Tooele, Utah facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tooele, Utah
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City
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Tooele City Hall
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| Nickname(s):
The Greatest City in Utah
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Location in Tooele County and the state of Utah
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Location of Utah in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Utah |
| County | Tooele |
| Settled | 1851 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor/City Council |
| Area | |
| • Total | 24.16 sq mi (62.57 km2) |
| • Land | 24.14 sq mi (62.52 km2) |
| • Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.04 km2) |
| Elevation | 4,915 ft (1,498 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 35,742 |
| • Density | 1,480.61/sq mi (571.69/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code |
84074
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| Area code(s) | 435 |
| FIPS code | 49-76680 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2412084 |
| Website | [1] http://tooelecity.org/ |
Tooele (pronounced too-WIL-uh) is a city in Tooele County, located in the state of Utah. In 2020, about 35,742 people lived there. Tooele is the main city, or county seat, of Tooele County.
The city is about 40 minutes southwest of Salt Lake City. Tooele is known for the Tooele Army Depot, which is a large military base. It also has great views of the nearby Oquirrh Mountains and the Great Salt Lake.
Tooele is home to a campus of Utah State University. It also has the Deseret Peak Temple, which belongs to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Contents
History of Tooele
Early Days and Settlement
The land where Tooele is now was once home to the Tooele Valley Goshute people. They are a group of the Goshute Shoshone tribe. We know people lived here a very long time ago, even 9,000 years ago! This was found by looking at an old site called Danger Cave.
In July 1847, Mormon pioneers arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley. The valley was full of tall grass, so the Mormons used it to feed their animals in winter. In 1849, three families settled near a small stream where Tooele City is today. More families joined them, and by 1853, Tooele City was officially set up.
For most of the 1800s, Tooele was a farming town. By the end of that century, about 1,200 people lived there.
Growth and Industry
The 1900s brought more factories and businesses to Tooele. In 1904, a railroad line was built through the city. Then, in 1909, a large factory called the International Smelting and Refining Company was built nearby. This factory processed metals like copper, lead, and zinc from mines.
A special seven-mile railroad, called the Tooele Valley Railway, connected the factory to the main train lines. It helped move metal ore from the mines to the factory. Later, a long tunnel was built to move the ore underground. The factory stopped processing copper in 1946, zinc in 1968, and lead in 1972. The buildings were taken down between 1972 and 1974.
A new part of Tooele, called "New Town," was built for many of the factory workers. Families from different countries, like Italy and Greece, lived there. They had their own schools, churches, and cultures.
World War II and Beyond
During World War II, the government created a large military base in Tooele Valley. It was first called the Tooele Ordnance Depot. Later, it became known as the Tooele Army Depot.
In 1993, the Army Depot became smaller. About 1,700 acres of its land, with many buildings, became part of Tooele City. The city turned some of this land into an industrial area called the "Utah Industrial Depot." Today, it is known as "Ninigret Depot."
In 2011, the Junior Jazz basketball program for kids was stopped in Tooele. This program was part of the NBA's youth league. However, the Jr. Buffs Basketball team, which is for younger players connected to Tooele High School, continued.
Geography of Tooele
Tooele covers about 21.2 square miles. Most of this area is land, with a very small amount of water.
The city is on the western side of the Oquirrh Mountains. It sits in the Tooele Valley, which is the next valley over from the famous Salt Lake Valley. Many fun places for camping and picnics are located around Tooele.
What Does "Tooele" Mean?
The name Tooele is pronounced "too-WIL-uh." It comes from the name of a Goshute chief, "Tuuwɨɨta." This word means "black bear" in the Shoshoni language.
Tooele's Climate
Tooele has a cold semi-arid climate. This means it has dry, hot summers and wet, cold winters. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Tooele was 106°F (41°C) in July 2000. The coldest temperature was -16°F (-27°C) in February 1933 and December 1990.
| Climate data for Tooele, Utah, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1896–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 67 (19) |
70 (21) |
82 (28) |
88 (31) |
97 (36) |
104 (40) |
106 (41) |
105 (41) |
102 (39) |
93 (34) |
80 (27) |
70 (21) |
106 (41) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 54.3 (12.4) |
59.8 (15.4) |
70.2 (21.2) |
78.8 (26.0) |
87.5 (30.8) |
95.7 (35.4) |
100.8 (38.2) |
98.6 (37.0) |
92.7 (33.7) |
81.8 (27.7) |
67.7 (19.8) |
56.7 (13.7) |
101.2 (38.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 38.7 (3.7) |
44.3 (6.8) |
54.0 (12.2) |
61.1 (16.2) |
71.0 (21.7) |
82.0 (27.8) |
91.4 (33.0) |
89.6 (32.0) |
79.1 (26.2) |
64.1 (17.8) |
49.3 (9.6) |
38.5 (3.6) |
63.6 (17.5) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 29.7 (−1.3) |
34.3 (1.3) |
43.0 (6.1) |
49.3 (9.6) |
58.7 (14.8) |
68.7 (20.4) |
77.8 (25.4) |
76.1 (24.5) |
65.7 (18.7) |
52.1 (11.2) |
39.2 (4.0) |
29.6 (−1.3) |
52.0 (11.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 20.6 (−6.3) |
24.3 (−4.3) |
32.0 (0.0) |
37.5 (3.1) |
46.3 (7.9) |
55.5 (13.1) |
64.1 (17.8) |
62.6 (17.0) |
52.3 (11.3) |
40.1 (4.5) |
