Clinton History

From “The Range” to one of Davis County’s fastest-growing cities

James Hill and his family settled this area in the 1870s when it was still part of Layton, and the community cycled through names — The Range, Sand Ridge, The Basin, The Summit — before Joseph D. Burnett gave it “Clinton” in 1896. The town incorporated in 1936.

Worth Knowing

  • Hauled water: early settlers grazed animals here but had to haul culinary water from the Weber River
  • Slow then sudden: Clinton had just 670 people in 1950 — and over 20,000 by 2010
  • First school: built in 1885 just south of the cemetery

Source: Clinton history.

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