...In subsequent years, Richfield continued to grow with the development of businesses, hotels, restaurants, railroad service, and other amenities, reaching a population of 3,584 in 1947.

Richfield currently continues to be both a shopping and cultural center for the central Utah area. The Richfield tabernacle, completed during 1929-30 and noted for its architectural beauty, is a frequent setting for the Utah Symphony, Utah Opera Company, plays, choral programs, and other cultural events.

The Ramsay House (built by Ralph Ramsay, who carved the eagle which graced an earlier Eagle Gate in Salt Lake City) has been restored as a museum featuring period furniture and other memorabilia, as well as a collection of 200 local oral histories. (History copies are also archived in the city and high school libraries.) A Daughters of Utah Pioneers museum is also located in the city.

Richfield has a municipal airport with a 6,600-foot runway, a modern 42-bed-capacity hospital, and a care center with a 98-bed capacity. The award-winning Richfield Reaper newspaper is published weekly. The Daily Spectrum also has a local office and serves the area. Excellent schools include Ashman and Pahvant elementaries; Red Hills Middle School, Richfield High School, and Cedar Ridge Alternative High School, as well as Sevier Valley Applied Technology Center.

For recreation, the city has three parks, a nine-hole golf course, an indoor/outdoor pool, a bowling alley, and numerous playing fields. Richfield is located forty-five miles from Fish Lake, and is surrounded by Zion, Bryce, and Capitol Reef national parks.

The city features an elaborate Fourth of July celebration including a parade, park activities, and a patriotic pageant. A county fair is held annually, and a September arts festival was inaugurated in 1992 and is projected as an annual event. Another annual event is a light parade held each December.

Major worldwide service clubs, including Elks, Rotary, and Lions, are active in the community, contributing to a quality lifestyle. Local clubs for both men and women provide much service as well as social opportunities. Twenty churches of various denominations also add to community life.

Much of the surrounding area is devoted to agriculture: hay, barley, oats, corn silage, cattle, hogs, sheep, turkeys, commercial feed lots, and dairy herds. Also, a well-developed business district serves Sevier County as well as adjacent counties. Government agencies including the Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service, and the Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Service have their area offices in Richfield. Governed by a mayor and city council, the community emphasizes preserving its past as well as preparing for the future.

Judy Busk