Morgan County, Utah

County in Utah, United States

For counties with a similar name, see Morgan County (disambiguation).

Not to be confused with Morgan, Utah, a city in the county, as well as the county's seat.

County in Utah

Morgan County

County

Devil's Slide, a limestone rock formation in Weber Canyon, November 2013.

Location within the U.S. state of Utah

Utah's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: 41°05′N 111°35′W﻿ / ﻿41.08°N 111.58°W﻿ / 41.08; -111.58
Country|  United States
State|  Utah
Founded| January 17, 1862
Named after| Jedediah Morgan Grant
Seat| Morgan
Largest city| Morgan
Area

• Total

| 611 sq mi (1,580 km2)
• Land| 609 sq mi (1,580 km2)
• Water| 1.7 sq mi (4 km2)  0.3%
Population

(2020)

• Total

| 12,295
• Density| 20/sq mi (7.8/km2)
Time zone| UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district| 1st
Website| www.morgan-county.net

Morgan County is a county in northern Utah, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 12,295.[1] Its county seat and largest city is Morgan.[2] Morgan County is part of the Ogden-Clearfield, UT Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Salt Lake City-Provo-Orem, UT Combined Statistical Area.

## History

[edit]

An early route of the Hastings Cutoff ran through the Morgan Valley and down through a narrow gorge in Weber Canyon. The Donner Party avoided going through the Morgan Valley in order to speed up their journey. However, their alternate route proved more time-consuming.

In 1855, Charles Sreeve Peterson and his family became the first white settlers to take up permanent residence in the Morgan Valley after cutting a road through Weber Canyon. After others began settling in the rather limited planar areas of the mountainous territory, the Utah Territory legislature acted on January 17, 1862, to form a separate county from sections partitioned off Davis, Great Salt Lake, Summit, and Weber counties. The small settlement at Morgan was named the county seat. The town (and thus the new county) was named for the father (Jedediah Morgan Grant) of Heber J. Grant, who would serve as president of LDS Church from 1918 until 1945.[3]

## Geography

[edit]

The central core of Morgan County, the narrow East Canyon valley (now called Morgan Valley), is ringed by mountains. In its southern portion, Main Canyon Creek flows southward from Summit County to join East Canyon Creek, which flows northward from a different portion of Summit County. At their intersection, a dam has been installed to create East Canyon Reservoir and State Park. The combined discharge (now called East Canyon Creek) from the dam flows northwestward to Morgan, where it combines with Deep Creek to discharge into the Weber River, which also flows into the county from Summit and follows Lost Canyon to the Morgan Valley. The now-augmented Weber flows northwestward to Mountain Green, then turns west to exit the county through Weber Canyon. The terrain generally slopes to the north and west, with its highest point, Thurston Peak, at 9,706 ft (2,958 m) ASL.[4] The county has an area of 611 square miles (1,580 km2), of which 609 square miles (1,580 km2) is land and 1.7 square miles (4.4 km2) is water.[5] It is Utah's third-smallest county by land area and smallest by total area.

### Major highways

[edit]

* Interstate 84
* Utah State Highway U-65
* Utah State Highway U-66
* Utah State Highway U-158
* Utah State Highway U-167

Some county roads accessing the canyons are closed during winters.

### Adjacent counties

[edit]

* Weber County \- north
* Summit County \- east
* Salt Lake County \- southwest
* Davis County \- west
* Rich County \- northeast

### Protected areas

[edit]

* Cache National Forest (part)
* East Canyon State Park
* Lost Creek State Park
* Round Valley Wildlife Management Area
* Wasatch National Forest (part)

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1870| 1,972| | —
1880| 1,783| | −9.6%
1890| 1,780| | −0.2%
1900| 2,045| | 14.9%
1910| 2,467| | 20.6%
1920| 2,542| | 3.0%
1930| 2,536| | −0.2%
1940| 2,611| | 3.0%
1950| 2,519| | −3.5%
1960| 2,837| | 12.6%
1970| 3,983| | 40.4%
1980| 4,917| | 23.4%
1990| 5,528| | 12.4%
2000| 7,129| | 29.0%
2010| 9,469| | 32.8%
2020| 12,295| | 29.8%
US Decennial Census[6]
1790–1960[7] 1900–1990[8]
1990–2000[9] 2010[10] 2020[11]

### 2020 census

[edit]

According to the 2020 United States census[12] and 2020 American Community Survey,[13] there were 12,295 people in Morgan County with a population density of 20.2 people per square mile (7.8/km2). Among non-Hispanic or Latino people, the racial makeup was 11,562 (94.0%) White, 12 (0.1%) African American, 31 (0.3%) Native American, 57 (0.5%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 9 (0.1%) from other races, and 286 (2.3%) from two or more races. 338 (2.7%) people were Hispanic or Latino.

