Willard, Utah

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Willard, Utah
—  City  —
Town of Willard, with Willard Bay and the Promontory Mountains in the background
Location of Willard, Utah
Coordinates: 41°24′43″N 112°2′23″W
Country	United States
State	Utah
County	Box Elder
Settled	1851
Incorporated	1870
Named for	Willard Richards
Area
• Total	7.2 sq mi (18.7 km2)
• Land	5.7 sq mi (14.7 km2)
• Water	1.5 sq mi (4.0 km2)
Elevation	4,350 ft (1,326 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	1,772
• Density	286.5/sq mi (110.6/km2)
Time zone	Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
• Summer (DST)	MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP code	84340
Area code(s)	435
FIPS code	49-84710
GNIS feature ID	1447372

Willard is a city in Box Elder County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,772 at the 2000 census.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.2 square miles (18.7 km²), of which, 5.7 square miles (14.7 km²) of it is land and 1.5 square miles (4.0 km²) of it (21.19%) is water.

History

In 1851, several companies of Mormon settlers were sent north from Salt Lake City to a northern bay of the Great Salt Lake, now Willard Bay. A company of nineteen located on North Willow Creek, seven miles south of the site where Brigham City would be established. Two years later, the infant community relocated two miles further south and a fort wall was built due to the possibility of Indian attacks. Willard's first settlers were mostly of Welsh, English, Scottish and Dutch descent. Most were farmers, but some were merchants, carpenters, blacksmiths and school teachers. Historically, the economy of Willard centered around agriculture, with fruit crops being the major product. Gravel excavation and worked stone have also been a significant source of income.

Henry G. Sherwood surveyed North Willow Creek in 1851 and the community was renamed Willard in honor of Willard Richards, a recently deceased Apostle of the LDS Church and counselor to Brigham Young, in 1859. Willard received her charter as a city in 1870.

Gifted stonemason Shadrack Jones took advantage of local rock cliffs and the alluvial fan exposed as ancient Lake Bonneville receded. Between 1862 and 1883, he mined the local stone and built single family homes. Over thirty still stand and many are on the National Register of Historic Places. Other early structures included a brick yard, the first grist mill in Box Elder County, and a number of molasses mills.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	552		—
1880	412		−25.4%
1890	492		19.4%
1900	580		17.9%
1910	577		−0.5%
1920	651		12.8%
1930	561		−13.8%
1940	541		−3.6%
1950	548		1.3%
1960	814		48.5%
1970	1,045		28.4%
1980	1,241		18.8%
1990	1,298		4.6%
2000	1,630		25.6%
2010	1,772		8.7%

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,630 people, 517 households, and 427 families residing in the city. The population density was 286.5 people per square mile (110.6/km²). There were 539 housing units at an average density of 94.8 per square mile (36.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.26% White, 0.12% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 1.29% from other races, and 1.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.11% of the population.

There were 517 households out of which 41.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.1% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.4% were non-families. 14.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15 and the average family size was 3.50.

In the city the population was spread out with 32.6% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $52,150, and the median income for a family was $57,841. Males had a median income of $40,625 versus $26,364 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,592. About 5.1% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Noted people associated with Willard

• Anson Vasco Call II - First Mayor of Afton, Wyoming (served nine terms)
• Evan Stephens, Mormon Tabernacle Choir director