Moving to Centerville, Utah

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, NOAA, USGS, the Utah State Tax Commission, and Centerville City records. Prices move, so ask me for current numbers.

Centerville sits between Bountiful on the south and Farmington on the north, in Davis County. About 16,500 people live here, by the 2025 Census estimate. The count was 16,884 in 2020, and it has held near 16,500 since 2022. The city covers about 6 square miles. Its own museum page describes it as a strip of land two miles wide and three and three-tenths miles long.

The land climbs fast from west to east. City Hall is at about 4,300 feet. The west edge, past Legacy Parkway, is near 4,200. Homes stop below about 4,900 feet, where the city’s draft plan discourages building on steep slopes. The city line itself runs up the mountain face to about 5,530 feet. That is a climb of about 1,300 feet from the lake flats to the top of the hillside land.

It helps to picture four strips, from east to west. The first is the east hillside and the mouths of the canyons: Centerville Canyon with Deuel Creek, Parrish Canyon and Ford Canyon. The second is the old Main Street grid on SR-106, with City Hall and the oldest houses. The third is Parrish Lane by I-15, at exit 319, where the stores are. The fourth is west Centerville, past Legacy Parkway, out to the wetlands. The canyon trailheads sit just outside the city line, at the top edge of town. Three big north and south routes cross the city: I-15, Legacy Parkway and the FrontRunner train line. There is no train station in town. The transit topic has the nearest ones.

Thomas Grover first settled the area in 1847. The Deuel brothers followed, and the place was called Deuel Creek, then Cherry Creek. In 1850 a survey found that the town lay right between Farmington and Bountiful. That is how it got the name Centerville. Builders moved from log to adobe, and then to the rock found nearby. A Wells Fargo stage station went up in 1866. It was later made into Elkhorn Hall. The Centerville Co-op opened in 1869, on the northeast corner of Main and Center. It ran for more than 70 years and closed in 1940. The Utah Central Railroad came through in 1870. The city was incorporated in 1915.

Parrish Lane became a state road in the 1960s. It runs a little over a mile, from Legacy Parkway east to Main Street. When the city asked residents about its future, they called Parrish Lane the heart of the city today. The same survey asked what mattered most. People named keeping the town’s culture, protecting the hillside from building, better parks, a nicer Main Street and a plan for the west side.

The city is rewriting its general plan with a planning firm named Psomas. The Council held a public hearing on March 3, 2026. As of September 2026 the plan was not adopted. The draft expects most new building on the west side, because most land east of I-15 already has homes on it. It also studies ideas, such as a train station on the west side. Those are ideas on paper, not projects.

Want the street level view? Centerville on The Local has guides to the old street grid, Deuel Creek and William R. Smith Park. The Bountiful hub and the Farmington hub cover the towns on either side. Weighing the whole state? Start with my relocating to Utah guide. I did the homework on Centerville, and a partner agent I trust does the work on the ground.

Centerville has four true seasons. Summers are hot and dry. Winters are cold, with snow from November through April. Spring and fall are mild. There is no weather station in town. These are NOAA’s official 1991 to 2020 normals from the Farmington 3 NW station, which sits about 7.5 miles north-northwest of City Hall. It is about 85 feet higher than City Hall. The station stopped reporting in 2016, so these are long-run averages, not today’s readings. The Farmington hub uses the same station.

Month by month

These are the normal highs and lows for each month. Summer nights cool off. A normal July night drops to about 64°F.

• JanuaryHigh 36°F, low 22°F
• FebruaryHigh 42°F, low 27°F
• MarchHigh 53°F, low 33°F
• AprilHigh 59°F, low 39°F
• MayHigh 70°F, low 47°F
• JuneHigh 81°F, low 56°F
• JulyHigh 91°F, low 64°F
• AugustHigh 89°F, low 62°F
• SeptemberHigh 79°F, low 53°F
• OctoberHigh 64°F, low 40°F
• NovemberHigh 49°F, low 31°F
• DecemberHigh 38°F, low 24°F

Source: NOAA climate normals, 1991 to 2020, Farmington 3 NW station, at about 4,380 feet.

Rain and melted snow add up to about 20.7 inches a year. May is the wettest month, with about 2.7 inches, and July is the driest, with about 0.7. That is about a third more than the Salt Lake City airport gets, which is about 15.5 inches.

Frost dates matter if you garden. The last spring freeze is usually around April 19. The first fall freeze is usually around October 19. That leaves a frost-free season of about 181 days. About 17 days a year never rise above freezing.

Centerville gets about as much snow as Salt Lake City and Bountiful’s Val Verda station, and less than Logan. The Farmington 3 NW station logs about 50 inches in a normal year. NOAA marks that snow figure as provisional, because the station stopped reporting in 2016.

January is the snowiest month, with about 16 inches. February adds about 11.5 and December about 10. March brings about 4 and November about 6.5. Snow can start in October and can fall into April. From May through September there is none. Winter, from December through February, brings about 37.5 inches of the 50.

Snow depends on how high you live. No station on the Centerville hillside has official normals. The nearest one, on the Bountiful hillside at 4,950 feet, logs more than twice the snow of the Farmington station. The highest Centerville streets sit a few hundred feet below it. Use it as a hint that the hillside gets far more snow, not as a number for any one street.

For the bigger picture on snow and water in Utah, read my guide on Utah water and snowpack.

Summers are hot and dry. A normal July afternoon reaches about 91°F. That is about 3 degrees cooler than Salt Lake City, and a little warmer than Logan. Nights fall to about 64°F, so the house cools off after dark.

Hot days are common. A normal year has about 56 days at 90°F or hotter. Days at 100°F or hotter are rare, about 4 a year. August is a little cooler than July, with highs near 89°F. September highs average about 79°F.

