Delta is the largest city in
Millard County,
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...
, United States. It is located in the northeastern area of Millard County along the
Sevier River and is surrounded by farmland. The population was 3,436 at the
2010 census.
History
Delta was originally a
railroad switch called Aiken. In 1905 Aiken was renamed Melville when Millard County began plans to set up irrigation and a dam. People purchased land for 50 cents an acre as long as they agreed to develop a 40-acre lot. The name was changed again because of the similarities between Melville and Millville, another town in Utah. The name was changed on 12 May 1908 to Burtner. The name was finally changed to Delta on May 11, 1911. The name is quite fitting as the area was a delta of the Sevier River.
Topaz Relocation Camp
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, after the attack on
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the ...
, tens of thousands of Japanese-Americans were gathered up and placed in 10
incarceration camps to protect military installations from espionage. One of these camps, then entitled ''Central Utah Relocation Center'', was located near Delta and filled with former residents of the
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area G ...
.
The Topaz Museum, located in Delta, works to preserve important sites at the relocation center and to provide information on the history of the camps.
Great Basin Museum
A history of the area is kept and displayed at The Great Basin Museum.
Gunnison Massacre Site
John Williams Gunnison was leading a federal surveying team near the
Sevier Lake. He was ambushed by the
Pahvant
Pahvant (''Pavant, Parant, Pahva-nits'') was a band of Ute people that lived in present-day Utah. Called the "Water People", they fished and hunted waterfowl. They were also farmers and hunter-gatherers. In the 18th century they were known to be f ...
Indians and killed.
Geography
Delta is located at (39.353145, −112.573656).
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...
, the city has a total area of , all land.
Climate
Delta experiences a cold
semi-arid climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi ...
(
Köppen ''BSk'') with hot summers and cold winters. Because of Delta's altitude and aridity, temperatures
drop quickly after sunset, especially in the summer. Winters are cold. Daytime highs in the winter are usually above freezing, but nighttime lows drop well below freezing, occasionally falling below . Delta's climate is similar to that of
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...
, but much more arid.
Sevier River and Lake
The Sevier River flows near Delta. The
Sevier River is generally used for irrigation before it reaches its eventual end, the dry
Sevier Lake.
DMAD
DMAD is the initials for the Deseret Melville Abraham and Delta water company.
Just upstream of Delta, the Sevier River is dammed to provide irrigation water, reservoir storage, and cooling water for IPP
Intermountain Power Project. This reservoir is referred to as the DMAD.
Agriculture is a major economic force in Delta and the Sevier valley.
Gunnison Bend Reservoir
Downstream of Delta, the Sevier River is dammed again for irrigation and reservoir storage. This reservoir is named Gunnison Bend Reservoir in honor of
John Williams Gunnison.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...
of 2000, there were 3,209 people, 1,006 households, and 780 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...
was 1,018.3 people per square mile (393.3/km
2). There were 1,106 housing units at an average density of 351.0 per square mile (135.6/km
2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.61%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...
, 0.06%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.97%
Native American, 0.12%
Asian, 0.28%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 3.15% from
other races, and 0.81% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
or
Latino of any race were 10.10% of the population.
There were 1,006 households, out of which 48.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.3% were
married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.4% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15, and the average family size was 3.71.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 38.7% under 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.4 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 94.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,773, and the median income for a family was $43,952. Males had a median income of $37,340 versus $21,369 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $13,273. About 10.1% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those aged 65 or over.
Economy
Intermountain Power Project (IPP)
One of the main sources of income for Delta is a power plant operated by the
Intermountain Power Agency, known as the
Intermountain Power Project or I.P.P. It is also referred to as Intermountain Power Service Corporation or I.P.S.C. This
coal-powered power plant supplies power for much of
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
county in
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. The plant was originally designed for four units, but only two have been built. Each unit produces 950 megawatts of electricity.
Materion Natural Resources
Materion's, formerly Brush Wellman, beryllium refining plant is located north of Delta in Millard County. This is one of the few sources of concentrated
beryllium
Beryllium is a chemical element with the symbol Be and atomic number 4. It is a steel-gray, strong, lightweight and brittle alkaline earth metal. It is a divalent element that occurs naturally only in combination with other elements to for ...
in the world. The plant is a mill and finishing facility for beryllium, a high-strength, lightweight metal alloy used in military, aerospace, and medical industries. The ore for the plant is trucked from Materion's mine, located in the Topaz-Spor Mountains, 50 miles west, in Juab County. This is North America's only developed source of beryllium. The facility is located here due to its access to the railway and major highways 6 and 50.
