In 1938, Richfield, Utah, native Walter Frederick "Fred" Morrison and his wife were carelessly tossing a 5-cent cake pan along the beach in Santa Monica, California. Seeing what grand fun the couple was having, some bystanders offered Fred 25 cents for his cake pan -- five times the actual cost. Realizing the value of his newfound toy, Fred began marketing a flying disc. His original concept eventually became one of the most popular toys in history -- the Frisbee.
Richfield has grown a bit since Fred Morrison called it home, and the population is now over 7,500. As the largest city in southwest Utah, and centrally located along I-75 near I-15, it's become the de facto capital of the region. Richfield is the county seat of SevierCounty, and boasts a position at the exact midway point between Denver and Los Angeles.
Moving to Richfield
Richfield fully enjoys all four seasons, with cold, snowy winters broken by warm, sunny springs, followed by hot, dry summers and ending with rainy but mild autumns. The best time to move here is in the spring and early summer, when there isn't any snow or heavy rain to deal with. However, it's best to schedule your move in months other than July and August, when high temperatures hover over 90 and occasionally reach 100 degrees.
Neighborhoods of Richfield
Richfield isn't the biggest city by any stretch and is essentially one extended neighborhood, but it's larger than neighboring Annabella, Fillmore, Monroe and Salina. This draws in crowds to work and play, as the population swells by 1,500 each workday and occupies residents and neighbors alike with shopping, movie theaters, concerts, bowling alleys, golf courses, and religious events that the smaller communities just don't offer.
Plenty of housing for rent is available within Richfield, including anything from a one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment for rent to a condominium or single-family dwelling. A five-bedroom home here is amazingly affordable, as are duplexes for rent.
Living in Richfield
Richfield offers some fabulous dining opportunities, too, at highly rated places like Big Daddy's Deli, Sagebrush Grill and Frontier Village Restaurant. There are also fairgrounds and several campgrounds nearby.
Richfield has something for everyone, including outdoorsy types and indoor lovers. In addition to the shopping malls, theaters, family fun centers and other indoor activities, the area is surrounded by natural beauty. The rock formations of the Columnar Jointing Area and the hiking trails of the Arc of Art Trail provide entertainment as well as sightseeing. Neighboring Salina is right on the Paiute Trail, a popular destination for mountain bikers and ATV riders.
There are several national and state parks in the area to visit, including FremontIndianState Park, Capitol Reef, Cedar Breaks and FishlakeNational Forest. Fishlake is ideal for viewing the native trees (mostly aspens) and meadowlands, especially the indigenous forbs and grasses. Lucky renters can find an apartment nearby with views of this spectacular region.
Unfortunately, residents eventually have to break away from the fun stuff and get to work. The primary industries in Richfield are retail sales, construction, mining, quarry work, extraction of oil and natural gas, public administration, transportation and warehousing, food and accommodations (like hotel workers) and health care work. Many of the area residents work as truck drivers, maintenance workers, mechanics and industrial production workers. Sometimes, all utilities paid apartments are available near the major employers of the area.
The average commute for residents of Richfield is a scant 14 minutes, which most of the rest of the country would kill for. Over 2,000 residents live and work in the city, and enjoy a higher average annual income than the rest of the state. Utah is a Right to Work state, which means workers cannot be forced to join a union or to pay union dues. This makes Richfield attractive to industries. There are also abundant employment opportunities here in agriculture and retail.
Poverty rates are low in Richfield, and unemployment rates are extremely low, at around five percent. the majority of adult residents have graduated high school, 20 percent have a bachelor's degree and nine percent hold a graduate degree. This is extremely good compared to national averages.
Sevier ValleyMedicalCenter serves the health care needs, and two airports -- RichfieldMunicipalAirport and Cedar City Regional Airport -- take care of the air transportation in and out of the nearby area. There is one community college in Richfield, a satellite of SnowCollege. There are usually apartments for rent near the campus, especially between semesters.
The weather in Richfield is amazingly varied. Summers are hot, usually a dry 90 degrees and occasionally reaching 100. Summer nights are pleasant, usually no lower than 50 to 60 degrees. Winters are cold and snowy, typically bottoming out in the single digits or teens and rising to the 30s or 40s during the day. Snowfall averages about 20 inches per year. The monsoon season lasts from July through September, when most of Richfield's eight inches of annual rainfall comes in the form of thunderstorms. Freezing temperatures roll in late that month. The last spring frost generally happens around the end of May, giving way to a warm, enjoyable spring.