Summer is also the season for the worst air. The air quality topic below has the numbers.

Centerville is not windy on most days. But the town is known for one special wind. High pressure sometimes sits over Wyoming, with low pressure to the southwest. Then air pours over the crest of the Wasatch and speeds down the canyons. People here call it the east wind. It is strongest at the foot of the mountains, near the canyon mouths. NOAA names Centerville in high wind reports in about a dozen separate years since 1998. So the fair way to say it is this: damaging east winds reach Centerville every few years.

The winds come most often from late fall through spring. NOAA said of the 2020 storm that this kind of wind most commonly happens in the winter months. The National Weather Service posts high wind watches and warnings ahead of a storm, so you can prepare.

The east winds on record

Here are the storms that name Centerville, from the oldest to the newest. Speeds are miles an hour.

Sources: NOAA Storm Events Database; the National Weather Service Technical Attachment 99-09 for 1988; Deseret News, April 23, 1999, for 1980.

The storm of December 1, 2011 is the one to know. NOAA recorded gusts of 102 miles an hour in Centerville, 92 in West Bountiful and 86 in Farmington. In the area of the strongest winds, almost all homes had damage to roofs, fences or siding. NOAA put the public damage at about $6.5 million, almost all in Davis County. Private insured losses were a little over $75 million. No one died. Tens of thousands of homes lost power. Davis County declared a local emergency that day. In January 2012 the governor declared a state of emergency. His order named Centerville, Bountiful, Farmington, Kaysville and West Bountiful as hardest hit. Scientists later studied the storm in the journal Weather and Forecasting.

The 2016 storm hit Centerville hard. NOAA said the strongest winds were in Centerville and Farmington. It also put about $500,000 of damage on private property in Centerville, plus $20,000 on city property. The 2020 storm was stronger in Farmington than here, and it came in September, which is unusual.

Here is what I would check on any home. Ask how old the roof is, and whether the shingles carry a high wind rating. Look at the fences and at big trees near the house. Read the wind and hail deductible on an insurance quote, so you know your share after a storm. When a warning is out, UDOT limits tall vehicles on I-15 and Legacy Parkway. The home checks topic has the rest of the list.

Yes, Centerville gets inversions. An inversion is when cold air gets trapped in a valley under a lid of warmer air. On calm winter days, haze builds in that trapped air. A storm usually clears it out. Winter haze is real here, but the record shows that summer ozone brings more poor air days than winter haze does. The numbers below are for Davis County as a whole.

Winter haze

The air quality index starts at 0. A reading of 50 or less is good. Above 50 is moderate, and above 100 is unhealthy for sensitive groups. This table counts December through February days over 50 in Davis County. It uses the worst county monitor each day, so it is not a Centerville reading.

Source: EPA AirData, daily air quality index for Davis County. The worst days were December 4, 2024 and January 7, 2026.

Summer ozone

Ozone is a gas that forms on hot, sunny days. In 2025 Davis County had 231 good days and 127 moderate days. It had 7 days that were unhealthy for sensitive groups, with a high of 119. All 7 were ozone days, between May 31 and September 3.

What the EPA says

Davis County is part of the Northern Wasatch Front area for the 2015 ozone standard. EPA lists the area as Serious, so it does not yet meet that standard. EPA reclassified it to Serious in January 2025. In April 2026 it proposed to repeal that reclassification, which was not final as of the latest EPA list. For fine particles, called PM2.5, the Salt Lake City area, including Davis County, became a maintenance area on December 19, 2025. That means it now meets the standard and has a plan to keep it that way. Only the fine-particle standard changed. Summer ozone still does not meet the federal standard.

Here is what I would do. Check the air each day on the state’s air quality site, the way you check the weather. If air matters to you, visit on a gray winter weekday and on a hot summer afternoon before you buy.

Car emissions tests are part of the same story. The first 90 days topic covers the test and the new county rule.

Sources: EPA Green Book (data current as of September 30, 2026), the EPA news release on PM2.5, and EPA AirData for 2025 and 2026.

Housing is the cost that sets your budget here. The glance box at the top of this page shows the latest typical home value, from the U.S. Census. I can run the real numbers side by side for Centerville and the towns you are weighing.

Most of the city's bills come on one city bill: drinking water, storm drainage, garbage, and recycling. Sewer comes on its own bill from the South Davis Sewer District. Here is each line, so you can see what a month looks like.

The honest comparison is the glance box next to the same box for the towns beside you. Bountiful and Farmington sit on the same slope, so compare the same kind of house in each town.

Your drive to work is part of the budget too. Downtown Salt Lake City is about 19 minutes south. The average commute for people who live here is about 20 minutes. The jobs topic has the commute numbers, and the getting around topic has the roads.

Sources: the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 2020 to 2024), the Centerville City utility rates and fee schedule (garbage and recycling effective June 26, 2026), and the South Davis Sewer District rate page. Rates change, so ask me for current numbers.

For general information only. This is not tax or financial advice. Tax rates and home prices change. Consult a qualified professional for guidance specific to your situation.

Three taxes matter most when you move here: sales tax, state income tax, and property tax. Sales tax changes on January 1, 2027, so the table gives both rates.

Part of the sales tax pays for parks and the arts. Centerville voters renewed a 0.10% recreation, arts, and parks tax in November 2025. It is already inside the 7.25%. This year the city plans to spend 85% of it on parks, 5% on the Heritage Museum, and 5% on the performing arts building.

The city raised its share of the property tax

Your property tax bill has many parts. The county, the school district, the city, and several special districts each take a share. On August 25, 2026, the city held a Truth in Taxation hearing. Utah requires one before a city raises its rate. The council voted the same night to raise the city rate from 0.001137 to 0.001314.

