Running head: DRAPER, UTAH ASSESSMENT 1

Community Assessment of Draper, Utah

Michelle Gonciarz, Jane Horne, Paola Ross

Westminster College
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Community Assessment of Draper, Utah

This is a Community Assessment of Draper, UT. It is located in Salt Lake and Utah

County. Draper is the one of the fastest growing cities in Utah. It is known for being a farming

city and also for the development aspect. Data Collection, strength and weaknesses, resources,

and recommendations of Draper will be furthered discussed.

Data Collection

While taking a windshield survey, the group was able to find all of the answers to the

groupings that follow. All of these groups that were assessed in the survery will be addressed in

this paper.

Community Core

The population of Draper is forty-seven thousand three hundred twenty-eight people (n.a, 2016).

The top 4 races found in Draper are, ninety-point sixty-four percent of the population is white,

three-point fifty-four percent of the population is Asian, two-point twenty-eight percent of the

population was considered other, and lastly there are two-point zero seven percent of the

population is mixed race (n.a, 2016). The average age of the population is thirty-two, the average

income is about one hundred thousand to one hundred fifty thousand dollars (n.a, 2018). Draper

has a pioneer heritage. It was also named Draperville after William Draper III, he was Mormon

and one of the first “presiding elders of the small town.” Draperville was shortened to the name
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Draper a few years later. Draper historical park has the site of the old fort and other early pioneer

statues (n.a, 2018). Draper was considered a farming community (n.a, 2018). The geography of

Draper is described as being a city located in Salt Lake Country and Utah county (n.a, 2018). It

is right along the Wasatch front. In the 1990’s and 2000’s it was deemed the fastest growing city

(n.a, 2018). The city is known for “high-quality, single family neighborhoods.”

Physical Environment

As mentioned before, Draper was originally known to be a farming community. As time went

on, there were more people who were coming and settling in Draper. Now, Draper is a city filled

with updated house, schools, parks, and recreational areas. As shown below, there are houses

that are modern. However, there are still some houses that have the features of barn houses (see

red house) as well as places that are undeveloped. Overall, neighborhoods in Draper are safe and

well maintained. Throughout the windshield survey, it was observed that Draper is filled with

trees, barns, newer and renovated homes, bicycle lanes, crosswalks, well-lit signs, and updated

recreational areas where children can play. There are also some houses that have miniature farms

where people raise chickens, horses, and mules. Businesses are newer as well such as Harmon’s

and Beans and Brews. In addition to regular businesses, Draper supports local farmers and their

produce. There are two local farmers markets where local farmers sell their crops. Smiths’ and

Harmon’s are examples of stores that support local farmers. Some places that are available for

recreation are the Draper Park, the Draper Dog Park, the Draper Skate Park, and Boondock’s.

There are plenty of trails throughout Draper where people can exercise.

Pictures of Draper
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Education

There are about thirty-six schools located in Draper (n.a, 2018). The public schools range from

five hundred to one thousand kids per school (n.a, 2018). There are two school districts, the

Jordan District and the Canyons District (n.a, 2018). The graduation rate for Draper is ninety-six-

point eight percent form high school’s and for a bachelor’s degree it is about forty-six-point three

percent (n.a, 2018). There is not a college close to Draper, so college students would have to

either stay on campus, which can be expensive, or commute. There are twenty-one private

schools and only nine public high schools, and none of them are considers to be a “Top School”

(n.a, 2018). The education in Draper is adequate.

Safety and Transportation

People who live in Draper have access to public transportation via buses and TRAX. There is a

Draper town center station for TRAX. For the bus there are a lot of bus stops throughout Draper

(n.d, 2018). In September 2018, in Draper, the top five reportable crimes were: theft (twenty-

nine people), vehicle burglary (eighteen people), assault (eighteen people), fraud (eighteen
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people), and criminal mischief (seventeen people) (n.d, 2018). Draper seems to be a safe area,

there are almost always cops out and lurking around the city. The Utah annual crimes reported

for violent crimes was seven thousand four hundred and seven people and property crimes was

ninety thousand fifty eight for a grand total of ninety-seven thousand four hundred sixty-five

thousand just in the state of Utah (n.d, 2018). In comparison to other statistics, Draper seems to

feel very safe compared to the rest of Utah.

