6 Oldest Founded Small Towns to Visit in Utah

Utah is a state built by and for the followers of Mormonism. In the mid-1800s, the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), Brigham Young, led over 5,000 Mormons to establish Salt Lake City. Utah is widely called “Deseret” among the Mormons, which means “honeybee” from their holy scriptures, The Book of Mormon. Since Young’s founding of Salt Lake City on the Great Salt Lake, the Beehive State began to see other smaller towns sprout around Utah’s capital city. From the laidback settlement of Holladay to the agricultural fields of Bountiful, each of these towns has an old-school atmosphere mixed with modern amenities to keep you amazed. So, in your adventures through these oldest-founded small towns, buzz about like a busy deseret in the Beehive State of Utah.

Holladay

Spend your holidays or any other day in Holladay, one of the oldest-founded small towns in Utah. A group of pioneers known as the Mississippi Company established the town on Spring Creek in the year 1847, and named it after their leader, John Holladay. It is approximately 10 miles south of Salt Lake City, and now serves as a simplistic and suburban getaway from the big city atmosphere. Visitors can watch modern movies in an old-school setting at the Megaplex Luxury Theatres At Cottonwood.

The more adventurous of you might fancy taking the Mount Olympus Trailhead that leads to the heavenly heights of Mount Olympus (a somewhat smaller mountain, however, compared to the real Mount Olympus in Greece). Go even further into Holladay’s backyard wilderness and discover Mount Raymond or Maxfield Mine, the latter being a former ore deposit beside a brook and stream. Even though Holladay is one of the oldest towns in Utah, it continues to impress modern travelers with splendid lodgings like The Engen Hus Bed & Breakfast.

Manti

Mormonism has had a massive influence on the development and establishment of many of Utah’s communities. This is especially true for the rural and agrarian town of Manti. In 1849, church leader Brigham Young from Salt Lake City ordered a group of Mormon followers to build a town in Sanpete County. After they received permission and assistance from Ute Chief Walkara to build the town, they named it Manti after a fabled city from their holy book, The Book of Mormon. Today, the beautifully-wrought Mormon Temple in Manti stands as a testament to the strong Mormon faith in Manti.

Aside from Mormonism, Manti also contains the unusual Ed “Big Daddy” Roth's Rat Fink Museum, a storehouse filled with strange and macabre contraptions and artworks. Beyond the municipal confines of Manti, adventurers can brave the slopes of Black Mountain and Heliotrope Mountain, and unearth the sylvan secrets of the Manti-La Sal National Forest. For those of you enthused to see more of Manti, then you ought to book a room at the Manti Country Village Motel, the Temple View Lodge, or Laytons Loft Bed & Breakfast.

Bountiful

Seek the bountiful riches of Utah in the small town of Bountiful. Situated between the Wasatch Range and Great Salt Lake, Bountiful is as old as Salt Lake City, which is about 11 miles south of Bountiful. In the year 1847 when Salt Lake City was a newly established Mormon settlement, a man named Perrigrine Sessions and with his family were the first to make a dugout in the area to endure the winter. The town was originally called Sessions’ Settlement until it was renamed Bountiful in 1855 after another legendary city from The Book of Mormons.

Although the settlement has endured a few Native American raids in the past—a thick adobe wall was erected around the town, whose remnants might still be seen today—Bountiful has since grown into a prosperous and fulfilling community where The Bountiful (Mormon) Tabernacle, Utah’s oldest church since 1857, can be found. In these modern times, travelers can enjoy scenic marsh routes and trails in the Legacy Nature Preserve and the West Crystal Unit Farmington Bay.

Farmington

Less than 10 miles north of Bountiful, and midway between the cities of Ogden and Salt Lake City, lies the humble settlement of Farmington. It was originally called “North Cottonwood” by its first Mormon settlers in 1847. It was only in the years after that the town was renamed into Farmington as an allusion to all the lush and vibrant farmlands that allowed its townsfolk and beyond to flourish.

For one and all, the Lagoon Amusement Park, also known as the Lake Park Resort, opens its rides, theme parks, and other activities to those seeking chill and relaxing excitement from the Utah heat. Streams from the five canyons above Farmington feed more water into the Great Salt Lake in spite of the lake's drying. One can be thrilled and entertained by horse racing and rodeo facilities at the Davis County Fairgrounds. Around Farmington Bay, one can steer their steed in Antelope Island State Park, where there is a free-roaming bison graze.

Huntsville

In 1860, after the oldest city in Utah, Ogden, was established, the city’s settlers moved 15 miles east into the Ogden Valley and founded the small town of Huntsville. Today, Huntsville serves as the heart of the Ogden Valley. Modern-day explorers can wade around the mirror-bright waters of the man-made Lake Pineview. Anderson Cove Campground, the Weber Memorial Park, and Snowbasin Resort are some of the many outdoor sites that will give you a grand appreciation of Utah’s mountains.

Consider participating in or watching the Huntsville Marathon on September 21, which will see runners sprinting through the Ogden Valley. There is also the Cyclekart Race in May, when one can pit their homemade cycles and other contraptions for the Grand Prix.

Springville

At the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains and about six miles from the city of Provo, the sprightly town of Springville was one of the few settlements in Utah not necessarily established by Mormons. Rather, in 1776, a Jesuit priest named Father Escalante first settled in the area before eight pioneer families in 1850 officially built a permanent community in Springville. Head down to Hobble Creek, where these eight pioneering families left their hobbled horses to graze or entreat yourself to the many freshwater springs that gave the town its current name. For an even deeper dive into the past, admire the historic artworks and artifacts at the Springville Museum of Art, which has been around since 1937. Or you can literally dive or swim at Utah Lake for recreation or refreshments.

Some of the oldest-founded small towns to visit in Utah continue to embody the Mormon credos. Whether you are frolicking through the farms of Farmington or at the mountains near Manti, you will undoubtedly come across the descendants or successors of the early practitioners of Mormonism. Of course, there are other historical and modern amenities you can savor in these oldest-founded small towns. Huntsville’s scenic parks and resorts in the Ogden Valley; Springville’s Utah Lake; and Manti’s Ed “Big Daddy” Roth's Rat Fink Museum as a few notable examples. Regardless of what you uncover, you will be leaving each town with a sense of understanding and appreciation for a state with the biggest population of Mormons anywhere.