The 2000 Census numbers released Wednesday show a youthful, growing and increasingly diverse population. Although Utah residents account for less than 1 percent of the total U.S. population, the state was the fourth-fastest growing in the country between 1990 and 2000.
Growth
Since 1990, Utah has had an increase of 29.6 percent with the addition of 510,319 residents. Summit and Washington counties saw the biggest population changes in the past 10 years.
Salt Lake County remains the largest in the state with 898,387 people. It is followed by Utah County, with a population of 368,536 and Davis County, with a population of 238,994.
Just hours after the census results were delivered to the governor on Wednesday, West Valley City started spreading the word that it was still the second-largest city in Utah, with 108,896 residents.
"We're Number Two!" reads a press release sent out by the city. "West Valley City has successfully fended off Provo to maintain its status as the second largest city in Utah. . . . We have claimed for years that we're the second-largest city."
Provo, which is one of two other Utah cities to surpass the 100,000 mark, has 105,166 residents, and Salt Lake City has 181,743.
Summit County, which encompasses Park City, grew almost 92 percent to 29,736 residents.
"The major explosion of growth during the '90s in Park City and the Snyderville Basin was driven by the resort economy and ease of access to Salt Lake City for commuters," said Toby Ross, Park City manager.
The stage was set, however, in the '80s with the approval of several major developments and consolidation of services.
"Jeremy Ranch, for instance, was platted in the '80s, and the sewer and water were available, but the expected boom didn't happen because of the recession. When the local and national economy started taking off in the " '90s, so did those kinds of developments," Ross said.
While much of the growth occurred in western Summit County, the appetite for rural settings also increased.
"There was a significant jump in the Kamas and Oakley areas, also," Ross said.
That also presents one of the county's major growth challenges, Summit County commissioner Shauna Kerr said.
"While it has an upside, it also means the agricultural way of life is under attack, so to speak, as people move in with no experience or interest in agriculture. . . . We'd like to try and preserve the traditional rural character of those areas as much as we can."
Washington County, which includes St. George, grew by 86 percent to 90,354 residents. St. George grew 74 percent to more than 49,000, making it the 10th-largest city in the state.
Challenging the numbers
Sandy was expected to reach somewhere around 102,000 residents with the release of the 2000 Census. Instead, the city was astonished to get a number of 88,418.
"We're hoping that it's a simple boundary issue," said Sandy's spokesman Chris Hillman. "Sandy City is going to officially appeal the census numbers."
It won't be the first time a the city has challenged the census count.
In 1994 the bureau corrected its population count of Sandy, adding more than 5,000 residents and making Sandy the third-largest city in Utah. That correction six years ago put the city's population at 90,959 — 2,541 more than the number given for 2000.
Other cities have also been successful in challenging the numbers. Oak City in Millard County challenged a 1994 Census population number because city officials said they had an accurate count of their own through LDS Church records.
The Census Bureau gave the town a count of 567, but the church had a count of 622. The population was corrected, giving the town a slightly bigger cut of state and federal funds. Provo and Woodland Hills have also challenged census numbers and won.
It remains to be seen whether Utah will come out on top in its largest endeavor to challenge the bureau in its federal lawsuit to have overseas missionaries added to the apportionment count. The stakes are high in this challenge, with a newly reapportioned House seat at the heart of the dispute. North Carolina's large overseas military population was what gave the state the edge over Utah, but with the inclusion of LDS missionaries, Utah would easily beat out North Carolina for the seat.
Children
Statewide, those under 18 make up one-third of the population. In some areas, however, adults are outnumbered by dependents. Hildale, with a total population of 1,895, has 1,206 who are 17 and younger, totaling 63.6 percent of the city's population. In Rocky Ridge, population 403, nearly 60 percent are children.
Diversity
In Wendover, population 1,537, there's a good chance you'll run into a variety of people. That city has the highest diversity index of any in the state, with a 65 percent chance that two people picked at random would be of a different race or ethnic background.
Wendover is followed by other small towns such as Dugway, La Sal and Mexican Hat. South Salt Lake is next on the list, with a population of 22,038 and a 53 percent probability that two random folks will be different. West Valley City is eighth on the diversity index, Salt Lake City is No. 10.
Contributing: Gib Twyman
E-mail: ehayes@desnews.com