There were 6,289 (51.15%) males and 6,006 (48.85%) females, and the population distribution by age was 4,299 (35.0%) under the age of 18, 6,441 (52.4%) from 18 to 64, and 1,555 (12.6%) who were at least 65 years old. The median age was 33.6 years.

There were 3,574 households in Morgan County with an average size of 3.44 of which 3,084 (86.3%) were families and 490 (13.7%) were non-families. Among all families, 2,783 (77.9%) were married couples, 91 (2.5%) were male householders with no spouse, and 210 (5.9%) were female householders with no spouse. Among all non-families, 428 (12.0%) were a single person living alone and 62 (1.7%) were two or more people living together. 1,670 (46.7%) of all households had children under the age of 18. 3,176 (88.9%) of households were owner-occupied while 398 (11.1%) were renter-occupied.

The median income for a Morgan County household was $100,408 and the median family income was $101,572, with a per-capita income of $34,280. The median income for males that were full-time employees was $87,961 and for females $46,484. 1.7% of the population and 1.0% of families were below the poverty line.

In terms of education attainment, out of the 6,695 people in Morgan County 25 years or older, 145 (2.2%) had not completed high school, 1,350 (20.2%) had a high school diploma or equivalency, 2,630 (39.3%) had some college or associate degree, 1,548 (23.1%) had a bachelor's degree, and 1,022 (15.3%) had a graduate or professional degree.

## Politics and government

[edit]

Morgan County traditionally votes Republican. In only one national election since 1948 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024).

State elected offices  Position  | District  | Name  | Affiliation  | First elected

|
|
|
|

| Senate | 18  | F. Ann Millner | Republican | 2014[14]
| Senate | 19  | John D. Johnson | Republican | 2020[15]
| House of Representatives | 53  | Kera Birkeland | Republican | 2020[16]
| Board of Education  | 1  | Jennie Earl  | Nonpartisan  | 2018[17]
United States presidential election results for Morgan County, Utah[18] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2024 | 5,300  | 76.26% | 1,256  | 18.07%  | 394  | 5.67%
2020 | 5,181  | 78.43% | 1,086  | 16.44%  | 339  | 5.13%
2016 | 3,188  | 61.05% | 577  | 11.05%  | 1,457  | 27.90%
2012 | 4,114  | 89.49% | 403  | 8.77%  | 80  | 1.74%
2008 | 3,311  | 79.06% | 689  | 16.45%  | 188  | 4.49%
2004 | 3,301  | 85.94% | 472  | 12.29%  | 68  | 1.77%
2000 | 2,464  | 77.70% | 553  | 17.44%  | 154  | 4.86%
1996 | 1,659  | 57.05% | 859  | 29.54%  | 390  | 13.41%
1992 | 1,339  | 45.54% | 520  | 17.69%  | 1,081  | 36.77%
1988 | 1,889  | 73.59% | 647  | 25.20%  | 31  | 1.21%
1984 | 1,934  | 79.59% | 481  | 19.79%  | 15  | 0.62%
1980 | 1,985  | 81.52% | 373  | 15.32%  | 77  | 3.16%
1976 | 1,356  | 62.95% | 701  | 32.54%  | 97  | 4.50%
1972 | 1,456  | 71.51% | 363  | 17.83%  | 217  | 10.66%
1968 | 1,020  | 59.89% | 551  | 32.35%  | 132  | 7.75%
1964 | 572  | 40.65%  | 835  | 59.35% | 0  | 0.00%
1960 | 775  | 55.44% | 622  | 44.49%  | 1  | 0.07%
1956 | 905  | 67.39% | 438  | 32.61%  | 0  | 0.00%
1952 | 862  | 64.86% | 467  | 35.14%  | 0  | 0.00%
1948 | 587  | 46.40%  | 670  | 52.96% | 8  | 0.63%
1944 | 535  | 44.36%  | 671  | 55.64% | 0  | 0.00%
1940 | 575  | 45.13%  | 699  | 54.87% | 0  | 0.00%
1936 | 483  | 39.33%  | 739  | 60.18% | 6  | 0.49%
1932 | 568  | 48.34%  | 602  | 51.23% | 5  | 0.43%
1928 | 513  | 53.00% | 454  | 46.90%  | 1  | 0.10%
1924 | 482  | 54.10% | 360  | 40.40%  | 49  | 5.50%
1920 | 544  | 57.57% | 397  | 42.01%  | 4  | 0.42%
1916 | 464  | 48.54%  | 484  | 50.63% | 8  | 0.84%
1912 | 318  | 36.59% | 233  | 26.81%  | 318  | 36.59%
1908 | 494  | 58.19% | 306  | 36.04%  | 49  | 5.77%
1904 | 492  | 57.28% | 315  | 36.67%  | 52  | 6.05%
1900 | 391  | 51.72% | 363  | 48.02%  | 2  | 0.26%
1896 | 138  | 19.17%  | 582  | 80.83% | 0  | 0.00%

