Wendover, Utah

Wendover is a city on the western edge of Tooele County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,115 at the 2020 census.

Description

Wendover is on the western border of Utah and is contiguous with West Wendover, Nevada. Interstate 80 runs just north of both cities, while Interstate 80 Business (Wendover Boulevard) runs through the two cities. The Wendover Cut-off was the former path of the Victory Highway as well as U.S. Route 40 to Wendover. Today it serves as a frontage road between Wendover and Knolls just to the south of the Interstate.

History

The town was established in 1908 as a station stop on the Western Pacific Railroad, then under construction. The town's name comes from either railroad surveyor Charles Wendover or from "wending over" the desert.

The transcontinental telephone line was completed as workers raised the final pole at Wendover, Utah on June 27, 1914, after construction of of telephone line. However, the line was not utilized until January 25, 1915, when the first transcontinental telephone call was made to coincide with the opening of the Panama Pacific Exposition.

From 1917 to 1939, a Western Pacific subsidiary known as the Deep Creek Railroad also operated into Wendover. The Western Pacific became part of the larger Union Pacific Railroad in 1983.

left|thumb|Hangar of the [[Enola Gay on the former Wendover Army Air Field, January 2006]]

During World War II, the nearby Wendover Army Air Field (later known as the Wendover Air Force Base) was a training base for bomber pilots, including the crew of the Enola Gay. The Enola Gay was stationed here until June 1945.

In 2008, the Utah Department of Transportation completed an interchange at Aria Boulevard on Interstate 80. Investment is also underway to restore the Wendover Airport (located at the former Wendover Air Force Base) which is currently managed by Tooele County.

Movements to unite Wendover with West Wendover, which is located across the border in Nevada and allows gambling operations, have taken place, but require the approval of both the U.S. Congress and the Nevada and Utah legislatures. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution permitting Wendover to leave Utah and join Nevada in 2002, but the bill was stalled in the U.S. Senate and did not become law.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Wendover had a population of 1,115; the median age was 39.0 years, 24.8% of residents were under the age of 18, and 13.4% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 110.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 109.5 males age 18 and over.

94.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 6.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 464 households in Wendover, of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 39.2% were married-couple households, 32.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 37.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 515 housing units, of which 9.9% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.4%.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

| White || 449 || 40.3%

| Black or African American || 9 || 0.8%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 30 || 2.7%

| Asian || 4 || 0.4%

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 2 || 0.2%

| Some other race || 376 || 33.7%

| Two or more races || 245 || 22.0%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 797 || 71.5%

2000 census

As of the 2000 census

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.4 square miles (16.7 km<sup>2</sup>), all land.

The hillside letter W can be seen in the north. ()

Climate

Wendover and West Wendover have a cool arid climate (Köppen BWk) with hot summers, freezing winters, and substantial diurnal temperature ranges. The cities' location east of the Ruby Mountains makes them the driest in the Great Basin, averaging only of precipitation per year, or about half that of nearby Ely or Elko. It affects snowfall even more dramatically: Wendover and West Wendover average only of snow, one-eighth to one-tenth the snowfall of the two nearby county seats.

Education

Tooele County School District's Anna Smith Elementary School serves the Wendover area.

Circa 1996, when there were talks about moving Wendover into Nevada, some area people were concerned that this would encourage the school district to stop spending funds on proposals for schools in Wendover. At the time Wendover did not have an elementary school and residents wished to have one.

References

External links

Historic Wendover Airfield -- Non-profit foundation
A Visit to Wendover Field