Weber County | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofUtah | |
 Utah's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:41°18′N111°55′W / 41.3°N 111.92°W /41.3; -111.92 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Utah |
| Founded | January 31, 1850 (created) March 3, 1852 (organized) |
| Named after | John Henry Weber |
| Seat | Ogden |
| Largest city | Ogden |
| Area | |
• Total | 659 sq mi (1,710 km2) |
| • Land | 576 sq mi (1,490 km2) |
| • Water | 83 sq mi (210 km2) 13% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 262,223 |
• Estimate (2024) | 276,118 |
| • Density | 472/sq mi (182/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | www |
Weber County (/ˈwiːbər/WEE-bər) is acounty in theU.S. state ofUtah. As of the2020 United States census, the population was 262,223,[1] making it Utah's fourth-most populous county. Itscounty seat and largest city isOgden,[2] the home ofWeber State University. The county was named after a fur trapper John Weber.
Weber County is part of the Ogden-Clearfield, UTMetropolitan Statistical Area as well as theSalt Lake City-Provo-Ogden, UTCombined Statistical Area.
The Weber Valley was visited by many trappers seeking beavers and muskrats along its streams. One of the first on record reached the area in 1824, traveling fromFort Bridger. He reported that theBear River flowed into a salt bay.Peter Skene Ogden passed through in 1826, representing theHudson's Bay Company. He traded in this area for several years, near present-day North Ogden.John C. Frémont explored the Weber Valley in 1843 and made maps of the area. The Fremont reports encouraged readers to seek their fortunes in the western frontier.Miles Goodyear was a fur trapper who constructed a way station on theWeber River in 1845. In 1847 he sold it to incomingMormon pioneers. James Brown purchased and changed the site's name to Brownsville (later changed to Ogden).[3]
After the Mormon pioneers began filling out into the future state of Utah, the fledgling government (as of 1849 known asState of Deseret) began a system of government. On January 31, 1850, the legislature provided for the creation of six counties to generally cover the area, named in this order:
The county boundaries were better defined by the 1852Utah Territory legislature. The borders were adjusted by subsequent acts in 1855, 1856, and 1862. The creation ofNevada Territory in 1862 also administratively reduced the county's territory significantly since its 1852 description had it running to the Sierra Nevada mountains in central California. A final adjustment in 1880 concerning the various lands in theGreat Salt Lake area brought the county's borders to their present configuration.[5]
As of the 1852 description, the original Weber County stretched from California in the west, to the Oregon boundary on the north, to a point in the middleDavis County in the south.[6] As Nevada and the State of Utah evolved, Weber County was trimmed so that it now occupies a stretch of theWasatch Front, part of the eastern shores ofGreat Salt Lake, and much of the ruggedWasatch Mountains.
The county extends from high in theWasatch Range in the east into a portion of theGreat Salt Lake to the west, where the county's elongated point exists. The Weber andOgden rivers and theirtributaries run through its valleys.[7] The Weber County Surveyor's office divides the county into two regions, the "Lower Valley" and the "Upper Valley", divided by the ridge of the Wasatch front range south through the county. Lower Valley, adjacent to the Lake, is the county's more populous part. The Upper Valley consists mostly of theOgden Valley, the watershed of theOgden River. The county's highest elevation isWillard Peak in theWasatch Mountains, at 9,763 ft (2,976 m) ASL.[8] The county has an area of 659 square miles (1,710 km2), of which 576 square miles (1,490 km2) is land and 83 square miles (210 km2) (13%) is water.[9] It is the second-smallest county in Utah by land area and third-smallest by total area.
