Park City, Utah | |
|---|---|
 Overlooking Park City in November 2013 | |
 Logo | |
 Location withinSummit County andUtah | |
| Coordinates:40°39′01″N111°30′05″W / 40.65028°N 111.50139°W /40.65028; -111.50139 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Utah |
| County | Summit Wasatch |
| Founded | 1869[1] |
| Named after | Parley's Park |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Nann Worel |
| Area | |
• Total | 19.99 sq mi (51.77 km2) |
| • Land | 19.98 sq mi (51.76 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0039 sq mi (0.01 km2) |
| Elevation | 6,936 ft (2,114 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 8,396 |
| • Density | 420.1/sq mi (162.21/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (Mountain) |
| ZIP Codes | 84060, 84068, 84098 |
| Area code | 435 |
| FIPS code | 49-58070[4] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2411372[3] |
| Website | www.parkcity.org |
Park City is a city inUtah, United States. Most of the city is withinSummit County, with some portions extending intoWasatch County.[5] It is considered to be part of theWasatch Back. The population was 8,396 at the2020 census, and on average, the tourist population greatly exceeds the number of permanent residents. The city is 32 miles (51 km) southeast of downtownSalt Lake City and 20 miles (32 km) from Salt Lake City's east edge ofSugar House alongInterstate 80.
After apopulation decline following the shutdown of the area'smining industry, the city rebounded during the 1980s and 1990s through an expansion of its tourism business. According to 2021 data, the city brought in a yearly average of $529.8 million to the Utah economy as a tourist hot spot, $80 million of which was attributed to theSundance Film Festival.[6] The city has two majorski resorts:Deer Valley Resort andPark City Mountain Resort (combined withCanyons Village at Park City) and one minor resort: Woodward Park City (an action sports training and fun center). Both Deer Valley and Park City Mountain Resorts were the major locations forski andsnowboarding events at the2002 Winter Olympics, and are expected to reprise these roles for the2034 Winter Olympics. Although they receive less snow and have a shorter ski season than do their counterparts inSalt Lake County, such asSnowbird resort, they are much easier to access.[citation needed]
In 2015, Park City Ski Resort and Canyons resorts merged, creating the largest ski area in the U.S. In all, the resort boasts 17 slopes, 14 bowls, 300 trails and 22 miles (35 km) of lifts.
The city was the original location of the United States' largestindependent film festival, theSundance Film Festival; home of theUnited States Ski Team; training center for members of theAustralian Freestyle Ski Team; the largest collection offactory outlet stores in northern Utah; the2002 Olympic bobsled/skeleton/luge track at theUtah Olympic Park; andgolf courses. Some scenes from the 1994 filmDumb and Dumber were shot in the city. Outdoor-oriented businesses such asbackcountry.com,Rossignol USA, andSkullcandy have their headquarters in Park City. The city has many retailers, clubs, bars, and restaurants, and has nearbyreservoirs,hot springs, forests, andhiking andbiking trails.
In the summertime, many valley residents of theWasatch Front visit the town to escape high temperatures. Park City is usually cooler than Salt Lake City as it lies mostly higher than 7,000 feet (2,100 m) abovesea level, while Salt Lake City is situated at an elevation of about 4,300 feet (1,300 m).
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The area was traveled by the early Mormon pioneers on their journey to where they settled and built Salt Lake City. One of their leaders,Parley P. Pratt, explored the canyon in 1848. He was given a charter the following year to build a toll road through it, which was finished in 1849.[7] The basin at the top of the canyon was an ideal place to graze, and a few families settled. Early on, the area was deeded to Samuel Snyder,Heber C. Kimball andJedediah Grant. The settlers named it "Parley's Park City", which was shortened to "Park City" upon the town's incorporation in 1884. The first known discovery of ore in this area was by men serving under ColonelPatrick E. Connor, who invited his men to prospect in the area after having been relocated fromGold Rush-era California.[8] The finding of silver, gold and lead sparked the first silver mines in Park City in the 1860s. Park City's large mining boom brought large crowds of prospectors setting up camps around the mountain terrain, marking the first mining settlements. Although it was not the first find, theOntario silver mine, discovered by Herman Buden in 1872 and quickly purchased byGeorge Hearst through his business partnerR. C. Chambers, was the first major producer.
