About Grantsville

Grantsville was settled in 1850, and then incorporated on January 12, 1867, with a population at the time of only 1000. Our area was first known as Twenty Wells, later changing to Willow Creek and finally named Grantsville, in honor of George D. Grant, leader of a military force sent to control hostile Native Americans. It is nestled below the Stansbury Mountain Range, with the Oquirrh Mountains to the east across the valley. We received an average rainfall of 11" per year and our average temperatures are in the 80's in the summer months and in the 20's for the winter months.

Grantsville is an ideal setting and provides a high standard of living, with a cost of living index 1.62% lower than the U.S. average. We are the second largest city in Tooele County with a population of about 10,000 people. Located one half hour from Salt Lake City, people can both live and work in a very amenable rural setting with the benefits of a large city nearby.

A new city hall was built in 1996, with a life size statue of Grantsville resident, Hilda Erickson, on a horse. In 1964 the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers touted Erickson as Utah's "sole remaining pioneer immigrant." She was then 104. She passed away at the age of 108.

We have numerous new subdivisions with housing costs that are affordable to high end, the median home cost being $185,270. Our public schools offer a high school of about 660 students, a junior high, two elementary schools and a new charter school 15 minutes away. Utah State University has an extension 10 miles to the east and the University of Utah is about forty-five minutes away. We have a growing commercial base that will provide shopping and dining opportunities.

In 1941, Grantsville established a volunteer fire department. A rich heritage of service and dedication continues today. We now have a beautiful fire station and 50 volunteer fire fighters.

Our local festivities include the "Old Folks Sociable”. A celebration to honor seniors in our community, which has been on-going for over 130 years. Our 4th of July celebration starts out with a parade, then a carnival in the City Park and ending the day with our own stunning fireworks display. The Saturday after Thanksgiving, Grantsville City hosts a Santa parade and lighting ceremony. Children are able to meet with Santa, enjoy hot chocolate, cookies and do little art projects.

Our city park provides the location for many activities such as tennis, baseball, softball, soccer, skate boarding, picnicking, and play grounds. We have a wilderness area within ten minutes of town providing rock climbing, camping, hiking, horseback riding, fishing and hunting. Drive a few minutes to the north and you can also go scuba diving or snorkeling in the desert! Bonneville Seabase is a geothermally heated, salt water, high altitude mini ocean with colorful marine tropical fish. Or if you go five miles to the east you’ll find the Deseret Peak Complex . Year round events are available in their many facilities including a convention center, indoor/outdoor arenas, an aquatic center, arenacross, baseball fields, a Utah State Firefighters Museum, and much more. For a faster pace, the Miller Motor Sports Park is a state-of-the-art road racing facility for automobiles, motorcycles and karts located just 10 minutes from Grantsville.

Grantsville’s Donner-Reed Museum is one of three facilities housing artifacts found from the ill-fated Donner Reed migration party. In April of 1846, the Donner-Reed party set out from Springfield, Illinois to find a new home in California. Due to delays and trying a new route from Ft. Bridger, Wyoming, their efforts were cut off by a snow storm in the Sierra Nevada, an area now known as Donner Pass. Of the 87 emigrants that set off from Ft. Bridger, only 47 survived to reach California.