Many roads in Weber County are named in a numerical grid system with an street name difference of 800 corresponding to one mile in a similar vein toSalt Lake County. In April 1947, North Ogden was the first municipality in Weber County to adopt the grid system, resulting in the north/south demarcator (1st Street) being placed in the northern half of the county. The east/west demarcator was selected as Wall Avenue which runs parallel to downtown Ogden.[10]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 1,186 | — | |
| 1860 | 8,675 | 631.5% | |
| 1870 | 7,858 | −9.4% | |
| 1880 | 12,344 | 57.1% | |
| 1890 | 22,723 | 84.1% | |
| 1900 | 25,239 | 11.1% | |
| 1910 | 35,179 | 39.4% | |
| 1920 | 43,663 | 24.1% | |
| 1930 | 52,172 | 19.5% | |
| 1940 | 56,714 | 8.7% | |
| 1950 | 83,319 | 46.9% | |
| 1960 | 110,744 | 32.9% | |
| 1970 | 126,278 | 14.0% | |
| 1980 | 144,616 | 14.5% | |
| 1990 | 158,330 | 9.5% | |
| 2000 | 196,533 | 24.1% | |
| 2010 | 231,236 | 17.7% | |
| 2020 | 262,223 | 13.4% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 276,118 | [1] | 5.3% |
| United States Census Bureau[11] 1790–1960[12] 1900–1990[13] 1990–2000[14] 2010–2020, 2024[1] | |||
According to the2020 United States census[15] and2020 American Community Survey,[16] there were 262,223 people in Weber County with apopulation density of 429.1 people per square mile (165.7/km2). Among non-Hispanic or Latino people, the racial makeup was 193,889 (73.9%)White, 3,209 (1.2%)African American, 1,394 (0.5%)Native American, 3,603 (1.4%)Asian, 948 (0.4%)Pacific Islander, 1,014 (0.4%) fromother races, and 9,424 (3.6%) fromtwo or more races. 48,742 (18.6%) people were Hispanic or Latino.
There were 131,864 (50.29%) males and 130,359 (49.71%) females, and the population distribution by age was 72,631 (27.7%) under the age of 18, 157,239 (60.0%) from 18 to 64, and 32,353 (12.3%) who were at least 65 years old. The median age was 32.9 years.
There were 89,595 households in Weber County with an average size of 2.93 of which 64,544 (72.0%) were families and 25,051 (28.0%) were non-families. Among all families, 48,636 (54.3%) weremarried couples, 5,660 (6.3%) were male householders with no spouse, and 10,248 (11.4%) were female householders with no spouse. Among all non-families, 19,876 (22.2%) were a single person living alone and 5,175 (5.8%) were two or more people living together. 33,909 (37.8%) of all households had children under the age of 18. 64,756 (72.3%) of households wereowner-occupied while 24,839 (27.7%) wererenter-occupied.
The median income for a Weber County household was $71,275 and the median family income was $80,961, with aper-capita income of $29,186. The median income for males that werefull-time employees was $53,678 and for females $38,512. 8.6% of the population and 5.7% of families were below thepoverty line.
In terms of education attainment, out of the 158,841 people in Weber County 25 years or older, 13,423 (8.5%) hadnot completed high school, 46,466 (29.3%) had ahigh school diploma or equivalency, 59,079 (37.2%) had some college orassociate degree, 27,871 (17.5%) had abachelor's degree, and 12,002 (7.6%) had agraduate orprofessional degree.
As of the2010 United States census, there were 231,236 people in the county, organized into 78,784 households and 57,867 families.[17] Thepopulation density was 351 people per square mile (136 people/km2). There were 86,187 housing units at an average density of 131 units per square mile (51 units/km2).[17] The racial makeup of the county was 85.2%White, 1.4%Black orAfrican American, 1.3%Asian, 0.8%Native American, 0.3%Pacific Islander, 6.59% fromother races, and 3.0% from two or more races. 16.7% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.[17]
The median income for a household in the county was $62,036, and the median income for a family was $71,359. Males had a median income of $49,081 versus $34,954 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $25,275. 12.1% of the population and 8.7% of families were below thepoverty line. Out of the total population, 15.4% of those under 18 and 8.5% of those 65 and older lived below the poverty line. In the 2010 census, 67.0% of people over 16 were in labor, and 33.0% were not in labor. The unemployment rate was 3.2%.[17]
| Age Range | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 years | 20,837 | 9.0 |
| 5 to 9 years | 19,667 | 8.5 |
| 10 to 14 years | 18,375 | 7.9 |
| 15 to 19 years | 17,261 | 7.5 |
| 20 to 24 years | 17,636 | 7.6 |
| 25 to 29 years | 19,131 | 8.3 |
| 30 to 34 years | 17,469 | 7.6 |
| 35 to 39 years | 14,559 | 6.3 |
| 40 to 44 years | 12,899 | 5.6 |
| 45 to 49 years | 14,160 | 6.1 |
| 50 to 54 years | 14,123 | 6.1 |
| 55 to 59 years | 11,904 | 5.1 |
| 60 to 64 years | 9,824 | 4.2 |
| 65 years and over | 23,388 | 10.1 |
The median age was 30.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.7 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 99.0 males.[17]
As of 2017, the largest self-identified ancestry groups in Weber County, Utah were:[18]
Like most of Utah, Weber County voters usually vote Republican. In no national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.
