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Ogden, Utah
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Ogden is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, United States. The population was 81,605 according to 2005 Census Bureau estimates. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a convenient location for manufacturing and commerce.
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Ogden is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, United States. The population was 81,605 according to 2005 Census Bureau estimates. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a convenient location for manufacturing and commerce. Ogden is also known for its many historic buildings, close proximity to the Wasatch Mountains, and as the home of Weber State University.
Ogden is a principal city of the Ogden–Clearfield, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Weber, Morgan, and Davis counties.
History
Originally named Fort Buenaventura, the city of Ogden was the first permanent settlement by people of European descent in the region that is now Utah. It was established by the trapper Miles Goodyear in 1846 about a mile west of where downtown Ogden is currently located. In November 1847, Fort Buenaventura was purchased by the Mormon settlers for $1,950. The settlement was then called Brownsville, but was later named Ogden for a brigade leader of the Hudson's Bay Company, Peter Skene Ogden, who had trapped in the Weber Valley a generation earlier. The site of the original Fort Buenaventura is now a Weber County park.
Ogden is the closest sizable city to the Golden Spike location at Promontory Summit, Utah, where the First Transcontinental Railroad was joined in 1869. Ogden was known as a major passenger railroad junction owing to its location along major east-west and north-south routes. Railroad passengers traveling west to San Francisco from the eastern United States typically passed through Ogden (and not through the larger Salt Lake City to the south). Ogden, however, is no longer served by Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, and passengers desiring to travel from Ogden by rail must travel via FrontRunner commuter rail to Salt Lake City.
In 1972, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints completed construction of and dedicated the Ogden Utah Temple in Ogden. The temple was built to serve the large LDS population in the area.
Because Ogden has historically been the second largest city in Utah it is home to a large number of historic buildings. However, by the 1980s, several Salt Lake City suburbs and Provo had surpassed Ogden in population.
The Defense Depot Ogden Utah operated from 1941 to 1997 in northern Ogden. Some of its 1,128 acres (4.6 km²) has since been converted into a commercial and industrial park called the Business Depot Ogden.
Geography
Ogden is located at (41.2196, -111.9712), at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains. It lies approximately 10 miles (15 km) east of the Great Salt Lake and 40 miles (60 km) north of Salt Lake City.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.6 square miles (69.0 km²), all of its land. Elevations in the city range from about to above sea level.
The Ogden and Weber Rivers, which originate in the mountains to the east, flow through the city and meet at a confluence just west of the city limits. Pineview Dam is located in the Ogden River Canyon east of Ogden. The reservoir behind the dam provides over 110,000 acre-feet (140,000,000 m³) of water storage and water recreation for the area.
Prominent mountain peaks near Ogden include Mount Ogden to the east and Ben Lomond to the north.
Summers are hot and dry, with highs frequently reaching 95°F (35°C), with a few days per year reaching 100°F (38°C). Rain is provided in the form of infrequent thunderstorms during summer, usually between mid-July and mid-September during the height of monsoon season. The Pacific storm season usually lasts from about October through May, with precipitation reaching its peak in spring. Snow usually first occurs in late October or early November, with the last occurring sometime in April. Winters are cool and snowy, with highs averaging 37F (3C) in January. Snowfall averages about 42 inches, with approximately of precipitation annually.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 77,226 people, 27,384 households, and 18,402 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,899.2 people per square mile (1,119.3/km²). There were 29,763 housing units at an average density of 1,117.4/sq mi (431.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.01% White, 2.31% African American, 1.20% Native American, 1.43% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 12.95% from other races, and 2.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.64% of the population.
There were 27,384 households out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.32.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 14.6% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 102.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,047, and the median income for a family was $38,950. Males had a median income of $29,006 versus $22,132 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,632. About 12.6% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.2% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Transportation
Interstates 15 and 84 serve the city. I-84 runs east-west through the southern suburbs, merging with I-15 near Riverdale. I-15 runs north-south near the city's western edge and provides connections to the rest of the Wasatch Front and beyond. Ogden is served directly by exits 341, 342, 343, and 344. US-89 enters the city from the south, running through the city as Washington Boulevard, which serves as the main street of Ogden. It then continues north to Brigham City. State Route 39 runs east-west through the city as 12th Street, and continues eastward through Ogden Canyon providing access to Pineview Reservoir and the mountain and ski resort town of Huntsville.
