Ogden, Utah

Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. The population was 77,226 at the 2000 census. A 2005 estimate placed its population at 78,309. It is the county seat of Weber County. Weber State University, founded in the year 1889, is located in Ogden. Ogden-Hinckley Airport, Utah's busiest municipal airport, is located just to the southwest of the city.

Ogden is home to the minor league Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer League.

History

Originally named Fort Buenaventura, the city of Ogden was the first permanent settlement by people of European descent in the region that is now Utah. It was established by the trapper Miles Goodyear in 1846 about a mile west of where downtown Ogden is currently located. In November 1847, Fort Buenaventura was purchased by the Mormon settlers for $1,950. The settlement was then called Brownsville, but was later named Ogden for a brigade leader of the Hudson Bay Company, Peter Skene Ogden who trapped in the Weber Valley. The site of the original Fort Buenaventura is now a Utah state park.

Ogden is the closest sizable city to the Golden Spike location at Promontory Summit, Utah, where the First Transcontinental Railroad was joined in 1869. Ogden was known as a major passenger railroad junction owing to its location along major east-west and north-south routes. Railroad passengers traveling west to San Francisco from the eastern United States typically passed through Ogden (and not through the larger Salt Lake City to the south). Ogden, however, is no longer served by Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, and passengers desiring to travel by rail must travel by bus to Salt Lake City.

In 1972 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints completed construction of and dedicated the Ogden Utah Temple in Ogden. The temple was built to serve the large LDS population in the area. Because Ogden has historically been the second largest city in Utah it is home to a large number of historic buildings. However, in the 1980's, several Salt Lake City suburbs and Provo had surpassed Ogden in terms of population.

Geography

Ogden is located at (41.227744, -111.961193).

Ogden's summers are hot and dry; winters bring snow.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 69.0 km² (26.6 mi²), all land.

Pineview Dam is located 7 miles east of Ogden in the Ogden River Canyon. It provides over 110,000 acre-feet (140,000,000 m³) of water storage and water recreation for the area.

The Defense Depot Ogden Utah operated from 1941 to 1997 in northern Ogden. Some of its 1,128 acres (4.6 km²) has since been converted into a commercial and industrial park called the Business Depot Ogden.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 77,226 people, 27,384 households, and 18,402 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,119.3/km² (2,899.2/mi²). There were 29,763 housing units at an average density of 431.4/km² (1,117.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.01% White, 2.31% African American, 1.20% Native American, 1.43% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 12.95% from other races, and 2.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.64% of the population.

There were 27,384 households out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. There are 1,624 unmarried partner households in Ogden: 1,459 heterosexual, 80 same-sex male, and 85 same-sex female. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.32.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 14.6% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 102.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,047, and the median income for a family was $38,950. Males had a median income of $29,006 versus $22,132 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,632. About 12.6% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.2% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Both Interstate 15 and Interstate 84 serve Ogden, connecting the city with communities far to the northwest, such as Boise, Idaho and also points west in Oregon, and communities to the north, including Pocatello and Idaho Falls, Idaho and Butte, Montana. South on I-15 is the extended Wasatch Front metropolitan area, including the cities of Layton, Farmington, Salt Lake City, West Jordan, Sandy, Orem, and Provo.

Ogden's 12th Street corridor was a subject of early planning investigations in the 1970s, as the Utah State Highway Department attempted to upgrade that facility taking into account the constraints of the urban corridor. This corridor contains a dense accumulation of lodging, public buildings, offices, restaurants and other services.

Sites of interest

Peery's Egyptian Theatre
Ogden Forest Service Building
Ogden Utah Temple
Ogden High School
Dee Events Center
Eccles Avenue Historic District
Bigelow-Ben Lomond Hotel
Union Station
Ogden/Weber Municipal Building
Snowbasin Ski Area Alpine Skiing venue during the 2002 Winter Olympics
The Ice Sheet Curling venue during the 2002 Winter Olympics
The Golden Spike Arena, home of the Utah Basketball League Ogden Rockets

Renown

Two ships in the United States Navy have been named after the City of Ogden. The first, USS Ogden (PF-39), in 1943 and the second, USS Ogden (LPD-5), in 1964.