According to a demographic profile, American Fork residents are above average when it comes to making investments, taking out loans, buying sporting goods and groceries, owning pets and renting videos.



UTAH COUNTY


Nestled at the base of the Majestic Wasatch Range of the Rockies, just 40 minutes south of Salt Lake International Airport, is Utah County -- known regionally as Utah Valley, and home to the twin cities of Provo and Orem. Bound on the east by snow-capped Mount Timpanogos and on the west by 139-square mile Utah Lake, recreational and scenic opportunities abound. Hiking, camping, fishing, horseback riding, mountain-biking, and water sports of all kinds are favorite pastimes in the summer months. Hunting, snowmobiling, ice climbing, downhill and cross-country skiing satisfy the adventurous during the colder months of the year. The county's central location puts it within a half-day's drive of fifteen national parks, monuments, and recreation areas -- the largest concentration of such attractions in any state south of Alaska.

Utah County is located in north-central Utah, 44 miles south of Salt Lake City, and is part of the larger three-county region known as "Mountainland." Utah County is a series of mountains and valleys. From the Wasatch Mountains on the east, the terrain levels into Utah Valley, where the majority of the county's cities can be found. The average elevation in the valley ranges between 4,300 to 4,700 feet above sea level. Elevations in the mountains can reach up to 11,000 feet above sea level.

The Provo/Orem area has been ranked among the top 20 places to live in the nation (according to Money Magazine) for the past five years. In 1991, the magazine rated the area #1 on its list of the top 300 places in the nation to live. In 1994, the area received the #3 ranking. In 1991, Provo received the "Most Liveable City under 100,000" from the National Conference of Mayors and is considered by Fortune magazine to be the "third high-tech cluster in the U.S." Some of the criteria by which the area was judged were its health-care facilities, crime rate, economy, housing, education, transit, weather, leisure, arts, strength of leadership, and city involvement in quality of life.

The population of Utah County is estimated at 346,000. The area is ranked 58th out of 500 fastest-growing Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the nation, having grown 20.9% from l980 to 1990. The majority of the County's population can be found in the sister cities of Provo (101,000) and Orem (81,500). The remaining population can be found in the 22 incorporated municipalities and towns and in the unincorporated areas of the valley.