Wasatch Back

40°30′N 111°30′W / 40.500°N 111.500°W / 40.500; -111.500

The Wasatch Back is a region in the Rocky Mountains in northern Utah, United States, on the east side of the Wasatch Mountain range. The name Wasatch Back differentiates it from the Wasatch Front, which is the region on the western side of the Wasatch Mountains. The terms are commonly used in local media,^[1][2] and also in scholarly and scientific discussions of the region.^[3][4][5][6]

While the Wasatch Front includes most of Utah's more populous cities (such as Salt Lake City, Ogden, Layton, and Provo}, the Wasatch Back has a lower population, and the landscape is generally more rural and mountainous with smaller communities such as Park City, Heber City, and Morgan. Summit County (home to Park City) is within the Wasatch Back region, and as of 2019 the county has one of the highest household income levels in the United States.^[7]

Originally a mining and agricultural region, the Wasatch Back has experienced rapid residential growth through the 1990s and continuing into the 2000s.^{[citation needed]} Local recreational activities include skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, hiking, boating, and horseback riding.^{[citation needed]} Park City is the site of numerous concerts and festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival held every January.

Communities

Morgan County

Cities

• Morgan (county seat)

Census-designated places

• Enterprise
• Mountain Green

Unincorporated places

• Croydon
• Littleton^[8]
• Milton^[9]
• Peterson
• Porterville
• Richville^[10]
• Stoddard^[11]
• Taggarts^[12]
• Whites Crossing

Summit County

Cities

• Coalville (county seat)
• Kamas
• Oakley
• Park City

Towns

• Francis
• Henefer

Census-designated places

• East Basin
• Echo
• Hoytsville
• Marion
• Peoa
• Samak
• Silver Summit
• Snyderville
• Summit Park
• Wanship
• Woodland

Unincorporated communities

• Bountiful Peak Summer Home Area
• Castle Rock
• Christmas Meadow Summer Home Area
• Emory
• Grass Creek
• Monviso
• Rockport
• Uintalands
• Upton

Wasatch County

Cities

• Heber City (county seat)
• Midway

Towns

• Charleston
• Daniel
• Hideout
• Independence
• Interlaken
• Wallsburg

Census-designated places

• Timber Lakes

Unincorporated communities

• Center Creek
• Deer Mountain
• Mayflower
• Soldier Creek Estates
• Soldier Summit
• Wildwood (part)

References

1. "More snow is coming to the Wasatch Back this week - Park Record". www.parkrecord.com. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
2. "TRAFFIC ALERT: Ragnar races to cause delays across Wasatch Back". Archived from the original on 2024-06-07. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
3. Sagers, Larry A. "Landscape Design Series 14." (2005).
4. Lund, William R., et al., eds. Geology and Resources of the Wasatch: Back to Front. Utah Geological Association, 2017.
5. Sam, Duc Minh. Forgetting and Remembering Native Land Use and History in the Wasatch Back. MS thesis. The University of Utah, 2022.
6. Busch, Glen. Development and validation of a logistic regression-based urban growth model for Utah's Greater Wasatch Area. Utah State University, 2005.
7. "Richest counties in the US: A state-by-state look at where median household income exceeds norm". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
8. "Croyden". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
9. "Milton". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
10. "Richville". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
11. "Sotddard". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
12. "Taggart's Camp".

External links

  Media related to Wasatch Back at Wikimedia Commons