The city gave two reasons: one more police officer, and the higher cost of South Davis Metro Fire. The city also says only 12% of a Centerville resident's total tax bill goes straight to the city. The school district takes the largest share of a typical bill.

Most of the city sits in one tax area, with South Davis Sewer, South Davis Recreation, and South Davis Metro Fire all on the bill. Two areas at the north end are on Central Davis Sewer instead. Your rate depends on the address, so check the tax notice for the home. In 2025 a typical Centerville area added up to a little above the county average.

The primary home exemption

Utah gives a tax break to the home you live in. A primary home is taxed on 55% of its market value, not the full value. The break covers the house and up to one acre of land. The home must be lived in for at least 183 days in a row each year. Short-term rentals and empty homes do not qualify.

When you buy a home that was the seller's primary home, the break usually carries over. Davis County asks for an application mainly when a home is a rental. From January 1, 2027, state law makes an application mandatory when ownership changes. Look at your tax notice for the line "Primary Land And Buildings" to see that the break is applied.

Sources: the Utah State Tax Commission (sales tax rates for October 1, 2026, and the 2025 property tax report), Centerville City (Resolution 2026-23 and the FY2027 budget), the Davis County Assessor, and S.B. 60 (2026). Questions about your own bill go to the assessor.

For general information only. This is not tax or financial advice. Tax rates and home prices change. Consult a qualified professional for guidance specific to your situation.

The glance box at the top of this page shows the latest typical home value for Centerville, from the U.S. Census. That number is what owners think their homes are worth, averaged over five years. It is not a sale price. So price any home against recent sales of homes like it nearby.

The main fact is simple: the land is used up. The mountains stop the city on the east. The wetlands and the preserve stop it on the west. Bountiful lies to the south and Farmington to the north. So most homes for sale here are older homes. The city permitted about 30 new homes a year from 2017 to 2023, and only 9 in 2023.

The Census counts 6,005 homes. About 88% of the homes people live in are owned. The median home was built in 1987. About 57% of homes went up from 1970 to 1999, and about 28% have been built since 2000. About 9% date from 1950 to 1969, and about 6% are older than 1950.

About 75% of homes are single-family houses on their own lots. About 8% are townhomes, 5% are in buildings of two to four units, and 12% are in buildings of five or more units. The Census finds no mobile homes. The city's own count puts the average detached lot at about 0.30 acre, and the average townhome lot at about 0.11 acre.

These are big houses. About 59% of homes have four or more bedrooms, and about 33% have five or more.

Know the kind of home before you trust the average

An average here mixes homes of different ages and ground. Most buyers end up choosing one of three kinds. Judge every house by its own updates, its lot, and its street.

The wind and the water are the two homework items for any Centerville house. For wind, check the roof, the fences, and the big trees. For water, ask which secondary water system serves the lot. The before you buy topic has the wind list, and the utilities topic has the water.

Ask me how fast homes like the one you want are selling right now. A partner agent I trust in Davis County can walk through recent sales with you. Prices move through the year, so a number from last season can mislead.

Shop by price

Shop by kind of home

Sources: U.S. Census ACS 2020 to 2024, and the Centerville general plan draft (housing inventory, April 2024). Prices shift through the year, so ask me for the latest Centerville numbers.

Centerville has no named community pages, so think in geography. The city is about 3.5 miles long from the Farmington line, by Reading Elementary, to Pages Lane at the Bountiful line. It drops from the foot of the mountain to the edge of the lake plain. Think of four strips, from the east edge to the west, high to low.

• The east hillsideThe east hillside and the canyon mouthsHomes at about 4,400 to 4,900 feet, east of Main StreetIsland View Park and Freedom Hills Park are here. The Deuel Creek trailheads are at the east end of 100 South. The Parrish Canyon trailhead is at the east end of 400 North. Both sit just outside the city line, at the top edge of town. The city's draft plan counts about 550 acres of mountainside at the east edge. Private owners hold 61% of it, and the city holds 30%. This strip gets the strongest east wind, the most snow, and the July fireworks line. The before you buy topic covers all three.
• The Main Street gridThe old Main Street gridAbout 4,290 to 4,320 feet, along Main StreetCity Hall, the Whitaker House museum at 168 North Main, William R. Smith Park, and Centerville Elementary are here. So is the corner where the old co-op stood, at Main and Center. This strip holds the oldest houses in town. Shops are few. The things to do topic tells the history.
• Parrish LaneParrish Lane by I-15About 4,230 to 4,260 feet, around exit 319Dick's Market, Walmart, and the Market Place Drive stores are here. So are CenterPoint Legacy Theatre and Porter-Walton Park. The draft plan says residents named Parrish Lane "the current heart of the city."
• West CentervilleWest Centerville, past Legacy ParkwayAbout 4,208 to 4,225 feet, down to the wetlandsCommunity Park sits just east of the parkway. West of I-15 you find office parks, light industry, open farm ground, the wetlands, and the preserve. The draft plan notes high water tables here. It also says the west side is the part of town the plan expects to change.

The wind, the snow, and the ground all change from the canyon mouths to the lake side. So the partner agent walks the street with you before you decide.

Want to see what is for sale?

Want the story on a certain block? Tell me what you are after. I will get it through the partner agent on the ground. My Centerville guides on The Local cover the canyons, the old street grid, and the founders park in more depth.

Heights come from the U.S. Geological Survey and the Centerville general plan draft. Distances are from City Hall at 250 North Main Street. A home's school depends on its exact address, so check with the district.

