Summit County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the U.S. state of

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 ...

, occupying a rugged and mountainous area. As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving ...

, the population was 36,324. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

Coalville Coalville is an industrial town in the district of North West Leicestershire, Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England, with a population at the 2011 census of 34,575. It lies on the A511 trunk road between Leicester and Burton upon Tr ...

, and the largest city is Park City.

History

The county was created by the

Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th state ...

legislature on January 13, 1854, with its description containing a portion of the future state of

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to t ...

. It was not organized then 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 The Territory of Wyoming was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 25, 1868, until July 10, 1890, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Wyoming. Cheyenne was the territorial capital. The bou ...

was created by the US government, effectively de-annexing all Summit County areas 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 eastern 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 Taos County is a county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 census, the population was 32,937. Its county seat is Taos. The county was formed in 1852 as one of the original nine counties in New Mexico Territory. Taos County comp ...

) of any county outside

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

. 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 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 ...

- Provo-

Orem Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is approximately south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah M ...

, UT

Combined Statistical Area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and ...

Geography

Summit County lies on the upper east side of Utah. Its northeast borders abut the south and west borders of the state of

. Its central and eastern portion consists largely of the east-west oriented

Uinta Mountains The Uinta Mountains ( ) are an east-west trending chain of mountains in northeastern Utah extending slightly into southern Wyoming in the United States. As a subrange of the Rocky Mountains, they are unusual for being the highest range in the ...

, while its western portion runs to the east slopes of the north-south oriented

Wasatch Mountains The Wasatch Range ( ) or Wasatch Mountains is a mountain range in the western United States that runs about from the Utah-Idaho border south to central Utah. It is the western edge of the greater Rocky Mountains, and the eastern edge of the G ...

.''Summit County UT'' Google Maps (accessed 26 March 2019)
/ref> The county's highest point is Gilbert Peak, on the border with

Duchesne County Duchesne County ( ) is a county in the northeast part of the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 18,607. Its county seat is Duchesne, and the largest city is Roosevelt. History Much of Duchesne County w ...

, at 13,448' (4099m) ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water. Summit County, Utah - Oakley, Kamas, and Francis

Major highways

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one ...

* Interstate 84 *

U.S. Route 40 U.S. Route 40 or U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), also known as the Main Street of America, is a major east–west United States Highway traveling across the United States from the Mountain States to the Mid-Atlantic States. As with most routes wh ...

* U.S. Route 189 * Utah State Route 32 * Utah State Route 150 * Utah State Route 224 *

Utah State Route 248 State Route 248 is a highway in northern Utah that connects Park City with Kamas. In Park City it is known as Kearns Boulevard. Route description From its western terminus in Park City, SR-248 begins at State Route 224 and heads east on Kear ...

Adjacent counties

* Rich County - north *

Uinta County, Wyoming Uinta County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Wyoming. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 20,450. Its county seat is Evanston. Its south and west boundary lines abut the Utah state line. Uinta County comprises the Eva ...

- northeast *

Sweetwater County, Wyoming Sweetwater County is a county in southwestern Wyoming, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 42,272, making it the fourth-most populous county in Wyoming. Its county seat is Green River. By area, it is the l ...

- northeast * Daggett County - east *

- southeast * Wasatch County - south *

Salt Lake County Salt Lake County is located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 1,185,238, making it the most populous county in Utah. Its county seat and largest city is Salt Lake City, the state capital. The cou ...

- southwest * Morgan County - northwest *

- west

Protected areas

Ashley National Forest Ashley National Forest is a National Forest located in northeastern Utah and southwestern Wyoming. Within the Forest's bounds are (with in Utah and in Wyoming) of vast forests, lakes, and mountains, with elevations ranging from . The fores ...

(part) * Henefer-Echo Wildlife Management Area * Rockport State Park * Wasatch National Forest (part)