## Communities

[edit]

### Cities

[edit]

* Morgan (county seat)

### Census-designated places

[edit]

* Enterprise
* Mountain Green

### Unincorporated places

[edit]

* Croydon
* Littleton[19]
* Milton[20]
* Peterson
* Porterville
* Richville[21]
* Stoddard[22]
* Taggarts[23]
* Whites Crossing

### Ghost towns

[edit]

* Devils Slide

## See also

[edit]

* Utah portal

* List of counties in Utah
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Morgan County, Utah

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Morgan County, Utah". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ "[[Newberry Library]]. Individual County Chronologies/Morgan County UT (accessed March 27, 2019)". Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
4. ^ "Utah County High Points/Morgan Co. Peakbagger (accessed 27 March 2019)". Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
5. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
6. ^ "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
7. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
8. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (June 25, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
9. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
10. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
11. ^ 2020 Population and Housing State Data | Utah
12. ^ United States Census Bureau. "2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (DHC)". Retrieved November 3, 2024.
13. ^ United States Census Bureau. "American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2009-2022)". Retrieved November 3, 2024.
14. ^ "Senator Millner Utah Senate". senate.utah.gov. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
15. ^ "Senator Johnson Utah Senate". senate.utah.gov. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
16. ^ "Rep. Birekeland, Kera". Utah House of Representatives. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
17. ^ "Jennie Earl". www.schools.utah.gov. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
18. ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
19. ^ "Croyden". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
20. ^ "Milton". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
21. ^ "Richville". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
22. ^ "Sotddard". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
23. ^ "Taggart's Camp".

## Further reading

[edit]

* Smith, Linda H. (1999). A History of Morgan County. Salt Lake City UT: Utah State Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-913738-36-8.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Morgan County, Utah.

* Official website
* UEN - Morgan County
* The Morgan County News - The Newspaper of Morgan County

* v
* t
* e

Places adjacent to Morgan County, Utah

| Weber County | Weber County | Rich County

|
|

|  |
Davis County |

Morgan County, Utah

| Summit County
|  |
Salt Lake County | Salt Lake County | Summit County

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Morgan County, Utah, United States

County seat: Morgan

City|

* Morgan

Map of Utah highlighting Morgan County

CDPs|

* Enterprise
* Mountain Green

Unincorporated
communities|

* Croydon
* Littleton
* Peterson
* Porterville

* Utah portal
* United States portal

* v
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* e

State of Utah

Salt Lake City (capital)

Topics|

* Outline
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Society|

* Abortion
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Regions|

* Cache Valley
* Colorado Plateau
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* Great Salt Lake Desert
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Largest cities|

* American Fork
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Counties|

* Beaver
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Important sites|

| National monuments|

* Bears Ears National Monument
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|

National parks|

* Arches National Park
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* Zion National Park

National recreation areas|

* Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area
* Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Ski resorts|

* Alta Ski Area
* Beaver Mountain
* Brian Head Ski Resort
* Brighton Ski Resort
* Cherry Peak Resort
* Deer Valley
* Park City Mountain Resort
* Powder Mountain
* Snowbasin
* Snowbird Ski Resort
* Solitude Mountain Resort
* Sundance Resort
* Wolf Mountain

Other|

* Bonneville Salt Flats
* Golden Spike National Historical Park
* Great Salt Lake
* Lagoon (amusement park)
* Temple Square
* Evermore Park

History|

* African American
* Black Hawk War (1865–1872)
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Flora and fauna|

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* Wasatch and Uinta montane forests
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* Jardine Juniper

Culture|

* America's Freedom Festival at Provo
* Mormon foodways
* Pioneer Day
* Utah...This Is the Place
* Utah Shakespeare Festival
* State fair
* Symbols
* Moab Jeep Safari

Utah portal

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States
* Israel

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