Vernon, UT

Vernon is a town in southeastern Tooele County, about 36 miles south of Tooele along U-36. The 2020 census counted 256 residents. The settlement grew as an agricultural, cattle, and hay community in the broad valley, with the West Desert and Tooele's larger population centers giving it a long-distance feel. Vernon was settled beginning in 1857 and takes its name from Joseph Vernon, a pioneer settler. The town's scale is small, but its valley setting makes the landscape do most of the talking.

Vernon's civic history has a twist. In 1934, the large incorporated town of Onaqui included Vernon and nearby valley settlements; local residents later reclaimed the Vernon name, and Vernon incorporated under that name on February 22, 1972. The town still feels like a practical high-desert settlement: hay fields, cattle country, school and town facilities, and U-36 running through the valley. Its story is less about rapid growth than about holding onto a place name and a way of life in a remote corner of Tooele County.