UT State Facts |
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Deseret: 1849-1850 |
Territory: Sep 9, 1850 |
Statehood: Jan 4, 1896 |
Counties: 29 |
Borders: AZ, CO, ID, NV, NM and WY |
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Today’s Utah counties did not always exist in the present form. They went through many different changes in the space of a few short years. Utah Counties were first formed while part of the State of Deseret, and after that the Utah Territory.
Utah Territorial Counties
The State of Deseret was established in 1849 and disestablished in 1850. The provisional state encompassed most of the territory that had been acquired from Mexico the previous year as the Mexican Cession.
There were originally 7 counties established under the provisional State of Deseret in 1849: Davis, Iron, Sanpete, Salt Lake, Tooele, Utah, and Weber Counties.
The Territory of Utah, as part of the Compromise of 1850, was organized on September 9, 1850 with the first territorial legislature meeting from 1851–1852.
The first legislature re-created the original counties from the State of Deseret under territorial law as well as establishing 3 additional counties: Juab, Millard, and Washington.
All other counties were established between 1854 and 1894 by the Utah Territorial Legislature under territorial law except for the last two counties formed, Daggett and Duchesne. They were created by popular vote and by gubernatorial proclamation after Utah became a state.
The State of Utah was created as a the 45th state on January 4, 1896.
Utah Counties Today
Today, Utah is divided into 29 counties. States bordering Utah are Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico and Wyoming.
Fun Facts about Utah Counties
Counties by Year
- Salt Lake County, Sanpete County, Tooele County, Utah County and Weber counties was the original 5 counties created on March 03, 1852.
- Daggett County was the last county created on March 04, 1919.
County Size Facts
- San Juan County (7,820 sq mi) is the largest county in Utah.
- Davis County (299 sq mi) is the smallest county in Utah.
County Population Facts
- Daggett County (1,059) is the least populated county in Utah.
- Salt Lake County (1,029,665) is the most populated county in Utah.
Utah City Facts
Utah’s 10 largest cities (2017 est.) are:
- Salt Lake City (194,188) is in Salt Lake County
- West Valley City (135,546) is in Salt Lake County
- Provo (116,199) is in Utah County
- West Jordan (111,937) is in Salt Lake County
- Orem (97,839) is in Utah County
- Sandy (94,556) is in Salt Lake County
- Ogden (85,497) is in Weber County
- St. George (79,995) is in Washington County
- Layton (73,963) is in Davis County
- South Jordan (65,523) is in Salt Lake County
Boundary Changes of Utah Counties from 1849-1960
This Interactive Map of Utah Counties show the historical boundaries, names, organization, and attachments of every county, extinct county and unsuccessful county proposal from 1849 to 1960.
List of Utah Counties
County | Created | Created From | Named For | County Seat | Notes |
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January 10, 1866 | Iron County | The many beavers in the area | Beaver | ||
January 05, 1856 | Weber County | The many Box Elder trees in the area | Brigham City | ||
January 05, 1856 | Weber County | The caches of furs made by Rocky Mountain Fur Company trappers | Logan | ||
March 08, 1894 | Emery County | The vast coal beds in the county | Price | ||
March 04, 1919 | Uintah County | In honor of Ellsworth Daggett (1810–1880), the first Utah Surveyor General | Manila | ||
March 03, 1852 | Original county of State of Deseret | In honor of Daniel C. Davis (1804–1850), the captain of Company E in the Mormon Battalion | Farmington | ||
March 07, 1913 | Wasatch County | Origin is uncertain; likely origins are a Ute word translated “dark canyon”, the French and Indian War site of Fort Duquesne (the county’s initial settlement was also a fortress), the corrupted name of an area Indian chief, or the name of French fur trapper and explorer | Duchesne | ||
February 12, 1880 | Sanpete County | In honor of George W. Emery (1830–1909), Governor of the Utah Territory from 1875–1880 | Castle Dale | ||
March 09, 1882 | Iron County | In honor of James A. Garfield (1831–1881), the 20th President of the United States (1881) until his death by assassination six and a half months later | Panguitch | ||
March 13, 1890 | Emery County | Grand River, since renamed to the Colorado River | Moab | ||