Here is the straight answer most pages skip. Centerville is not a new-home market. The land is used up, so new homes come as small plats and single lots. The 2026 city records name no home builder. In the Planning Commission agendas from January to October, no new subdivision came up.

• SubdivisionPorter Lane EstatesSix lots, near 522 West 400 SouthThe city approved it in 2025. By September 1, 2026, the city had finished the public improvements and started the warranty period. Ask whether lots are for sale.
• SubdivisionChase CreekSix lots, at 224 West Chase LaneOld Barnard Creek drainage runs through the property. The city approved a drainage agreement on July 7, 2026.
• Rule changeDetached accessory dwellingsOrdinance 2026-20, adopted September 15, 2026An accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, is a small second home on the same lot. The City Council voted 3 to 2 to allow one detached ADU on a lot of 8,500 square feet or more. Height is capped at 16 feet. The city counted about two dozen ADUs in the 2024 housing inventory.

The city also has redevelopment areas by Parrish Lane and Legacy Crossing. The draft general plan expects new homes mainly on the west side, where the water table is high. It discourages building on slopes steeper than 30% or above 4,900 feet.

The build-here checklist

Weighing an empty lot or a teardown? Line up these answers first. They decide whether a build makes sense.

1. The project list. Ask the city's Community Development office which projects are active and which have lots for sale.
2. Wind exposure. Ask how the lot sits against the east wind. The east wind record shows where it hits hardest.
3. Water table and drainage. On the west side, ask about drainage and the high water table before you make an offer.
4. Hillside rules. On the east side, ask about the fault study zone, the slope, and the July fireworks line. The before you buy topic explains each one.
5. Secondary water. Ask which irrigation system serves the lot, or whether neither does.

Builders often cover the buyer agent fee, and your agent puts that in writing before you sign. Buying new works differently from buying a resale home, so read how it works before you tour.

Sources: Centerville Planning Commission agendas and City Council minutes for 2026, and the Centerville general plan draft. An agenda item is not an approval, so ask me for the latest status.

Every town has its own list of things to check. None of these should scare you off. They are the questions I would ask about any home in Centerville. Most come from the ground: canyons above town, a fault at the foot of the hill, and soft, wet soil toward the lake. A map or a test can answer each one for a single address. So check them one home at a time.

The canyons and the basins

Several creeks and canyons run down toward Centerville. The Survey's 2009 study of Centerville Canyon was done at the request of Davis County and Centerville City. It found a high debris-flow hazard, because loose material had piled up in the canyon. It said 196,000 cubic yards was "likely the most appropriate volume to consider when sizing a debris basin."

Parrish Creek, Barnard Creek, Ford Canyon, and Lone Pine Canyon already had engineered debris basins in 2009. Davis County built a larger basin at the mouth of Centerville Canyon in 2011, after the study. The 1983 flows show the range. Centerville Canyon's was small, about 2,600 cubic yards. Rudd Canyon in Farmington sent about 84,000 and damaged 35 houses.

The east wind and the house

Damaging east winds reach Centerville every few years. The wind record has the dates and the speeds. For a house, the checks are short. The National Weather Service issues high wind watches and warnings ahead of a storm.

1. The roof. Ask how old it is and what wind rating it has.
2. The fences. Look at how they are built and fastened.
3. Big trees. Note any large tree close to the house.
4. The deductible. Ask the insurer how a wind and hail deductible works.

The rest of the list

Most of the city's homes date from the 1970s to the 1990s. So ask about the age of the roof, the furnace, and the water heater. Ask which secondary water system serves the lot, because some lots have neither. The utilities topic has the split.

One new city rule applies to yards. Since 2026, the city allows no new lawn in the parkstrip, the strip between the sidewalk and the street. It is Ordinance 2026-05.

The reading list for a hillside or older home

1. The maps. Look up the lot on the fault study zone, the FEMA flood map, and the city's hazard map.
2. Seller disclosures. Read what the seller has to tell you about the property.
3. The soils report. On the Main Street grid and west, ask for one before an addition or a new house.
4. Walls and drainage. Look at retaining walls, drainage, and how the yard is watered.
5. The fireworks line. On the east hillside, check whether the lot sits inside the city's fireworks map.
6. Insurance. Ask how the policy treats earth movement and wind.

Some layers of the state hazard maps show nothing in Centerville. That means not mapped online, not no risk.

Ask me about any of these on a home you like, and I will tell you what the record shows. Your agent on the ground can set up the radon test and the inspection.

More on inspections

This is general information, not legal, engineering, or insurance advice. Sources: the Utah Geological Survey (Report of Investigation 267, the fault and liquefaction layers), the federal dam inventory, FEMA, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, and Centerville City. Have a licensed inspector look at any home before you buy.

Sort the financing before the search. Most homes for sale here are older, so the appraisal and the inspection carry real weight. An appraisal is an expert's opinion of what a home is worth, ordered by the lender. A house from the 1970s and a house from the 1990s can read differently on paper. The best first step is to get pre-approved. That means a lender checks your finances and tells you how much you can borrow. It shows what you can spend, and it makes your offer stronger.

Townhomes and condos get a second review. The lender looks at the whole project, not just the unit, and that can change whether a loan is possible. If I am your lender, I can tell you early if a home could be hard to get a loan on.

One loan type does not apply here. USDA loans are for rural homes, and every point tested in Centerville sits inside the USDA's ineligible area. Conventional, FHA, and VA loans are the ones to look at. Utah Housing Corporation runs programs statewide, so ask about the current ones.

Utah's break for a primary home, taxed on 55% of market value, belongs in any budget you compare with another state. The taxes topic explains it.

