Community Health

Crystal Buck
Dixie State University
Geography
Demographics
Education
Economy
Recreation
Safety
Healthy People 2020
Problem
Intervention

Geography
The City of Orem is located on the eastern shore of Utah Lake and extends on the east to
Provo and the foothills of Mount Timpanogos

Demographics
As of 2011 the 88,112 residents of Orem had a racial and ethnic composition of 89.3%
non-Hispanic white, 0.9% black or African American, 0.9% Native American, 1.6%
Asian, 0.5% Pacific Islanders,4% non-Hispanics reporting some other race, 2.9% two
or more races reported and 14.8% Hispanic, as Orem has a large Mexican American
community with other Latinos residing in the city.

Education

There are 27 public schools in the Alpine

School District, 3 private schools, and 2

charter school K-12. There are approximately 51 preschools. There are multiple
special education programs offered such as dual immersion, gifted services, online
school etc.

There is a specialty school specific to the blind and the deaf. There are also school
programs for the mentally disabled.

Utah Valley University is located in Orem as well as multiple occupational colleges

and education programs.

Economy
There are currently business licenses as such 2,471 Commercial, 1,632 Home
Occupation, 18 Nonprofit.

The unemployment rate in Orem, Utah, is 2.90%, with job growth of 5.37%. Future job
growth over the next ten years is predicted to be 47.80%

The median income for a household in the city is $52,703, and the median income for
a family was $59,066. Males had a median income of $42,249 versus $30,742 for
females. The per capita income for the city was $20,971. About 10.3% of families and
13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16% of those under age
18 and 6% of those age 65 or over.

Recreation
There are 19 parks that provide covered pavilions, tennis courts, childrens playgrounds
and open areas. There is 1 public library and a recreation center that has a pool,
climbing, classes, gymnasium and athletic center.

Orem is planning to open a differently abled park this next year and also a dog park will
be opening this summer

Safety
The Orem Department of Public Safety is a progressive, problem solving public
Safety organization. The department consists of four major divisions. The
organizational structure of the department is designed to provide a full range of
public safety responses to serve and protect the citizens of Orem. The patrol, fire,
investigations and support service. Each department has its own responsiblities such
as traffic guards, community education, ambulance services and much more. There
is a state mental hospital and rape treatment center closely available for citizens in
need. Orem currently does not have its own animal shelter but is affiliated with
the Lindon shelter.
Mission Statement
Proactively serve and protect our community
with honor, respect, and accountability, to make
Orem the safest place to live, work, and play.

Problem
This picture is a street in Orem
where children walk home from
school and play on a daily basis.
The road from the west is a hill with poor visualization
and the ninety degree corners add to poor
visualization. Despite this, cars are often taking the
corners at unsafe speeds and risk hitting pedestrians.
Last summer a pedestrian was hit and the city finally
put lines on the street but the problem still continues.

Healthy People 2020

Injury and Violence Prevention
Goal: Prevent unintentional injuries and violence, and reduce their consequences.
Overview: Among the top 15 killers of all ages are both unintentional injuries and acts of
violence.
Most events that end with an injury or death are predictable and preventable. By creating
awareness and access to resources for fatal and nonfatal injuries the health of the
nation can be improved.
Importance: Injuries are the leading cause of death and disability for all ages for all ages,
regardless of sex, race/ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. Approximately 1/10 people
sustain an injury serious enough to require a visit to the emergency department and
almost 200,000 people die every year from injuries. The immediate health
consequences are clear but there is also significant impact on health relating to
disability, poor mental health, increasing medical costs, and loss of productivity.
There are also a longer reaching impact of injuries and violence on family, friends,
coworkers and communities.

Intervention
To implement safety features and traffic calming
measures to this area. (ie speed bump, signs)
In speaking with the city it is not a simple matter as
there are multiple other factors to consider
Attached is the response from the city. It will be a
longer process than expected and will have to
involve further research and planning.

Crystal Buck,
You asked for information regarding what types of traffic control measures are used by the
City of Orem. First, let me reiterate why we do not use speed bumps or slow children at play
signs. Due to severe restrictions that speed bumps place on the reasonable response times
of emergency vehicles, and liability problems that other communities have found when they
have extensively implemented speed bumps on city streets, the City of Orem has a policy
that restricts the use of new speed bumps on any city street. We also do not use slow
children at play signs. This type of sign may give a false sense of security to some children,
and make them feel that they have little or no responsibility for their safety or actions.
Children should be taught how to be safe and signs should not conflict with the safe practices
that we teach them. Motorists know when they are driving in a residential area where
children may be present especially motorists that live in the area. Speeding on residential
streets is typically a local problem created by motorists that either live on the street, or on a
nearby street, that often use the same route multiple times a day.
I have attached a copy of our Traffic Calming Toolbox for your reference. Implementation of
any of these traffic calming tools are subject to funding. Let me know what you think. Are
there any options you see that you think may work for your specific problem? When you
respond, please explain again in detail the problems as you see them. That will help us as
we consider your request.
IMAGEPaul R. Goodrich, P.E.| City of Orem | Transportation Engineer
prgoodrich@orem.org | o. 801-229-7320 f. 801-229-7191 |www.orem.org
56 North State Street | Orem, Utah 84057
Attachment: City of Orem Traffic Calming Toolbox

Resources
https://cityoforem.mysidewalk.com/initiatives
www.orem.org
http://juliettespeaks.org/how-to-address-your-local-city-council
http://www.oremrecreation.com/
http://alpineschools.org/
http://www.orem.org/PDF/PS/2006_PS_report.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orem,_Utah
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orem,_Utah