Beaver, Utah

Beaver, Utah
Welcome sign
Location in Beaver County and the state of Utah
Location of Utah in the United States
Coordinates: 38°16′35″N 112°38′20″W / 38.27639°N 112.63889°WCoordinates: 38°16′35″N 112°38′20″W / 38.27639°N 112.63889°W
Country	United States
State	Utah
County	Beaver
Settled	1856
Incorporated	January 10, 1867
Named for	Beaver River
Area
• Total	6.5 sq mi (16.8 km^2)
• Land	6.5 sq mi (16.8 km^2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km^2)
Elevation[1]	5,902 ft (1,799 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	3,112
• Density	480/sq mi (185.2/km^2)
Time zone	MST (UTC-7)
• Summer (DST)	MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP code	84713
Area code(s)	435
FIPS code	49-04060[2]
GNIS feature ID	1438510[1]
Website	www.beaverutah.net

Beaver is a city in Beaver County, Utah, United States. The population was 3,112 at the 2010 census.^[3] It is the county seat of Beaver County.^[4]

History

Mt. Baldy viewed from Beaver, photographed by William Bell during the 1872 Wheeler Survey

Beaver County has a number of identified prehistoric sites, dating to the Archaic and Sevier Fremont periods. A prehistoric obsidian quarry site has been identified in the nearby Mineral Mountains. Southern Paiutes inhabited the region at the time of the first European explorers, the 1776 Dominguez–Escalante Expedition.

In 1847-1848, a trade route was pioneered through the Beaver River valley between the new Mormon settlements at Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. The original route crossed the river 3 miles down stream from Beaver at the site that later became Greenville. This route became known during the California Gold Rush as the Southern Route of the California Trail, (later called the Mormon Road or California Road), which passed over the Black Mountains between the crossing and Muley Point.

In 1855, as part of an improvement to the road the Mormon Road was realigned eastward from this old route over the Black Mountains to one from a crossing at what became Beaver, Utah to Muley Point through more wagon friendly terrain in Nevershine Hollow and over Beaver Ridge into the canyon of Fremont Wash that rejoined the original road above Muley Point. This road became a winter commercial wagon road known as the Los Angeles - Salt Lake Road in California and the California Road in Mormon settlements of Utah and Arizona Territory (now southern Nevada).

Settled by Mormon pioneers on this new route of the Mormon Road in 1856, Beaver was one of a string of Mormon settlements extending the length that road through Utah. These settlements were, by design, a day's ride on horseback apart, explaining the regularity of today's spacing: either 30 miles (48 km) apart, or 60 miles (97 km) apart where intervening settlements failed or were absorbed. Beaver filled in a gap between the settlements in the Pahvant Valley and those in the Parowan Valley.

Fort Cameron was established two miles from Beaver in 1873 by US troops because of Indian raids on the surrounding settlements. Because of its distance and jurisdictional struggles, the Second Judicial Court of the Utah Territory was placed in Beaver from 1870 until 1896 when Utah became a state. Also included in this court's jurisdiction were Iron, Washington, Kane, Garfield, and Piute Counties.

Members of the LDS Church entered Beaver Valley from Parowan to the south. A council meeting was called by George A. Smith in February 1856 in which Simeon F. Howd was made presiding elder and Edward W. Thompson, clerk. In 1858, a great population of people from San Bernardino, California, arrived to settle.^[5] In December 1859, W. W. Willis and P. K. Smith were authorized to build a sawmill and gristmill on North Creek, along with control of all water on the mill site.^[6] By 1869, Beaver had enough Mormon settlers, primarily engaged in livestock grazing, to organize a stake. The first stake president was John Murdock.^[7] During the 1870s, settlers made an effort to establish a woolen mill, a tannery, and a dairy industry.

Beaver is the birthplace of two well-known persons: Philo T. Farnsworth and Butch Cassidy. Farnsworth was the inventor of several critical electronic devices that made television possible, including the cathode ray tube. He was also the first to create table-top nuclear fusion.^[8] Cassidy was a notorious western outlaw.