Politics and Government

Draper is a city in Utah that is governed by a mayor. The mayor of Draper is Troy Walker who is

also considered to be part-time. The form of government that Draper is part of is a “council

manager”. There are also five part-time Draper City Council members. The mayor as well as the

city council members are able to serve four-year terms where there are elections held to every

two years (n.d, 2018). During the elections, three council members, or the mayor, and two

council members compete to be reelected. The Draper City manager is the governmental leader

who is in charge of day-to-day functions happening in Draper. It is known to act as both the

legislative branch and the executive branch (Anderson, S, 2018 , April 11). The main “issue” of

the community is education. According to Utah political leaders, one of the most important

things to consider is how Utah youth is being prepared for the real world with college and jobs

(Anderson, S, 2018 , April 11). The second issue of the community is improving air quality. The

air quality is the worst during the wintertime, and this poses great threats to people’s health.

However, with more businesses opening up and more usage of cars, the air quality is not

improving. Community members are active in the decision-making process through elections

(Anderson, S, 2018 , April 11).

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Health and Social Services

In Draper, there are about twenty mental health facility locations. Recovery center such as sober

living, behavioral health clinics, substance abuse, therapy centers, and depression centers are all

located in Draper. There is only one hospital in the city, Lone Peak Hospital, it is a General

medical and surgical hospital. There are few healthcare clinics including an Intermountain

Clinic, Foothill Family Clinic Draper, Medallus/Afterhours Urgent Care, and Granger Medical

Draper. The city also has three senior facilities including, Beacon Crest Senior Living, The

Wentworth at Draper, and Assisted Living of Utah. There are thirteen churches that are located

in Draper of all different denominations and religions. The top three mortalities and morbidities

in Utah is heart disease, cancer, and accidents. There are not any homeless shelters or facilities in

Draper. Utah State Prison is located in Draper.

Communication

There is a Draper Newsletter- Deseret news, Salt Lake Tribune, and Draper Journal are also very

popular. There is also KSL news and many other news stations that have information about what

is going on in the community. According to google, there does not seem to be any radio stations

in Draper. Information is distributed either with the local journal or newspapers. Also,

information can be found in many places on the internet. Informal information could be spread

from neighbor to neighbor or other people in the community. This could also consist of gossip

from people that meet up or town hall meetings.

Economics

According to Data USA, the total population of Draper is forty-six thousand three hundred

ninety-nine (n.d, 2018). The median age is thirty-one point seven, the median household income

is one hundred and five thousand one hundred eighteen dollars, and the poverty rate is five-point
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thirty one percent (n.d, 2018). A few months ago, there was a proposal to have a homeless

shelter here in Utah. However, due to the overwhelming attendance and opinions of the Draper

Community during the hearing, the proposal was rejected. The reason was because Draper is

viewed as a “family” town where children are able to play outside and walk to school without

fear of other people. However, the community of Draper felt that if a homeless shelter would be

put here, then crime rates would increase, and people would feel uncomfortable walking on the

streets by themselves. Out of the total population, there are a total of twenty-one thousand two

hundred twenty-three people who are currently employed, and the median property value is three

hundred ninety-four thousand four hundred dollars (n.d, 2018). Draper is a diverse community

where the major employers are; eBay, 1-800- Contacts, ACS Business Processing, O’Currance,

Swire Pacific, Musician’s Friend, Investools, IKEA, DAW construction, and Control 4

Corporation. However, people in Draper often work in either Sandy, Lehi, American Fork, or in

the downtown area.

Recreation

The “attractions” in Draper are Boondocks fun center, Cinemark movie theater, Cowabunga bay,

hang gliding/paragliding, Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, Alcatraz Escape Games, Parks and

Trails, and Thanksgiving Point. The Treehouse Athletic club has a swimming pool, a gym, and

activities, but you have to be a member. There is also a Vasa fitness center and it is always in

use. Many people that lie in this community use these facilities. There are also parks such as

Draper City Park and Draper Historic Park.

