Editing Tooele County, Utah

{{Short description|County in Utah, United States}}
{{Redirect-distinguish|Tooele County|Toole County, Montana}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. county
 | county        = Tooele County
 | state                = Utah
 | ex image             = Tooele Utah Courthouse.jpeg
 | ex image size        = 220px
 | ex image cap         = [[Tooele County Courthouse and City Hall]] in [[Tooele, Utah]].
 | founded              = January 31, 1850 (created)<br/>June 10, 1851 (organized)
 | seat wl              = Tooele
 | largest city wl      = Tooele
 | area_total_sq_mi     = 7286
 | area_land_sq_mi      = 6941
 | area_water_sq_mi     = 345
 | area percentage      = 4.7
 | population_as_of     = 2020
 | population_total     = 72698
 | pop_est_as_of        = 2024
 | population_est       = 84488 {{gain}} 
 | density_sq_mi        = auto
 | time zone          = Mountain
 | web                  = https://tooeleco.org/
 | district             = 2nd
 | population_footnotes=<ref name="USCensusEst2024"/> }}

'''Tooele County''' ({{IPAc-en|t|uː|ˈ|w|ɪ|l|ə}} {{respell|too|WIL|ə}}) is a [[County (United States)|county]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Utah]]. As of the [[2020 United States census]], the population was 72,698.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tooele County, Utah|url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Tooele_County,_Utah?g=050XX00US49045|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=July 1, 2023}}</ref> Its [[county seat]] and largest city is [[Tooele, Utah|Tooele]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=June 7, 2011|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref> The county was created in 1850 and organized the following year.<ref name=Newberry>{{cite web|url=http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/UT_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm|title=Utah: Individual County Chronologies|website=Utah Atlas of Historical County Boundaries|publisher=[[Newberry Library|The Newberry Library]]|date=2008|access-date=June 26, 2015|archive-date=March 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306153326/http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/UT_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Tooele County is part of the [[Salt Lake City]], UT [[Salt Lake City metropolitan area|Metropolitan Statistical Area]]. A 2008 [[CNNMoney.com]] article identified Tooele as the [[County (United States)|U.S. county]] experiencing the greatest job growth since 2000.<ref>[https://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/moneymag/0807/gallery.bplive_jobgrowth.moneymag/ Best for job growth - Tooele County, UT]  ''Money''</ref>

The western half is mostly covered by the [[Great Salt Lake Desert]] and includes the city of [[Wendover, Utah|Wendover]] (the immediate neighbor of [[West Wendover, Nevada]]) and [[Ibapah, Utah|Ibapah]]. Within the central section lies Skull Valley, between the [[Cedar Mountains (Tooele County, Utah)|Cedar]] and the [[Stansbury Mountains]]. It contains a few small towns as well as the [[Dugway Proving Ground]]. The population centers are on the eastern edge in the Tooele Valley, between the [[Stansbury Mountains|Stansbury]] and [[Oquirrh Mountains|Oquirrh]] Mountains. This area contains the cities of [[Tooele, Utah|Tooele]], [[Grantsville, Utah|Grantsville]], [[Erda, Utah|Erda]], and [[Lake Point, Utah|Lake Point]] as well as the unincorporated community of [[Stansbury Park, Utah|Stansbury Park]]. [[Tooele Army Depot]] is located on the southern edge of the valley. The Stockton Bar geologic feature separates Tooele Valley and Rush Valley, in which the towns of [[Stockton, Utah|Stockton]], [[Vernon, Utah|Vernon]], [[Faust, Utah|Faust]], and [[Rush Valley, Utah|Rush Valley]] are located. Additional small towns, [[Ophir, Utah|Ophir]] and [[Mercur, Utah|Mercur]], are located in two canyons on the south western side of the Oquirrh Mountains.

Tooele is home to one of the nine statewide regional campuses of [[Utah State University]] (located in the city of Tooele).

==History==
{{See also|Goshute#Contact with Mormons}}
Evidence of several indigenous [[Native American (U.S.)|Native American]] groups has been found in Tooele County, but only the western [[Shoshone language|Shoshone]]-speaking [[Goshute]] tribe claim the desolate lands as their ancestral home. The Goshute's traditional territory includes most of modern Tooele County.

The Great Salt Lake Desert, which comprises much of the northern portion of the county, provided a major stumbling block for the ill-fated Donner-Reed Party in 1846. Its crusty sand slowed the group's wagons to such an extent that the group [[Donner Party#Great Salt Lake Desert|spent six days crossing its 80-mile length]], severely sapping the group's resources and leading to their eventual disaster.

