Park City

Sister cities

• Courchevel

History

The area was traveled by the early Mormon pioneers on their journey to where they settled and built Salt Lake City. One of their leaders, Parley P. Pratt, explored the canyon in 1848. He was given a charter the following year to build a toll road through it, which was finished in 1849. The basin at the top of the canyon was an ideal place to graze, and a few families settled. Early on, the area was deeded to Samuel Snyder, Heber C. Kimball and Jedediah Grant. The settlers named it "Parley's Park City", which was shortened to "Park City" upon the town's incorporation in 1884. The first known discovery of ore in this area was by men serving under Colonel Patrick E. Connor, who invited his men to prospect in the area after having been relocated from Gold Rush-era California. The finding of silver, gold, and lead sparked the first silver mines in Park City in the 1860s. Park City's large mining boom brought large crowds of prospectors setting up camps around the mountain terrain, marking the first mining settlements. Although it was not the first find, the Ontario silver mine, discovered by Herman Buden in 1872 and quickly purchased by George Hearst through his business partner R. C. Chambers, was the first major producer. Another prominent mining family was that of William Montague Ferry Jr. Ferry moved to Utah from West Michigan already a very wealthy man. He had previously been a Colonel in the Union Army, mayor of Grand Haven, and was son of wealthy businessman William Montague Ferry. Ferry was followed by a group of other wealthy Michiganders (including his brother Edward Payson Ferry) who came to be the social elites of the town. The Ferry family owned numerous mines including the Marsac Silver mining Company and the Silver King Coalition Mines. Col Ferry also…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. Park City is located at the south end of Snyderville Basin and climbs steep mountains to the southeast, south, and west. It is accessed by State Route 224 from Interstate 80 to the north and State Route 248 (Kearns Boulevard), which heads east to U.S. Route 40 and on to Kamas. From Park City north through the Snyderville Basin there is a low topographic divide with McLeod Creek on the western side and Silver Creek on the eastern side. Summers in Park City are warm with cool nights, while winters are cold and snowy. The city has a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb), though higher elevations within city limits may experience a subalpine (Dfc) or alpine (ET) climate. The diurnal temperature variation is considerably higher in summer than winter.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  8,987
• Black-billed Magpie

  Pica hudsonia (Sabine, 1823) · Aves
  7,923
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  6,469
• Mountain Chickadee

  Poecile gambeli (Ridgway, 1886) · Aves
  6,150
• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  5,613
• Northern Flicker

  Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,976
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  4,799
• Dark-eyed Junco

  Junco hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,648

Largest nearby schools

• Park City High
  High · PARK CITY · 1,224 students · 19.1:1 ratio
• Treasure Mtn. Junior High School
  Other · PARK CITY · 772 students · 18.8:1 ratio
• Ecker Hill Middle
  Middle · PARK CITY · 705 students · 15.3:1 ratio
• Weilenmann School of Discovery
  Elementary · PARK CITY · 535 students · 19.8:1 ratio
• Jeremy Ranch School
  Elementary · PARK CITY · 454 students · 15.7:1 ratio
• Parleys Park School
  Elementary · PARK CITY · 432 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• Mcpolin School
  Elementary · PARK CITY · 403 students · 13.4:1 ratio
• Trailside School
  Elementary · PARK CITY · 363 students · 15.8:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.52 — 2026-02-14
  4 km NNW of West Valley City, Utah
• M 3.5 — 2026-02-05
  6 km WNW of Lehi, Utah
• M 2.71 — 2026-02-05
  41 km ENE of Oakley, Utah
• M 2.97 — 2026-01-22
  41 km SSE of Evanston, Wyoming
• M 4.65 — 2026-01-22
  40 km S of Evanston, Wyoming
• M 3.26 — 2026-01-04
  13 km E of Huntsville, Utah