Another prominent mining family was that ofWilliam Montague Ferry Jr. Ferry Moved to Utah fromWest Michigan already a very wealthy man. He had previously been a Colonel in theUnion Army, mayor ofGrand Haven, and was son of wealthy businessmanWilliam Montague Ferry. Ferry was followed by a group of other wealthyMichiganders (including his brotherEdward Payson Ferry) who came to be the social elites of the town. The Ferry family owned numerous mines including the Marsac Silver mining Company and the Silver King Coalition Mines.[9][10] Col Ferry also donated the land forWestminster College and unsuccessfully ran for governor of Utah.[11] Edward Ferry's sonW. Mont Ferry was mayor ofSalt Lake City.[12]
In 1880, a spur line was established to the Echo station of theFirst transcontinental railroad.[13] By 1892 the Silver King Mine and its ownersThomas Kearns[14] and David Keith[15] took the spotlight as one of the most famous silver mines in the world.[8][16] While silver mines were doing well in Utah, other mines around the world were not doing as well, which drew many of these miners to Park City. The town flourished with crowds of miners and wealth, but by the 1950s, the town nearly became a ghost town. This was due in part to a drop in the price of silver.
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The town was nearly destroyed by fire in 1898. Another accident occurred in 1902 when 34 miners were killed in an explosion in the Daly West Mine.
The transformation of Park City into a ski destination town is primarily attributed to declining silver and metal prices during and following World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II.[8][16] The mining community never fully recovered and so the town turned to skiing. The silver industry was suffering when 'Parkite' miners presented to Utahns Inc. a proposal for a ski resort called Treasure Mountain. United Park City Mines, who owned the land the resort would be built on, received a land-redevelopment grant from the John F. Kennedy Administration. Treasure Mountains (now Park City Mountain Resort) opened in 1963 on 10,000 acres (40 km2) of land the miners owned with mineral rights. This is said to be when tourists first largely began to visit Park City. This marks the beginning of the ski industry largely promoted by the Utah State Legislation as a destination resort.[16]
Since the rise of the skiing and tourist economy, Park City houses more tourists than residents. It has become a place of fame through the 2002 Winter Olympic Games and provides more attractions than ever before. In the 1950s, Utah began to use Park City as a mountain getaway, and not until D. James Canon promoted winter sports in Utah, with the promotional scheme of "Ski Utah" and "The Greatest Snow on Earth"[16] did many drive to see the city. Utah drew in over 648,000 tourists in 1970 and now a yearly average of 4 million tourists. In a town with a population of 8,000, the average number of tourists in Park City is 600,000 per year. This significant increase in visitors could be credited to promotional material that is distributed by the Utah Publicity and Tourist Council. Growth has accelerated in the last few decades, and Park City is now one of the most affluent resort towns in the United States.
According to the Bureau of Economic and Business Research, in 2012 travel, tourism and recreation generated $7.4 billion in spending and $960.6 million in state and local tax revenue for the State of Utah.[17] That same year Utah's total gross domestic product was $128 billion, making tourism 5.8% of GDP for the Utah economy as a whole.[18] Park City draws in 3,006,071 average annual visitors; in the winter 1,603,775, and in the summer 1,402,296.[citation needed] Park City benefits from the average nightly visitor spending $100 to $350. Currently, Park City primarily relies on its tourist industry from skiing to restaurants to hiking and biking. The makeover of Park City has stimulated a culture of expenditure, adventure, wealth, and this is included in their promotional material.
To this day, there are still more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of old silver-mine workings and tunnels beneath the slopes at Park City Mountain Resort and neighboring Deer Valley. On Main Street, 64 Victorian buildings are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. There are many remaining mine buildings, mine shafts (most blocked off from outsiders with large steel doors), and hoists, including the weathered remains of the California-Comstock and Silver King Mines and the water towers once used to hydrate one of the biggest mines, the Silver King, provide some history of this mining town transformed into a skiing resort.
In 2011, the town was awarded a Gold-level Ride Center designation from theInternational Mountain Bicycling Association for its mountain bike trails, amenities and community.[19] Park City Municipal, along withBasin Recreation manage bike trails in Park City.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.567 square miles (45.50 km2), all land.
Park City is located at the south end ofSnyderville Basin and climbs steep mountains to the southeast, south, and west. It is accessed byState Route 224 fromInterstate 80 to the north andState Route 248 (Kearns Boulevard), which heads east toU.S. Route 40 and on toKamas.
