It was named for the Spanish name for the Ute Indians. The county seat and largest city is Provo...
, 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 Provo
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
–Orem
Orem, Utah
Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the north-central part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is about 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...
, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area
Provo-Orem metropolitan area
The Provo-Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in Utah, anchored by the cities of Provo and Orem...
. The population was 12,716 at the 2000 census. The current mayor is Rick Moore, who in the 2009 election was the first write-in candidate ever to defeat an incumbent mayor in the state of Utah.
History
The Latter-day Saints first settled in Payson in 1850. The Payson Tabernacle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was dedicated by Wilford WoodruffWilford Woodruff
Wilford Woodruff, Sr. was the fourth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1889 until his death...
in 1872.
In 1873 a high school was established in Payson, the first such institution in Utah south of Salt Lake City. It closed down in 1876 due to the rise of Brigham Young Academy. An opera house was built in Payson in 1883. In the late 1800s, a factory making horse collar
Horse collar
A horse collar is a part of a horse harness device used to distribute load around a horse's neck and shoulders when pulling a wagon or plow. The collar often supports and pads a pair of curved metal or wood pieces, called hames, to which the traces of the harness are attached...
s operated in Payson.
When the Strawberry Valley Reclamation Project was completed in 1912, the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company
Utah-Idaho Sugar Company
The Utah-Idaho Sugar Company was a large sugar beet processing company owned and controlled by the LDS Church and its leaders, based in Utah. It was notable for providing a valuable cash crop to Utah and surrounding states, and also for being part of the Sugar Trust, leading to antitrust...
decided to place a sugar beet
Sugar beet
Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
processing factory in the area. The plant was completed in October 1913. By 1915, the biggest year for the factory, 5014 acres (20.3 km²) were planted, yielding 36,915 tons of sugar beets, which were processed into 7722 tons of sugar. Due to low yields, the plant was closed in 1926 and dismantled in 1940; harvests were processed in the Utah-Idaho Sugar factories in Lehi
Lehi, Utah
-Attractions:Lehi Roller MillsLehi Roller Mills was founded in 1906 by a co-op of farmers. George G. Robinson purchased the mill in 1910, and since then it has remained in the family. It is run today by grandson R. Sherman Robinson....
and Spanish Fork
Spanish Fork, Utah
Spanish Fork is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 31,497 as of the 2008 census estimate.-History:Spanish Fork was settled by LDS pioneers in 1851...
.
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 12,716 people, 3,654 households, and 3,058 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 1,871.8 people per square mile (723.1/km²). There were 3,855 housing units at an average density of 567.5 per square mile (219.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.02% White, 0.13% African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.24% Pacific Islander, 3.52% 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 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.79% of the population.
There were 3,654 households out of which 51.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.8% 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, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.3% were non-families. 14.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.47 and the average family size was 3.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 38.3% under the age of 18, 12.8% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 14.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 101.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $43,539, and the median income for a family was $47,491. Males had a median income of $32,244 versus $20,869 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 $14,588. About 7.0% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.
Payson's population has doubled in the past decade. In 1990, the population was 8,700. Payson was on the southern end of Utah valley's real estate boom. The Utah County government estimates the population in Payson is over 15,000, a majority of newcomers came from Salt Lake City.
Culture
Payson is the site of the annual Scottish Heritage Festival, held every July. Other annual festivities include a salmon supper, held every August, and the Onion Days festival, held every Labor Day weekend. The city also has band concerts in the Memorial Park, and has had such concerts since the early 1950s.Payson is where most of the 1984 hit movie Footloose was filmed, in settings such as Payson High School and "Sudsie"s', an old and local car wash. The town was also one of the locations for the 1985 thriller Warning Sign
Warning Sign (film)
Warning Sign is a 1985 science fiction-horror film directed by Hal Barwood and starring Sam Waterston, Kathleen Quinlan, and Yaphet Kotto.-Plot:...