Lakes

* Abes Lake * Adax Lake * Alexander Lake * Alligator Lake * Allsop Lake * Amethyst Lake * Anchor Lake * Azure Lake * Baker Lake * Bald Lake * Ball and Moore Reservoir * Barker Reservoir * Bear Lake * Beaver Lake (near Coffin Lake) * Beaver Lake (near Duck Lake) * Beaver Lake (near Whitney Reservoir) * Beaver Meadow Reservoir * Bench Lake * Bennion Lake * Beth Lake * Big Elk Lake * Blue Lake (near Boyer Lake) * Blue Lake (near Haystack Lake) * Bobs Lake * Bourbon Lake * Boyer Lake * Bridger Lake * Buckeye Lake * Burnt Fork Lake * Castle Lake (near Lake Blanchard) * Castle Lake (near Shingle Creek Lakes) * Chappell Lake * China Lake * Clegg Lake * Cliff Lake (near Lake Blanchard) * Cliff Lake (near Trial Lake) * Clyde Lake * Coffin Lake * Crystal Lake * Cuberant Lake * Cutthroat Lake (near Island Lake) * Cutthroat Lake (near Teal Lake) * Dead Horse Lake * Dean Lake * Diamond Lake * Dine Lake * Dollar Lake * Duck Lake (near Bald Lake) * Duck Lake (near Fire Lake) * East Red Castle Lake * Echo Reservoir * Elizabeth Lake * Elkhorn Reservoir * Erickson Lakes ** North Erickson Lake ** South Erickson Lake * Fir Lake * Fire Lake * Fish Lake (near Burnt Fork Lake) * Fish Lake (near Lyman Lake) * Fish Lake (near Sand Lake) * Gendy Lake * Gilbert Lake * Grahams Reservoir (part) * Grass Lake * Grassy Lakes * Hayden Lake * Haystack Lake * Hell Hole Lake * Henrys Fork Lake * Hidden Lake (near Dine Lake) * Hidden Lake (near Peter Lake) * Hidden Lake (near Pot Reservoir) * Hidden Lake (near Spirit Lake) * Hidden Lake (near Tamarack Lake) * Hidden Lake (near Smith and Morehouse Reservoir) * Hoop Lake * Hope Lake * Hourglass Lake * Ibantik Lake * Island Lake (near Bennion Lake) * Island Lake (near Grass Lake) * Island Lake (near Ramona Lake) * James Lake * Jean Lake * Jerry Lake * Jessen Lake * Jewel Lake * John Lake * Joyce Lake * Kabell Lakes * Kamas Lake * Kermsuh Lake * Lake Blanchard * Lake Ejod * Lake Hessie * Lake Lorena * Lake Marion * Liberty Lake * Lilly Lake * Lily Lake * Lily Lakes (aka Montgomery Lakes) * Lily Pad Lake * Linear Lake * Little Elk Lake * Little Lyman Lake * Lofty Lake * Long Lake * Lost Lake (near Lilly Lake) * Lost Lake (near Tamarack Lake) * Lovenia Lake * Lower Red Castle Lake * Lower Yellow Pine Lake * Lym Lake * Lyman Lake * Marjorie Lake * Marsh Lake * McPheters Lake * Meadow Lake * Meeks Cabin Reservoir (part) * Moslander Reservoir * Naomi Lake * Norice Lake * Notch Lake (Cliff Lake) * Olsen Lake * Ostler Lake * Peter Lake * Petit Lake * Picturesque Lake * Ponds Lake * Porcupine Reservoir * Pot Reservoir * Priord Lake * Quarter Corner Lake * Ramona Lake * Red Castle Lake * Red Pine Lake * Reids Lake * Rhoads Lake * Rock Lake * Rockport Reservoir * Round Lake * Ruth Lake * Ryder Lake * Salamander Lake * Salt Fish Lake * Sand Lake * Sargent Lake * Sargent Lakes ** Sargent Number One Reservoir * Sawmill Lake * Scow Lake * Shadow Lake (near Park City) * Shadow Lake (near Tail Lake) * Shallow Lake * Shingle Creek Lakes ** East Shingle Creek Lake ** Lower Shingle Creek Lake ** West Shingle Creek Lake * Shingle Mill Lake * Shoestring Lake * Smith and Morehouse Reservoir * Smiths Fork Pass Lake * Spectacle Lake * Spirit Lake (part) * Star Lake * Stateline Reservoir * Tail Lake * Tamarack Lake * Teal Lake * Teapot Lake (aka Lost Lake Number 2) * Three Divide Lakes ** Booker Lake ** Divide Lake 1 ** Divide Lake 2 * Toomset Lake * Trial Lake * Trident Lake * Twin Lakes ** North Twin Lake ** South Twin Lake * Upper Red Castle Lake * Upper Yellow Pine Lake * Wall Lake * Washington Lake * Watson Lake * Weir Reservoir * Whiskey Island Lake * White Pine Lake * Whitney Reservoir

Demographics

2000 census

As of the

2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 c ...

, 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 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 ...

, 0.24%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

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 ...

, 0.31% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 0.04%

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 ...

, 5.43% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.21% from two or more races. 8.09% of the population were

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. There were 10,332 households, of which 40.80% had children under 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. 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 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church) is the largest group at 36.8% (compared with some 66% statewide), followed by

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

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 Democrat-leaning Park City. Since then; Democrats have at times won a plurality or even a majority of the countywide votes. In 1996,

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...

became the first Democrat to win the county since

Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

'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 worst in the state. In a 2006 US Senate race, Summit County was the only county carried by Democrat

Pete Ashdown The 2006 United States Senate election in Utah was held November 7, 2006. Incumbent Republican Orrin Hatch won re-election to a sixth term. Hatch won all but one county with 60% to 70% of the vote. Ashdown won only Summit County by 342 votes. ...

