Cedar City, Utah
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cedar City is a city located in Iron County, Utah, 250 miles south of Salt Lake City on Interstate 15. It is the home of Southern Utah University, the Utah Shakespearean Festival, the Utah Summer Games, and other events. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 20,527, estimated to be 23,983 by 2005.
Cedar City was originally settled in late 1851 by Mormon pioneers originating from Parowan, Utah who were sent to build an iron works. The site, known as "Fort Cedar" or "Cedar City," was equidistant from vast iron deposits 10 miles west and coal resources 10 miles up Cedar Canyon, but was named after the abundant local trees (which are actually Junipers instead of Cedar). Two companies of men led by Henry Lunt reached the fort site in a blizzard on 11 Nov. 1851, making that date the official founding. In 1855, a new site, closer to the iron works and out of the flood plain of Coal Creek, was established at the suggestion of Brigham Young; present day Cedar City is located at this site.
The iron works closed in 1858, though iron mining continued in the area until the 1980s. The completion of a railroad connection to Cedar City in 1923 established the area as a tourism gateway to nearby Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, and Grand Canyon National Park, in addition to Cedar Breaks National Monument. Cedar City continues to be a center of tourism, commercial development, education and the arts in southwestern Utah.
The city has shared in the rapid growth of much of Southwestern Utah since the late 1980s.
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[edit] Geography
Cedar City is located in the southeast Great Basin, and is about 20 miles north of the northeastern edge of the Mojave Desert. Its elevation of 5,840 feet gives it a much different climate from nearby Utah's Dixie, but it retains its cultural ties to St. George — the two cities, for example, share a daily newspaper.
The city is located on the western edge of the Markagunt Plateau, in a high desert valley with no ocean drainage. Interstate 15 connects the city with St. George (50 miles) and Las Vegas (180 miles) to the south, and to Interstate 70 (70 miles) and Salt Lake City (250 miles) to the north. State roads connect Cedar City with Panaca, Nevada near US 93, Kanab, Utah via US 89 and to US 50 and US 6. Similar to St. George, the city enjoys an excellent location on the west's regional transportation network. Los Angeles is 439 miles south and San Diego is 500 miles south on Interstate 15, Phoenix is 465 miles south via Interstate 15 and US 93, and Denver is 580 miles east via Interstates 15 and 70.
A branch line of the Union Pacific Railroad services the city, connecting to the railway's main line at Lund.
Cedar City is located at 37°40'57" North, 113°4'28" West (37.682606, -113.074402)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 52.0 km² (20.1 mi²), none of which is covered with water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there are 20,527 people in the city, organized into 6486 households and 4682 families. The population density is 394.5/km² (1,021.8/mi²). There are 7,109 housing units at an average density of 136.6/km² (353.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 92.06% White, 2.53% African American, 1.11% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.33% Pacific Islander, 1.65% from other races, and 1.86% from two or more races. 4.14% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 6,486 households out of which 39.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% are married couples living together, 9.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% are non-families. 16.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 5.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.07 and the average family size is 3.37.
In the city the population is spread out with 28.2% under the age of 18, 27.4% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 14.0% from 45 to 64, and 7.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 23 years. For every 100 females there are 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $32,403, and the median income for a family is $37,509. Males have a median income of $31,192 versus $19,601 for females. The per capita income for the city is $14,057. 22.1% of the population and 14.5% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 20.2% of those under the age of 18 and 4.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
[edit] Notable people
- Senate Minority Leader, Harry Reid, attended Southern Utah University in Cedar City.
- Michael O. Leavitt was born and educated in Cedar City. He attended and graduated from Southern Utah University. He is the former Governor of Utah, former administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the current Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- L. E. Modesitt, Jr., a science fiction and fantasy author, lives in Cedar City. Modesitt is famous for several series of novels addressing ethics, ecology, and working principles of life in an entertaining and readable manner.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
Seegmiller, Janet Burton. A History of Iron County: Community Above Self. Salt Lake City, UT: Iron County Commission and Utah State Historical Society, 1997.
[edit] External links
- City's website
- Iron County Tourism and Convention Bureau
- State of Utah's tourist web page for Cedar City
- Utah Summer Games Three week sports festival hosted by Cedar City
- Website for Cedar City's Chamber of Commerce
- Iron County School District Cedar City Public Schools
- Cedar City history
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
