Lehi, Utah facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lehi, Utah
City
Lehi Tabernacle in 1913
Location in Utah County and the state of Utah
Country	United States
State	Utah
County	Utah
Settled	1850
Incorporated	February 5, 1852
Named for	Lehi
Area
• Total	28.45 sq mi (73.69 km2)
• Land	28.09 sq mi (72.74 km2)
• Water	0.36 sq mi (0.94 km2)
Elevation	4,561 ft (1,390 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	75,907
• Density	2,702.3/sq mi (1,043.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
ZIP code	84043
Area code(s)	385, 801
FIPS code	49-44320
GNIS feature ID	2410816

Lehi (/ˈliːhaɪ/ LEE-hy) is a growing city in Utah County, Utah, United States. In 2020, its population was 75,907 people. This was a big jump from 47,407 people in 2010. Lehi is also the population center of Utah, meaning it's where the middle point of all the state's residents is located. The city has grown quickly because of the many tech companies that have moved there. This area is often called Silicon Slopes.

History of Lehi City

Lehi was first settled in the fall of 1850 by a group of early settlers. They chose a spot called Dry Creek in the northern part of Utah Valley. In 1851, the settlement was renamed Evansville after David Evans, a local leader. It was also known by other names like Sulphur Springs and Snow's Springs.

The settlement grew very fast. In early 1852, the leaders asked the Utah government to make it an official city. Lehi City became a city on February 5, 1852. It was the sixth city in Utah to be officially recognized. The city was named Lehi after a Book of Mormon prophet. The first mayor of Lehi was Silas P. Barnes, who served from 1853 to 1854.

The main street area of Lehi is now a special historic district. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography and Climate

Lehi is located in Utah County, Utah. The city covers a total area of about 73.69 square kilometers (28.45 square miles). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water.

Weather in Lehi

People of Lehi

Lehi is part of the larger Provo–Orem metropolitan area.

In 2016, there were about 56,314 people living in Lehi. Most residents (94.6%) were of European American background. About 6.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino. The average age in Lehi was about 24.7 years old, which means it's a fairly young city.

Many households in Lehi (61%) had children under 18 living with them. The average household had about 3.81 people. In 2018, the average income for a household in Lehi was $74,200. The city's unemployment rate was low, at 3.0%. Lehi expects to see a lot more job growth in the future.

Economy and Jobs

View of Lehi (foreground), American Fork (upper right) and Highland (upper left)

Lehi has changed a lot from a farming town to a hub for technology companies. This change began with the building of a microchip factory. This factory later became IM Flash Technologies, a company that made memory chips. In 2013, one out of every 14 flash memory chips in the world came from Lehi! In 2021, Texas Instruments bought this important factory.

Many other big tech companies have offices in Lehi:

• Adobe Systems has a large building in Lehi. Their team works on important parts of the Adobe Marketing Cloud.
• Vivint has a five-story office building in Lehi. This is where most of their engineering work happens.
• Ancestry.com, a company that helps people research their family history, moved its main office to Lehi in 2016.
• Microsoft has an engineering department in Lehi. They work on new software projects.
• Other companies like Oracle Corporation, Infusionsoft, Workfront, and DigiCert also have offices in Lehi.

Lehi also has its own hospital, built by IASIS Healthcare. It opened in 2015 and has 40 beds, an emergency department, and other important medical services.

Fun Things to Do in Lehi

Lehi Roller Mills

Lehi Roller Mills was featured in the movie Footloose.

The Lehi Roller Mills was started in 1906 by local farmers. It has been owned by the Robinson family since 1910. The mill makes about 100,000 pounds of flour every day! The famous turkey and peacock paintings on the silos were added around 1930.

You might recognize Lehi Roller Mills from the 1984 movie Footloose. It was shown as Ren McCormack's workplace and the location of the big dance. Back then, the mill was surrounded by empty fields. Today, there are many restaurants and shops nearby. The Lehi Roller Mills was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

Thanksgiving Point

Lobby area in the Museum of Ancient Life (dinosaur skeletal mounts seen in the photograph: Othnielosaurus fleeing from Torvosaurus)

Thanksgiving Point is a large place with many attractions. It's a nonprofit organization that opened in 1995. About 1.45 million people visit Thanksgiving Point each year!

It has six main attractions:

• The Ashton Gardens
• Thanksgiving Point Golf Course
• The Museum of Ancient Life (with dinosaur skeletons!)
• The Museum of Natural Curiosity (a hands-on science museum)
• Farm Country (where you can see farm animals)
• The Butterfly Biosphere (a place with many butterflies)

Thanksgiving Point also has a movie theater, restaurants, and gift shops. It hosts fun events like the annual Tulip Festival, a Scottish Festival, and the Cornbelly's Halloween attraction.

Hutchings Museum

The Veterans Memorial Building currently houses Hutchings Museum.

The Hutchings Museum is located in the center of Lehi. It started in 1955. The museum's collection was given to the city by John and Eunice Hutchings, who loved collecting natural items.

The museum is in the Veteran Memorial Building. This building was first made to honor veterans of World War I. Over time, it also held a library, courthouse, jail, and fire station.

The Hutchings Museum has many different exhibits. You can see displays about Native American culture, rocks and minerals, birds, and even live animals. It also shows the history of Lehi and the surrounding area. Some cool things to see include a gun said to belong to Butch Cassidy and old Native American pottery. You can also find online articles, photos, and even virtual tours of the museum.

Education in Lehi

Public schools in Lehi are part of the Alpine School District. Lehi has two high schools: Lehi High School and Skyridge High School. There are also three junior high or middle schools and ten elementary schools in the city.

Mountainland Technical College (MTECH) is also in Lehi. It offers technical training for high school students and adults. You can learn skills in areas like automotive repair, cooking, healthcare, and computer technology. MTECH also helps local businesses train their employees.

Challenger School, a private school, is also located in the Traverse Mountain area of Lehi.

Getting Around Lehi

I-15 is a major highway that goes through Lehi. There are five exits in the city, making it easy to get around. The Utah Transit Authority runs a bus system in Lehi.

Lehi also has a train station for the FrontRunner commuter rail. The Lehi station opened in 2012 and is near Thanksgiving Point. This train helps people travel to other cities in Utah.

Famous People from Lehi

• Brandon Armstrong, a professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars
• Garett Bolles, a football player for the NFL's Denver Broncos
• Wilford Brimley, an actor
• Tony Finau, a professional golfer on the PGA Tour
• Porter Rockwell, a bodyguard to early religious leaders
• Eldred G. Smith, a leader in The Church of Jesus Christ

Images for kids

• 

  Historic train station (2019)

• 

  View from Traverse Mountain

See also

In Spanish: Lehi (Utah) para niños