How my dual role works. I am licensed in both real estate and lending. On any one purchase I take one role. Every role is disclosed, and you are always free to choose your own agent and your own lender. In Centerville, a partner agent I trust does the work on the ground. The full explanation is on How I Work. This section is general information, not financial, legal, or tax advice.

Centerville has its own payroll, but many people who live here drive to work in other towns. Downtown Salt Lake City is about 19 minutes south. The average trip to work is about 20 minutes (Census, 2020 to 2024).

Of the 8,230 workers who live here, about 67 in 100 drive alone and about 5 in 100 carpool. About 23 in 100 work from home, which is close to 1 in 4. Too few ride public transit for the number to mean much. These figures count Centerville workers, wherever the job is.

Jobs inside the city

Management & Training Corporation, called MTC, has its headquarters at 500 North Marketplace Drive. Its About page says it “employs more than 7,000 staff worldwide.” That total covers every office. The Centerville office is only the corporate part. Since 1981, MTC has run Job Corps centers, corrections and detention facilities, and prison medical programs in the U.S., the U.K., and Australia.

The city itself employs people in police, public works, and parks. South Davis Metro Fire has its station at 343 South Main Street. Davis School District runs five schools in town, and the county library has a branch at 45 South 400 West.

Stores matter here too. The city’s 2027 budget plans about $5.6 million from sales tax and about $2.7 million from property tax. The budget says sales tax has stayed strong in recent years but has shown some signs of instability. The stores on Parrish Lane and by I-15 exit 319 are the city’s retail base.

Most jobs are next door. Davis County had about 141,500 covered jobs in March 2026, and the average weekly wage was $1,257 (BLS). Hill Air Force Base is one of Utah’s largest employers. Its South Gate is about 21 minutes north. The county count leaves out military jobs.

Working from home? My guide for remote workers in Utah covers what to check before you move.

Sources: Census ACS 2020 to 2024, BLS County Employment and Wages (March 2026), MTC, the Centerville City budget for 2027, and city records.

There is no hospital inside Centerville. The closest is Lakeview Hospital at 630 East Medical Drive in Bountiful. It is 2.8 miles and about 7 minutes from City Hall. The state licenses it for 125 beds, and it has an emergency room. Lakeview is a Level III trauma center. Trauma levels run from I, the most complete, to V.

Two more Level III hospitals are in Layton. Holy Cross Hospital - Davis, which used to be Davis Hospital and Medical Center, is about 18 minutes away. Intermountain Layton Hospital is about 15. The Level I centers are in the Salt Lake area. They are Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, University of Utah Hospital, and Primary Children’s Hospital.

Sources: the Utah state hospital license list and the Utah Bureau of Emergency Medical Services trauma list (May 2025). Drive times are map estimates in normal traffic.

On military orders? My military PCS guide covers VA loans and timing the move.

Centerville is served by the Davis School District, which had 67,466 students on October 1, 2025. It runs 62 elementary schools, 18 junior highs, and 9 high schools. In Davis, elementary school is kindergarten to grade 6, junior high is grades 7 to 9, and high school is grades 10 to 12.

Four district elementary schools and one junior high sit inside the city. No high school does. Viewmont High is just over the line in Bountiful.

Student counts come from the Utah State Board of Education, October 1, 2025.

Most of the city goes to Centerville Junior High and Viewmont High. Going by a January 2025 copy of the district map, the old Main Street grid feeds Centerville Elementary. The north end feeds Reading, and the south and southwest feed Taylor. The west side and the middle of town feed Stewart.

Two edges differ. A northwest corner near the Farmington line is in the Canyon Creek Elementary, Farmington Junior High, and Farmington High zones. The southeast tip by the Bountiful line is in the Tolman Elementary zone, in Bountiful. Boundaries change from year to year, so confirm the school for any address with the district. Do not guess from a listing.

Charter schools

No charter school sits inside the city. The nearest are Legacy Preparatory Academy in Woods Cross and Spectrum Academy and Wasatch Peak Academy in North Salt Lake. Charter schools are public schools that run their own enrollment, so you apply to each one.

I do not rate schools, and I would be wary of anyone who says which one is best. Check the boundaries and programs yourself, with what matters to you in mind. The links below go to the district and to independent sites.

Ratings and boundaries come from independent third parties and the district, not from me.

Centerville is not a college town. No college campus sits inside the city. But Weber State has a campus in Layton, Davis Technical College is in Kaysville, and the Salt Lake City schools are a short drive south.

Times are map estimates in normal traffic, to the campus, town, or hospital named. Test your own route at your own hour.

Three big north-south routes cross Centerville: I-15, Legacy Parkway, and the FrontRunner train line. The city’s I-15 exit is exit 319 at Parrish Lane. Exit 317 in Bountiful is just south. US-89 runs on I-15 through Centerville, so in town the freeway is US-89 too.

Legacy Parkway (SR-67) opened in September 2008 and has its own interchange at Parrish Lane. A paved trail runs beside it. Big trucks were barred from it until January 1, 2020.

Parrish Lane (SR-105) runs a little over a mile, from Legacy Parkway east to Main Street. Main Street (SR-106) is the old road through the town centers.

Two things add traffic. Lagoon is in Farmington, at exits 322 and 325, and its summer weekends usually slow I-15 through town. And on high wind warnings, UDOT limits high-profile vehicles on I-15 and Legacy Parkway. The east winds topic tells that story.

The city plans work too. Its 2027 budget gets a Main Street waterline ready ahead of the upcoming construction on I-15. Check UDOT for dates before you pick a commute.

From City Hall

• CenterPoint Legacy Theatre~3 min
• Parrish Canyon trailhead~4 min
• Deuel Creek trailhead~5 min
• Woods Cross FrontRunner~7 min
• Lakeview Hospital~7 min
• Station Park~10 min

These times are for normal traffic. Test your own commute at the hour you would drive it.

