Brigham City, Utah

Brigham City redirects here; for the film by Richard Dutcher of the same name please see Brigham City (film). For the Supreme Court Case involving right to privacy please see Brigham City v. Stuart.

Brigham City is a city in Box Elder County, Utah, United States. The population was 17,411 at the 2000 census. By 2004 its estimated population had decreased slightly to 17,149. It is the county seat of Box Elder County. It lies on the western slope of the Wellsville Mountains, a branch of the Wasatch Range at the western terminus of Box Elder Canyon. Brigham City saw most of its growth during the 1950s and 1960s, but has seen a struggling economy and stagnating growth since then. It is currently the headquarters of Thiokol, the company that created the solid rocket boosters for the Space Shuttle.

History

Mormon pioneer William Davis first explored the Brigham City area in 1850. He returned with his family and others a year later to create permanent homes. Brigham Young directed Lorenzo Snow to create a self-sufficient city there in 1853. Snow directed both religious and political affairs in the settlement, eventually naming it Box Elder in 1855. Brigham Young gave his last public sermon there in 1877 shortly before his death and the name of the town was changed to Brigham City after the church president. In 1864, the cooperative movement began in earnest with the creation of a mercantile co-op store. Other industries were added, and the Brigham City Co-op is widely recognized as the most successful of the Mormon Co-op ventures. Economic hardships brought an end to the Co-op in 1895, though the Co-op had first started selling businesses off in 1876. Through the Depression, Brigham City remained a typical small, Mormon Utah town. President Snow is buried in the Brigham City Cemetery.

World War II changed Brigham City's image forever. The federal government created Bushnell General Hospital on Brigham City's south side to treat soldiers wounded in the war. The hospital brought an economic boom to the nearby area. Locals sold supplies and food to the hospital while hospital staff patronized local businesses. After the war, the hospital's buildings were used as Intermountain Indian School. Many young Native Americans attended the boarding school until it closed in 1984, though the Intermountain "I" on the mountain is still visible in tandem with Box Elder High School's "B". The facility has left its mark in a number of other ways. Most of the buildings still stand. Some have been converted into businesses and condos, while others remain empty.

Despite layoffs over the past decade, much of Brigham City's economy still relies on Thiokol, the creator of many missiles, as well as the solid rocket booster for the Space Shuttle. Additionally, the local Autoliv (formerly a part of Thiokol) airbag plants also net Brigham City many jobs. The addition of a WalMart distribution center in nearby Corinne has also brought new jobs.

Geography

Brigham City is located at (41.510192, -112.015011).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 37.1 km² (14.3 mi²). 37.1 km² (14.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.14%) is water. It lies at an elevation of 4,315 feet (1,315 meters).

Brigham City lies on the western slopes of the Wellsville Mountains, a branch of the Wasatch Range, at the western end of Box Elder Canyon. Brigham City is generally considered to be the northern end of the Wasatch Front. To the west is a large, flat region of desert scrub, eventually giving way to marshlands on the edge of the Great Salt Lake. Interstates 15 and 84 pass to the west of the city together. U.S. Highway 89 approaches from the south and U.S. Highway 91 comes from I-15/84 to the west. They intersect in the city, climbing through Box Elder Canyon together. Two routes of the Utah Transit Authority's extensive bus sytem also provide access to Brigham City.

The climate of Brigham City is generally the same as that of the rest of the Wasatch Front. Snow is heavy in winter and precipitation is light, averaging approximately 18 in (45 cm) annually. Summers are hot, but humidity remains low and overnight temperatures are cool. The wettest season is spring, while summer is the driest.

Sites of interest

Nearby attractions inclue Golden Spike National Historic Site, which lies northwest of the city near Promontory Summit. Utah State Route 13 heads northwest from Brigham City and turns north at Corinne. However, Utah State Route 83 continues west from there and eventually reaches Lampo Junction, where the turnoff to the historic site is located. The work of art known as the Spiral Jetty lies west-southwest of this site. The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge lies directly west of Brigham City on the northeast side of the Great Salt Lake at the mouth of the Bear River.

Ties to popular culture

Was the namesake of American movie director, producer, writer and actor Richard Dutcher's 2001 film Brigham City about murder in a fictitious small Mormon town. Due to geography and population, the movie was actually filmed in Mapleton, Utah. Brigham City the movie

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 17,411 people, 5,526 households, and 4,409 families residing in the city. The population density was 469.8/km² (1,216.4/mi²). There were 5,838 housing units at an average density of 157.5/km² (407.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.26% White, 0.24% African American, 1.63% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 4.07% from other races, and 1.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.67% of the population.

There were 5,526 households out of which 44.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.4% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.2% were non-families. 18.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.09 and the average family size was 3.53.

In the city the population was spread out with 34.2% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,335, and the median income for a family was $46,891. Males had a median income of $39,271 versus $22,061 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,503. About 7.3% of families and 8.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

School

There is one high school, one middle school, one intermediate school, and five elementary schools in Brigham City, part of Box Elder School District They are:

Elementary Schools

External links

Box Elder County, Utah | Cities in Utah | Mormonism

Brigham City

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