Weber County, Utah

Weber County
Weber County
County
	Historic United States Post Office and Courthouse in Ogden, Utah.
	Location within the U.S. state of Utah
	Utah's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 41°18′N 111°55′W / 41.3°N 111.92°W
Country	United States
State	Utah
Founded	January 31, 1850 (created); March 3, 1852 (organized)
Named for	Trapper John 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 (2021)	267,066
• Density	400/sq mi (150/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	www.webercountyutah.gov

Weber County (/ˈwiːbər/ WEE-bər) is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,223,^[1] making it Utah's fourth-most populous county. Its county seat and largest city is Ogden,^[2] the home of Weber State University. The county was named after a fur trapper John Weber.

Weber County is part of the Ogden-Clearfield, UT Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Salt Lake City-Provo-Ogden, UT Combined Statistical Area.

History

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 from Fort Bridger. He reported that the Bear River flowed into a salt bay. Peter Skene Ogden passed through in 1826, representing the Hudson'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 the Weber River in 1845. In 1847 he sold it to incoming Mormon 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 as State 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:

Weber (with Ogden as county seat)
Great Salt Lake
Utah
San Pete
Tuilla
Little Salt Lake^[4]

The county boundaries were better defined by the 1852 Utah Territory legislature. The borders were adjusted by subsequent acts in 1855, 1856, and 1862. The creation of Nevada 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 the Great 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 middle Davis 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 the Wasatch Front, part of the eastern shores of Great Salt Lake, and much of the rugged Wasatch Mountains.

Geography

The county extends from high in the Wasatch Range in the east into a portion of the Great Salt Lake to the west, where the county's elongated point exists. The Weber and Ogden rivers and their tributaries 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 the Ogden Valley, the watershed of the Ogden River. The county's highest elevation is Willard Peak in the Wasatch 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.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Box Elder County - northwest
Cache County - north
Rich County - northeast
Morgan County - southeast
Davis County - south
Tooele County - southwest

Protected areas

Cache National Forest (part)
Ogden Bay Waterfowl Management Area
Weber Memorial Park
Willard Bay Upland Game Management Area (part)^[7]

Lakes

Beus Pond (aka Beus Reservoir)
Bluebell Spring
Box Spring
Bybee Pond (aka Lybee Reservoir)
Causey Reservoir
Choke Spring
Cold Springs
Cutler Spring
Deseret Spring (aka Desert Spring)
Front Hollow Spring
Glassman Pond
Great Salt Lake (part)
Green Pond
Huntsville Reservoir
Lime Kiln Spring
Limestone Spring
Little Monte Springs
Lower Dry Bread Pond
Meadow Creek Pond
Monastery Spring
Norma Springs
Pineview Reservoir
The Horseshoe Bend
Twenty-First Street Pond
Utaba Reservoir

Demographics

Historical population
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%
2021 (est.)	267,066	^[1]	1.8%
United States Census Bureau^[10] 1790–1960^[11] 1900–1990^[12] 1990–2000^[13] 2010–2020, 2021^[1]

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 231,236 people in the county, organized into 78,784 households and 57,867 families.^[14] The population 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).^[14] The racial makeup of the county was 85.2% White, 1.4% Black or African American, 1.3% Asian, 0.8% Native American, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 6.59% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. 16.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.^[14]

In the 2000 United States Census, there were 196,533 people in the county, organized into 65,698 households and 49,536 families. The population density was 341 people per square mile (132 people/km²). There were 70,454 housing units at an average density of 122 units per square mile (47 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.69% White, 1.40% Black or African American, 1.28% Asian, 0.77% Native American, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 6.59% from other races, and 2.12% from two or more races. 12.65% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

By 2005 80.4% of the population was non-Hispanic whites. 1.5% were African-Americans, while 0.9% were Native Americans. Asians were 1.4% of the population. Latinos were 15.2% of the county population.

