Vaughan Butler vividly remembers Halloween when he was growing up in Butlerville.
"There were only five houses from the top of the hill to the mouth of the canyon," he said. "We had to walk miles to get five pieces of candy, and probably two of the houses didn't answer their door."
Decades later, this sparsely populated farming and mining community has been transformed into a booming residential neighborhood and Utah's newest incorporated city, Cottonwood Heights.
In the late 1800s, Butler's great-grandfather, Leander Butler, and his five brothers settled the area just south of Holladay. Another prominent family, the McGees, settled the area, as well. When the town met to vote on a name, the six Butler brothers outnumbered the five McGee brothers and the town took on the majority's namesake.
Many early settlers to this section of Salt Lake County worked in mines, saw mills or lumber yards up the canyon and built modest homes at the top of the hill. The population topped out at about 50 in the early 1900s.
Now, the mostly residential area sits at the base of Big Cottonwood Canyon, dotted with large houses and new apartment complexes. Most residences in this affluent area, which is fast becoming a popular nesting ground for politicians and people of prominence, boast household incomes of more than $60,000 according to 2000 census results.
And although the population is steadily creeping toward 40,000, it still maintains the camaraderie and small-town feel that once separated Butlerville from its more-populated neighbors. Butler, who has lived in the area all but 18 months of his life, said one of the characteristics that makes this city so strong is the city leaders who are committed to keeping the legacy of Butlerville intact.
"They're able to maintain that same feeling that the community has developed over a period of time," said Butler, who grew up in Butlerville along with three City Council members. "Communities take on a personality of their own based on the concerns of the area. That particular area has
been committed to families and values, helping those in need. Those (City Council members) raised in that type of atmosphere are in a better position to carry on the pulse of the city."
The heart of Cottonwood Heights lies in its primarily older demographic. Butler said he has neighbors he's known since the 1940s. What makes the city unique, however, is its growing population of young families and newlyweds.
"The ward I live in is one of the oldest in the area but has two huge apartment complexes," Butler said. "One of our retuned missionaries got up and said this ward is either newlywed or nearly dead. It's definitely a unique blend."
Cottonwood Heights and Mountain View elementary schools were closed because there were not enough school-aged children to justify their existence. But, said City Councilman Don Antczak, that could change in the future as more young couples move in.
Antczak said the old sense of community that was so widespread in former Butlerville will not disappear, even with a diverse demographic. Cottonwood Heights became an incorporated city in January 2005 but has recently begun plans that, if passed, may unite the town around cultural events. Antczak, the City Council's oldest member and self-proclaimed as one of Cottonwood Heights' oldest residents, says the city's top priority is opening a cultural arts center at the site of one of the former elementary schools.
The area isn't new to centralized entertainment common areas. In 1971, before other surrounding townships and neighborhoods had central community hubs, Salt Lake County approved the building of a recreational facility and spa in Cottonwood Heights in 1971.
This facility grew to capacity only years later and solidified the town's reputation for community involvement. With the addition of a cultural arts center, too, Antczak hopes the response is just as positive. He said as soon as the City Council receives funding, it plans to create a symphony, a theater group and a dancing troupe.
Further, the city honors its Butlerville heritage by celebrating Butlerville Days in late July.
For some, it's the least the city can do to honor the name Butlerville. In 1954, the city approved the name change, which some say was symbolic of the growing population. Others, however, found the name change unnecessary. After nearly 30 years of being called Cottonwood Heights, longtime resident Frankie Harris still called her town Butlerville.
"There was considerable resentment among the descendants of the Butler family when the name was changed. And, as I think about it now, we should have kept the old name. I still tell people the area is Butlerville. It has been on the map that way," Harris told the Deseret News in July 1980.
Although some older residents preferred the name Butlerville, including Butler's father, who vocalized his dislike when the name was changed, Antczak said Cottonwood Heights best depicts the area. Butler agrees.
"Back somewhere in the '40s people were starting to move in. People kind of felt like Butlerville sounded hicky, like too much of hickville," said Butler, who is the Salt Lake County surveyor. "So they created a city council, and the council voted to change the name. Some of the old timers were kind of offended, but anyway, they'll get over it."
Those less familiar with the rift, however, love the name of the city. Jacob McBride, 28, who has lived in Cottonwood Heights with his wife for about 18 months, said the city's safe feel and proximity to major highways makes it a great place to live.
He also acknowledges the close ties the community shares and mentions a barbecue his neighborhood hosted.
As McBride and his wife, Maren, take walks through the neighborhoods, he said "there's just a very safe, very calm, very good feeling. It's somewhere we could see ourselves raising children and becoming established in this type of community. There seems to be a great sense of community. In so many places throughout the valley that's kind of lost."
The community has thrived amid expansion, incorporation, even a controversial name change. But the spirit of old Butlerville and deep sense of community, Butler said, won't change, even as newer and younger residents move in. Antczak agrees, saying the people in the city rally around any cause that bolsters their quiet neighborhood tucked in the pocket of Big Cottonwood Canyon.
"We have a great, unique group of people that are totally committed to the community," Antczak said. "We have a citizenry there that is just dedicated to making it (Cottonwood Heights) a great place to live."
E-mail: spayne@desnews.com