In 1847, [[Mormon pioneers]] settled in the neighboring [[Salt Lake Valley]]. Initially, Tooele Valley was used as a major grazing ground for Mormon cattle owners from Salt Lake and Utah Valleys.<ref name=Compton>{{cite book|title=Becoming a "Messenger of Peace": Jacob Hamblin in Tooele|url=https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V42N01_13.pdf|author=Todd M. Compton|access-date=October 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171028042839/https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V42N01_13.pdf|archive-date=October 28, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{rp|4}} In 1849 the first white settlers established permanent roots in the Tooele Valley. Building a [[Benson Grist Mill|saw mill]], the settlement was called [[E.T. City, Utah|E.T. City]] after LDS leader [[Ezra T. Benson|E.T. Benson]]. The territorial legislature first designated Tooele County&mdash;initially called "Tuilla"&mdash;on January 31, 1850, with significantly different boundaries.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Blanthorn |first=Ouida |title=A History of Tooele County |publisher=Utah State Historical Society |year=1998 |isbn=0-913738-44-1 |location=Salt Lake City |pages=69}}</ref> Its government was not organized at that time, and the area was attached to Salt Lake County for judicial and administrative purposes. It is speculated the name derives from a [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] chief, but controversy exists about whether such a chief lived. Alternate explanations hypothesize that the name comes from "''tu-wanda''", the Goshute word for "[[bear]]", or from "''tule''", a [[Spanish language|Spanish]] word of [[Aztec]] origins meaning "[[Schoenoplectus|bulrush]]".

The Goshutes did not accept Mormon encroachment on their traditional homeland. The Mormons occupied the best camping sites near reliable springs, hunted in Goshute hunting grounds, and overgrazed the meadowland, leaving it unfit for sustaining the animals and plants used by the Goshutes. Mormons believed that Utah was a promised land given to them by God, and did not recognize any Goshute claim to the land.<ref name=Compton/>{{rp|5}} Goshutes began confiscating Mormon cattle that trespassed onto their property.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/american_indians/goshuteindians.html |title=Dennis R. Defa. ''Goshute Indians'' Utah History Encyclopedia, p. 228, (Allan Kent Powell ed., 1994) |access-date=October 27, 2017 |archive-date=December 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212092151/http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/american_indians/goshuteindians.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> In response, the Mormons ordered their armies to kill the Goshutes. In 1850, they ambushed a Goshute village, but the Goshutes were able to defend themselves without casualties. Later that year, a contingent of at least 50 men attacked the Goshute camp, killing nine and suffering no casualties. In 1851, General [[Daniel H. Wells]] took 30 people prisoners. After they tried to escape, Wells executed them.<ref name=Compton/>{{rp|11–12}} Similar attacks occurred throughout the 1850s with Goshutes typically being on the losing side.

By June 10, 1851, the county government was organized. On that date the county attachment to Salt Lake County was terminated. By 1852, [[Grantsville, Utah|Grantsville]], Batesville, and [[Pine Canyon, Utah|Pine Canyon]] (later named Lincoln) were settled. <!-- Note, none of the non-linked cities have Wikipedia entries, so there's no need to test them -->

In 1855 the town of Richville was designated [[county seat]], but it soon became clear that [[Tooele, Utah|Tooele]] was much larger. In 1861 the territorial legislature allowed the county to select a new seat, and Tooele was selected.

In 1859 Robert B. Jarvis, a [[U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs]] representative, convinced some of the [[nomad]]ic bands to congregate at a [[farm]] reservation called Deep Creek. The results looked promising, but Jarvis' resignation in 1860 led support to disappear and the farm to be abandoned. Jarvis' replacement, Benjamin Davies, noted the Goshutes had lost faith in the federal government, and recommended limiting further encroachments on Goshute land, but his suggestions were largely ignored.

Twenty-two overland [[stagecoach]] outposts were built in Goshute territory, often on the sites of rare natural springs. Goshute attacks on mail outposts escalated in 1860, resulting in dozens of deaths in alternating waves of raids. At the outbreak of the [[American Civil War]], federal troops left the area leaving defense in the hands of the [[Nauvoo Legion]] until General [[Patrick Edward Connor|Patrick E. Connor]] arrived in [[Salt Lake City, Utah|Salt Lake City]] from [[California]] in 1862.