Exits and road numbers come from road signs and map data. Commute bands are from the Census ACS 2020 to 2024. Drive times are map estimates in normal traffic.

There is no FrontRunner station in Centerville. FrontRunner is the UTA commuter train. The Woods Cross station, at 750 South 800 West, is about 7 minutes from City Hall. The Farmington station, at 450 North 850 West, is about 11. On weekdays, trains come every 30 minutes at peak times. There is no Sunday service.

From Woods Cross, a southbound train reaches North Temple in about 12 minutes and Salt Lake Central in about 16. There is no TRAX light rail in Davis County.

The Legacy Parkway Trail is a bike route south toward Salt Lake County. The lake side topic has the trail.

Details come from the fall 2026 FrontRunner timetable and the UTA project page. Routes and times change, so check rideuta.com before you ride.

Centerville has no airport. Salt Lake City International (SLC) is the airport for all of Davis County. It is about 16 miles from City Hall, about 21 minutes by car.

• Salt Lake City (SLC)~16 mi · ~21 min

The airport is rebuilding in phases. The first Phase 4 gates opened in July 2026. Leave extra time at rush hour and in a storm.

Drive times are map estimates from City Hall in normal traffic. The airport posts its build schedule on slcairport.com.

Centerville sits in the middle of south Davis County, between Bountiful and Farmington. Salt Lake City is south on I-15, and Layton and Ogden are north. These are the towns you will drive to most, all from City Hall.

Bountiful

~3 mi · ~6 min

Farmington

~5 mi · ~8 min

North Salt Lake

~7 mi · ~9 min

Kaysville

~11 mi · ~13 min

Layton

~12 mi · ~16 min

Salt Lake City

~14 mi · ~19 min

Ogden

~25 mi · ~28 min

Park City

~44 mi · ~50 min

Here are more drives people ask about, all from City Hall.

These are map estimates in normal conditions, not official figures. Add time for snow and rush hour, and check your own route.

Going somewhere else? Look up any Utah drive between 138 towns.

Centerville sends one city bill. It covers water, storm drainage, garbage, and recycling, plus green waste if you order it. To set up service, go to City Hall at 250 North Main Street or call 801-295-3477. Public Works is at 655 North 1250 West, 801-292-8232, and handles water shut-off and turn-on.

Check each provider for fees and hours. The city also adds a 6% energy tax to every power and gas bill.

Fire and ambulance service comes from South Davis Metro Fire, with a station at 343 South Main Street. Centerville has its own police department. Water lines carry a backflow device that needs a test every year, and the city sends notices. In 2026 the city barred new lawn in parkstrips and narrow strips. Call 811 before you dig.

Several companies report fiber at the center of Centerville. Xfinity cable is reported everywhere in the city. What you can get depends on the street, so check the exact address before you buy.

Source: the Utah Broadband Center provider data (edited October 1, 2026), checked at one point in the city center. I list who reports service, not speeds or prices.

Centerville is one of the cities that started UTOPIA Fiber, a network that Utah cities built together. For cell service, look at each carrier’s own coverage map for the address.

Moving day is only the start. Here is a short list for your first 90 days in Centerville, in a sensible order.

1. Start your utilitiesSet up the city utility account for water, storm drainage, garbage, and recycling at City Hall. Open the South Davis Sewer District account. Find out which company waters the lot, Deuel Creek or Weber Basin. Then start power with Rocky Mountain Power and gas with Enbridge Gas Utah. Do this a week before you move in.
2. Get your Utah driver licenseThe Driver License Division office is at 631 North Lagoon Drive in Farmington. You need an appointment. There is a written test, and maybe a driving test.
3. Get an emissions testDavis County requires one for most cars. See the box below.
4. Register your carUtah gives you 60 days after you make a permanent home here. The DMV office is at 969 West Clark Lane in Farmington. Pass the emissions test first.
5. Register to voteRegister online at vote.utah.gov, or through the county clerk in Farmington.
6. Confirm the school for your addressCheck with Davis School District, then register. See the schools topic.
7. Check the primary home tax breakUtah taxes a primary home on 55% of its value. The taxes topic has the rule.
8. Test for radonDavis County offers free radon test kits from November to March. The home checks topic has the local test results.

The emissions test

Davis County is one of five Utah counties that require an emissions test. Salt Lake, Utah, Weber, and Cache are the others. A car less than six years old is tested every two years. An older car is tested every year. Electric cars are exempt. You test no more than two months before your registration is due.

A new county rule, dated October 1, 2026, covers most 1996 and newer cars and light trucks. It drops the old tailpipe test. The county web page may still show older wording, so check it. Stations set their own prices. If you bought a car in a county with no test, you have 10 days after you bring it to Davis County to pass one. Tests from other Utah programs count.

Rules and office hours change. Check each office before you go.

Centerville has two supermarkets, and both are on Parrish Lane. Dick’s Market is at 84 West Parrish Lane, near Main Street. The chain’s first store opened in Centerville in 1967 and moved to Parrish Lane in 2012. It has a pharmacy. The Walmart Supercenter is at 221 West Parrish Lane. Target, at 200 North Market Place Drive, also sells groceries.

There is no Smith’s, Harmons, Costco, or Sprouts inside the city. Smith’s, Sprouts, and Natural Grocers are on 500 South in Bountiful. Costco is in West Bountiful. Harmons Station Park in Farmington is the only Harmons in Davis County, about 10 minutes away.

For a big run, Station Park in Farmington has about 50 stores, and downtown Salt Lake City has more. Food and cafes are in the restaurants topic.