The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) operates 4 bus routes directly between Salt Lake City and Ogden, as well as numerous others that serve Weber and northern Davis Counties that connect into either the Ogden Intermodal Hub on the west edge of town or to Weber State University. It's also the source of the two routes that serve Brigham City, the northernmost extension of UTA's bus system. It also has a Greyhound bus stop along a line that runs north-south along I-15. The FrontRunner commuter rail is now open and runs between Salt Lake City and Pleasant View, just north of Ogden, and includes a stop at the Ogden Intermodal Hub. This line opened for service on April 26, 2008.
Amtrak service is provided with a bus connection running to/from Salt Lake City. There is no direct train service.
Ogden-Hinckley Airport, Utah's busiest municipal airport, is located just to the southwest of the city.
Sites of interest
Sports and recreation
The mountains and rivers near Ogden offer diverse opportunities for outdoor recreation.
An extensive trail system, immediately adjacent to the city's eastern edge, gives residents and visitors immediate access to the foothills of the Wasatch Range. The foothill trails are used for hiking, running, mountain biking, and sometimes snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Steeper trails climb eastward into the mountains, and many other mountain trails originate within a few miles of the city. A system of paved urban trails runs along the banks of the Ogden and Weber Rivers.
The quartzite cliffs above Ogden's foothills provide a variety of rock climbing routes. An extensive boulder field in the foothills is one of the most popular bouldering sites in the state.
On the mountains east of Ogden are three downhill ski areas: Snowbasin, Powder Mountain, and Wolf Mountain. Popular sites for cross-country skiing include Snowbasin and Weber County's North Fork Park.
Kayaking is a popular sport on portions of the Ogden and Weber Rivers. A developed kayak park lies on the Weber River in the western portion of the city. The reservoirs near Ogden are used for a wide variety of water sports.
Ogden is also home to the minor league baseball team Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer League, and minor-league soccer team Ogden Outlaws of the Premier Development League. In 2009 it will be home to an expansion team in the American Indoor Football Association.
Weber State University fields several intercollegiate athletic teams that attract spectators from among local residents. The university is especially known for its basketball team.
Ogden is a satellite venue of the Sundance Film Festival. A local film festival, now called the Foursite Film Festival, has been held annually since 2004. Other events of interest include a downtown farmer's market, the Ogden Arts Festival, the Harvest Moon Festival, and the Ogden Marathon.
Renown
Two ships in the United States Navy have been named after the City of Ogden. The first, USS Ogden (PF-39), in 1943 and the second, USS Ogden (LPD-5), in 1964.
Ogden was the site of the infamous Hi-Fi Murders in 1974.
Flying J, the largest retailer of diesel fuel in North America, has its corporate headquarters in Ogden.
Birthplace of
- Hal Ashby, Academy Award winning film director
- Rodney Bagley, inventor of the catalytic converter
- Solon Borglum, Sculptor
- Fawn M. Brodie, Historian
- John Moses Browning, Inventor and firearms designer
- Tom Chambers, Basketball player
- Bernard DeVoto, Historian
- Byron Foulger, Actor
- Kent James, Singer-Songwriter
- J. Willard Marriott, Hotel magnate
- Herbert B. Maw, Politician, Utah's 8th Governor
- K. Gunn McKay, Politician, US House of Representatives
- Wataru Misaka, Basketball player
- Red Nichols, Jazz Musician / Big Band Leader
- "The Osmonds": George, Jr. (Virl), Tom, Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny, Marie, Entertainers
- Janice Kapp Perry, Songwriter
- Brent Scowcroft, Politician, Former United States National Security Advisor
- Ken St. Andre, Game designer
- E. Parry Thomas, Banker
- Olene S. Walker, Politician, Utah's 15th Governor
- Gedde Watanabe, Actor
- Byron Scott, Basketball player and coach
- Tanoka Beard, Basketball player
- Colby Bockwoldt, Football player
Filming Location of
See also
External links
- web site
- Outdoor recreation directory
- : Facility that replaces the Ogden City Mall
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