Religion and Beliefs

The main religions represented in Draper are LDS with sixty one percent and Catholic with nine

percent (n.d, n.a). Religious beliefs tend to play a big role in how people perceive and make
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decisions in regard to health and wellness. It also affects certain treatments or routine procedures

that are done in the healthcare setting.

Strengths of the Community

The top three strengths of Draper are family neighborhoods, high economic growth, and support

of local farmers. As mentioned before, Draper is considered to be a family neighborhood where

couples who have children live in updated and modern houses. Draper overall has safe

neighborhoods. The safety aspects of the neighborhoods include sidewalks, well-painted bike

lanes, and well-lit lamps at night. Draper is a city that is still developing houses and businesses.

Over the past fifteen years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people who are

living in this community. There are a lot of businesses that are forming in Draper that include

grocery stores, technology companies, and even schools. As said before, Draper is a community

that supports local farmers. The benefits of supporting local farmers is that people are reassured

that the food is fresh without the use of pesticides. This promotes healthy living.

Community Health Problems and Weaknesses

There are not any homeless resources or homeless shelters, which is not good for the community.

It forces the homeless people to stay on the streets which is unsafe. It is also not good because

they have enough space and resources to build a shelter and help the homeless. The people who

live in Draper thought it would decrease their property value and decided not to help the

homeless for many other reasons as well. There is only one hospital in Draper. This is a problem

because people’s insurance might not cover that hospital and they would have to go farther away

from their homes to receive care. There is also an issue with the school district, there are more

private schools than public schools. This is a problem for the people who cannot afford private

schools. As stated before, there is not a college located in Draper; students would have to
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commute or live on campus in order to go to college. This can become a financial burden on the

student and the parent.

Resources

The main resources that are located in the city are the Draper police department, banks,

instacares, clinics, a hospital, gyms around Draper, Draper psychological services, youth

treatment center, Elementary, Middle, High schools public and mainly private.

Recommendations

As a nurse, I would still promote the support and purchase of local produce from farmers. The

prices that are set for the produce are relatively low. Five tomatoes at one of the Draper farmers

markets cost two dollars and fifty cents. That is much cheaper in comparison to other stores such

as Walmart or Costco. Also, buying and eating locally grown food is better for people’s health in

comparison to food that is brought in from out of the country. There is no use of preservatives or

pesticides; the food is organic. Some programs that could be implemented in the community

could include awareness about homelessness and how the community can help the homeless.

Even if the implementation of a homeless shelter is not an option that the community wants to

consider, it is still important for the community to be aware that homelessness is an issue in other

cities throughout the state. I also think that the implementation of clean air programs could help

people to understand what threats are posed due to pollution and inversion in the air. The

programs could include topics about carpooling and other methods or reducing the amount of

pollution that is occurring. If I were responsible for the community, I would focus on the topic of

importance of immunizations. There are still people who think that immunizations cause

disorders such as autism. However, as a nurse, I would provide classes and programs that would

emphasize the fact that if one child or adult does not get immunized, those poses a threat towards
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other people. Immunizations help to build up immune systems, and it is very important that

people take action and get immunized.

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References

About Draper. (2018). Retrieved from Draper City: https://www.draper.ut.us/782/About-Draper

Anderson, S. (2018 , April 11). Opinion. Retrieved from What are the biggest issues, challenges

and opportunities facing Utah?: https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900015557/what-

are-the-biggest-issues-challenges-and-opportunities-facing-utah.html

Bureau, C. (2018). Draper, UT. Retrieved from Data USA: https://datausa.io/profile/geo/draper-

ut/

Bureau, U. S. (2016). Draper, UT Demographics. Retrieved from Areavibes:

https://www.areavibes.com/draper-ut/demographics/

Draper, UT. (2018). Retrieved from MapQuest: https://www.mapquest.com/us/utah/draper-ut-

282026325

Draper, Utah. (2018). Retrieved from Great School:

https://www.greatschools.org/utah/draper/schools/

Neighborhood Scout. (2018). Retrieved from Utah Crime:

https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/ut/crime

Place, S. B. (n.d.). Draper, Utah. Retrieved from Best Place:

https://www.bestplaces.net/religion/city/utah/draper

United States Census Bureau. (2018). Retrieved from QuickFacts Draper city, Utah:

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/drapercityutah/INC110216