There were 78,748 households, of which 36.8% had children under 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 21.1% of all households had an individual who was 65 years of age or older, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90, and the average family size was 3.40.^[14]

Ages

Weber County Age Breakdown
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.^[14]

Income and employment

As of the 2010 census, 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. The per capita income for the county was $25,275. 12.1% of the population and 8.7% of families were below the poverty 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.^[14]

The 2000 census found the median income for a household in the county was $44,014, and the median income for a family was $49,724. Males had a median income of $36,239 versus $24,719 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,246. 9.30% of the population and 6.90% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 11.10% of those under 18 and 5.50% 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%.^[14]

Ancestry

As of 2017, the largest self-identified ancestry groups in Weber County, Utah were:^[15]

English (21.6%)
German (10.5%)
"American" (7.5%)
Irish (6.1%)
Scottish (4.1%)
Danish (3.9%)
Italian (3.6%)
Dutch (3.1%)
Swedish (3.0%)
Welsh (1.9%)
Norwegian (1.9%)

Politics and government

Like most of Utah, Weber County voters usually vote Republican. In no national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.

State elected offices
	District	Name	Affiliation	First elected
Senate	18	F. Ann Millner	Republican	2014^[16]
Senate	19	John D. Johnson	Republican	2020^[17]
Senate	20	D. Gregg Buxton	Republican	2016^[18]
House of Representatives	7	Ryan Wilcox	Republican	2020^[19]
House of Representatives	8	Steve Waldrip	Republican	2018^[20]
House of Representatives	9	Cal Musselman	Republican	2018^[21]
House of Representatives	10	Rosemary Lesser	Democrat	2021^[22]
House of Representatives	11	Kelly Miles	Republican	2016^[23]
House of Representatives	12	Mike Schultz	Republican	2014^[24]
House of Representatives	29	Matthew Gwynn	Republican	2020^[25]
Board of Education	1	Jennie Earl	Nonpartisan	2018^[26]
Board of Education	2	Scott Hansen	Nonpartisan	2018^[27]
Board of Education	4	Brent Strate	Republican	2020^[28]

United States presidential election results for Weber County, Utah^[29]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	65,949	58.54%	40,695	36.13%	6,005	5.33%
2016	40,235	46.78%	23,131	26.89%	22,640	26.32%
2012	54,224	71.08%	19,841	26.01%	2,225	2.92%
2008	45,885	61.99%	25,666	34.67%	2,471	3.34%
2004	51,199	70.43%	19,862	27.32%	1,630	2.24%
2000	39,254	62.56%	19,890	31.70%	3,598	5.73%
1996	27,443	48.79%	21,404	38.06%	7,395	13.15%
1992	26,812	39.30%	17,795	26.09%	23,609	34.61%
1988	39,676	63.97%	21,431	34.56%	911	1.47%
1984	44,590	70.40%	18,346	28.97%	398	0.63%
1980	43,807	69.98%	15,404	24.61%	3,388	5.41%
1976	34,811	58.33%	23,111	38.72%	1,762	2.95%
1972	37,753	68.23%	14,503	26.21%	3,078	5.56%
1968	27,034	52.82%	20,465	39.98%	3,683	7.20%
1964	20,206	40.52%	29,666	59.48%	0	0.00%
1960	22,293	47.88%	24,239	52.06%	31	0.07%
1956	22,542	55.95%	17,747	44.05%	0	0.00%
1952	20,692	51.11%	19,795	48.89%	0	0.00%
1948	12,445	37.08%	20,861	62.16%	253	0.75%
1944	9,518	32.59%	19,639	67.25%	48	0.16%
1940	7,946	30.55%	18,037	69.35%	24	0.09%
1936	4,989	21.86%	17,594	77.08%	243	1.06%
1932	8,019	39.02%	11,541	56.16%	989	4.81%
1928	9,934	53.79%	8,361	45.27%	173	0.94%
1924	7,382	43.60%	3,970	23.45%	5,579	32.95%
1920	7,122	50.71%	5,239	37.30%	1,684	11.99%
1916	4,720	35.45%	8,139	61.14%	454	3.41%
1912	3,171	29.31%	2,986	27.60%	4,661	43.09%
1908	5,881	56.06%	3,965	37.80%	644	6.14%
1904	6,331	62.36%	3,108	30.61%	714	7.03%
1900	4,585	52.35%	4,092	46.72%	82	0.94%
1896	1,373	17.79%	6,343	82.21%	0	0.00%