Store lists change. These were checked against store pages and maps in October 2026.

Outdoor life in Centerville starts at the top edge of town. The canyon trailheads sit just outside the city line, a few minutes by car from City Hall. The city counts over 30 miles of trails. They run from Deuel Creek and Ford Canyon in the foothills to the Bamberger Trail in town.

From City Hall

• CenterPoint Legacy Theatre~3 min
• Parrish Canyon trailhead~4 min
• Deuel Creek trailhead~5 min
• Woods Cross FrontRunner~7 min
• Lakeview Hospital~7 min
• Station Park~10 min

Deuel Creek and Parrish Canyon

Deuel Creek is the main hike. Three trailheads sit off the east end of 100 South: the Bowl, Deuel Creek South, and Deuel Creek North. The north branch is also called the Centerville Canyon Trail. The full loop is about 4.4 miles with about 1,450 feet of climb. Along the way are a dozen or so log bridges, a rope swing, and a waterfall. The trailheads have no restroom, no water, and no fee, and dogs must stay on a leash. The south trailhead is up a dirt road and takes about 9 minutes from City Hall.

Parrish Canyon starts at the east end of Parrish Lane, by a water tank. It is named for Samuel Parrish. A 0.85 mile walk reaches a panel of rock art. Look at it, but do not touch it, because the law protects it. A 1.95 mile loop reaches Sunset Point, with a view of the Great Salt Lake and Antelope Island. From there, about 1,000 feet of climb leads to the crest road. A full day reaches Bountiful Peak at 9,259 feet. Centerville Peak, at 8,904 feet, is only a bump on the ridge. Rattlesnakes are out in warm months.

Both Parrish trailheads are signed as access to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. That trail follows the old Lake Bonneville shoreline along the foothills. Ford Canyon and Rockwood have trails too, and the Freedom Hills trails are open to hikers and horses. The crest road, Skyline Drive, is usually gated until about June 1.

The canyon mouths are also where the hazard work sits: debris basins, the fault study zone, and the July fireworks line. The home checks topic tells that part.

The seven city parks

All seven city parks are open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Restrooms and water run from April 15 to October 15. Six of the seven have a pavilion you can reserve.

• Fields and courtsCommunity Park1350 North 400 WestEight pickleball courts, six multi-sport fields, four baseball diamonds, and a batting cage. A lighted paved path runs one mile. The July 4 fireworks are here.
• HillsideFreedom Hills Park2150 North 150 EastA nine hole disc golf course, trailheads for hikers and for horses, and a Veterans Memorial.
• HillsideIsland View Park750 East 500 SouthThree connected levels with a playground, turf volleyball, a sports field, and lighted tennis and pickleball courts.
• NatureLee Skabelund Memorial Nature Park100 South 700 EastA pond and a bridge in an undeveloped setting. It has street parking only and no pavilion.
• NeighborhoodPorter-Walton Park95 South 400 WestBasketball courts, a playground, a pavilion, and a paved walking path.
• CreekSmoot Park75 West 1500 NorthTwo pavilions, sand volleyball, two lighted courts, and a natural creek.
• Shade and eventsWilliam R. Smith (Founders) Park300 North 100 EastShade trees, a playground, pavilions, and grills. The July 3 evening, the fall festival, and the tree lighting are held here.

The South Davis Recreation Center is in Bountiful, at 550 North 200 West. It has pools and an ice rink. Most of Centerville is in the South Davis Recreation District.

The lake side: Legacy Parkway Trail and the preserve

The west side of town faces the Great Salt Lake. Legacy Parkway opened in September 2008 with a paved trail beside it and a separate unpaved path. The Legacy Parkway Trail runs about 13 to 14 miles, from North Salt Lake to Farmington. Reports from 2008 say it connects with the old Denver and Rio Grande rail trail and the Jordan River Parkway. The city map lists its Centerville access at 1275 North, off 1250 West.

West of the parkway is the Legacy Nature Preserve, about 2,225 acres set aside when the road was built. UDOT also kept about 20 more acres of wetlands along the road. In 2008 a UDOT official said development will never occur west of the parkway. It is a preserve you see from the trail. The high water table on the west side matters to a buyer, and the home checks topic covers it.

Farmington Bay's bird area and the Eccles Wildlife Education Center are just north, in Farmington. Anyone 18 or older needs a free state permit or a Utah license on the bird area. The Eccles center is exempt.

Sources: the City of Centerville trails and parks pages and its Trails and Bikeways Map, the Davis County and UDOT reports from 2008, and the Utah state parks site. Drive times are map estimates from City Hall at 250 North Main Street. Trail figures are approximate, and rules change, so check before you go.

No national park is close to Centerville. The nearest big open ground is Antelope Island State Park, in the Great Salt Lake. Utah's national parks lie to the south and east. Plan a trip to any of them as a long day or an overnight stay.

The drive times tool times a trip from Centerville to any of 138 towns, including those near the other park entrances.

Drive times are map estimates from City Hall, except the park towns, which are town to town. Fees, hours, and closures change, so check each park's own site.

Davis County has no ski area. From City Hall, Snowbasin is the closest lift-served skiing, about 41 minutes away. Park City Mountain's Canyons Village is about 45 minutes, and the town of Park City is about 50.

The four Cottonwood Canyon resorts sit farther south and east. Use the drive times tool to time a trip to one. Utah resorts usually open in late November, depending on snow. Each resort posts its own opening date every fall.

Drive times are map estimates from City Hall at 250 North Main Street, outside rush hour. Opening dates move every year, so use each resort's own site and the Utah Department of Transportation road report.

Not inside the city. Centerville has no golf course. The only golf in town is the nine hole disc golf course at Freedom Hills Park. Five 18 hole courses sit in the towns around it.

