Spanish Fork is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States.[1] It is part of the Provo–OremMetropolitan Statistical Area. The 2020 census reported a population of 42,602.[3] Spanish Fork, Utah is the 20th largest city in Utah based on official 2017 estimates from the US Census Bureau.[4]
Spanish Fork lies in the Utah Valley, with the Wasatch Range to the east and Utah Lake to the northwest. I-15 passes the northwest side of the city. Payson is approximately six miles to the southwest, Springville lies about four miles to the northeast, and Salem is approximately 4.5 miles to the south.[5][6]
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. However, a larger group congregated at what became known as the Lower Settlement just over a mile northwest of the present center of Spanish Fork along the Spanish Fork river. In December 1851, Stephen Markham, who was severely wounded outside Carthage Jail in Carthage, Illinois while attempting to defend Joseph Smith and other church leaders from a mob in 1844, became the president of the first church congregation (branch) at the Lower Settlement.[8]: 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.[8]: 631–632 A fort and a school were built at the Palmyra site in 1852.[8]: 824 With the onset of the Walker War in 1853, most of the farmers in the region who were not yet in the Palmyra fort moved in.[8]: 631 Some of the people did not like this site and so moved to a different site at the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon, where they built a structure they called "Fort St. Luke".[8]: 256–257 Also in 1854 there was a fort founded approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the center of Spanish Fork that later was known as the "Old Fort".[8]: 823
Between 1855 and 1860, the arrival of pioneers from Iceland made Spanish Fork the first permanent Icelandic settlement in the United States.[9] 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.[citation needed]
Geography
Climate
Spanish Fork has a dry-summer continental climate (Köppen: Dsa) with cold, snowy winters and hot, dry summers.
Climate data for Spanish Fork Power House, Utah, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1909–present
As of the 2010 census, there were 34,691 people, 9,069 households, and 7,885 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,252.7 people per square mile (871.6/km2). There were 9,440 housing units, at an average density of 613.0 per square mile (237.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 90.9% White, 0.4% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.7% Pacific Islander, 4.4% some other race, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.6% of the population.[13] As for ages, the population was quite young with 40.9% being under the age of 18, 53.6% aged 18–64 and 5.5% over the age of 65.[14]
At the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the city was $62,805, and the median income for a family was $64,909. The per capita income for the city was $17,162. About 4.3% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line.
Economy
Mountain Country Foods is currently Spanish Fork's largest private employer with 350 employees. Eight other businesses employ one hundred or more workers: SAPA, Klune Industries, Longview Fibre, Nature's Sunshine, Rocky Mountain Composites, J.C. Penney, Western Wats, and Provo Craft.[needs update][15]
There are other churches in town: the Presbyterian Church established a church and mission day school in 1882. The school functioned until the state school system was inaugurated in the early part of the twentieth century. Today there are nine public elementary schools, two intermediate, and two high schools of the Nebo School District.[17]
A Lutheran church, established by immigrants from Iceland, was built on the east bench of Spanish Fork.[18] There is also the Faith Baptist Church, a Baptist congregation.[19]
ISKCON, the international society of Krishna Consciousness, have built a temple in Spanish Fork, run by Caru Das, the temple priest. Indian Americans form a small but noticeable community in the Spanish Fork-Provo area (especially in the neighboring town of Springville).[20]
The Angelus Theatre in Spanish Fork hosts live shows, collaborating with theater companies including Great Hall Theatrical Experiences andCobb&Co, and other events such as live music or rock bands.[22]
Events
Festival of Colors at the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork
Spanish Fork City hosts five large-scale events each year: Fiesta Days, Icelandic Days, the Harvest Moon Hurrah, the Festival of Lights, and the Festival of Colors.[citation needed]
Icelandic Days
The Icelandic Association of Utah was founded in 1897 and hosts Iceland Days every year. The association picked June because Icelandic Independence Day, or National Day, is June 17.
Spanish Fork was the first Icelandic settlement in the United States, after Icelanders who joined the Church of Jesus Christ were expelled from that country, according to association spokesman Glenn Grossman.[citation needed] Although other nationalities helped found the town, under colonizer Brigham Young, Icelanders kept their identity and celebrate it with their culture every year during the three-day event.
Harvest Moon Hurrah
The Harvest Moon Hurrah is sponsored by the Spanish Fork Arts Council and takes place on a Saturday in September closest to the date of the full moon. Activities include children's crafts and activities, a giant paint-it-yourself mural, storyteller, old-fashioned family photos, caricature artist, clown and balloon animals, hay rides with live bluegrass band, and live entertainment. The 2009 Hurrah was headlined by Peter Breinholt, a local musician.[23]
Fiesta Days
Each year Spanish Fork hosts the "Fiesta Days". The event is held every July, and is centered around the Pioneer Day Celebration. There are a number of entertainment events, including a rodeo, craft fair, parade, duck race, and a fireworks show on the 24th.
Spanish Fork has a council-manager form of government. Seth Perrins is the current city manager, and Tyler Jacobson is the assistant city manager.[26]
The current mayor, Mike Mendenhall was elected in the November 10, 2021 general election.[27] The members of the city council are: Chad Argyle, Stacy Beck, Brandon Gordon and Shane Marshall.[28][29]
In 1862, Spanish Fork built its first school house. That one room edifice served the city's educational needs for nearly 50 years. In 1910, Spanish Fork built the Thurber School on Main Street. Although it's not used for daily K-12 classes anymore, it still functions as a city office building.[30] Today, Spanish Fork is served by the Nebo School District. Public schools in this district within Spanish Fork include the following:
Diamond Fork Middle School (formerly known as Diamond Fork Junior High School)
Brockbank Elementary
Canyon Elementary
Larsen Elementary
Park Elementary
Rees Elementary
Riverview Elementary School
East Meadows Elementary
Sierra Bonita Elementary
Maple Ridge Elementary
In addition, there is a private girls school, the New Haven School, and a K-12 charter school, the American Leadership Academy.
Infrastructure
Alternative energy
In September 2008, the Spanish Fork Wind Project was completed.[31] This project, a 9-turbine wind energy project, can produce up to 18.9 megawatts at full production, and the nine turbines can power up to 6,000 typical homes.[32][33] It is a utility-scale wind farm producing electricity from wind power.[34][35]
Notable people
Stephen M. Studdert, Advisor to U.S. Presidents George Bush, Ronald Reagan, and Gerald Ford