From Park City north through the Snyderville Basin[20] there is a low topographic divide withMcLeod Creek on the western side andSilver Creek on the eastern side.[21]
Summers in Park City are warm with cool nights, while winters are cold and snowy. The city has ahumid continental climate (Köppen:Dfb), though higher elevations within city limits may experience asubalpine (Dfc) oralpine (ET) climate. Thediurnal temperature variation is considerably higher in summer than winter.
| Climate data for Park City, Utah, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1896–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 64 (18) | 62 (17) | 71 (22) | 86 (30) | 91 (33) | 101 (38) | 100 (38) | 95 (35) | 91 (33) | 82 (28) | 71 (22) | 62 (17) | 101 (38) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 48.1 (8.9) | 50.3 (10.2) | 59.5 (15.3) | 69.1 (20.6) | 77.8 (25.4) | 85.4 (29.7) | 90.3 (32.4) | 87.7 (30.9) | 82.9 (28.3) | 72.6 (22.6) | 60.4 (15.8) | 49.3 (9.6) | 90.5 (32.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 32.7 (0.4) | 34.9 (1.6) | 43.0 (6.1) | 51.0 (10.6) | 61.1 (16.2) | 72.4 (22.4) | 80.4 (26.9) | 78.4 (25.8) | 68.8 (20.4) | 56.0 (13.3) | 42.2 (5.7) | 33.1 (0.6) | 54.5 (12.5) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 24.1 (−4.4) | 25.9 (−3.4) | 34.2 (1.2) | 41.0 (5.0) | 49.5 (9.7) | 59.1 (15.1) | 66.6 (19.2) | 65.1 (18.4) | 55.8 (13.2) | 44.7 (7.1) | 32.8 (0.4) | 24.6 (−4.1) | 43.6 (6.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 15.6 (−9.1) | 16.9 (−8.4) | 25.4 (−3.7) | 31.1 (−0.5) | 37.9 (3.3) | 45.7 (7.6) | 52.9 (11.6) | 51.8 (11.0) | 42.8 (6.0) | 33.3 (0.7) | 23.3 (−4.8) | 16.1 (−8.8) | 32.7 (0.4) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −4.7 (−20.4) | −3.1 (−19.5) | 6.0 (−14.4) | 15.6 (−9.1) | 23.8 (−4.6) | 31.2 (−0.4) | 39.9 (4.4) | 38.4 (3.6) | 26.7 (−2.9) | 16.8 (−8.4) | 2.5 (−16.4) | −2.7 (−19.3) | −8.5 (−22.5) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −28 (−33) | −28 (−33) | −23 (−31) | −4 (−20) | 12 (−11) | 11 (−12) | 21 (−6) | 20 (−7) | 8 (−13) | 6 (−14) | −11 (−24) | −30 (−34) | −30 (−34) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.25 (57) | 1.82 (46) | 1.83 (46) | 2.17 (55) | 2.22 (56) | 1.38 (35) | 1.02 (26) | 1.44 (37) | 1.81 (46) | 2.35 (60) | 2.05 (52) | 2.05 (52) | 22.39 (568) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 26.6 (68) | 22.2 (56) | 15.5 (39) | 10.0 (25) | 2.3 (5.8) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.5 (1.3) | 3.2 (8.1) | 17.4 (44) | 23.3 (59) | 121.2 (306.71) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 21.6 (55) | 22.9 (58) | 16.4 (42) | 3.7 (9.4) | 0.3 (0.76) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.4 (1.0) | 1.8 (4.6) | 6.6 (17) | 14.3 (36) | 27.4 (70) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 9.1 | 8.7 | 8.0 | 9.2 | 7.3 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 8.6 | 6.1 | 8.7 | 8.5 | 9.8 | 94.7 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 9.5 | 7.2 | 5.7 | 4.3 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 5.7 | 7.7 | 43.7 |
| Source: NOAA[22][23][24] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 164 | — | |
| 1880 | 1,542 | 840.2% | |
| 1890 | 2,850 | 84.8% | |
| 1900 | 3,759 | 31.9% | |
| 1910 | 3,439 | −8.5% | |
| 1920 | 3,393 | −1.3% | |
| 1930 | 4,281 | 26.2% | |
| 1940 | 3,739 | −12.7% | |
| 1950 | 2,254 | −39.7% | |
| 1960 | 1,366 | −39.4% | |
| 1970 | 1,193 | −12.7% | |
| 1980 | 2,823 | 136.6% | |
| 1990 | 4,468 | 58.3% | |
| 2000 | 7,341 | 64.3% | |
| 2010 | 7,558 | 3.0% | |
| 2020 | 8,396 | 11.1% | |
| source:[25][26] | |||
According to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau,[27] as of 2016, there were 8,299 full-time residents in Park City. The racial makeup of the county was 78.8% non-HispanicWhite, 1.1%Black, 0.1%Native American, 2.2%Asian, and 1.0% from two or more races. 16.8% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
As of thecensus[28] of 2010, there were 7,558 people, 2,885 households, and 1,742 families residing in the city. The population density was 430.2 inhabitants per square mile (166.1/km2). There were 9,471 housing units at an average density of 539.1 per square mile (208.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 81.0%White, 0.6%African American, 0.30%Native American, 2.1%Asian, 0.3%Pacific Islander, 13.5% fromother races, and 2.3% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 24.1% of the population.
