Ogden, Utah

Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census Bureau Census. 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, 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. The 2010 count by the U.S Census Bureau placed the Metro population at 547,184. In 2010 Forbes rated Ogden the 6th best place to raise a family.

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, after Captain James Brown, 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.

Keeney House was a historic hotel

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. In 2010, the LDS Church announced a major renovation of the Ogden Temple and the adjacent Tabernacle. Work includes completely change the dated 70's exterior, removing the steeple from the Tabernacle so as to make the Temple's steeple a main focus, as well as a new underground parking garage and new gardens. Work is set to begin in spring of 2011.

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°N, -111.9712°W (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 4300 ft to 5200 ft 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 7 mi 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.

Climate
Ogden experiences a hot summer continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dsa). 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 37 °F (3 °C) in January. Snowfall averages about 42 in, with approximately 23.67 in of precipitation annually.

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 82,825 people, 30,338 households, and 24,947 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,113.72 people per square mile (1,934.78/km2). There were 32,482 housing units at an average density of 1,221.13 per square mile (758.78/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 75.24% White, 2.2% African American, 1.4% Native American, 1.24% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 15.87% from other races, and 3.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 30.11% of the population.

There were 30,338 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.

Government and politics
Ogden is governed under the mayor-council form of government, in which the full-time mayor serves as executive while the seven-member part-time council serves as the legislative branch. All of these elected officials serve four-year terms, with elections occurring in odd-numbered years and terms beginning in January of even-numbered years.

The current mayor is Matthew Godfrey, who first took office in January 2000 and was reelected in 2003 and 2007. As of January 2010, the city council members are Caitlin Gochnour, Chair, Susie Van Hooser, Vice Chair, Amy Wicks, Bart Blair, Brandon Stephenson, Doug Stephens, and Neil Garner. Four of the council members represent the city's four municipal wards, while the other three (Blair, Van Hooser, and Wicks) are elected at-large by voters from the entire city.

Although municipal elections are officially nonpartisan, Ogden has developed two opposing political factions in recent years. One faction includes Mayor Godfrey, and is generally supported by the Chamber of Commerce and the local association of realtors. The other faction includes a majority of the city council, with support from Ogden's firefighters' union and many Weber State University faculty. The Godfrey-aligned faction has generally favored large government-assisted economic development projects such as The Junction, the Ogden River Project, a proposed tram or gondola on Mt. Ogden, and proposed real estate developments in Ogden's foothills. The other faction has advocated for less government spending on such projects and for preservation of the foothills and mountains in a more natural state.

Education

 * Weber State University
 * Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College
 * Ogden City School District
 * Stevens–Henager College
 * Ogden High School (Utah)

Economy
As the principal city of the 3rd largest MSA in Utah, Ogden serves as a regional economic hub for northern Utah. Local government, including Ogden City, Weber County, and the local school districts, are all located in Ogden. The Internal Revenue Service has a large presence in Ogden and is the city's largest employer with over 5,000 employees. Other large employers include IHC owned McKay Dee Hospital, Weber State University, and Convergys.

The Business Depot Ogden, formerly an army depot, was restructured to be a 1,000 plus acre business park, and is home to numerous companies.

Notable Headquarters

 * FJ Management Inc. - Oil company.
 * Marketstar - Sales and marketing company.
 * Autoliv North America - Automotive safety equipment.
 * Bank of Utah - Banking services.

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. Amtrak trains do not serve Ogden directly.

Ogden-Hinckley Airport, Utah's busiest municipal airport, is located in the southwest portion of the city.

Sites of interest



 * Bigelow-Ben Lomond Hotel
 * DaVinci Academy of Science and the Arts
 * Dee Events Center
 * Eccles Avenue Historic District
 * Historic 25th Street
 * The Ice Sheet Curling venue during the 2002 Winter Olympics
 * Jefferson Avenue Historic District
 * The Junction Retail and residential complex
 * Ogden City Municipal Building
 * Ogden High School
 * Ogden Nature Center
 * Ogden Utah Temple
 * Ott Planetarium
 * Peery's Egyptian Theatre
 * Snowbasin Ski Area Alpine Skiing venue during the 2002 Winter Olympics
 * Saint Joseph Catholic Schools
 * Union Station
 * Ogden Forest Service Building
 * Weber State University

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, the minor-league soccer team Ogden Outlaws of the Premier Development League and the Ogden Knights of the American Indoor Football Association.

Ogden Stadium houses the annual "Hot Rocking 4th", a motorsports event.

There are several golf courses located in the city of Ogden.

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, Ogden Winterfest 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, co-inventor of the catalytic converter
 * Solon Borglum, Sculptor
 * Fawn M. Brodie, Historian
 * John Moses Browning, Inventor and firearms designer
 * Val A. Browning, Industrialist, philanthropist, and gun innovator
 * 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
 * Court McGee, Fighter

Filming location of

 * Some episodes of Touched by an Angel
 * Everwood (mostly filmed in downtown Ogden)
 * Blind Dating
 * Firestarter 2: Rekindled
 * Drive Me Crazy
 * Con Air
 * The Sandlot
 * Three O'Clock High (mostly filmed at Ogden High School)
 * Fletch
 * Dumb and Dumber
 * Documentary short King of O-Town: Joe McQueen
 * The Stand
 * Air Bud
 * Tiffany's music video for "I Think We're Alone Now"
 * LL Cool J's music video for "Doin' It"
 * This Boy's Life
 * Harmful Intent
 * Scorned and Swindled
 * Don't Look Under the Bed
 * National Lampoon's Bag Boy
 * ''Disney Channels "Return to Halloween Town"
 * Frozen (2010 American film) (Filmed at Snowbasin Ski Resort)