# Roy, Utah

Roy is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States, on the west side of Interstate 15. The population in 2020 was 39,306; an increase of 6.6% from 36,884 at the 2010 census. Roy is part of the Ogden-Clearfield metropolitan area, and is considered a suburb of nearby Ogden, although some small businesses are present in Roy.

## History

Roy was settled in 1873 by William Evans Baker, Esther Celestia Cole Baker, and their children, 25 years after Ogden. Most of the communities to the east and south had already been settled. Previously known as Central City, Sandridge, the Basin, and Lakeview, Roy was ultimately named for a local schoolteacher's child, Roy C. Peebles, who had died. On May 24, 1894, a post office was established and Roy's name was made official. The City of Roy was incorporated on March 10, 1937. Joseph William Jensen was Roy's first mayor, elected by the commissioners and serving for six years.
Roy's businesses were limited until the early 1940s. A gas station, several grocery stores, a cafe, and a lumberyard made up the modest business district. But Roy developed rapidly during World War II. It housed many of the workers and personnel from adjacent military installations, including Hill Air Force Base, the Navy Supply Depot (now the Freeport Center), and the Defense Supply Depot. September 1953 marked a milestone in Roy's history—Roy received a charter to establish Utah's first branch bank. This branch of the Bank of Utah pioneered the way for other banks to establish branches in the state. Norton Parker, son of Mayor Dean Parker, was the first manager of this new branch.
Roy's population growth was extreme in the 1950s and 1960s, when most of the eastern bench was populated with entry-level homes. Starting in the 1980s, construction efforts shifted to the bottom of the hill on Roy's west side, continuing until about 2005, when new real estate shifted west and south.

## Transportation

The city is served by Interstate 15 via exit 338, leading to Utah State Route 97 (5600 South), one of Roy's major roads. The northern entrance of Hill Air Force Base is accessible from this exit, making Roy a common destination for those in the military.
FrontRunner has a station in Roy that opened on April 26, 2008, along with the rest of the northern segment. Two sets of train tracks bisect the city at 2700 West, being served by FrontRunner and Union Pacific Railroad.

## Activities

Roy offers many activities and facilities for public use.

### Parks

* Roy West Park
* Emma Russell Park
* George E. Wahlen Park
* Municipal Park (adjoined with Municipal Elementary)
* Sand Ridge Park
* Foxglen Park
* McCall Park
* Frank Tremea (Roy) Park
* Roger Phil Burnett Meadow Creek Pond
* Memorial Park

### Recreation

The Roy City Recreation Complex is on Roy High's campus. It includes a swimming pool, basketball courts, a weight room, racquetball courts, and an indoor track. The Roy Aquatic Center is an outdoor swimming complex with a diving pool, children's pool and two slides.

### Roy Days

Roy Days are celebrated in the first week of August. Throughout the week, the Roy West Park is used as a hub for carnival activities and concessions, with events including a car show and golf tournament, culminating on Saturday with a 5K run, parade, and fireworks show.

## Education

Roy is entirely encompassed by Weber School District. There are six elementary schools, two junior highs and one high school.
Lakeview Elementary, Municipal Elementary, and Roy Elementary are on Roy's south side, and students are bound to Roy Junior High. Students of North Park Elementary, Valley View Elementary, and Midland Elementary attend Sand Ridge Junior High, although about a fourth of Midland's populace is zoned to Roy Junior. All students, plus those from West Haven Elementary, attend Roy High School, a Region 5A high school.

### Schools

| School | Grades Served | City | Students | USBE Grade |
| Lakeview | K-6 | Roy | 458 | Developing |
| Municipal | K-6 | Roy | 371 | Developing |
| Roy | K-6 | Roy | 523 | Developing |
| Midland | PK-6 | Roy | 551 | Typical |
| North Park | K-6 | Roy | 542 | Developing |
| Valley View | K-6 | Roy | 447 | Developing |
| West Haven | K-6 | West Haven | 680 | Typical |
| Roy | 7-9 | Roy | 924 | Developing |
| Sand Ridge | 7-9 | Roy | 883 | Developing |
| Roy | 10-12 | Roy | 1,754 | Developing |

## Geography

Roy encompasses 7.6 square miles (19.7 square kilometers), all land. To the west is the city of Hooper, to the north is West Haven, to the east are Riverdale and Ogden, and the Davis County cities of Clinton and Sunset border Roy on its south.