There were 2,885 households, out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.6% were non-families. Of all households 25.8% were made up of individuals, and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.6 and the average family size was 3.03.
The age distribution was 23.0% under the age of 20, 7.2% from 20 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 30.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 112.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.7 males.
As of thecensus[4] of 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $65,800, and the median income for a family was $77,137. Males had a median income of $40,032 versus $26,341 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $45,164. About 5.3% of families and 10.0% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 11.6% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.
Park City is home toPark City Mountain Resort,Canyons Village at Park City,Deer Valley Resort, Woodward Park City, theUtah Olympic Park (including theAlf Engen Ski Museum and Eccles Salt Lake 2002 OlympicWinter Games Museum), the Park City Museum, the Eccles Center Theater, an outlet mall,[29] Main Street shopping and dining, and hundreds of miles of hiking and biking trails. The four resorts and Olympic Park offer activities and attractions in both the summer and winter.
Park City hosts theSundance Film Festival. The festivities are centered on Main Street, while film screenings are held in several venues both within and outside of Park City. After 2026, the festival will relocate toBoulder, Colorado.[30] Park City hosts an art festival each year, the Kimball Arts Festival, which typically attracts around 50,000 visitors.[31] Park City hosts two parades each year, one on July Fourth that attracts visitors from all over Utah, and one on Labor Day (locally called Miners' Day) that is more local-oriented. Park City co-hosted the2002 Winter Olympics with Salt Lake City. Park City usually serves as the finish for the final leg of theTour of Utah road bike race.
Park City School District is the local school district of the portion of Park City in Summit County (almost all of Park City).[32]
Park City High School is located at 1750 Kearns Blvd, Park City, Utah. Park City School District's size is comparable to other Utah school districts, with more than 4,500 students. It is also close to the state average ethnic minority composition. Of its students 17% are ethnic minorities—mostly of Hispanic heritage. The school provides its students with a series of film and TV production classes, and hosts "The Miner Film Festival" each year for students to enter their films and show them at the Eccles Center.[citation needed]
The portion of the city that is in Wasatch County is served by theWasatch School District.[5]
The Park City Library is also located in Park City, Utah, and features various attractions.
Park City is home to theSwaner EcoCenter, which also serves as an extension and distance education center forUtah State University.
Park City operates its own free intra-city transit system (with additional service to limited areas of Summit and Wasatch County northeast of town provided byHigh Valley Transit). Routes include service to theCanyons Village,Deer Valley Resort, Empire Pass,Jeremy Ranch Park & Ride lot,Kimball Junction,Park City Resort, Park Meadows, Pinebrook, Prospector Square, Silver Lake Village, Silver Springs, Silver Summit/Highland Estates, and Thaynes Canyon.[33] Bus service is offered between Park City and Salt Lake City viaHigh Valley Transit's route 107.[34][35]
Park City is served byThe Park Record (the oldest continually published non-daily paper in Utah, and one of the oldest in the U.S.), TownLift (online news), and KPCW (a local NPR news/radio affiliate).[36]
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Places adjacent to Park City, Utah | |
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Municipalities and communities ofSummit County, Utah,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
