Millard County, Utah

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Millard County (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 12,975.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Fillmore,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the largest city is Delta.

History

The Utah Territory legislature created the county on October 4, 1851, with territory not previously covered by county creations and including some area in the future state of Nevada. It was named for the thirteenth US President Millard Fillmore, who was in office then.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Fillmore was designated as the county seat. The county boundaries were altered in 1852 and again in 1854. On March 2, 1861, the US government created the Nevada Territory, which effectively de-annexed the described portion of Millard County falling in that Territorial Proclamation. The county boundary was further altered in 1862, 1866, 1888, and in 1919. In 1921 a boundary adjustment with Sevier brought Millard to its present configuration.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Fillmore, located near the geographic center of the territory, was originally built as the capital of Utah Territory. The Utah Territorial Legislature approved a plan to locate the capital in the Pahvant Valley. On October 28, 1851, Utah Governor Brigham Young traveled to the valley and chose the specific site for Fillmore. The town was surveyed that same day. A colonizing company soon followed; they built houses, a grist mill, and a sawmill. Construction of the Territorial Statehouse was initiated in 1852. The Territorial legislature met in Fillmore for the first (and only time) in 1855. The following year they voted to keep the capital in Great Salt Lake City.<ref>Jenson, Andrew. Encyclopedic History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News Press, 1941) p. 250</ref>

Geography

Millard County lies on the west side of Utah. Its west border abuts the east border of the state of Nevada. The county terrain consists of arid, rough undulating flatlands interrupted by numerous hills and mountain ridges.<ref name=MCU>Millard County UT Google Maps</ref> The highest point in the county is Mine Camp Peak in the Central Utah Plateaus, at Template:Convert ASL.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (3.7%) is water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is the third-largest county in Utah by area.

The Sevier Desert covers much of Millard County, being the seafloor of ancient Lake Bonneville. Sevier Lake, a mostly dry remnant of Lake Bonneville, is in central Millard County. The Pahvant Mountains form the county's eastern boundary. Fillmore and other farming communities lie at the base of the Pahvant Mountains. Delta sits several miles from the banks of the Sevier River in the middle of the basin.

Circus Hollow Wildlife Management Area
Clear Lake Waterfowl Management Area
Fishlake National Forest (part)
Halfway Hill Wildlife Management Area

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Lakes

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Abraham Reservoir
Alexander Lake
Antelope Spring (along Cove Creek)
Antelope Spring Reservoir
AT T Road Reservoir
Beaver River Reservoir
Big Drum Reservoir
Big Sage Reservoir
Bitterweed Lake
Black Point Reservoir
Black Spring
Bloom Trail Reservoir
Borden Basin Reservoir
Burnt Tree Pond
Carr Lake
Cat Canyon Reservoir
Cedar Pass Reservoir
Chokecherry Reservoir
Clay Knoll Reservoir
Clear Lake
Clear Spot Reservoirs
Coates Reservoir
Cockleburr Lake
Confusion Hills Reservoir
Conger Reservoir
Construction Reservoir
Coyote Spring (near Beaver River)
Coyote Spring (Tule Valley)
Crafts Lake
Crater Reservoir
Cricket Reservoir
Cricket Reservoir Number 2
D M A D Reservoir
Danish Reservoir
Deadman Reservoir
Deep Lake
Deseret Reservoirs
Devils Kitchen Reservoir
East Antelope Reservoir
East Hardpan Reservoir
East Tule Bench Reservoir
Ecks Knoll Reservoir
Fillmore Wash Reservoir
Fool Creek Number Two Reservoir
Fool Creek Reservoir Number 1
Foote Reservoir
Georges Reservoir
Greener Reservoir
Gunnison Bend Reservoir
Halls Double Reservoir
Hardpan Reservoir
Headquarters Reservoir
Highway Reservoir
Hinckley Trail Reservoir
Hodgsen Pond
Hole-in-the-Rock Reservoir
Horsetrap Reservoir
Indian Queen Reservoir
Indian Ranch
Jackson Pond
Jensen Spring
Johnson Pond
Lakeview Reservoir
Lawson Cove Reservoir
Little Drum Reservoir
Long Ridge Reservoir
Lower Clay Spring
Madsen Reservoir
Miller Canyon Reservoir
Mormon Gap Reservoir
Mud Flat Reservoir
Mud Lake Spring
Mud Springs
Needle Hardpan Reservoir
Needle Reservoir
Neels Reservoir Number 2
Nelson Reservoir Number 2
Nielson Pond
North Clay Knoll Reservoir
North Knoll Spring
Pine Pass Reservoir
Pony Express Reservoir
Preuss Lake
Probst Pond
Rain Lakes
Red Rock Number 1 Reservoir
Red Rock Number 2 Reservoir
Robins Lake
Ruths Pond
Salt Lake
Salt Marsh Lake
Scipio Lake
Sevier Lake
Sevier Lake Reservoir
Sevier Lake Reservoir Number 1
Sevier Lake Reservoir Number 4
Sevier Lake Reservoir Number 5
Sevier Lake Reservoir Number 6
Smelter Knolls Reservoir
Snake Pass Reservoir
Soap Hollow Reservoir
Soap Wash Reservoir
South Cedar Wash Reservoir
South Horse Hollow Reservoir
South Tule Spring
Spring Lake
Squidike Spring
Stage Road Reservoir
Steamboat Pass Reservoir
Styler Reservoir
Swan Lake
Swan Lake Salt Marsh
Swasey Hardpan Reservoir
Swasey Reservoir Number 2
Swasey Reservoir Number 3
Swasey Reservoir Number 4
Swasey Wash Reservoir
Tamarack Reservoir
The Lakes
Thompson Knoll Reservoir
Topaz Slough
Tule Spring
Twin Springs
Warm Springs
Watsons Cow Pond
West Clay Knoll Reservoir
West Marshall Tract Reservoir
West Neels Reservoir
Whirlwind Reservoir
Willow Spring (near Tule Spring)