| Position | District | Name | Affiliation | First elected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | 18 | F. Ann Millner | Republican | 2014[19] | |
| Senate | 19 | John D. Johnson | Republican | 2020[20] | |
| Senate | 20 | D. Gregg Buxton | Republican | 2016[21] | |
| House of Representatives | 7 | Ryan Wilcox | Republican | 2020[22] | |
| House of Representatives | 8 | Steve Waldrip | Republican | 2018[23] | |
| House of Representatives | 9 | Cal Musselman | Republican | 2018[24] | |
| House of Representatives | 10 | Rosemary Lesser | Democrat | 2021[25] | |
| House of Representatives | 11 | Kelly Miles | Republican | 2016[26] | |
| House of Representatives | 12 | Mike Schultz | Republican | 2014[27] | |
| House of Representatives | 29 | Matthew Gwynn | Republican | 2020[28] | |
| Board of Education | 1 | Jennie Earl | Nonpartisan | 2018[29] | |
| Board of Education | 2 | Scott Hansen | Nonpartisan | 2018[30] | |
| Board of Education | 4 | Brent Strate | Republican | 2020[31] | |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1896 | 1,373 | 17.79% | 6,343 | 82.21% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1900 | 4,585 | 52.35% | 4,092 | 46.72% | 82 | 0.94% |
| 1904 | 6,331 | 62.36% | 3,108 | 30.61% | 714 | 7.03% |
| 1908 | 5,881 | 56.06% | 3,965 | 37.80% | 644 | 6.14% |
| 1912 | 3,171 | 29.31% | 2,986 | 27.60% | 4,661 | 43.09% |
| 1916 | 4,720 | 35.45% | 8,139 | 61.14% | 454 | 3.41% |
| 1920 | 7,122 | 50.71% | 5,239 | 37.30% | 1,684 | 11.99% |
| 1924 | 7,382 | 43.60% | 3,970 | 23.45% | 5,579 | 32.95% |
| 1928 | 9,934 | 53.79% | 8,361 | 45.27% | 173 | 0.94% |
| 1932 | 8,019 | 39.02% | 11,541 | 56.16% | 989 | 4.81% |
| 1936 | 4,989 | 21.86% | 17,594 | 77.08% | 243 | 1.06% |
| 1940 | 7,946 | 30.55% | 18,037 | 69.35% | 24 | 0.09% |
| 1944 | 9,518 | 32.59% | 19,639 | 67.25% | 48 | 0.16% |
| 1948 | 12,445 | 37.08% | 20,861 | 62.16% | 253 | 0.75% |
| 1952 | 20,692 | 51.11% | 19,795 | 48.89% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 22,542 | 55.95% | 17,747 | 44.05% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 22,293 | 47.88% | 24,239 | 52.06% | 31 | 0.07% |
| 1964 | 20,206 | 40.52% | 29,666 | 59.48% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 27,034 | 52.82% | 20,465 | 39.98% | 3,683 | 7.20% |
| 1972 | 37,753 | 68.23% | 14,503 | 26.21% | 3,078 | 5.56% |
| 1976 | 34,811 | 58.33% | 23,111 | 38.72% | 1,762 | 2.95% |
| 1980 | 43,807 | 69.98% | 15,404 | 24.61% | 3,388 | 5.41% |
| 1984 | 44,590 | 70.40% | 18,346 | 28.97% | 398 | 0.63% |
| 1988 | 39,676 | 63.97% | 21,431 | 34.56% | 911 | 1.47% |
| 1992 | 26,812 | 39.30% | 17,795 | 26.09% | 23,609 | 34.61% |
| 1996 | 27,443 | 48.79% | 21,404 | 38.06% | 7,395 | 13.15% |
| 2000 | 39,254 | 62.56% | 19,890 | 31.70% | 3,598 | 5.73% |
| 2004 | 51,199 | 70.43% | 19,862 | 27.32% | 1,630 | 2.24% |
| 2008 | 45,885 | 61.99% | 25,666 | 34.67% | 2,471 | 3.34% |
| 2012 | 54,224 | 71.08% | 19,841 | 26.01% | 2,225 | 2.92% |
| 2016 | 40,235 | 46.78% | 23,131 | 26.89% | 22,640 | 26.32% |
| 2020 | 65,949 | 58.54% | 40,695 | 36.13% | 6,005 | 5.33% |
| 2024 | 67,549 | 59.49% | 41,238 | 36.32% | 4,762 | 4.19% |
Tertiary institutions and organizations of education in Weber County:
The two K-12 school districts in the county areOgden City School District andWeber School District.[33]
There is also a state-operated school,Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind.
Places adjacent to Weber County, Utah | |
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Municipalities and communities ofWeber County, Utah,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
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