Orem, Utah


Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is about south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Utah and Juab counties. The 2019 population estimate was 97,828, while the 2010 population was 88,328 making it the fifth-largest city in Utah. Utah Valley University is located in Orem. The Orem Owlz of the minor league baseball Pioneer League play their home games at the college.
Orem uses the slogan "Family City USA." In 2010 Forbes rated it the 5th best place to raise a family. Time magazine rated the Provo-Orem area as the best place to live for spiritual well-being, due to a high population of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

History

At one time the area was known as Sharon, a Biblical name for a mostly level strip of land running between mountains and the sea, and the name of the Vermont birth town of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Another former name was Provo Bench. In an apparent attempt to attract more investment to the town and provide an easy way for the large population of farmers with orchards to ship produce, in 1914 it was named after Walter C. Orem, President of the Salt Lake and Utah Railroad in the early 1900s. Orem was incorporated on May 5, 1919.

Arts and culture

Orem is renowned for the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, and its Summerfest celebration and parade in June is a popular local attraction.

Geography

Orem is located at . Situated in a high desert, with an average elevation of 4756 feet. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, all of it land. The City is located near the eastern shore of Utah Lake. Bordering Provo, Utah on the east and south, Vineyard, Utah on the west, Lindon, Utah contiguous to north, and Mount Timpanogos/Wasatch Mountain range to the east.

Demographics

As of 2011 the 88,112 residents of Orem had a racial and ethnic composition of 89.3% white, 0.9% black or African American, 0.9% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.5% Pacific Islanders, 4% non-Hispanics reporting some other race, 2.9% two or more races reported and 14.8% Hispanic, as Orem has a large Mexican American community with other Latinos residing in the city. This contrasts with the census of 2000, which showed a racial makeup of 90.80% White, 0.33% African American, 0.73% Native American, 1.45% Asian, 0.86% Pacific Islander, 3.64% from other races, and 2.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.56% of the population.
The 2000 Census counted 84,324 people, 23,382 households, and 19,079 families. The population density at that time was 4,572.6 people per square mile. There were 24,166 housing units at an average density of 1,310.4 per square mile.
There were 23,382 households out of which 48.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.0% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.4% were non-families. 12.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.57 and the average family size was 3.93.
In the city, the population was spread out with 35.4% under the age of 18, 17.4% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 14.5% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $52,703, and the median income for a family was $59,066. Males had a median income of $42,249 versus $30,742 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,971. About 10.3% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16% of those under age 18 and 6% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2002, over 97% of all church-going citizens of Orem are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Due to the high numbers of Latter-day Saints in the area, Church President Russell M. Nelson announced a temple in Orem on October 5, 2019. The temple will be located a half mile south of the Interstate 15 exit at University Parkway on South Geneva Road.

Education

Orem is located in the Alpine School District and is home to three high schools, three junior high schools, and 14 elementary schools. Stevens-Henager College is also located in Orem, as is an education center of Utah State University, and a campus of Broadview University.

Utah Valley University

is a public university operated by the state of Utah. UVU is one of the United States' only Open Enrollment Universities offering an acceptance to all applicants. As a university, UVU offers a wide variety of bachelor's and master's degrees. UVU is the largest and fastest growing public university in Utah with its attendance of over 34,000 undergraduates. The campus's notable features include the UCCU Center, the Digital Learning Center library, the Hal Wing Track and Field Complex, and the Woodbury School of Business. The Roots of Knowledge stained glass display is located in the Fulton Library on campus.

Government

The city of Orem is governed by a council-manager system. The mayor and council members are elected and serve part-time, while the city manager is appointed and serves full-time. There are six city council members that serve alongside the mayor. The mayor and city council are elected to four year terms.
NamePositionElected/AppointedYear First
Elected/Appointed		Number of Terms Served
Current Term Ends
Richard BrunstMayorElected201322021
Jeff LambsonCity CouncilElected201912023
Debby LauretCity CouncilElected201522023
Tom MacdonaldCity CouncilElected201322021
Terry PetersonCity CouncilElected201912023
David SpencerCity CouncilElected201322021
Brent SumnerCity CouncilElected200932021
Jamie DavidsonCity ManagerAppointed2013N/AN/A

List of mayors of Orem :
Orem has a wide variety of stores and businesses. Orem is also home to the oldest mall in Utah County, opened in March 1973.

Top employers

According to the City's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
#Employer# of employeesPercent of Total
City Employment
1Utah Valley University2,9697.4%
2Alpine School District1,5403.8%
3U.S. Synthetic Corporation9402.3%
4City of Orem5381.3%
5Timpanogos Regional Hospital4981.2%
6Clearlink Technologies, LLC4431.1%
7Wayfair4421.1%
8Wal-Mart3750.9%
9United Parcel Service, Inc.3560.9%
10Mity-Lite, Inc.3550.9%
Total8,45621.1%

Company startups

Several notable companies started in Orem:
Orem has been home to a number of professional sports teams in addition to being the home to Utah Valley University's Wolverines athletic teams. The Orem Owlz minor league baseball team, a rookie league affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels, has been located in Orem since 2005. The Owlz have won 5 championships and have had more than 90 major league players as part of the team. The Owlz play their home games at UCCU Ballpark on the campus of Utah Valley University. The stadium has a capacity of 5,000 spectators. The Owlz compete in the Pioneer League against teams from Colorado, Idaho, Montana and one team in Utah - the Ogden Raptors.
Orem has also been the home to two indoor football teams as well as a G League professional basketball team. In 1998, the Utah Catzz played their only season in the Professional Indoor Football League as the league only lasted one season. The Utah Flash was an NBA G League affiliate of the Philadelphia 76ers that was established in 2007.
ClubSportLeagueVenueEstablishedConcludedChampionshipsNotes
Orem OwlzBaseballPioneer League, BaseballUCCU Ballpark2005Active5The Pioneer League 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Utah CatzzFootballProfessional Indoor Football LeagueUCCU Center199819980The Professsional Indoor Football League only operated for one year during the 1998 season.
Utah FlashBasketballNBA G LeagueUCCU Center200720110The Utah Flash was later moved and is now known as the Delaware Blue Coats.
Utah Valley ThunderFootballAmerican Indoor Football AssociationUCCU Center200920090The Utah Valley Thunder returned to the Arena Football League until 2013.

Transportation

Several modes of transportation are available in Orem. The Utah Transit Authority operates the Frontrunner train, Utah Valley Express bus rapid transit and regular bus service in the city. The Orem station serves Utah Transit Authority's FrontRunner train. The UVX route runs from Orem Central Station through UVU and along University Parkway through Orem's uptown near its southern boundary with Provo, which is where the opposite end of the bus line is located.
The road system includes an Interstate highway, US highways, state highways and city maintained roads. Interstate 15 runs through the west side of Orem with four interchanges in the city. US highway 89 runs northwest/southeast through the middle of the city, while US highway 189 passes through a short section of northeast Orem. There are also four state routes that pass through the city - SR-52, SR-114, SR-241, and SR-265.

Notable people

Notable groups include:
Orem has more than 20 parks throughout the city. In 2017, the Orem Splash Pad opened at Palisade Park. The Splash Pad uses 1,000 gallons per minute and has a weave spray nozzle as well as 22 other spray nozzles. The Skate Park opened in 2002 and has a quarter acre of cemented space for extreme sport use. City Center Park is home to the annual Orem Summerfest as well as concerts and other cultural events. City parks include:
Orem has one sister city in Ürümqi, China according to the Utah League of Cities and Towns and the Utah Sister Cities Coalition