Connor acted ruthlessly toward the natives. He killed over 300 Shoshone in Southern [[Idaho]] in 1863. Connor's men attacked Native American camps, sometimes indiscriminately, but through 1863 stage coach companies had lost 16 men and over 150 [[horse]]s to depredations. A peace treaty was signed in 1863 which included an [[Annuity (financial contracts)|annuity]] of goods and [[US dollar|US$]]1000 in compensation of killed game in exchange for an end to the hostilities, and use of routes through the natives' territories. The treaty did not cede Goshute control of land, but a follow-up agreement made in June 1865 did.

[[Image:Utah miners.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Minerals discovered in Tooele County led to a population boom.]]
General Connor, who was [[anti-Mormon]], also encouraged his troops to prospect for minerals. Connor believed that [[mining]] would bring non-Mormons to [[Utah Territory]]. After his men discovered [[gold]], [[silver]], [[lead]], and [[zinc]] deposits in Tooele County in 1864 he was proven right. The Rush Valley Mining District was established by soldiers in the western [[Oquirrh Mountains]] and more than 100 claims were staked in the first year. Two new mining towns, [[Ophir, Utah|Ophir]] and [[Mercur, Utah|Lewiston]] ballooned to over 6000 people each in the 1870s, exceeding the population of Tooele and all the Mormon settlements in the area.

Tooele County as originally defined extended into present-day [[Nevada]]. The county's borders were adjusted in 1852, in 1854, in 1856, in 1861, and in 1862. When [[Nevada Territory]] was created in 1862, the county's borders were impacted, and when the Territory became a state (1864), Tooele County was formally divested of all its Nevada area. Two more boundary adjustments were made in 1870 and 1880, after which it has retained its boundaries to the present.<ref name=Newberry/>

===Republic of Tooele===
From 1874 to 1879, non-Mormon politicians from the [[Liberal Party (Utah)|Liberal Party of Utah]] gained control of Tooele County, the first time any non-Mormons had success in Utah politics. Whimsically, they called the county the Republic of Tooele.

The 1874 election marked the first success of the [[anti-Mormon]] Liberal Party, which was organized in 1870. The party viewed the large non-Mormon mining population in the county as a natural environment for electoral success and campaigned fiercely in Tooele's mining districts leading up to the June 1874 election. The non-Mormon appointed [[Governor of Utah|governor of Utah Territory]], [[George L. Woods]], campaigned for the Liberals in Tooele County.

[[File:Tooele County Courthouse and City Hall.jpg|right|thumb|200px|The old Tooele County Courthouse was site of a political power struggle in 1874.]]
The incumbent Mormon [[People's Party (Utah)|People's Party]] observed several Tooele polling places on election day and lodged complaints of fraud after the Liberal Party triumphed by about 300 votes out of 2,200. The People's Party alleged Liberal Party supporters had voted more than once, that many had not been residents for the required six months, and they were not taxpayers—according to territorial law, only taxpayers could vote in elections. The People's Party called attention to the 2,200 votes cast in the election although only 1,500 Tooele County [[property tax]]payers were on record. Incumbents refused to yield control of the Tooele County recorder's office and the Tooele County Courthouse because of the alleged fraud.

Governor Woods dismissed the complaints and certified the Liberal victory. Third District Court Judge James B. McKean ruled that no evidence showing illegal activity had been presented. McKean construed [[Poll tax (United States)|poll tax]] as within the meaning of being a taxpayer. Since no evidence was provided there were over 300 [[carpetbagger]]s or repeat votes in the election, McKean sustained the tally and authorized deputy [[United States Marshals Service|U.S. Marshals]] to install the Liberal candidates.

The recorder's office was seized when it was momentarily abandoned, but a contingent of People's Party supporters and incumbents held the county courthouse night and day. The marshals and Liberal Party candidates, outnumbered, attempted to negotiate with the armed and barricaded Mormons. Aware that a show of aggression could spark a battle, the parties were nonetheless unable to come to an agreement to hand over power.

Judge McKean issued an even more strongly worded injunction, and [[Brigham Young]] advised his followers that they had an obligation to obey the federal courts. The county courthouse was abandoned, thus beginning about five years of Liberal Party rule. However, the [[Utah Territory|Utah territorial]] legislature, which had the last say on the qualifications of its members, refused to seat the Liberal Party representative from Tooele County.

The Liberals won an unopposed 1876 election.

In 1876, the territorial legislature passed bills requiring [[voter registration]] and requiring [[women's suffrage]] for local elections—women had been voting in territorial elections since 1870. The Liberal Party, typically supported by male miners casually interested in politics, opposed both measures. In 1878 the Liberal majority in Tooele County disappeared, and the People's Party regained control in 1879 after more than six months of Liberal procedural delays.