The town is also a film favorite for seminary
Church Educational System
The Church Educational System of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints consists of several institutions that provide religious and secular education for both Latter-day Saint and non-Latter-day Saint elementary, secondary, and post-secondary students and adult learners...
videos filmed by the LDS Church. The popular Mormon film Baptists at our Barbecue was also shot on Payson's historic Main Street. Most recently, Payson was used to film most of the Disney Channel movie Hatching Pete
Hatching Pete
Hatching Pete is a 2009 Disney Channel Original Movie which first aired on April 10, 2009 on Disney Channel UK and later Disney Channel and Family. It was released on DVD in America on May 12, 2009 together with Dadnapped....
.
Payson was originally named Peteetneet, after a Ute
Ute Tribe
The Ute are an American Indian people now living primarily in Utah and Colorado. There are three Ute tribal reservations: Uintah-Ouray in northeastern Utah ; Southern Ute in Colorado ; and Ute Mountain which primarily lies in Colorado, but extends to Utah and New Mexico . The name of the state of...
Indian chief who lived near Payson's current location. However, the pioneering residents decided to change the name to Payson, after James Pace, due to the fact that no one outside of Payson knew how to spell or say Peteetneet. A monument still stands to Chief Peteetneet at the Peteetneet Museum and Cultural Arts Center, originally the first school in Payson. The Peteetneet Museum is a historical gem in the community and is known for its historical significance, beauty, and great sledding. A committee headed by Marv Loy Egget has recently raised funds for the Peteetneet Museum glass elevator. Construction was completed on it the summer of 2008. http://www.peteetneetmuseum.org/
Payson is a historical city that celebrates its heritage through monuments such as the historic Main Street, Peteetneet Museum and Cultural Arts Center, and several Payson Historical Society markers that note houses and other historical sites in the city over a hundred years old.
The city is known for being the birthplace of singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Jewel. Payson was the setting of the 1975 children's movie Banjo the Woodpile Cat
Banjo the Woodpile Cat
Banjo the Woodpile Cat is a 1979 animated short television film directed by Don Bluth. It follows the story of Banjo, an overly curious and rebellious kitten who, after getting into trouble for falling from a house to see if he could land on his feet, runs away from his woodpile home in his owners'...
. It tells of a cat who leaves his woodpile home on his owner's farm for the urban life of Salt Lake City and then returns to Payson with his new and old friends. Several Disney movies and some LDS films
LDS cinema
LDS or Mormon cinema typically refers to films with themes relevant to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, though the terminology has also been used to refer to films that do not necessarily reflect Mormon themes but have been made by Mormon filmmakers...
have been filmed in the historic Payson area.
The city has large numbers of persons with Scottish
Scottish American
Scottish Americans or Scots Americans are citizens of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Scotland. Scottish Americans are closely related to Scots-Irish Americans, descendants of Ulster Scots, and communities emphasize and celebrate a common heritage...
and Scots-Irish
Scots-Irish American
Scotch-Irish Americans are an estimated 250,000 Presbyterian and other Protestant dissenters from the Irish province of Ulster who immigrated to North America primarily during the colonial era and their descendants. Some scholars also include the 150,000 Ulster Protestants who immigrated to...
ancestry. However, the expansion of the Salt Lake metropolitan area into Payson has changed the city's ethnic and religious makeup with additions of Catholic, Presbyterian, Evangelist, and Wiccan. One of the largest and best-known Wiccan covens in Utah County can be found in Payson. Also the imprint of Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n settlement is found in thousands of residents with Scandinavian (i.e. Danish and Swedish) surnames.
On January 25, 2010, the LDS church announced that a new temple
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
is to be built in Payson.
Schools
Payson is served by Nebo School DistrictNebo School District
Nebo School District is a public school district in Utah County, Utah serving the southern part of the county south of Utah Lake. Provo City School District and Alpine School District cover the central and northern parts of the county, respectively. Motto "Your partner in education"With 28,548...
. Public schools in this district within Payson include the following: Payson High School, Payson Junior High School, Mt. Nebo Jr. High, Barnett Elementary, Parkview Elementary, Springlake Elementary, Taylor Elementary, Wilson Elementary. Payson High School is one of the very few schools in the USA that has its own Bagpipe Band.