Pleasant Grove, originally named Battle Creek, is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States known as "Utah's City of Trees". It is part of the Provo-Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 33,509 at the 2010 census.
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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, consisting of George S. Clark and his wife, Susannah Dalley Clark, Richard and Ann Elizabeth Sheffer Clark, John Greenleaf Holman and Nancy Clark Holman, Lewis Harvey and his wife Lucinda Clark Harvey, Johnathan Harvey and Sarah Herbert Harvey, Charles Price and wife and child, Widow Harriet Marler and children, John Wilson, Ezekiel Holman, and possibly one or two others, relatives of those mentioned. Pleasant Grove was officially incorporated as a town January 18, 1855, by which time the settlement had grown to 623 people.
The original name of the city was Battle Creek. It was named for a battle which took place there in 1849 between Mormon settlers and a small band of Ute Indians. The settlers later decided they needed a more uplifting name and began calling their town 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. A monument with a plaque describing this battle is located at Kiwanis Park, at the mouth of Battle Creek Canyon.
During the Walker Indian War in the 1850s, 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.
This city was one of the filming locations for Universal's 1995 film Gold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain. Also some filming of Stephen King's "The Stand".
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.2 square miles (23.7 km2), 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 census of 2010, there were 33,509 people, 6,109 households, and 5,388 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,691.5 per square mile (1,039.1/km²). There were 6,334 housing units at an average density of 726.4 per square mile (280.5/km²). 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.
Government
The city's government consists of a mayor and a city council. As of 2015, the city's mayor is Mike Daniels. The city council is made up of five members: Cindy Boyd, Ben Stanley, Jay Meacham, Cyd LeMone and Dianna Andersen. They serve staggered terms that end in either 2016 or 2018.
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 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 commercially in the city, the festival takes its name from a time when strawberries were a major economic activity in the city. The first Strawberry Days celebration was held the second week of June, 1921. It was organized by the Wasatch Club, the forerunner of the Chamber of Commerce.
First amendment case
In November 2008, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Pleasant Grove City v. Summum, regarding whether Pleasant Grove should be allowed to have a privately donated Ten Commandments monument to be displayed on public property, must let the religion of Summum put up a monument to its "Seven Aphorisms" alongside, which it refused to do in 2003. The city lost in the Tenth Circuit. However, the Supreme Court overturned the Court of Appeals decision, citing the permanence of monuments as opposed to forms of constitutionally-protected free speech as well as the fact that governments take ownership of monuments on their properties and thus must "take some care in accepting donated monuments."
Education
Public schools in Pleasant Grove are part of the Alpine School District. Charter schools include John Hancock Charter School (JHCS) and Lincoln Academy. Liahona Preparatory Academy is an accredited K-12 private school serving the area.
Local schools
Elementary schools
- Central
- Grovecrest
- Manila
- Mount Mahogany
- Valley View
- Liahona Preparatory Academy
- John Hancock Charter School (JHCS)
- Lincoln Academy
Junior high/middle schools
- Pleasant Grove Junior High School
- Liahona Preparatory Academy
High schools
- Pleasant Grove High School
- Liahona Preparatory Academy
Recreation
- Community Center
- Veterans Memorial Pool
Attractions
- Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center
- Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple (on the border in neighboring American Fork)
- Pleasant Grove Pioneers Parade
- Purple Turtle
- Veterans Memorial Pool
Notable residents
- Quinn Allman, from the band The Used
- Todd Herzog, Todd Herzog, winner of Survivor: China
- C. J. Wilcox, 28th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft. Shooting guard for the Orlando Magic.
- Chelsie Hightower, contestant on So You Think You Can Dance (Season 4)
- Dane Iorg, former Major League Baseball player (St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals), World Series winner
- The King Sisters, and their father (agent and organizer) William King Driggs, Sr.
- Howard Roscoe Driggs, Western historian and educator, born in Pleasant Grove. Brother of William King Driggs, Sr.
- A. Ray Olpin, President of University of Utah.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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