The Republic of Tooele era was characterized by subsequent politicians as one of excessive spending. The county was left with about $16,000 debt, significantly more than it started with.{{Citation needed|date=April 2014}}

===Modern Tooele===
Mining continued to play an important part in Tooele County into the 20th century, but the county benefited from two major military bases located in the western portion of the county. [[Wendover Air Force Base]], now closed, was the training base of the [[Enola Gay]] crew, which dropped the first [[Nuclear weapon|atomic weapon]] in 1945. The [[Tooele Army Depot]], built in 1942, formerly housed the largest store of [[chemical weapon|chemical]] and [[biological weapon]]s, 45 percent of the nation's, in the United States, at the [[Deseret Chemical Depot]]. Starting August 1996, the store was reduced by destruction in a controversial weapons incinerator, at the [[Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility]]; the last such weapon was destroyed in January 2012.<ref>{{cite web|last=Christensen|first=Lisa|title=Deseret Chemical Depot finally destroys last chemical weapons|url=http://www.tooeletranscript.com/view/full_story/17231152/article-Deseret-Chemical-Depot-finally-destroys-last-chemical-weapons|work=[[Tooele Transcript-Bulletin]]|access-date=November 5, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}</ref><ref>[http://www.cma.army.mil/tooele.aspx The U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency (CMA) - Tooele, UT] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408035407/http://www.cma.army.mil/tooele.aspx |date=April 8, 2014 }}</ref>

Since the 1980s, much of Tooele County's economic prospects have centered around private [[hazardous waste]] disposal facilities. Between 1988 and 1993, hazardous waste landfills and incinerators have been installed at [[Clive, Utah|Clive]] and [[Aragonite, Utah|Aragonite]].<ref name=gr>J. Matthew Shumway and Richard H. Jackson, "Place Making, Hazardous Waste, and the Development of Tooele County, Utah". ''The Geographical Review'', 98 (2008), pp. 433-455.</ref> This, coupled with [[uranium mine]] tailings from [[Salt Lake County]] which were disposed in Tooele County in the 1980s, the presence of the Deseret Chemical Depot, and a high-polluting magnesium facility in [[Rowley, Utah|Rowley]], have contributed to a general perception of Tooele County as a "[[sacrifice zone]]" for unwanted wastes.<ref name=gr/>

News coverage for the county is provided by the ''[[Tooele Transcript-Bulletin]]'' newspaper.

On September 8, 2004, the [[Genesis (spacecraft)|Genesis]] spacecraft crashed into the desert floor of the [[Dugway Proving Ground]] in Tooele County.

The county's western portion is home to the [[Bonneville Salt Flats]], traversed by [[Interstate 80 in Utah|Interstate 80]] and the [[Wendover Cut-off]], the former routing of the [[Victory Highway in Utah|Victory Highway]].

==Geography==
Tooele County lies on the west side of Utah. Its west border abuts the east border of the state of [[Nevada]]. Its northeast border abuts the [[Great Salt Lake]]. Three significant mountain ranges run north–south through the county. Its east boundary line is delineated by the crestline of the [[Oquirrh Mountains]], which separate the Tooele Valley from the Salt Lake Valley. The [[Stansbury Mountains]] parallel the Oquirrhs in the eastern part of the county, and the [[Cedar Mountains (Tooele County, Utah)|Cedar Mountains]] also run parallel to the other two through the east-central part of the county. There are also isolated prominences across the county, especially at its SW corner. The county terrain is largely arid and unused for agriculture unless irrigation water is available.<ref name=TCU>[https://www.google.com/maps/place/Tooele+County,+UT/@40.636919,-112.8749224,10.75z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x874d64b563d6b493:0xc57ec6e2a9cf16a5!8m2!3d40.507092!4d-113.0011989 ''Tooele County UT''  Google Maps]</ref> The county generally slopes to the north. Its highest elevation is [[Deseret Peak Wilderness|Deseret Peak]] in the Stansburys, at {{convert|11,031|ft|m|abbr=on}} ASL. The county has a total area of {{convert|7286|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|6941|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|345|sqmi}} (4.7%) is water.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_49.txt|publisher=US Census Bureau|access-date=June 26, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}</ref>

Covering vast amounts of the [[Great Salt Lake]] desert west of [[Salt Lake Valley]], Tooele County is the second largest county in [[Utah]] and among the driest. The [[Skull Valley Indian Reservation]] lies in [[Skull Valley (Utah)|Skull Valley]], between the Cedar and Stansbury mountain ranges.