Graymont Lime
Graymont Lime has a plant in the
Cricket Mountains, about 32.5 miles southwest of Delta. It is one of the ten largest lime plants in the United States. It was previously owned by Continental Lime which Graymont Lime purchased.
Alfalfa
Alfalfa hay is the main crop of the Delta area. Due to the dry climate in the Delta region, farmers can control the moisture content of the hay when it is baled. This is very important to prohibit mold growth.
Dairy
Delta is home to many dairy farmers who may ship the milk out of the county.
Science
Cosmic Ray Center
Delta is home to the Lon and Mary Watson Cosmic Ray Center, the main staging area for the
Telescope Array Project experiment.
Fossils and minerals
A great attraction of Millard County's economy is the digging of
fossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
s.
Trilobite
Trilobites (; meaning "three lobes") are extinct marine arthropods that form the class Trilobita. Trilobites form one of the earliest-known groups of arthropods. The first appearance of trilobites in the fossil record defines the base of the ...
fossils are relatively common in the region west of Delta (part of the
House Range
The House Range is a north-south trending mountain range in Millard County, of west-central Utah. The House Range was named in 1859 by James H. Simpson. It was named by Simpson because "...of its well-defined stratification and the resemblance ...
's
Wheeler Shale). Several local companies maintain fossil dig areas where they allow visitors to dig their own fossils for a small fee.
Near Delta is a mountain called
Topaz Mountain
Topaz Mountain is a summit in the Thomas Range of Utah, east of the Thomas caldera. The summit and surrounding area are known for their abundances of semiprecious minerals including topaz, red beryl and opal.
Geology and geography
Topaz Mountain ...
, which derives its name from the
topaz that is abundant in the area.
Other minerals and rocks that are prevalent near Delta include
obsidian,
opal
Opal is a hydrated amorphous form of silica (SiO2·''n''H2O); its water content may range from 3 to 21% by weight, but is usually between 6 and 10%. Due to its amorphous property, it is classified as a mineraloid, unlike crystalline form ...
, and
geodes.
Education
Schools
Delta currently has three public schools: Delta elementary school, Delta Middle school, and Delta High school. Delta also has a vocational school with the Delta Technical Center, which offers many Technical classes, including welding, Machining/metalworking, and Woodworking
Delta South Elementary
Delta South Elementary School is located at 450 South Center Street in Delta, Utah. DSES was originally built in 1982 to accommodate the growth in population due to the construction of the Intermountain Power Plant. The new school was finished in time for the 1983–84 school year and housed grades K-4. In 1989 the fifth grade was moved back to the elementary school. Because of declining enrollment figures, Delta South Elementary was closed in 2009. Delta Early Childhood Center was created using two-thirds of the South Elementary building to accommodate preschool and kindergarten students in West Millard County. At the end of the 2014–15 school year, the Delta area schools were reconfigured, placing all students in preschool, kindergarten, and first and second grades at Delta South Elementary School.
Delta Middle School
Delta Middle School serves approximately 420 students in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades and is located in Delta, Utah. Its students come from the City of Delta and several smaller communities in Millard County.
DMS has a staff of 21 teachers, nine instructional assistants, and eleven additional support personnel.
Delta High School
Delta High School is a public school located in rural central Utah, drawing students from several small outlying communities. With a new school and a diverse student population, Delta High is the hub of an agricultural-based community.
According to the 2013-2014 DH
report cardDelta had 549 students enrolled from the grades 9th-12th and an 87% graduation rate.
Entertainment
Snow Goose Festival
The Snow Goose Festival occurs every winter as the geese migrating through Delta stop at Gunnison Bend Reservoir.
Demolition Derby
Each July 4, the Hinckley Lions Club sponsors a demolition derby at the Millard County Fairgrounds. The derby attracts crowds of over 3,000 people. It is one of the largest derbies in the United States, with up to eleven rounds of competition, including pickup trucks, figure 8 compact car competition, powder puff, a championship round, and a wipe-out round. Following the derby, there is a fireworks display sponsored by Delta City.
Days of the Old West Rodeo
A Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) Rodeo takes place every year.
See also
*
List of cities and towns in Utah
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Cities in Utah
Cities in Millard County, Utah
Populated places established in 1907
1907 establishments in Utah
Great Basin National Heritage Area