Juab County is a county in Utah, United States, in the west-central part of the state, bordering Nevada. It had a population of 11,786 at the 2020 census and covers 3,406 square miles (8,820 km2), of which 3,392 square miles are land and 14 square miles are water, centred near 39°43′N 112°48′W.
Nephi is the county seat and largest city; its postal code is 84627. The county has 1 city, 4 towns, and roughly two dozen unincorporated communities and mining camps. It observes Mountain time and carries FIPS code 49023.
Towns & Villages in Juab County
Juab County has one incorporated city and four incorporated towns, plus a long list of small unincorporated places and former mining camps scattered across the Tintic and West Desert districts. Type key: City · seat, Town, Unincorp. (unincorporated place or ghost town, no municipal government).
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nephi | City · seat | 6,038 | 84627 |
| Eureka | Town | — | 84628 |
| Mona | Town | — | 84645 |
| Levan | Town | — | 84639 |
| Rocky Ridge | Town | — | — |
| Callao | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Champlin | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dennis | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Diamond | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fish Springs | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Goshute | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gypsum Mill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jericho | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Joy | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Juab | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Knight | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Knightville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mammoth | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mammoth Junction | Unincorp. | — | — |
| McIntyre | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mills | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Parley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Partoun | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sharp | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Silver City | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Soma | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Starr | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tintic Junction | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Trout Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Uisco | Unincorp. | — | — |
Eureka, Knightville, Mammoth, Silver City and Tintic Junction all sit in the historic Tintic Mining District in the northwest corner of the county, and several of those camps have overlapping or abandoned townsites — population there is concentrated almost entirely in present-day Eureka. Callao, Fish Springs, Partoun and Trout Creek lie far out in the West Desert near the Nevada line, reached only by unpaved roads.
ZIP Codes
- 84627 — Nephi
- 84628 — Eureka (also serves Knightville, Mammoth, Silver City, Tintic Junction)
- 84645 — Mona
- 84639 — Levan
Rocky Ridge and the remote West Desert communities do not carry their own ZIP code; mail there routes through Nephi or Eureka.
Geography
Juab County spans two very different landscapes. The eastern third sits in the Rocky Mountain-fed Juab Valley and the southern Wasatch Range foothills, where Nephi and the incorporated towns lie along the Interstate 15 corridor. The rest of the county — roughly two-thirds of its land area — is Great Basin desert: broad, dry valleys separated by isolated mountain ranges (the Sheeprock, Simpson, Deep Creek, and House ranges among them), with almost no year-round surface water. Fish Springs, in the far west, is a spring-fed wetland now protected as a national wildlife refuge. The county borders Tooele County to the north, Utah County to the northeast, Sanpete County to the southeast, Millard County to the south, and White Pine County, Nevada, across the state line to the west.
Demographics
Juab County had 11,786 residents at the 2020 census, up sharply from the 2010 count as Nephi has grown into a Salt Lake City-area commuter town. Nephi is by far the largest community; Eureka, a former mining boomtown, is a distant second. Median household income runs below the Utah median of $93,421, reflecting the county’s mix of agricultural, mining-legacy and commuter households. Population density is very low outside the Juab Valley — well under 4 people per square mile countywide, given the size of the unpopulated West Desert.
Economy & Local Life
Mining built the county: the Tintic Mining District around Eureka produced silver, lead, gold and copper from 1869 through the mid-20th century and once supported several thousand residents at its peak. Today the economy centers on agriculture in the Juab Valley (alfalfa, cattle), trucking and warehousing along the I-15 corridor near Nephi, and increasing numbers of commuters to Utah County and Salt Lake City. Nephi hosts the county’s schools, hospital and most retail; the annual Ute Stampede rodeo, held in Nephi each July, is the county’s best-known community event.
History
Juab County was created by the Utah territorial legislature on March 3, 1852, one of the state’s original counties. The name comes from a Ute or Southern Paiute word generally translated as “flat” or “level plain,” describing the Juab Valley. The county seat, Nephi, was first settled in 1851 as Salt Creek and renamed in 1852 for the Book of Mormon figure Nephi. Silver was discovered in the Tintic Mountains in 1869, and Eureka grew into one of Utah’s richest mining towns before the district declined after World War II.
Getting There
Interstate 15 runs the length of the county through Nephi and Mona; U.S. Route 6 branches west from Santaquin through Eureka toward the West Desert; state routes 28, 36, 78 and 132 connect the smaller communities.
- Provo — 35 miles north
- Salt Lake City — 75 miles north
- Fillmore — 45 miles south
- Delta — 40 miles southwest
The nearest commercial airport is Provo Municipal Airport; Nephi has its own general-aviation Nephi Municipal Airport. Amtrak does not serve Juab County.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Juab County?
It is in west-central Utah, about 75 miles south of Salt Lake City, straddling the Wasatch Front and the Great Basin desert.
What is the population of Juab County?
11,786 people at the 2020 census.
How big is Juab County?
3,406 square miles (8,820 km2), one of Utah’s largest counties by area.
What is the county seat of Juab County?
Nephi is the county seat and largest city.
How many towns are in Juab County?
One city (Nephi) and four incorporated towns (Eureka, Levan, Mona, Rocky Ridge), plus roughly two dozen unincorporated places and former mining camps.
What ZIP codes are in Juab County?
The main ones are 84627 (Nephi), 84628 (Eureka), 84639 (Levan), and 84645 (Mona).
What was Juab County’s biggest industry historically?
Silver, lead and gold mining in the Tintic Mining District around Eureka, active from 1869 through the mid-20th century.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Utah.