===Major highways===
{{div col|colwidth=33em}}
* [[Interstate 80 in Utah|Interstate 80]]
* [[Utah State Route 36]]
* [[Utah State Route 73]]
* [[Utah State Route 112]]
* [[Utah State Route 138]]
* [[Utah State Route 179]]
* [[Utah State Route 196]]
* [[Utah State Route 199]]
{{div col end}}

===Adjacent counties===
{{div col|colwidth=33em}}
* [[Box Elder County, Utah|Box Elder County]] - north
* [[Weber County, Utah|Weber County]] - northeast (across Great Salt Lake)
* [[Davis County, Utah|Davis County]] - east (across Great Salt Lake)
* [[Salt Lake County, Utah|Salt Lake County]] - east
* [[Utah County, Utah|Utah County]] - east
* [[Juab County, Utah|Juab County]] - south
* [[White Pine County, Nevada]] -southwest
* [[Elko County, Nevada]] - west
{{div col end}}

===Protected areas===
<ref name=TCU/>
{{div col|colwidth=33em}}
* Salt Springs Waterfowl Management Area
* Timpie Springs Waterfowl Management Area
* Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest (part)
** [[Wasatch National Forest]] (part)
{{div col end}}
* Deseret Peak Wilderness Area

===Lakes===
<ref name=TCU/>
{{div col|colwidth=33em}}
* Atherley Reservoir
* Big Spring (near [[Callao, Utah|Callao]])
* Big Spring (Skull Valley)
* Big Spring (near Timpie Springs)
* Black Spring
* Blue Lake (Salt Springs Waterfowl Management Area)
* Blue Lakes (in and near [[Grantsville, Utah|Grantsville]])
* Chadman Spring
* Cold Spring
* Deep Creek Reservoir
* Dry Lake (Dugway Proving Ground)
* Dry Lake (East Tintic Mountains)
* Grantsville Reservoir
* Greasewood Pond
* [[Great Salt Lake]] (partially)
* Horseshoe Springs
* Jacobs Hole
* JB Reservoir
* Jenning Springs
* Kanaka Lake
* Last Chance Lakes
* Mill Pond
* Muskrat Spring
* North Table Mountain Reservoir
* North Willow Lake
* Oswald Reservoir
* Redden Springs
* Rock Bottom Pond
* Rocky Spring
* [[Rush Lake (Tooele County, Utah)|Rush Lake]]
* Salt Springs
* Scribner Spring
* Settlement Canyon Reservoir
* Simpson Springs
* South Willow Lake
* Staley Reservoir
* Stansbury Lake
* SunTen Lake I
* SunTen Lake II
* Swimming Hole
* Timpie Springs
* Valley Reservoir
* Vernon Reservoir
* Warm Spring (near [[Rush Valley, Utah|Rush Valley]])
* Warm Springs (near [[Grantsville, Utah|Grantsville]])
* Willow Patch Springs
* Wilson Health Springs
{{div col end}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1860 = 1008
| 1870 = 2177
| 1880 = 4497
| 1890 = 3700
| 1900 = 7361
| 1910 = 7924
| 1920 = 7965
| 1930 = 9413
| 1940 = 9133
| 1950 = 14636
| 1960 = 17868
| 1970 = 21545
| 1980 = 26033
| 1990 = 26601
| 2000 = 40735
| 2010 = 58218
| 2020 = 72698
| estyear = 2024
| estimate = 84488
| estref = <ref name="USCensusEst2024">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html|title=County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 17, 2025}}</ref>
| align-fn = center
| footnote = US Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=US Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=June 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150507121432/http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|archive-date=May 7, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><br/>1790–1960<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=June 26, 2015|archive-date=August 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120811110448/http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/|url-status=dead}}</ref> 1900–1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ut190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=US Census Bureau|editor-last=Forstall|editor-first=Richard L.|date=March 27, 1995|access-date=June 26, 2015}}</ref><br/>1990–2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=US Census Bureau|date=April 2, 2001|access-date=June 26, 2015}}</ref> 2010–2020<ref name="QF">{{cite web |title=QuickFacts: Tooele County, Utah |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/tooelecountyutah |publisher=US Census Bureau |access-date=May 17, 2025}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
According to the [[2020 United States census]]<ref name="2020CensusDHC">{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2023/dec/2020-census-dhc.html|title=2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (DHC)|author=United States Census Bureau|author-link=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=November 3, 2024}}</ref> and [[American Community Survey|2020 American Community Survey]],<ref name="2020ACS">{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/developers/data-sets/acs-5year.2020.html|title=American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2009-2022)|author=United States Census Bureau|author-link=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=November 3, 2024}}</ref> there were 72,698 people in Tooele County with a [[population density]] of 10.3 people per square mile (4.0/km<sup>2</sup>). Among non-[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] people, the racial makeup was 58,199 (80.1%) [[White Americans|White]], 436 (0.6%) [[African Americans|African American]], 445 (0.6%) [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]], 511 (0.7%) [[Asian Americans|Asian]], 637 (0.9%) [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]], 282 (0.4%) from [[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|other races]], and 2,666 (3.7%) from [[Multiracial Americans|two or more races]]. 9,522 (13.1%) people were Hispanic or Latino.

