Page Contents for Tooele, Utah

Statistics & Facts

Location

History & History-related items

City Attractions

Government

Chamber of Commerce.

Organizations, Churches, and Sports.

Libraries.

Schools.

Miscellany

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Statistics & Facts

The Utah state capital is Salt Lake City.
The population of Tooele is approximately 29,062 (2006), 31605 (2010).
The approximate number of families is 7,923 (2000), 9959 (2010).
The amount of land area in Tooele is 32.174 sq. kilometers.
The amount of land area in Tooele is 21.1 sq. miles.
The amount of surface water is 0.046 sq kilometers.
The distance from Tooele to Washington DC is 1940 miles.
The distance to the Utah state capital is 29 miles. (as the crow flies)
Tooele is positioned 40.53 degrees north of the equator and 112.30 degrees west of the prime meridian.
Tooele elevation is 4,923 feet above sea level.
Tooele median income is $ 41,500 (2005).
The Tooele median home price is $ 111,900 (2005).
Tooele average annual precipitation is 17.57 inches peryear.
Tooele average annual snowfall is 65.2 inches per year.
The average low temperature is 39.7 degrees F.
The average high temperature is 62.2 degrees F.
The average winter temperature is 28.7 degrees F.
The average summer temperature is 76 degrees F.

Location

on the western slope of the Oquirrh Mountains, 35 miles southwest of Salt Lake City and 23 miles from West Jordan. Other nearby communities include Erda, Stansbury Park, Stockton, Ophir, Grantsville, Rush Valley, Herriman and Magna.
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History & History Related Items

Tooele was settled in 1849, incorporated on 20 Jan 1853 just a few years after the area was settled. It was named the county seat of Tooele County on 18 Jan 1861. Here is a history page for Tooele's early years. Here is another history page for Tooele and the area. Also try this history page from the city. This history page is from Utah Online.

When the area was surveyed in 1853 by the Army, a number of Goshute Indians lived in the valley. The Goshutes lived mostly off the land and built their homes of cedar or used caves or dugouts. The Mormon pioneers came into this area on 4 Sept. 1849 when three families settled on a local stream. The area grew quickly and incorporated in 1853. By 1900, there were about 1,200 residents in Tooele.

The origin of the name for Tooele is somewhat disputed. There are many versions of how it was named. Some say it was a Goshute Indian word for Bear. A shoshone word, TuuWaeta, also means Black Bear. Historians say that Tooele is from the Goshute Indian Chief, Tuilla or Chuilla, who lived here before the white settlers came. The flaw in this story is that the Goshute did not have tribal chiefs. They were rather organized as families with the father or grandfather as the head. Some say that Tooele is from the wee or bulrush named "tule" which was in the swampy areas of the valley. The name was reportedly misspelled by Thomas Bullock who was a secretary to Brigham Young. Most believe Mr. Bullock as a very well-educated man who would not have made such a spelling error. Still another version has LDS Church leader, Orson Pratt, who was the first pioneer to enter Tooele valley, having said the area looked like an Austrian village, Mat Tooele, near the Adriatic Sea. There was also an Englishman who came into the area and remarked that the valley was "too hilly" and "too willy." Maybe no one will ever know for sure of the real naming story for Tooele, but all the versions are quite interesting.
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The settling of Tooele

1849

The incorporation of Tooele

20 Jan 1853

Attractions

Tooele County Arts Festival
47 S Main St
Tooele, Utah 84074
Phone: (435) 882-8282

Railroad Museum
35 N Broadway St
Tooele, UT 84074-2362
Phone: 435-882-2836

Tooele County Fair
held each summer in July and August
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Tooele City Government

Tooele City website.

Tooele City Hall
90 N Main St
Tooele, UT 84074-2139
Phone: 435-843-2100

Tooele City is the only city in Utah administered under a "home rule charter" created under the Constitution of the State of Utah. All other cities and towns in Utah operate under forms of government established by the Legislature. The city is run by the mayor rather than by a city manager. He serves a four year term. The city council has five members who are elected at large and who also serve four year terms.

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COUNTY GOVERNMENT

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Tooele County Clerk
47 South Main Street
Tooele, Utah 84074-2194
Office: (435) 882-9140
Fax: (435) 882-7317
Courthouse: (435) 843-3100

Tooele Chamber

Tooele County Chamber of Commerce

Chamber Of Commerce
86 South Main Street
Tooele, UT 84074
Phone: 435-882-0690

Tooele Organizations

Tooele County Chamber of Commerce

Chamber Of Commerce
86 South Main Street
Tooele, UT 84074
Phone: 435-882-0690

Tooele Libraries

Tooele City Public Library
128 W. Vine St
Tooele, UT 84074
Phone: 435-882-2182

Tooele Schools

Tooele County School District
66 West Vine Street
Tooele, Utah 84074
Phones: (435) 833-1900 or (435) 355-4740 FAX: (435) 833-1912

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Tooele High School
240 W 100 S
Tooele, UT 84074-2001
Phone: 435-833-1978

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Tooele Valley High
Building S 110
Tooele, UT 84074
Phone: 435-833-1928 Tooele

Miscellany

The population of Tooele was:
1990 - 13,887
1997 - 16,937
2000 - 22,502
2002 - 25,965
2003 - 27,052
2004 - 27,903
2006 - 29,062

The number of housing units was:
1990 - 5,190
2000 - 7,923

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Median age:
2000 - 27.5 years

Median household income:
2000 - $ 43,862
2005 - $ 41,500

Median house value:
2000 - $ 121,200
2005 - $ 111,900

Tooele is located in the Mountain Time Zone and does participate in daylight savings time during a portion of the year.