Beaver County is a county in Utah, United States, on the state’s border with Nevada. It had a population of 7,072 at the 2020 census and covers 2,592 square miles (6,710 km2) centred near 38°20′N 113°14′W, in the west-central part of the state.
Beaver is the county seat, and its postal code is 84713. The county has two incorporated cities, one incorporated town, and a scatter of unincorporated communities and 19th- and early-20th-century mining camps, most of them now abandoned. Beaver County observes Mountain Time and lies in Utah’s 2nd congressional district.
Towns & Villages in Beaver County
Beaver County has three incorporated municipalities — two cities and one town — plus roughly a dozen unincorporated places, several of which are historic mining camps that were never formally platted or have since been abandoned. “Unincorp.” below covers both still-inhabited unincorporated communities and these ghost-town sites.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver | City · seat | 3,417 | 84713 |
| Milford | City | 1,410 | 84751 |
| Minersville | Town | 897 | 84752 |
| Adamsville | Unincorp. | — | 84713 |
| Greenville | Unincorp. | 75 | 84731 |
| Manderfield | Unincorp. | — | 84713 |
| Frisco | Unincorp. (ghost town) | — | — |
| Newhouse | Unincorp. (ghost town) | — | — |
| Sulphurdale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Shauntie | Unincorp. (ghost town) | — | — |
| Thermo | Unincorp. (ghost town) | — | — |
| Cook Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cunningham Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Murdock | Unincorp. | — | — |
| North Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Upton | Unincorp. | — | — |
Adamsville and Manderfield are small farming communities close enough to Beaver to share its ZIP code. Frisco, Newhouse, Shauntie and Thermo were 19th- and early-20th-century silver and mining camps west of Milford; all four are now abandoned, with only foundations, a cemetery, and in Frisco’s case a row of surviving beehive charcoal kilns marking the sites.
ZIP Codes
- 84713 — Beaver (also serves Adamsville, Manderfield)
- 84751 — Milford
- 84752 — Minersville
- 84731 — Greenville
The county’s mining ghost towns (Frisco, Newhouse, Shauntie, Thermo, Sulphurdale) have no standing post office and are not assigned their own ZIP code.
Geography
Beaver County sits in the Basin and Range country of west-central Utah, where north–south mountain ranges alternate with broad desert valleys. The Tushar Mountains rise along the county’s eastern edge, reaching 12,011 feet at the highest point on the border; the Mineral Mountains and San Francisco Mountains cross the county’s interior farther west. The Beaver River, fed by snowmelt from the Tushars, is the county’s principal stream and irrigates the farmland around Beaver and Minersville. Of the county’s 2,592 square miles, 2,590 are land and about 2.1 are water.
Beaver County borders Millard County to the north, Sevier County to the northeast, Piute County to the east, Garfield County to the southeast, Iron County to the south, and Lincoln County, Nevada, across the state line to the west.
Demographics
Beaver County had 7,072 residents at the 2020 census, up from 6,629 in 2010. Beaver, the county seat, is by far the largest community, followed by Milford. The county’s median household income is about $66,705, below the Utah median of $93,421. With 7,072 people spread across 2,590 square miles of land, the county’s population density is roughly 2.7 people per square mile, among the more sparsely settled parts of the state.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture and food processing anchor the local economy: a Smithfield Foods hog-processing plant near Beaver is one of the county’s largest single employers. Ranching, alfalfa and grain farming remain important in the Beaver River valley, and Milford has become a hub for renewable energy, with wind and geothermal power projects developed on the desert land west of town. Beaver is also a stopover town for Interstate 15 travelers, with motels, restaurants and fuel outlets clustered near the freeway interchanges.
History
Beaver County was created by the Utah territorial legislature on January 5, 1856, and named for the beaver once abundant along the Beaver River. Spanish explorers on the 1776 Dominguez–Escalante Expedition passed through the region more than a century before Mormon settlers established Beaver as a farming town in 1856. Silver strikes in the 1870s and 1880s brought a mining boom to the San Francisco Mountains, giving rise to Frisco and Newhouse; Frisco’s population and its violent, short-lived boomtown reputation made it one of Utah’s best-known 19th-century mining camps before the ore ran out and the town emptied.
Getting There
Interstate 15 runs the length of the county north to south, with U.S. Route 21 and U.S. Route 91 also passing through Beaver.
- Cedar City — 50 miles south
- Richfield — 55 miles northeast
- Milford — 30 miles west of Beaver
- Salt Lake City — 200 miles north
The nearest commercial airport with scheduled service is Cedar City Regional Airport, about 50 miles south of Beaver.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Beaver County, Utah?
It is in the west-central part of the state, bordering Nevada, along the Interstate 15 corridor between Cedar City and Fillmore.
What is the population of Beaver County?
7,072 at the 2020 census.
How big is Beaver County?
2,592 square miles (6,710 km2), of which about 2,590 square miles are land.
What is the county seat of Beaver County?
Beaver is the county seat and largest city.
How many towns are in Beaver County?
Two incorporated cities (Beaver and Milford), one incorporated town (Minersville), and about a dozen unincorporated communities and historic mining sites.
What ZIP codes are in Beaver County?
84713 (Beaver), 84751 (Milford), 84752 (Minersville) and 84731 (Greenville).
Are Frisco and Newhouse still inhabited?
No. Both were 19th- and early-20th-century silver-mining camps in the San Francisco Mountains and are now abandoned ghost towns.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Utah.