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Great Stone Face

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The Great Stone Face and a portrait of Joseph Smith Jr.

Pahvant Valley in Millard County has several ancient lava flows and extinct volcanoes, known as the Black Rock Desert volcanic field, including the "Black Rock" lava flow. About Template:Convert southwest of Delta, near Black Rock's northwest perimeter is a feature named the "Great Stone Face", which protrudes about four stories above the general elevation.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> Locals claim that this rock formation, when viewed at the correct angle, appears similar to a profile of Joseph Smith.<ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref>Template:Citation</ref> At ground level, within view of the "Great Stone Face", is a large, smooth-faced rock covered in Native American petroglyphs.

Notch Peak

Notch Peak is Template:Convert west of Delta. The skyline appears to have a notch taken out of it when viewed from Delta.

Little Sahara Sand Dunes

Little Sahara Recreation Area, Template:Convert north of Delta, is a popular area for ATV riders.<ref>Little Sahara Recreation Area.</ref>

Demographics

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2020 census

According to the 2020 United States census<ref name="2020CensusDHC">Template:Cite web</ref> and 2020 American Community Survey,<ref name="2020ACS">Template:Cite web</ref> there were 12,975 people in Millard County with a population density of 1.9 people per square mile (0.7/km²). Among non-Hispanic or Latino people, the racial makeup was 10,636 (82.0%) White, 15 (0.1%) African American, 100 (0.8%) Native American, 141 (1.1%) Asian, 13 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 27 (0.2%) from other races, and 269 (2.1%) from two or more races. 1,774 (13.7%) people were Hispanic or Latino.

There were 6,581 (50.72%) males and 6,394 (49.28%) females, and the population distribution by age was 4,040 (31.1%) under the age of 18, 6,659 (51.3%) from 18 to 64, and 2,276 (17.5%) who were at least 65 years old. The median age was 36.1 years.

There were 4,299 households in Millard County with an average size of 3.02 of which 3,316 (77.1%) were families and 983 (22.9%) were non-families. Among all families, 2,801 (65.2%) were married couples, 196 (4.6%) were male householders with no spouse, and 319 (7.4%) were female householders with no spouse. Among all non-families, 848 (19.7%) were a single person living alone and 135 (3.1%) were two or more people living together. 1,665 (38.7%) of all households had children under the age of 18. 3,385 (78.7%) of households were owner-occupied while 914 (21.3%) were renter-occupied.

The median income for a Millard County household was $63,221 and the median family income was $67,981, with a per-capita income of $25,479. The median income for males that were full-time employees was $50,906 and for females $34,875. 12.3% of the population and 10.9% of families were below the poverty line.

In terms of education attainment, out of the 7,920 people in Millard County 25 years or older, 820 (10.4%) had not completed high school, 2,565 (32.4%) had a high school diploma or equivalency, 2,763 (34.9%) had some college or associate degree, 1,374 (17.3%) had a bachelor's degree, and 398 (5.0%) had a graduate or professional degree.

Economy

Millard County is working hard to make it easier to build Earthships, straw bale homes, and other ecological and sustainable housing.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Millard County is the home of the Telescope Array Project ultra-high-energy cosmic ray observatory. The Lon and Mary Watson Millard County Cosmic Ray Center was dedicated on March 20, 2006.<ref>Draper, Dean (March 22, 2006). "Cosmic ray center dedicated". Millard County Chronicle Progress</ref>

Japanese internment camp

The Topaz War Relocation Center was a World War II Japanese internment camp located in Millard County Template:Convert west of Delta. The location is open to the public, with a memorial at the northwest corner.

Politics and government

Millard County has traditionally voted Republican. In no national election since 1944 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024).

State elected offices
Position		District	Name	Affiliation	First elected
style="background-color:Template:Party color" \|	Senate	24	Derrin Owens	Republican	2020<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
style="background-color:Template:Party color" \|	House of Representatives	68	Merrill Nelson	Republican	2012<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Board of Education	14	Mark Huntsman	Nonpartisan	2014<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>