Iron County Utah Information

Iron County is located in the southern portion of the State of Utah. It is somewhat sparsely populated. The largest city is Cedar City, but the county seat is located at Parowan. Other cities in Iron County include Beryl, Brian Head, Duck Creek, Enoch, Hamilton Fort, Kanarraville, Lund, New Castle, Paragon and Summit.

This particular county in southern Utah was named for the rich iron deposits found here. Iron mining began in the area in 1851 and continued as a primary part of the economy until 1858 – when the iron works factory closed. However, iron mining actually continued in the area until the 1980s.

Iron County has a more balanced and broadly based economy than most of rural Utah. Located on Interstate 15, Cedar City is 500 miles from Los Angeles, 180 miles from Las Vegas, and 260 miles from Salt Lake, and about midway between Los Angeles and Denver via Interstate 70. The location of this mostly rural county has made it a regional trade center and supplier of services. The concessionaire for nearby national parks has their headquarters here, as do regional offices of the Bureau of Land Management, Dixie National Forest, and Utah Wildlife Resources.