Pleasant Grove, Utah
Pleasant Grove is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. The population was 23,468 at the 2000 census. By 2004 its population had been estimated at 27,116.
History
On July 19, 1850, William H. Adams, John Mercer and Philo T. Farnsworth, Mormon pioneers sent by Brigham Young, arrived at the area now known as Pleasant Grove and staked out farms in what is now the southwest corner of the city. A small community was established September 13, 1850, and Pleasant Grove was officially incorporated as a town January 18, 1855. At that time there were 623 people.
The original name of the city was Battle Creek. It was named for a battle between settlers and a renegade band of the Ute Indian tribe that took place in 1849. Settlers decided they needed a more uplifting name, so in 1851 the name was changed to Pleasant Grove after a grove of cottonwood trees located between Battle Creek and Grove Creek, near the current-day intersection of Locust Avenue and Battle Creek Drive.
During the Walker Indian War in the 1850's, citizens built a fort with walls two or three feet thick and six feet tall that occupied an area the size of sixteen city blocks. The settlers in the area at the time built homes inside the fort. While the fort no longer stands, memorial cornerstones were erected by local historians. The northeast monument was erected near the intersection of 100 North and 300 East Streets. The northwest monument was erected four blocks west of that point at 100 West Street and the southeast monument erected four blocks south at 300 South Street. The southwest monument would have been located near 300 South 100 West, the area is now occupied by a large parking lot and retail store.
Geography
Pleasant Grove is located at 40°21′50.04″N 111°44′26.63″W / 40.3639000°N 111.7407306°WInvalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (40.33639, -111.74073)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.6 km² (8.7 mi²), all land. Sloping off the Mt. Timpanogos bench, Pleasant Grove is represented by a large, white "G" just above the city.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 23,468 people, 6,109 households, and 5,388 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,039.1/km² (2,691.5/mi²). There were 6,334 housing units at an average density of 280.5/km² (726.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.15% White, 0.29% African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0.39% Pacific Islander, 1.75% from other races, and 1.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.56% of the population.
There were 6,109 households out of which 58.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 77.0% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 11.8% were non-families. 9.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.83 and the average family size was 4.11.
In the city the population was spread out with 41.0% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 13.8% from 45 to 64, and 5.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $52,036, and the median income for a family was $54,182. Males had a median income of $42,042 versus $23,296 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,268. About 5.4% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.1% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.
Strawberry Days
Pleasant Grove is home to a unique summer festival, Strawberry Days, the longest continuing community celebration in Utah to date. The city hosts the annual festival, usually held during the third week of June. A rodeo held in conjunction with this festival brings competitors and spectators from throughout the west. The festival includes parades, a carnival, pageants, and other activities. Although no strawberries are currently grown in the city, the festival takes its name from a time when strawberries were a major economic activity in the city. The first Strawberry Day celebration was held the second week of June, 1921. It was organized by the Wasatch Club, the forerunner of the Chamber of Commerce.