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 Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

carried the county by a 15.3% margin over

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two te ...

, while McCain carried Utah by 28.1% over Obama.US Election Atlas
/ref> However, in the 2012 presidential election, Republican

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts ...

defeated Obama in the county, 51% to 46%. In 2016, Democrat

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

defeated Republican Donald Trump, 50% to 35%. The county is no more Republican in gubernatorial politics. In both the 2012 and

2016 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2016. Africa Benin Republic * 2016 Beninese presidential election 6 March 2016 Cape Verde * 2016 Cape Verdean presidential election 2 October 2016 Chad * 2016 Chadian presidential election 10 ...

it was the only county to support the Democratic candidate over

Gary Herbert Gary Richard Herbert (born May 7, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 17th Governor of Utah from 2009 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he chaired the National Governors Association during the 2015–2016 cycle. Herbert wo ...

. In the 2016 Senate race, Summit County was the only county in Utah where a plurality voted for Democratic nominee

Misty Snow Misty Kathrine Snow (born July 19, 1985) is an American political candidate who was one of the first openly transgender people in the United States to have been nominated by a major political party for a federal office. Snow was the Democratic nom ...

against Republican incumbent

Mike Lee Michael Shumway Lee (born June 4, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Utah, a seat he has held since 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party. Lee began his career as a clerk for the U ...

. Snow was the first major-party transgender Senate candidate in United States history, 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 Housing, or more generally, living spaces, refers to the construction and assigned usage of houses or buildings individually or collectively, for the purpose of shelter. Housing ensures that members of society have a place to live, whether ...

based on a person's

sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generall ...

gender identity Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent, and consistent with the ...

Communities

Cities

(county seat) *

Kamas Kamas may mean * Kamas, Utah * Kamas (raga), a ragam in Carnatic music * KAMAS (program), an acronym for ''Knowledge and Mind Amplification System'', an outline processor * Kamasins, a Samoyedic people * Kamassian language, an extinct Samoyedic l ...

* Oakley * Park City

Towns

Francis Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome * Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) Places *Rural ...

* Henefer

Census-designated places

East Basin East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...

Echo In audio signal processing and acoustics, an echo is a reflection of sound that arrives at the listener with a delay after the direct sound. The delay is directly proportional to the distance of the reflecting surface from the source and the lis ...

* Hoytsville * Marion * Peoa *

Samak fi, Työväenliikkeen pohjoismainen yhteistyökomitea da, Arbejderbevægelsens nordiske samarbejdskommitté no, Arbeiderbevegelsens nordiske samarbeidskomité , logo = SAMAK logo.png , colorcode = , abbreviation = SAMAK ...

* Silver Summit * Snyderville * Summit Park * Wanship *

Woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

Unincorporated communities

* Alpine Acres * Bountiful Peak Summer Home Area * Castle Rock * Christmas Meadows Summer Home Area * Emory * Grass Creek * Holiday Park *

Monviso Monte Viso or Monviso (; oc, Vísol; Piedmontese: ''Brich Monviso'' or ''Viso'') is the highest mountain of the Cottian Alps. It is located in Italy close to the French border. Monte Viso is well known for its pyramid-like shape and, because it ...

* Rockport * Uintalands *

Upton Upton may refer to: Places United Kingdom England * Upton, Slough, Berkshire (in Buckinghamshire until 1974) * Upton, Buckinghamshire, a hamlet near Aylesbury * Upton, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough * Upton, Huntingdonshire, a location in Cambridg ...

* Weber Canyon

Former communities

Atkinson Atkinson may refer to: Places *Atkinson, Nova Scotia, Canada * Atkinson, Dominica, a village in Dominica *Atkinson, Illinois, U.S. * Atkinson, Indiana, U.S. *Atkinson, Maine, U.S. *Atkinson Lake, a lake in Minnesota, U.S. *Atkinson, Nebraska, U. ...

Blacks Fork Blacks Fork (also referred to as Blacks Fork of the Green River) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. , accessed March 18, 2011 tributary of the Green River in Utah and Wyoming in the United ...

* Mill City * Wahsatch

Education

There are three

school districts A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, whic ...

covering sections of the county:
Text list
/ref> *

North Summit School District North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

Park City School District Park City School District (PCSD) is a school district headquartered in Park City, Utah that serves over 4,500 students. The district's service area includes the portion of Park City in Summit County, Utah, Summit County (almost all of Park City ...

South Summit School District South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sun� ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control Salt Lake City metropolitan area 1861 establishments in Utah Territory Populated places established in 1861 Micropolitan areas of Utah