American Fork, Utah
| American Fork, Utah | |
|---|---|
| City | |
The old city hall is on the National Register of Historic Places.
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 Location in Utah County and the state of Utah |
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| Coordinates: 40°23′3″N 111°47′31″W / 40.38417°N 111.79194°WCoordinates: 40°23′3″N 111°47′31″W / 40.38417°N 111.79194°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Utah |
| County | Utah |
| Settled | 1850 |
| Incorporated | June 4, 1853 |
| Named for | American Fork River |
| Area | |
| • Total | 9.2 sq mi (23.9 km2) |
| • Land | 9.2 sq mi (23.9 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 4,606 ft (1,404 m) |
| Population (2015) | |
| • Total | 28,326 |
| • Density | 2,853.7/sq mi (1,101.5/km2) |
| Time zone | MST (UTC-7) |
| • Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| ZIP code | 84003 |
| Area code(s) | 385, 801 |
| FIPS code | 49-01310 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1438194 |
| Website | afcity.org |
American Fork, often referred to by locals as A.F., is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, at the foot of Mount Timpanogos in the Wasatch Range, north of Utah Lake. It is part of the Provo–Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 28,326 in 2015, representing a nearly 20% growth since the 2000 census. The city has grown rapidly since the 1970s.
The area around Utah Lake was used as a seasonal hunting and fishing ground by the Ute Indians. American Fork was settled in 1850 by Mormon pioneers, and incorporated as Lake City in 1852. The first settlers were Arza Adams, followed by Stephen Chipman (grandfather of Stephen L. Chipman, a prominent citizen around the start of the 20th Century), Ira Eldredge, John Eldredge and their families.
The first settlers of American Fork lived in scattered conditions along the American Fork River. By the 1850s, tension between the settlers and Native Americans was increasing. In 1853, Daniel H. Wells, the head of the Nauvoo Legion (the Utah Territorial Militia at the time), instructed settlers to move into specific forts. At a meeting on July 23, 1853 at the schoolhouse in American Fork, Lorenzo Snow and Parley P. Pratt convinced the settlers to follow Wells' directions and all move together into a central fort. A fort was built of 37 acres (150,000 m2) to which the settlers located. Only parts of the wall were built to eight feet high, and none were built to the original plan of twelve feet high.
Settlers changed the name from Lake City to American Fork in 1860. It was renamed after the American Fork River which runs through the city, as well as to avoid confusion with Salt Lake City. Most residents were farmers and merchants during its early history. By the 1860s, American Fork had established a public school, making it the first community in the territory of Utah to offer public education to its citizens. In the 1870s, American Fork served as a rail access point for mining activities in American Fork Canyon. American Fork had "a literal social feud" with the town of Lehi due to the Utah Sugar Company choosing Lehi as the factory building site in 1890, instead of American Fork. There were several mercantile businesses in American Fork, such as the American Fork Co-operative Association and Chipman Mercantile. For several decades in the 1900s, raising chickens (and eggs) was an important industry in the city.
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