The city held
its small farm community flavor--with a dominant Mormon culture and
small religious minorities--until after World War II. By the early 1950s,
it was becoming a bedroom community for the metropolitan Utah County
area. People attracted to rural living started to move to Mapleton and
drive to other cities for their jobs. This has exacerbated some local
conditions; Mapleton has retained its strong sense of community, but
its leaders have felt increasing pressure to modernize as the population
continues to grow.
Mapleton's 1990
population is quite cosmopolitan. There are still a number of the people
from the old farm families, but they are becoming a minority with less
influence on the city's political decisions. A majority of Mapleton's
population is still native, with a large sprinkling of transplanted
Californians and others adding diversity to the community. The increasing
population is still putting extreme pressure on the city to solve its
long-standing problems. With its lack of industrial base and extensive
program needs, Mapleton is going to face major challenges in the coming
years. It will take all the ingenuity of its diversifying population
and a large economic effort to keep Mapleton a great place to live,
but that challenge will not be new.
Ralph K. Harmer