### Climate

Roy is in the Wasatch Front, an area that experiences variant seasonal temperatures and generally dry conditions. April or May is generally the wettest month and July the driest. Yearly temperatures usually top out at 95–99 °F (35–37 °C), and yearly minimums are around 0–15 °F (−18 – −9 °C).
Under the Köppen climate classification, Roy has a Mediterranean climate (Csa) or dry-summer continental climate (Dsa) depending on which variant of the system is used.
Climate data for Roy, Utah :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 63 (17) | 68 (20) | 78 (26) | 87 (31) | 96 (36) | 103 (39) | 108 (42) | 104 (40) | 100 (38) | 95 (35) | 75 (24) | 64 (18) | 108 (42) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 37 (3) | 43 (6) | 54 (12) | 64 (18) | 74 (23) | 84 (29) | 94 (34) | 92 (33) | 81 (27) | 66 (19) | 50 (10) | 38 (3) | 65 (18) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 27 (−3) | 32.8 (0.4) | 41.2 (5.1) | 50 (10) | 58.9 (14.9) | 67.6 (19.8) | 76 (24) | 73.8 (23.2) | 63.9 (17.7) | 52.4 (11.3) | 38.9 (3.8) | 30 (−1) | 51 (11) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 19 (−7) | 23 (−5) | 32 (0) | 38 (3) | 46 (8) | 54 (12) | 61 (16) | 59 (15) | 49 (9) | 39 (4) | 29 (−2) | 21 (−6) | 39 (4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −26 (−32) | −21 (−29) | 4 (−16) | 5 (−15) | 25 (−4) | 32 (0) | 39 (4) | 35 (2) | 28 (−2) | 18 (−8) | −14 (−26) | −18 (−28) | −26 (−32) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.78 (45) | 1.68 (43) | 1.84 (47) | 1.88 (48) | 2.06 (52) | 1.32 (34) | 0.58 (15) | 0.74 (19) | 1.37 (35) | 1.85 (47) | 1.67 (42) | 1.65 (42) | 18.42 (468) |
| Source: weather.com ||||||||||||||

## Demographics

According to the 2020 United States census and 2020 American Community Survey, there were 39,306 people in Roy with a population density of 4,823.2 people per square mile (1,862.2/km$^2$). Among non-Hispanic or Latino people, the racial makeup was 29,052 (73.9%) White, 416 (1.1%) African American, 219 (0.6%) Native American, 756 (1.9%) Asian, 194 (0.5%) Pacific Islander, 135 (0.3%) from other races, and 1,698 (4.3%) from two or more races. 6,836 (17.4%) people were Hispanic or Latino.
There were 19,613 (49.90%) males and 19,693 (50.10%) females, and the population distribution by age was 11,512 (29.3%) under the age of 18, 23,313 (59.3%) from 18 to 64, and 4,481 (11.4%) who were at least 65 years old. The median age was 31.8 years.
There were 12,944 households in Roy with an average size of 3.04 of which 9,808 (75.8%) were families and 3,136 (24.2%) were non-families. Among all families, 7,283 (56.3%) were married couples, 962 (7.4%) were male householders with no spouse, and 1,563 (12.1%) were female householders with no spouse. Among all non-families, 2,467 (19.1%) were a single person living alone and 669 (5.2%) were two or more people living together. 5,366 (41.5%) of all households had children under the age of 18. 10,508 (81.2%) of households were owner-occupied while 2,436 (18.8%) were renter-occupied.
The median income for a Roy household was $72,739 and the median family income was $77,451, with a per-capita income of $26,668. The median income for males that were full-time employees was $53,525 and for females $35,623. 7.2% of the population and 5.0% of families were below the poverty line.
In terms of education attainment, out of the 24,250 people in Roy 25 years or older, 1,526 (6.3%) had not completed high school, 8,948 (36.9%) had a high school diploma or equivalency, 9,272 (38.2%) had some college or associate degree, 3,332 (13.7%) had a bachelor's degree, and 1,172 (4.8%) had a graduate or professional degree.

## Notable people

* Gina Barberi, radio DJ and co-host of Salt Lake City, Utah's KXRK 96.3FM "Radio from Hell" show
* Cynthia Brimhall, Playboy Playmate and actress, graduated from Roy High School in 1982
* Sabra Johnson, So You Think You Can Dance season 3 winner, resided in Roy before moving to New York City
* Jim McMahon, the quarterback who led the Chicago Bears to victory in Super Bowl XX
* Randal Quarles, former Under Secretary of the Treasury and Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund.
* Bill Schuffenhauer, three-time Olympian and silver medalist in the bobsled with the United States Olympics team
* L'Wren Scott, fashion designer and partner of Mick Jagger