There were 36,687 (50.46%) males and 36,011 (49.54%) females, and the population distribution by age was 23,959 (33.0%) under the age of 18, 41,869 (57.6%) from 18 to 64, and 6,870 (9.5%) who were at least 65 years old. The median age was 31.4 years.

There were 22,087 households in Tooele County with an average size of 3.29 of which 17,531 (79.4%) were families and 4,556 (20.6%) were non-families. Among all families, 13,990 (63.3%) were [[Marriage|married couples]], 1,398 (6.3%) were male householders with no spouse, and 2,143 (9.7%) were female householders with no spouse. Among all non-families, 3,572 (16.2%) were a single person living alone and 984 (4.5%) were two or more people living together. 10,566 (47.8%) of all households had children under the age of 18. 17,970 (81.4%) of households were [[Owner-occupancy|owner-occupied]] while 4,117 (18.6%) were [[Renting|renter-occupied]].

The median income for a Tooele County household was $76,737 and the median family income was $83,730, with a [[per-capita income]] of $27,702. The median income for males that were [[Full-time job|full-time employees]] was $57,579 and for females $40,845. 5.9% of the population and 4.7% of families were below the [[Poverty threshold|poverty line]].

In terms of education attainment, out of the 40,623 people in Tooele County 25 years or older, 3,224 (7.9%) had [[High school dropouts in the United States|not completed high school]], 12,971 (31.9%) had a [[high school diploma]] or equivalency, 15,055 (37.1%) had some college or [[associate degree]], 6,091 (15.0%) had a [[bachelor's degree]], and 3,282 (8.1%) had a [[Postgraduate education|graduate]] or [[professional degree]].

==Environmental concerns==
Heavy industry and the resulting pollution of the air, soil, and groundwater has affected the region in several ways. The US Environmental Protection Agency has reported that Tooele-based [[Renco Group|US Magnesium]] discharges dangerous toxins and cancerous byproducts. In 2008, the US Government considered listing the area as a [[Superfund]] site. Tooele County was listed in 1989 as having the worst air in Utah, according to Federal agencies and environmental groups.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tooele County led US in amount of Toxic Air Pollution Emitted in '89|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/174169/TOOELE-COUNTY-LED-US-IN-AMOUNT-OF-TOXIC-AIR-POLLUTION-EMITTED-IN--89.html?pg=all|website=DeseretNews.com|date=July 24, 1991|access-date=January 18, 2016|archive-date=January 26, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126081646/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/174169/TOOELE-COUNTY-LED-US-IN-AMOUNT-OF-TOXIC-AIR-POLLUTION-EMITTED-IN--89.html?pg=all|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Tooele County Health Department notes that the chemical output of the heavy industry can be particularly dangerous in the winter, because the region's climate and setting create winter inversions, suspending the toxins in the air, and posing "serious health concerns".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Winter Inversions. Tooele County Health Department|url=http://tooelehealth.org/winter-inversions/|website=tooelehealth.org|access-date=January 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131034221/http://tooelehealth.org/winter-inversions/|archive-date=January 31, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Due to the history of toxic waste disposal in the area, Tooele County and Utah residents have opposed plans to dispose of nuclear waste in the county boundaries. A high level nuclear waste site proposed to be built at the Goshute Tribe Reservation in Skull Valley faced opposition until the plan slowly fizzled out.<ref>{{Cite web|title= Utan N-Waste site backers call it quits|url=http://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/sltrib/politics/55513674-90/consortium-friday-license-nrc.html.csp}}</ref> Projects to dispose of depleted uranium at Energy Solution's Clive facility continue to cause controversy.<ref>{{Cite web|title= Energy Solutions Depleted Uranium|url= http://www.energysolutions.com/depleted-uranium/|access-date= April 9, 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160323123014/http://www.energysolutions.com/depleted-uranium/|archive-date= March 23, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Politics and government==
From [[1932 United States presidential election in Utah|1932]] through [[1968 United States presidential election in Utah|1968]], Tooele County tended Democratic, selecting the Democratic nominee in every election save [[1956 United States presidential election in Utah|1956]] (but being blue enough to vote for [[Adlai Stevenson II|Stevenson]] in [[1952 United States presidential election in Utah|1952]]). From [[1972 United States presidential election in Utah|1972]] on, however, it has become powerfully Republican, voting Democratic only once in this period thus far, for [[Bill Clinton]] in [[1996 United States presidential election in Utah|1996]] (with a low plurality and by a narrow margin).

