Trailhead to Adventure

Cedar Hills is the perfect destination to access the picturesque mountains overlooking Utah Valley on one side and Heber Valley on the other. Located near the entrance to American Fork Canyon, Cedar Hills is the starting point for adventure and popular attractions such as Timpanogos Cave, Alpine Loop, and Tibble Fork Reservoir. Residents enjoy close access to the canyon for hiking, fishing, camping, horseback riding, ATVing, and more.

Location

Cedar Hills is approximately 10 miles from Interstate-15, making it a great location to live for those who work in either Utah or Salt Lake counties. The city is 16 miles from Provo and 33 miles from Salt Lake City.

Get to know Cedar Hills—the Trailhead to Adventure! View Infographic.

Organizational Mission Statement

“In Cedar Hills, the quality of life is based upon an equal partnership between citizens, elected officials, and city employees. We strive to provide the highest level of service to the citizens of Cedar Hills within the policy limits and financial constraints established by the City Council and citizen input.”

Incorporation

The municipality of Cedar Hills was incorporated on November 2, 1977, and was classified by the State of Utah as a Town with a traditional form of government until 1999 when Cedar Hills received the classification of a “City of the Third Class.” (Classification is now fifth class, based on population between 1,000 and 10,000.)

Mayor & City Council

A mayor and five council members are elected at-large for four-year, staggered terms.

Current Mayor & City Council Members:

Denise Andersen, Mayor
Alexandra McEwen
Bob Morgan
Kelly Smith
Laura Ellison
Mike Geddes

Cedar Hills is built upon an alluvial fan, or bench, created thousands of years ago when it was a shoreline of Lake Bonneville. Early settlers referred to the area as “The Bench.” Because of the growth of cedar trees, the area was later referred to as Cedar Hills. The bench provides a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains, Utah Lake, and Utah Valley. Cedar Hills was established as a community in 1977.

Native Americans

The dry bench upon which Cedar Hills is located provided little attraction to Native Americans. They preferred camping near streams, such as in American Fork Canyon. Several Native American artifacts were found upon the bench, however, including an Indian bowl (found by Paul Adams and currently on display at a Brigham Young University museum) and numerous arrowheads. The arrowheads were probably dropped during skirmishes between the Utah Valley Indians and the Shoshones.

Wildlife

Various forms of wildlife flourished in the area. Coyotes prowled along the bench. Wild cats, red foxes, bears, deer, skunks, and rabbits also lived in the area. Some deer, skunks, and rabbits can still be seen around Cedar Hills.

Early Settlers

Early settlers began to make their homes in settlements around the area of what is now Cedar Hills. The surrounding cities of Pleasant Grove and Alpine were settled between 1849 and 1850. Later, a large portion of the area was used for dry farming, which proved to be unsuccessful. A few planted plots existed among the sage brush, but much of the area was used to pasture livestock. Other forms of livelihood among early settlers included trapping and turkey farming.

Turkey Ranch

The area where Cedar Hills now sits was once home to a nationally recognized turkey ranch. According to the Utah State Historical Society, Effie Warnick Adams and her husband Azra settled the area north of Pleasant Grove and developed a turkey ranch in the depths of the Great Depression.

The Utah State Historical Society says that the turkey ranch gained national publicity as Azra Adams served as the President of National Turkey Federation in 1956.

“That year the Adamses presented one of their large turkeys to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Vice President Richard M. Nixon, and Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson for Thanksgiving dinner,” the Utah State Historical Society wrote.

The David Evans Company Advertising Agency, advertiser for the National Turkey Federation, would take pictures of the Adams turkey ranch because of its impressive mountain background. In 1939, the National Poultry Congress in Cleveland, Ohio, displayed photographs of turkeys raised on the beautiful bench upon which Cedar Hills is now located. And, as NBC ran a news story about turkey farming on the bench, the photographer was taken back by the beauty of the bench and continued to say, “beautiful, beautiful.” In 1962, the Saturday Evening Post also ran stories about turkeys still living upon the bench.

The ranch began to struggle in the 1960s as the area became more populated and residents complained of dust and noise caused by the ranch. The ranch also struggled with increases in wages for hired help and heavy losses. The ranch was put up for sale in 1971 and the Cedar Hills community would later be built on the land.

Nestled at the mouth of American Fork Canyon on a mountain bench, the bedroom community of Cedar Hills provides a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains, Utah Lake, and Utah Valley. People find the quiet, rural setting a relaxing place to raise their families. The city offers an extensive pedestrian trail system, which links its many parks and open spaces, including the Cedar Hills Golf Club, an 18-hole, par 72 championship golf course.

Get to know Cedar Hills – Trailhead to Adventure in Northern Utah County: Infographic

Incorporated and Established: November 2, 1977

Recognized as City of the Third Class: August 3, 1999 (Classification is now fifth class based on population between 1,000 and 10,000.)

Estimated Population: The population is estimated to be 9,956 residents as of July 1, 2022.

Population Change: From 2020 to 2022 the percentage of change was -0.7% (population in 2020 was 10,023).

Estimated Number of Residential Dwellings: 2,430 households at 4.10 individuals per household as of 2021.

Area Size: 2.73 square miles

Average Price of Homes: $695,000

Altitude: 5,280 ft.
The topography of Cedar Hills varies significantly. The elevation could be listed as several points. Choosing the altitude of 5,280 feet is more for notoriety than substance—we are Utah’s mile-high city. Also, hole #14 at the Cedar Hills Golf Club is named Mile-High, because it is actually at 5,280 feet above sea level.

County: Utah

Zip Code: 84062

Area Codes: 801, 435, 385

Time Zone: Utah is in the Mountain Time Zone