SUMMIT County, UT

Summit County is a county in the U.S. state of Utah, occupying a rugged and mountainous area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 36,324. Its county seat is Coalville, and the largest city is Park City.

History

The county was created by the Utah Territory legislature on January 13, 1854, with its description containing a portion of the future state of Wyoming. It was not organized at that time, but was attached to Great Salt Lake County for administrative and judicial purposes. The county government was completed by March 4, 1861, so its attachment to the other county was terminated. The county boundaries were altered in 1856 and in 1862. In 1868 the Wyoming Territory was created by the US government, effectively de-annexing all Summit County area falling within the new territory. The boundaries were further altered in 1872 and 1880. Its final alteration occurred on January 7, 1918, when Daggett's creation took a portion of its east territory. Its boundary has remained unchanged since that creation. It is so named because it includes 39 of the highest mountain peaks in Utah.

The county's mean elevation is above sea level, which is the second-highest (after Taos County, New Mexico) of any county outside Colorado. Owing to its proximity to Salt Lake City, Park City has acquired a reputation as an upscale getaway, bringing new development to the area.

Summit County is part of the Heber, UT Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Salt Lake City-Provo-Orem, UT Combined Statistical Area.

Geography

Summit County lies on the upper east side of Utah. Its northeast borders abut the south and west borders of the state of Wyoming. Its central and eastern portion consists largely of the east–west oriented Uinta Mountains, while its western portion runs to the east slopes of the north–south oriented Wasatch Mountains. The county's highest point is Gilbert Peak, on the border with Duchesne County, at 13,448' (4099m) ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water.

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Adjacent counties

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Lakes

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 29,736 people, 10,332 households, and 7,501 families in the county. The population density was 15.9/sqmi (6.13/km²). There were 17,489 housing units at an average density of 9.34/sqmi (3.61/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.80% White, 0.24% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 5.43% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. 8.09% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 10,332 households, out of which 40.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.50% were married couples living together, 6.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.40% were non-families. 18.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.30.

The median income for a household in the county was $64,962, and the median income for a family was $72,510. Males had a median income of $47,236 versus $28,621 for females. The per capita income for the county was $33,767. Only 42.9% are natives of Utah. 5.40% of the population and 3.00% of families were below the poverty line.

According to a 2000 survey by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, Summit County is much more diverse in religious belief than Utah as a whole. Fully two in five people (44.2%) of the population claim no religion at all while among those that do, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is the largest group at 36.8% (compared with some 66% statewide), followed by Roman Catholics at 10.6%.

Politics and government

Summit County has traditionally been a Republican stronghold. Since the 1990s, it has become more competitive due to the influence of Park City, and recently Democrats have at times won a plurality or even a majority of the votes. In 1996, Bill Clinton became the first Democrat to win the county since Lyndon Johnson's 44-state landslide in 1964, and only the second Democrat to carry it since Franklin D. Roosevelt. Although George W. Bush carried the county in 2000 and 2004, his performance there was his worst in the state. In a 2006 US Senate race, Summit County was the only county carried by Democrat Pete Ashdown even as the Republican incumbent Orrin Hatch carried the state as a whole by a 2 to 1 margin. Likewise, in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, Barack Obama carried the county by a 15.3% margin over John McCain, while McCain carried Utah by 28.1% over Obama. However, in the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney defeated Obama in the county, 51% to 46%. In 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton defeated Republican Donald Trump, 50% to 35%. The county is no more Republican in gubernatorial politics. In both the 2010 and 2016 elections it was the only county to support the Democratic candidate over Gary Herbert.

In the 2016 Senate race, Summit County was the only county in Utah where a plurality voted for Democratic nominee Misty Snow, who was the first major-party transgender Senate candidate in United States history, thereby making the county the first in the nation to vote for a transgender candidate for the Senate.

On the county level, most of the elected offices are held by Democrats; including four of the five seats on the newly created Summit County Council. -John Hanrahan, D; Claudia McMullin, D; Sally Elliott, D; Chris Robinson, D; David Ure, R

Summit County was one of only two counties (along with Grand County) to vote against Utah's same-sex marriage ban in 2004. In June 2010, Summit County became the sixth local government of Utah to prohibit discrimination in employment or housing based on a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.

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Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Former communities