29.2 (−1.6) |
20.6 (−6.3) |
40.4 (4.7) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 6.7 (−14.1) |
11.1 (−11.6) |
19.7 (−6.8) |
25.7 (−3.5) |
32.8 (0.4) |
41.2 (5.1) |
53.4 (11.9) |
51.4 (10.8) |
38.7 (3.7) |
26.5 (−3.1) |
14.8 (−9.6) |
7.7 (−13.5) |
3.1 (−16.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −15 (−26) |
−16 (−27) |
3 (−16) |
14 (−10) |
21 (−6) |
27 (−3) |
32 (0) |
36 (2) |
26 (−3) |
10 (−12) |
−7 (−22) |
−16 (−27) |
−16 (−27) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.49 (38) |
1.67 (42) |
2.21 (56) |
2.34 (59) |
2.35 (60) |
1.05 (27) |
0.80 (20) |
0.68 (17) |
1.09 (28) |
1.48 (38) |
1.56 (40) |
1.72 (44) |
18.44 (469) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 14.0 (36) |
14.6 (37) |
11.1 (28) |
5.9 (15) |
0.4 (1.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1.9 (4.8) |
10.2 (26) |
17.2 (44) |
75.3 (191.8) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 8.2 | 8.1 | 8.8 | 9.5 | 9.1 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 6.8 | 7.0 | 8.6 | 87.0 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 5.3 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 3.5 | 6.1 | 26.9 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service | |||||||||||||
People of Tooele
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 958 | — | |
| 1880 | 1,096 | 14.4% | |
| 1890 | 1,008 | −8.0% | |
| 1900 | 1,261 | 25.1% | |
| 1910 | 2,841 | 125.3% | |
| 1920 | 3,619 | 27.4% | |
| 1930 | 5,135 | 41.9% | |
| 1940 | 5,001 | −2.6% | |
| 1950 | 7,269 | 45.4% | |
| 1960 | 9,133 | 25.6% | |
| 1970 | 12,539 | 37.3% | |
| 1980 | 14,335 | 14.3% | |
| 1990 | 13,887 | −3.1% | |
| 2000 | 22,502 | 62.0% | |
| 2010 | 31,605 | 40.5% | |
| 2020 | 35,742 | 13.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2000, there were 22,502 people living in Tooele. There were 7,459 households, which are groups of people living together. About 5,825 of these were families. The city had about 1,064 people per square mile.
Many households (46.1%) had children under 18 living with them. Most households (62.6%) were married couples. About 21.9% of households were not families.
The average household had almost 3 people, and the average family had almost 3.4 people.
The population of Tooele is quite young. About 34.1% of the people were under 18 years old. About 11% were between 18 and 24. The median age in the city was 28 years old. This means half the people were younger than 28 and half were older.
For every 100 females, there were about 98 males.
Education in Tooele
The Tooele County School District is in charge of schools in the area. It has its main office in Tooele City.
- There are 16 elementary schools in the county. Eight of these are inside Tooele City.
- There are three junior high schools. Two of them are in Tooele City.
- There are five high schools. Two of them are in Tooele City: Tooele High and Blue Peak High.
Tooele also has a campus of Utah State University (USU-Tooele). There is also the Tooele Applied Technology College. For private education, Saint Marguerite Catholic School offers preschool through 8th grade. Scholar Academy is another charter school in Tooele.
City Services (Infrastructure)
Tooele has important services that help the city run smoothly:
- Water: Getting water is very important in Tooele County. For new buildings, special water rights are needed.
- Sewer: Tooele City and some nearby areas have a sewer system. Other areas use septic tanks.
- Electricity: Most of Tooele County gets its electricity from Rocky Mountain Power.
- Natural Gas: Natural gas for heating and cooking is provided by Questar in Tooele City and surrounding areas.
- Communications: Several companies provide phone, TV, and internet services. These include Beehive Telephone Company, CenturyLink, and Comcast. Beehive Broadband also offers high-speed internet.
Industries and Jobs
Many important businesses and organizations are major employers in the Tooele area:
- Kennecott Utah Copper: This company runs the Bingham Canyon Mine, which is the world's largest open-pit copper mine. It's on the other side of the Oquirrh Mountains from Tooele.
- Energy Solutions: This company manages waste and is located west of Tooele Valley.
- Government Agencies: Many people work for the federal, state, and Tooele County governments.
- Tooele Industrial Depot: This is a business park built on part of the old Tooele Army Depot. It has many factories, warehouses, and offices.
- US Magnesium: This company is the largest producer of magnesium in the United States.
- Utah Motorsports Campus: This is a place for car, motorcycle, bicycle, and kart racing. It's located northwest of Tooele City.
- Cabela's: This outdoor equipment store has a large distribution center in Tooele.
- Walmart: This retail company has a distribution center in Grantsville, which is just west of Tooele.
Tooele has also been a filming location for movies like the 2009 comedy Gentlemen Broncos and the 1975 comedy Whiffs.
Fun Events in Tooele
Tooele Arts Festival
The Tooele Arts Festival is a yearly event that lasts for three days. Artists sell unique items like paintings, jewelry, and sculptures. There is also live music and fun activities for kids. It's free to enter and takes place in a city park.
The festival started in 1985. It used to be in May, but cold weather sometimes caused problems. So, in 1998, it was moved to the end of June. The festival celebrated its 30th anniversary in June 2016.
County Fair
Until 2000, the yearly Tooele County Fair was held in Tooele City. Now, it takes place at the Deseret Peak Complex. This complex is located between Tooele City and Grantsville City.
Images for kids
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The historic Tooele County Courthouse and Tooele City Hall
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The Tooele Valley Railroad Complex historic site
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Motorcycle racing at the Utah Motorsports Campus
See also
In Spanish: Tooele para niños