Although not born in Beaver, Richard LaVon Griffiths, also known as "The Beaver Kid" and "Groovin' Gary," graduated from Beaver High School and worked in Beaver for most of his life.^[9] He is best known as the eccentric, honest, and charming subject of the cult-film The Beaver Trilogy.

Beaver also has the distinction of being the first town in Utah to be electrified. A hydroelectric generation plant was constructed on the Beaver River early in the 20th century. The plant continues to provide a large part of Beaver's power requirements today.

In 2006, Beaver won a contest for best rural water taste in the United States.^[10] In 2010, Beaver took top honors in the world for best tasting water. These accomplishments are proudly displayed on billboards along I-15.

Geography

Beaver is located in eastern Beaver County, along Interstate 15, the main artery for the state of Utah. To the east of Beaver lie the Tushar Mountains. The peaks in these mountains rise to over 12,000 ft (3,700 m). The Beaver River flows out of the mountains and through the city of Beaver, passing south of downtown before continuing west towards Minersville and the Escalante Desert basin. The Mineral Mountains rise to the west of Beaver, and the South Hills are to the south.

Interstate 15 runs along the western edge of Beaver, with access from exits 109 and 112. I-15 leads north 22 mi (35 km) to the western end of Interstate 70 at Cove Fort, 55 mi (89 km) north to Fillmore, and 53 mi (85 km) south to Cedar City. Utah State Route 153 heads east from Beaver across the Tushar Mountains 40 mi (64 km) to Junction, and Utah State Route 21 runs west through the Beaver River Valley 17 mi (27 km) to Minersville.

An important Beaver landmark is the hillside letter B, which is visible from the freeway (38°15′52.26″N 112°34′57.2″W / 38.2645167°N 112.582556°W).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.5 sq mi (16.8 km²), all of it land.^[3]

Climate

The climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, with adequate rainfall year round. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Beaver has a marine west coast climate, Cfb on climate maps.^[11]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	785		—
1870	1,207		53.8%
1880	1,732		43.5%
1890	1,752		1.2%
1900	1,822		4.0%
1910	2,085		14.4%
1920	2,226		6.8%
1930	1,673		−24.8%
1940	1,808		8.1%
1950	1,685		−6.8%
1960	1,548		−8.1%
1970	1,453		−6.1%
1980	1,792		23.3%
1990	1,998		11.5%
2000	2,454		22.8%
2010	3,112		26.8%
Est. 2014	3,061	[12]	−1.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]

As of 2010, the total population of Beaver was 3,112, which is 26.81% more than it was in 2000. The population growth rate is higher than the state average rate of 23.77% and is much higher than the national average rate of 9.71%. The Beaver population density is 479.56 people per square mile, which is much higher than the state average density of 32.56 people per square mile and is much higher than the national average density of 81.32 people per square mile. The most prevalent race in Beaver is white, which represent 88.37% of the total population. The average Beaver education level is lower than the state average and is lower than the national average.

As of the census^[2] of 2000, 2,454 people, 856 households, and 653 families resided in the city. The population density was 535.5 people per square mile (206.9/km²). The 1,021 housing units averaged 222.8 per square mile (86.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.74% White, 0.53% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 3.06% from other races, and 1.51% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 5.05% of the population.

Of the 856 households, 41.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.0% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.6% were not families. About 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84, and the average family size was 3.33.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 32.9% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,646, and for a family was $37,933. Males had a median income of $29,485 versus $17,159 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,412. About 6.7% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Beaver
2. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
3. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Beaver city, Utah". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
5. Sketches from Life and Labors of Wilson Gates Nowers by Reinhard Maeser, PD.B.B.D Beaver City, Utah, 1914.
6. A History of Beaver County, Martha Sonntag Bradley, Utah Centennial County History Series.
7. Jenson, Andrew. Encyclopedic History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1941) p. 53
8. Table-top nuclear fusion
9. Ben Fulton (February 4, 2009). "Utah's 'Beaver Kid' dies". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
10. Lee Benson (November 18, 2009). "Beaver's water is worth a stop". Deseret News. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
11. Climate Summary for Beaver, Utah
12. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
13. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.

External links

• City of Beaver official website