January 31, 1850 | Original county of State of Deseret | The iron mines west of Cedar City | Parowan | ||
October 05, 1850 | Original county of Territory of Utah | Native American word translated “thirsty valley” | Nephi | ||
January 16, 1864 | Washington County | In honor of Thomas L. Kane (1822–1883), U.S. Army officer who spoke in favor of the Mormon migration and settlement of Utah | Kanab | ||
October 04, 1851 | Original county of Territory of Utah | In honor of Millard Fillmore (1800–1874), 13th President of the United States from (1850-1853) | Fillmore | ||
January 17, 1862 | Davis County | In honow of Jedediah Morgan Grant (1816–1856), an Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Morgan | ||
January 16, 1865 | Beaver County | Piute tribe of Native Americans who lived in the area | Junction | ||
January 29, 1868 | Cache County | In honor of Charles C. Rich (1809–1883), an Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Randolph | ||
March 03, 1852 | Original county of State of Deseret | Great Salt Lake, the largest terminal lake in the Western Hemisphere | Salt Lake City | ||
February 17, 1880 | Kane, Iron, and Piute Counties | San Juan River, a 400-mile tributary of the Colorado river located in southern Colorado and Utah | Monticello | ||
March 03, 1852 | Original county of State of Deseret | Possibly from a Ute Chief named San Pitch | Manti | ||
January 16, 1865 | Sanpete County | Sevier River, a 280-mile mile river in central Utah | Richfield | ||
January 13, 1854 | Salt Lake and Green River Counties | The high elevations in the county, which includes 39 of Utah’s highest peaks | Coalville | ||
March 03, 1852 | Original county of State of Deseret | Either from the Goshute Tribe Chief Tuilla or the Tules plant that grew in the marshes | Tooele | ||
February 18, 1880 | Wasatch County | Uintah band of the Ute tribe who lived in the area | Vernal | ||
March 03, 1852 | Original county of State of Deseret | Yuta, the Spanish name for the Ute tribe | Provo | ||
January 17, 1862 | Utah and Sanpete Counties | Native American word meaning “mountain pass”, also the name of the Wasatch Range | Heber City | ||
March 03, 1852 | Original county of Territory of Utah | In honor of George Washington (1732–1799); commanding general of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, a Founding Father, and the first President of the United States (1789-1797) | St. George | ||
March 10, 1892 | Piute County | In honor of Wayne Robinson, the son of Utah state legislator Willis Robinson, who was killed by a horse while both men traveled to a legislative session | Loa | ||
March 03, 1852 | Original county of State of Deseret | Weber River, a 125 miles tributary of the Great Salt Lake | Ogden |
List of Old Former / Extinct Utah Counties
At least thirty-two counties that were established by Utah law no longer exist. These defunct counties were either (1) Judicial counties, (2) Counties established by declaration of the Constitutional Convention of 1868-69, (3) Counties established by legislative act but never organized and later abolished by legislative act (4) Counties established outside the present boundaries of Utah or (5) Counties whose names have been changed.
The below counties formerly within the area of the State of Utah no longer exist:
- Carson County was established on 17 Jan 1854 by the Utah Territory; it was abolished on 02 Mar 1861. Area now in Nevada
- Cedar County was established on 05 Jan 1856 ; it was abolished on 17 Jan 1862
- Desert County was established on 03 Mar 1852 ; it was abolished on 17 Jan 1862
- Greasewood County was established on 05 Jan 1856 ; it was abolished on 17 Jan 1862
- Great Salt Lake County was established on 03 Mar 1852 ; it was renamed on 29 Jan 1868 Salt Lake County
- Green River County was established on 03 Mar 1852 ; it was abolished on 16 Feb 1872
- Humboldt County was established on 05 Jan 1856 ; it was abolished on 02 Mar 1861. Area now in Nevada
- Malad County was established on 05 Jan 1856 ; it was abolished on 17 Jan 1862 . Area now in Box Elder County
- Richland County was established on 16 Jan 1864 ; it was renamed Rich County on 29 Jan 1868.
- Rio Virgin County was established on 18 Feb 1869 ; it was abolished on 16 Feb 1872
- St. Mary’s County was established on 05 Jan 1856 ; it was abolished on 02 Mar 1861
- Shambip County was established on 12 Jan 1856 ; it was abolished on 17 Jan 1862 . Area now in Tooele County
COUNTY County, Utah
Created on DATE from LAND. COUNTY County was renamed to COUNTY County on November 7, 1907.