{| class="wikitable"
|+State elected offices
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;" |Position
!District
! style="text-align:center;" |Name
! valign="bottom" |Affiliation
! style="vertical-align:bottom; text-align:center;" |First elected
|-
| style="background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" |&nbsp;
|[[Utah Senate|Senate]]
|12
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Daniel Thatcher]]
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| style="text-align:center;" |2010<ref>{{Cite web|title=Senator Thatcher Utah Senate|url=https://senate.utah.gov/sen/THATCDW/|access-date=November 16, 2021|website=senate.utah.gov}}</ref>
|-
| style="background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" |&nbsp;
|[[Utah Senate|Senate]]
|17
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Scott Sandall]]
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| style="text-align:center;" |2018<ref>{{Cite web|title=Senator Sandall Utah Senate|url=https://senate.utah.gov/sen/SANDASD/|access-date=November 16, 2021|website=senate.utah.gov}}</ref>
|-
| style="background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" |&nbsp;
|[[Utah House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]
|21
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Douglas Sagers]]
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| style="text-align:center;" |2010<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rep. Sagers, Douglas V.|url=https://house.utah.gov/rep/SAGERD/|access-date=November 17, 2021|website=Utah House of Representatives|language=en-US|archive-date=November 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117204847/https://house.utah.gov/rep/SAGERD/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| style="background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" |&nbsp;
|[[Utah House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]
|68
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Merrill Nelson]]
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| style="text-align:center;" |2012<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rep. Nelson, Merrill F.|url=https://house.utah.gov/rep/NELSOMF/|access-date=November 15, 2021|website=Utah House of Representatives|language=en-US|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115182841/https://house.utah.gov/rep/NELSOMF/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| style="background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" |&nbsp;
|Board of Education
|3
| style="text-align:center;" |Matt Hymas
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| style="text-align:center;" |2020<ref>{{Cite web|title=Matt Hymas|url=https://www.schools.utah.gov/board/members/utah/matthymas|access-date=November 16, 2021|website=www.schools.utah.gov|archive-date=November 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117190651/https://www.schools.utah.gov/board/members/utah/matthymas|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|}

{{PresHead|place=Tooele County, Utah|source=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Atlas of US Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=March 31, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|23,484|9,560|1,322|Utah}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|21,014|8,943|1,561|Utah}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|11,169|4,573|6,250|Utah}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|14,268|4,524|550|Utah}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|10,998|5,830|635|Utah}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|12,181|4,130|353|Utah}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|7,807|4,001|672|Utah}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|3,881|3,992|1,439|Utah}}
{{PresRow|1992|Republican|3,676|3,270|3,325|Utah}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|5,539|4,166|99|Utah}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|6,478|3,584|68|Utah}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|6,024|3,132|556|Utah}}
{{PresRow|1976|Republican|4,657|4,371|223|Utah}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|5,641|2,621|283|Utah}}
{{PresRow|1968|Democratic|3,422|4,250|595|Utah}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|2,511|5,239|0|Utah}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|3,016|3,665|7|Utah}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|3,390|2,683|0|Utah}}
{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|3,209|3,521|0|Utah}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|2,036|2,798|50|Utah}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|1,753|2,802|4|Utah}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|1,476|2,625|7|Utah}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|1,029|2,361|9|Utah}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|1,407|1,865|51|Utah}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|1,707|1,421|20|Utah}}
{{PresRow|1924|Republican|1,295|674|499|Utah}}
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|1,387|916|167|Utah}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|1,124|1,528|116|Utah}}
{{PresRow|1912|Republican|950|646|553|Utah}}
{{PresRow|1908|Republican|1,106|808|60|Utah}}
{{PresRow|1904|Republican|1,289|639|104|Utah}}
{{PresRow|1900|Republican|1,259|1,114|16|Utah}}
{{PresFoot|1896|Democratic|274|1,684|0|Utah}}

==Education==
All parts of Tooele County are in the [[Tooele School District]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st49_ut/schooldistrict_maps/c49045_tooele/DC20SD_C49045.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Tooele County, UT|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|accessdate=January 16, 2023}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st49_ut/schooldistrict_maps/c49045_tooele/DC20SD_C49045_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>

Tooele is home to one of the nine statewide regional campuses of Utah State University.

