Heber Valley, looking toward Midway
Location in Wasatch County and the state of Utah
|• Total||3.3 sq mi (8.7 km2)|
|• Land||3.3 sq mi (8.7 km2)|
|• Water||0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)|
|Elevation||5,584 ft (1,702 m)|
|• Density||633.3/sq mi (244.5/km2)|
|Time zone||Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)|
|• Summer (DST)||MDT (UTC-6)|
|GNIS feature ID||1430310|
Midway is a city in Wasatch County, Utah, United States. It is located in the Heber Valley, approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Heber City and 28 miles (45 km) southeast of Salt Lake City, on the opposite side of the Wasatch Mountains. The population was 3,845 at the 2010 census.
The first known European-Americans to visit the area, a valley just northeast of Mount Timpanogos, were members of a fur-trapping 1824 brigade led by Étienne Provost, a French-Canadian. The area was referred to as upper Provo, and is also the name of the river running south through the valley.
A wagon road was completed through Provo Canyon in 1858 which brought the first settlers to the area. Two small communities were established: Mound City and a lower settlement sometimes referred to as Smiths Grove. Mound City was named for the many nearby limestone formations. Smiths Grove was first settled by the Robey, Epperson, Bronson, McCarroll, and Smith families.
Indian hostilities grew, and territorial governor, Brigham Young, encouraged settlers to build forts for protection. The two settlements built a fort, "midway" between the two communities. In the 1860s and 70s, a large number of Swiss immigrants arrived, including the Gertsch, Boss, Huber, Kohler, Probst, Zenger, Durtschi, Krebs, Murri, and Abegglen families. Descendants of some these families still live in Midway.
Midway was incorporated June 1, 1891; its industry based on livestock and farming. As the town grew, so did the need for building materials. In the early 1850s, sawmills were built, operated by Henry T. Coleman, John Watkins, and Moroni Blood. John H. Van Wagoner constructed the first commercial gristmill in 1861. Bonner Mercantile Store was the first retail store.
Civic improvements were made in the 1930s and 1940s, including a concrete sidewalk program started in 1938. The Midway Recreation Center, called the "Town Hall," was dedicated in June 1941, and is the center of many community events, including Swiss Days. In 2011, Town Hall received a seismic upgrade including reinforced walls, a new roof, and re-pointing of its pot-rock (tufa) exterior. At the same time the building received a new heating system, air conditioning, and a much needed exterior-trim paint job.
Midway Swiss Days brings thousands of people to the town. The event was started in 1947 through the efforts of Luke's Hot Pots Resort owners, Joseph B. and Pauline S. Erwin. It was originally called Harvest Days. They formed a club known as the "Midway Boosters," which is still active, and whose members promote city improvements and activities. In order to attract larger crowds to Midway, the idea of a Swiss theme was created by Orma W. Wallengren (a.k.a. Clair Peterson) whose family owned and operated the Homestead, replacing the name and theme of Harvest Days with Swiss Days.
The community is also known for the large "hot-pot" or geo-thermal caldera at the Homestead Resort. There is year-round scuba diving in the caldera's 90-95 degree water.
Midway stood in for the fictional town of Everwood, Colorado, in the closing scenes of the episode, "Foreverwood", the series finale of the TV show, Everwood. Background shots overlooking the town were filmed from Memorial Hill, with the Wasatch Mountain Range in the background.
This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Midway has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,121 people, 687 households, and 550 families residing in the city. The population density was 633.3 people per square mile (244.5/km²). There were 1,000 housing units at an average density of 298.6 per square mile (115.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.22% White, 0.05% African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 0.38% from other races, and 1.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.78% of the population.
There were 687 households out of which 43.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.0% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.9% were non-families. 18.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.09 and the average family size was 3.53.
In the city the population was spread out with 33.5% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 104.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $51,071, and the median income for a family was $55,809. Males had a median income of $40,870 versus $25,682 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,551. About 3.4% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.
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