Riverton

Riverton Community Profile

Located at the southern end of the Salt Lake Valley, Riverton City shares borders with the cities of South Jordan, Draper, Bluffdale, and Herriman. It is one of the fastest growing cities in the state of Utah, and in 2005 it was even ranked the 60th best place to live in the U.S. by CNN Money Magazine.

Riverton boasts spectacular views of the mountains and is nestled neatly between both the Wasatch and Oquirrh ranges. Mountain access is an obvious perk, but Riverton also features plenty of indoor and commercial activities. Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, the Museum of Natural Curiosity, Boondocks Fun Center, Megaplex 20 at The District, and Cowabunga Bay Water Park are all nearby, making it an excellent place to raise a family.

Riverton School District

The public schools in Riverton consist of six public elementary schools: Riverton, Rosamond, Rose Creek, Southland, Foothills, and Midas Creek. There are also two middle schools: Oquirrh Hills and South Hills, and one high school aptly named Riverton High.

Riverton High School was one of the most populated 10-12 schools in Utah until recently, when another high school was built in nearby Herriman to relieve the congestion. The Riverton schools are part of the Jordan School District.

History

The area now known as Riverton was first settled in the mid-1850s, with early settlers scattered widely along the river bottom in crude dugout homes. Despite the initial settlers’ proximity to the Jordan River, the growth of Riverton City was rather slow because of a lack of water available for irrigation. Once more water became available, though, the town began to grow rapidly. Eventually three canals were built to extend water from the nearby Jordan River to the benchland areas, providing irrigation for agricultural in the larger area, and by the beginning of World War I in 1914 Riverton began to prosper as an agricultural community.