==Communities==
{{Stack|[[File:Tooele County Utah incorporated and unincorporated areas.svg|thumb|Map of Tooele County municipalities and CDPs]]}}

===Cities===
* [[Erda, Utah|Erda]]
* [[Grantsville, Utah|Grantsville]]
* [[Lake Point, Utah|Lake Point]]
* [[Tooele, Utah|Tooele]] (county seat)
* [[Wendover, Utah|Wendover]]

===Towns===
* [[Rush Valley, Utah|Rush Valley]]
* [[Stockton, Utah|Stockton]]
* [[Vernon, Utah|Vernon]]

===Census-designated places===
* [[Dugway, Utah|Dugway]]
* [[Ophir, Utah|Ophir]]
* [[Stansbury Park, Utah|Stansbury Park]]

===Townships===
* [[Lincoln, Utah|Pine Canyon (aka Lincoln)]]

===Unincorporated communities===
{{div col}}
* [[Delle, Utah|Delle]]
* [[Faust, Utah|Faust]]
* [[Gold Hill, Utah|Gold Hill]]
* [[Ibapah, Utah|Ibapah]]
* [[Lofgreen, Utah|Lofgreen]]
* [[South Rim, Utah|South Rim]]
* [[Terra, Utah|Terra]]
{{div col end}}

===Ghost towns===
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Ajax, Utah|Ajax]]
* [[Aragonite, Utah|Aragonite]]
* [[Arinosa, Utah|Arinosa]]
* [[Barro, Utah|Barro]]
* [[Bauer, Utah|Bauer]]
* [[Benmore, Utah|Benmore]]
* [[Burmester, Utah|Burmester]]
* [[Center, Utah|Center]]
* [[Clifton, Utah|Clifton]]
* [[Clive, Utah|Clive]]
* [[Flux, Utah|Flux]]
* [[Iosepa, Utah|Iosepa]] 
* [[Jacob City, Utah|Jacob City]]
* [[Knolls, Utah|Knolls]]
* [[Low, Utah|Low]]
* [[Mercur, Utah|Mercur]]
* [[Pehrson, Utah|Pehrson]]
* [[Rowley, Utah|Rowley]]
* [[Salduro, Utah|Salduro]]
* [[Scranton, Utah|Scranton]]
* [[Slagtown, Utah|Slagtown]]
* [[Sunshine, Utah|Sunshine]]
* [[Topliff, Utah|Topliff]]
* [[West Dip, Utah|West Dip]]
{{div col end}}

==See also==
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Tooele County, Utah]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* (1994) [https://web.archive.org/web/20221103115809/https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/t/TOOELE_COUNTY.shtml "Tooele County"] article in the [https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/ Utah History Encyclopedia.] The article was written by Miriam B. Murphy and the Encyclopedia was published by the University of Utah Press. ISBN 9780874804256. Archived from [https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/t/TOOELE_COUNTY.shtml the original] on November 3, 2022, and retrieved on March 27, 2024.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Tooele County, Utah}}
* {{Official website|http://www.co.tooele.ut.us}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041120091136/http://tcsd.tooele.k12.ut.us/ Tooele County School District]
* [http://www.tooelechamber.com/ Tooele County Chamber of Commerce]

{{Geographic Location
|Centre    = Tooele County
|North     = [[Box Elder County, Utah|Box Elder County]]
|Northeast = [[Weber County, Utah|Weber County]]
|East      = [[Davis County, Utah|Davis County]]<br/>[[Salt Lake County, Utah|Salt Lake County]]<br/>[[Utah County, Utah|Utah County]]
|Southeast = 
|South     = [[Juab County, Utah|Juab County]]
|Southwest = {{flagicon|Nevada}} [[White Pine County, Nevada|White Pine County]]
|West      = {{flagicon|Nevada}} [[Elko County, Nevada|Elko County]]
|Northwest = 
}}

{{Tooele County, Utah}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|40.45|-113.18|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-UT_source:UScensus1990}}

[[Category:Tooele County, Utah| ]]
[[Category:1851 establishments in Utah Territory]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1851]]
[[Category:Salt Lake City metropolitan area]]
[[Category:The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah]]