Seniors Head For Draper, Utah

And yet another Best Small Town in the US from CNN Money Magazine is Draper City. Senior travelers will find Draper in the southeast corner of the Salt Lake Valley, nestled up against the Wasatch Mountains on the east and the Traverse Mountain Range on the south.

Due to its ideal location, half way between Salt Lake City and Provo, Orem areas, many recreational and retail businesses have located in Draper. The town runs along the Wasatch Front, a metropolitan region in the north-central part Utah. The Front consists of a chain of cities and towns stretched along the Wasatch Range from approximately Santaquin in the south to Brigham City in the north.

Senior visitors will find plenty to see and do in and around Draper City. The downtown area of the city is located at Draper Peaks, which is the main shopping district. Utah County is home to more than 35 total communities, many of them cities and towns, with some unincorporated areas. The county seat is Provo, the largest city in the county and third largest city in Utah.

Draper City is loaded with Mormon history as Mormon Bishop William Draper and his family settled here in 1850. The Town that had previously been known as Willow Creek and then as Brownsville was eventually renamed to honor Bishop Draper.

Seniors Discover Unique Hertiage

Today Draper City is a community that preserves its unique identity and heritage, and provides protection and services for its citizens. You can “do the math” with lots of great stats that make Draper City so unique. Draper’s population tripled from 1990 to 2000, and it’s not hard to see why. Twenty minutes from Salt Lake City, the town offers an abundance of amenities: a new $3 million library, three tennis courts, a swimming pool, a golf course, and 29 parks.

 And for those seniors who enjoy hiking, there’s a wide variety of hiking trails, plus a world-class hang gliding spot called Point of the Mountain. Draper City Park is located right in the heart of the Draper Town Center. The park has a number of amenities for all ages and abilities including playgrounds, baseball/softball fields, two picnic pavilions, and access to the Porter Rockwell Trail and Willow Creek Trail.

When incorporated in 1978, Draper was a small farming community of 4,500 residents situated on about two square miles of land. The community developed as a commerce center for local agricultural activity. There were few paved roads, and daily activities focused on fruit orchards, agriculture and dairy farms.

The Draper Historic Park is an outstanding  park right in the center of town. The focal point of the park is unique gazebo, built on the same spot where the Round House once stood.  A venue for weddings features several statues and historical markers that explain about the early settlers of Draper, its roots, and other interesting facts.

 Have fun and enjoy Draper City. jeb