Independence, Utah

Independence
Town

Location in Wasatch County and the State of Utah
Coordinates: 40°23′37″N 111°17′32″W / 40.39361°N 111.29222°W / 40.39361; -111.29222Coordinates: 40°23′37″N 111°17′32″W / 40.39361°N 111.29222°W / 40.39361; -111.29222
Country United States
State Utah
County Wasatch
Incorporated June 5, 2008
Founded by Melvin McQuarrie
Area[1]
 • Total 30.6 sq mi (79 km2)
 • Land 30.6 sq mi (79 km2)
 • Water 0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation[2] 7,073 ft (2,156 m)
Population (2012)[3]
 • Total 169
 • Density 5.5/sq mi (2.1/km2)
Time zone UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code 84032
Area code(s) 435
GNIS feature ID 2547778[2]
Website www.independenceut.org

Independence is a town in Wasatch County, Utah, United States.[2] Lying just east of U.S. Route 40 southeast of Heber City, Independence was incorporated in 2008 under a controversial, short-lived state law. The population was 164 at the 2010 census.

Geography

Independence is a sparsely populated rural community in Daniel's Canyon in the Wasatch Mountains. It consists of farmland[4] and wooded mountain slopes. Just to the southeast of the young town of Daniel, Independence lies on a popular recreational corridor between Heber City and Strawberry Reservoir.

History

In 2007, the Utah State Legislature unanimously passed H.B. 466, a bill that amended the state law on petitions to incorporate a town. The new provisions allowed a petition for a new town with 100–999 residents to be filed with just the signatures of the owners of a majority of the land area,[5] even a single majority landowner.[6] If the petition met the conditions of state law and its signers owned the majority of the land by value, the new law required the county government to grant the petition and appoint a mayor and town council from a list of individuals approved by the petitioners.[5] In July 2007 Ruby's Inn, in Garfield County, became the first to take advantange of the law, incorporating as Bryce Canyon City.[7]

A group of Wasatch County landowners led by developer Mel McQuarrie filed the first petition to incorporate Independence on October 12, 2007, but county officials denied it for an incomplete land survey. Some residents who would have been included in the original boundaries of the proposed town petitioned to be annexed into nearby Daniel, rather than be included in Independence. The incorporation petitioners re-filed on December 17, 2007.[6]

In its review of the second petition, the Wasatch County Council allowed some potential Independence residents to opt out of the proposal on February 6, 2008, then denied incorporation again on February 13, 2008, this time for insufficient population.[8]

By March 2008, the Legislature had amended the law again, unanimously passing H.B. 164, which required a petition for incorporation to have the support of half the residents, and provided for an elected mayor and town council.[9] There must also be at least five petition sponsors, who were not allowed themselves to own more than 40 percent of the land.[10] An effort to make the new law retroactive failed, and petitions filed under H.B. 466 went forward.[9] Among those grandfathered in were the third Independence petition, which had been filed just before the repeal,[11] as well as pending requests for the town of Hideout, also in Wasatch County, and Powder Mountain in Weber County.[12]

The Wasatch County Council finally granted the petition to incorporate Independence on April 2, 2008.[4]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.%±
2010164—
Est. 2016204[13]24.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[14]

At Independence's incorporation, the Utah Population Estimates Committee produced an official population estimate of 117.[15] Many of the residents live on land that has been in their families for generations.[8]

As of the census of 2010, there were 164 people residing in the town.[3] There were 66 housing units. The racial makeup of the town was 98.2% White, 0.6% Asian, 0.6% from some other race, and 0.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.8% of the population.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "2010 Census U.S. Gazetteer File for Places: Utah". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 11 Apr 2011. Retrieved 23 May 2011 – via web.archive.org.
  2. 1 2 3 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Town of Independence
  3. 1 2 "American FactFinder". factfinder2.census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 20 Jul 2012.
  4. 1 2 Palmer, Rebecca Palmer (9 Apr 2008). "Wasatch County town of Independence to be incorporated". Deseret News. Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Retrieved 28 Sep 2009.
  5. 1 2 "H.B. 466—Incorporation of a Town Amendments". le.utah.gov. Utah State Legislature. 2007. Retrieved 29 Sep 2009.
  6. 1 2 Dougherty, Joseph M. (18 Dec 2007). "Petition filed to create 3rd new city in Wasatch". Deseret News. Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Retrieved 28 Sep 2009.
  7. ↑ Stolz, Martin (24 Jul 2007). "In Utah, a 'Company Town' Means Just That". The New York Times. New York City: The New York Times Company. Retrieved 29 Sep 2009.
  8. 1 2 Palmer, Rebecca (14 Feb 2008). "Wasatch County Council votes against creation of 2 new towns". Deseret News. Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Retrieved 28 Sep 2009.
  9. 1 2 Smart, Christopher (5 Mar 2008). "Senate OKs town-incorporation bill". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City: Brian Huntsman. Retrieved 26 Jul 2017.
  10. ↑ "H.B. 164—Town Incorporation Process Amendments". le.utah.gov. Utah State Legislature. 2008. Retrieved 29 Sep 2009.
  11. ↑ "Mayor, town council selection delayed in Wasatch County". Deseret News. Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. 8 May 2008. Retrieved 26 Jul 2017.
  12. ↑ "Background". powdermountaincitizensrights.com. Powder Mountain Citizen's Rights Coalition. Retrieved 3 Dec 2009.
  13. ↑ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 12 May 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015 – via webcitation.org.
  15. ↑ "GOPB DEA Sub County Estimates". governor.utah.gov. Governor's Office of Planning and Budget – State of Utah. 2008. Archived from the original on 1 Sep 2009. Retrieved 29 Sep 2009 – via web.archive.org.
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