Price

History

Modern settlement began in the mid and late 1800s with the arrival of Latter-day Saints in the region. A substantial irrigation canal was completed in 1888, allowing for large-scale farming. Members of the U.S. Army 9th Cavalry Regiment completed the construction of a road and telegraph lines through nearby Ninemile Canyon in 1886, linking Price and the surrounding region to the Uintah Basin and Fort Duchesne. The city was formally incorporated July 14, 1892 (originally as part of Emery County) and is named after the Price River, itself named after early settler William Price.

Geography

Price is located in west-central Carbon County at the northwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. The Price River, a tributary of the Green River, flows southeasterly through the city, and the San Rafael Swell is to the south. The city is on U.S. Route 6 and U.S. Route 191. US 6 leads northwest to Spanish Fork on the Interstate 15 corridor, while US 191 leads northeast to Duchesne. The two highways together run southeast to the city of Green River and Interstate 70. Utah State Route 10 leads southwest from Price to Huntington. Price was one of the communities that was served by the Rio Grande Zephyr passenger train. Today Amtrak's California Zephyr passes once a day each direction with a station about seven miles away in Helper. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Price has a cool semi-arid climate, abbreviated BSk on climate maps. It features cold winters and relatively moderate summers. The average high in January is and it rises to in July. The low in January averages , and even in summer the dry climate keeps the nights cool, with an average of . The all-time record high is , which was set on August 3, 1918, while the all-time low is , set on December 26, 1924. Price lies in the rain shadow of central Utah's Wasatch Mountains so that precipitation averages only annually. Late summer and early fall are the wettest times of year due to the Gulf of California monsoon that brings scattered thunderstorms to the region. The city also sees frequent snow during winter and early spring.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,869
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  1,833
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  1,767
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  1,258
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,161
• White-winged Dove

  Zenaida asiatica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  850
• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  827
• Black-billed Magpie

  Pica hudsonia (Sabine, 1823) · Aves
  665

Largest nearby schools

• Carbon High
  High · PRICE · 1,023 students · 21.8:1 ratio
• Mont Harmon Middle
  Middle · PRICE · 601 students · 20.7:1 ratio
• Creekview School
  Elementary · PRICE · 450 students · 23.7:1 ratio
• Castle Heights School
  Elementary · PRICE · 422 students · 21.1:1 ratio
• Pinnacle Canyon Academy
  Other · Price · 407 students · 16.3:1 ratio
• Sally Mauro School
  Elementary · HELPER · 318 students · 18.7:1 ratio
• Wellington School
  Elementary · WELLINGTON · 267 students · 20.5:1 ratio
• Helper Middle
  Middle · HELPER · 205 students · 17.1:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.81 — 2026-02-22
  7 km SW of Clear Creek, Utah
• M 2.75 — 2025-10-08
  6 km WNW of Independence, Utah
• M 3.94 — 2025-05-01
  4 km WNW of Independence, Utah
• M 2.63 — 2025-04-13
  18 km WNW of Emery, Utah
• M 2.54 — 2025-01-01
  2 km NW of Kenilworth, Utah
• M 2.81 — 2024-07-24
  18 km ESE of Mayfield, Utah