Spanish Fork, Utah

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Spanish Fork, Utah
settlement_type = City
nickname =
motto =

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image_

mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Spanish Fork, Utah


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Utah
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Utah

government_footnotes =
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leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
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unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 34.3
area_land_km2 = 34.3
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 13.2
area_land_sq_mi = 13.2
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 20246
population_density_km2 = 590.5
population_density_sq_mi = 1529.3

timezone = Mountain (MST)
utc_offset = -7
timezone_DST = MDT
utc_offset_DST = -6
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 1395
elevation_ft = 4577
latd = 40 |latm = 6 |lats = 16 |latNS = N
longd = 111 |longm = 38 |longs = 24 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 84660
area_code = 801
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 49-71290GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1445945GR|3
website =
footnotes =

Spanish Fork is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 20,246 at the 2000 census.

History

Spanish Fork was settled by Mormon pioneers in 1851. Its name derives from a visit to the area by two Franciscan Friars, Silvestre Vélez de Escalante and Francisco Atanasio Domínguez in 1776, who followed the stream down Spanish Fork canyon with the objective of opening a new trail from Santa Fe, New Mexico to the Spanish missions in California, along a route later followed by fur trappers. They described the area inhabited by native Americans as having "spreading meadows, where there is sufficient irrigable land for two good settlements. Over and above these finest of advantages, it has plenty of firewood and timber in the adjacent sierra which surrounds its many sheltered spots, waters, and pasturages, for raising cattle and sheep and horses."

In 1851 some settlers led by William Pace set up scattered farms in the Spanish Fork bottom lands and called the area the Upper Settlement. [Jenson. "Encyclopedic History". p. 823] However a larger group congregated at what became known as the Lower Settlement just over a mile north-west of the present center of Spanish Fork along the Spanish Fork River. In December 1851 Stephen Markham became the branch president of the Mormon settlers at this location. [Jenson. "Encyclopedic History". p. 823]

In 1852 Latter-Day Saints founded a settlement called Palmyra west of the historic center of Spanish Fork. George A. Smith supervised the laying out of a townsite, including a temple square in that year. [Jenson, Andrew. "Encyclopedic History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints". (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1941) p. 631-632] A fort was built at this site. A school was built at Palmyra in 1852. [Jenson. "Encyclopedic History". p. 824] With the on set of the Walker War in 1853 most of the farmers in the region who were not yet in the fort moved in. [Jenson. "Encyclopedic History". p. 631] Some of the people did not like this site and so moved to a site at the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon where they built a structure they called "Fort St. Luke". [Jenson. "Encyclopedic History". p. 256-257] Also in 1854 there was a fort founded about two miles south of the center of Spanish Fork that latter was known as the "Old Fort". [Jenson. "Encyclopedic History". p. 823]

In 1856 the Brigham Young advised leaving the Palmyra site because of its swampiness and the high alkali content of the soil. At this time the settlers relocated to Spanish Fork and began to build its current center at that time. [Jenson. "Encyclopedic History". p. 631] John L. Butler became the first bishop of the Spanish Fork Ward at this time. [Jenson. "Encyclopedic History". p. 824]

Between 1855 and 1860, the arrival of pioneers from Iceland made Spanish Fork into the first permanent Icelandic settlement in the United States. [Thorstina Jackson, "Icelandic Communities in America: Cultural Backgrounds and Early Settlements,"681.] The city also lent its name to the 1865 Treaty of Spanish Fork, where the Utes were forced by an Executive Order of President Abraham Lincoln to relocate to the Uintah Basin.

In 1891 the Spanish Fork ward was divided into two wards. By 1930 there were five Spanish Fork Wards plus the Palmyra Ward which had been established at the location of the old settlement in 1901. [Jenson, "Encyclopedic History", p. 632, 824-825]

Historic populations

*1860- 773
*1880- 2,304
*1900- 3,327
*1930- 4,509

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 20,246 people, 5,534 households, and 4,775 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,529.3 people per square mile (590.4/km²). There were 5,808 housing units at an average density of 438.7/sq mi (169.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.30% White, 0.20% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.29% Pacific Islander, 2.00% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.25% of the population. 32.0% were of English, 10.9% American, 7.0% German and 6.6% Danish ancestry according to Census 2000. 93.9% spoke English and 5.2% Spanish as their first language.

Spanish Fork has a large British (English, Scottish and Irish, though they came from the US) and Scandinavian imprint of the city's population. There are over 1,000 Latinos, mostly Mexican immigrants in the city. Fact|date=February 2007

There were 5,534 households out of which 56.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.4% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.7% were non-families. 11.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.59 and the average family size was 3.91.

In the city the population was spread out with 39.7% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 12.2% from 45 to 64, and 6.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 102.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $48,705, and the median income for a family was $51,209. Males had a median income of $36,023 versus $23,727 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,127. About 3.8% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.0% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

Every May, Spanish Fork hosts the annual Indian Festival of Utah, the state's only cultural event devoted to South Asian (East Indian and Pakistani) communities across the Salt Lake metropolitan area.

chools

Spanish Fork is served by Nebo School District. Public schools in this district within Spanish Fork include the following: American Leadership Academy, Spanish Fork High School, Spanish Fork Junior High School, Spanish fork Middle School, Brockbank Elementary, Canyon Elementary, Larsen Elementary, Park Elementary, Rees Elementary, Riverview Elementary, Spanish Oaks Elementary, East Meadows Elementary.They also have a private girls school called New Haven.

Spanish Fork Middle School is now Diamond Fork Junior High.

Spanish Fork is also served by a K-12 charter school, American Leadership Academy.

References

External links

* [http://www.spanishfork.org/ City's Official Website]
* [http://www.mixutah.com Spanish Fork Broadcasting]
* [http://www.americanleadership.net Spanish Fork's K-12 charter school]