• West BountifulLakeside Golf CourseWest BountifulA public 18 hole course, par 71, open since 1966. It runs a junior golf program and has a grill and cafe.
• BountifulBountiful Ridge Golf ClubBountifulAn 18 hole course, par 71.
• Fruit HeightsDavis Park Golf Course1074 East Nichols Road, Fruit HeightsA public Davis County course with 18 holes, par 71. Tee times are booked online.
• LaytonValley View Golf Course2501 East Gentile Street, LaytonThe county's other public 18 hole course.
• North Salt LakeEaglewood Golf Course1110 East Eaglewood DriveA city owned course with 18 holes, par 71.

Towns nearby: West Bountiful, Bountiful, Fruit Heights, Layton, and North Salt Lake. The outdoor topic has Freedom Hills Park.

Course details come from each course's website and county listings. Fees, hours, and conditions change, so check with the course.

Centerville eats along three roads. The first is Parrish Lane, between Main Street and I-15. The second is Market Place Drive, by exit 319. The third is the frontage road beside the freeway, where the drive-throughs sit. One more place, a pizza shop, stands by itself on south Main Street. The old Main Street grid has almost no restaurants.

The six places below each serve a different kind of food, and each has a record you can check. This is a list of facts, not a ranking, and no one paid to be listed.

Six places people know

• Burgers and shakesTonyburgers100 West Parrish LaneA Utah chain that says it put its first restaurant in Centerville. This store is open every day, with Sunday hours of 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• PizzaZ Brothers Pizza1097 South Main StreetA locally owned pizza place with dine in, take out, and delivery. It lists Tuesday to Saturday hours and is closed Sunday and Monday.
• American diner foodHug-Hes Cafe330 North Marketplace DriveA diner on Market Place Drive. It is one of several Hug-Hes stores in Utah.
• Mexican, sit downLa Puente116 West Parrish LaneA sit down Mexican restaurant in a strip mall on Parrish Lane.
• BreakfastIHOP388 North Marketplace DriveThe breakfast chain lists one store in Centerville.
• Burgers by the freewayIn-N-Out475 North 700 WestA drive-through burger stop on the frontage road at exit 319.

The frontage road also has Chick-fil-A, and Crumbl Cookies is on Market Place Drive. Groceries are in the shopping topic.

For more choices, Bountiful has its Main Street and 500 South a short drive south. Farmington has Station Park, about 10 minutes north.

Each place was listed as open on its own site, the chain's store list, or a 2026 order page in October 2026. Hours change, and small places come and go. Check before you drive.

Centerville is a small city, and two buildings carry its weekend list. One is a theatre with two stages. The other is a stone house that is now a museum. A movie theater, the shops on Parrish Lane, and the parks fill in the rest. Bigger draws sit a few minutes north.

CenterPoint Legacy Theatre

The theatre is in the Davis Center for the Performing Arts, at 525 North 400 West. It has two stages. The main stage seats 551, and the second stage seats about 150. The building covers 62,000 square feet. The theatre says it gives more than 450 performances each year, with musicals all year.

It began in 1990 as Pages Lane Theatre in Centerville. It was later renamed Rodgers Memorial Theatre, and it moved into the Davis Center in January 2011. The cities of Centerville, Bountiful, and West Bountiful support it. This season's list includes Dear Evan Hansen and Frozen. The box office is open Monday to Saturday, and it is closed on Sunday.

The Heritage Museum in the Whitaker House

The museum is at 168 North Main Street, just south of City Hall. The house was built in the 1860s of stone, and the city has owned it since December 1, 1994. The museum is open Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m.

Its best-known story is about silk. Thomas Whitaker brought mulberry clippings to Utah in 1856. The city says the Whitakers are believed to have been the first family in Utah to raise silkworms and spin the silk.

More than two dozen Centerville homes are on the National Register of Historic Places. The city has no historic district, and it has been a Preserve America Community since January 2005. The homes are private, so see them from the sidewalk. The museum runs a guided historic walking tour each May.

The movies and the big runs north

The Megaplex Theatres at Legacy Crossing are at 1075 West Legacy Crossing Boulevard, west of I-15. Lagoon and Station Park are in Farmington, about 10 minutes north. Lagoon usually runs from late March to early November.

Sources: the CenterPoint Legacy Theatre site, the City of Centerville museum pages, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and the Davis County National Register list. Hours and seasons change, so check before you go.

The arts scene here is small, and it is better to say so plainly. Centerville has a theatre and a museum, and both are told in the entertainment topic. The city's recreation, arts, and parks tax, which voters renewed in November 2025, helps pay for parks, the museum, and the performing arts building.

Bigger stages nearby

Details come from the City of Centerville and each venue's own website. Shows and hours change, so check before you go.

The city and its museum run a calendar of events, mostly at William R. Smith Park, Community Park, and the Whitaker House. The dates below are the usual ones. Each year's dates are on the city's events page.

• JanuarySki season. The South Davis Recreation Center in Bountiful has pools and an ice rink.
• FebruarySki season. The CenterPoint Legacy Theatre runs winter shows.
• MarchLagoon usually opens in late March. The museum shows a display for Vestil Harrison Day.
• AprilThe Easter egg hunt at Community Park, usually early in the month, for ages 0 to 14. Park restrooms and water turn on April 15.
• MayThe museum’s guided historic walking tour. Flags of Honor, with more than 500 flags on veterans’ graves at the Centerville Cemetery.
• JuneMovies in the Park begin on summer Fridays. The Kid’s Market is in late June. The Whitaker Tea Party is a ticketed event.
• JulyThe Centerville Freedom Festival: a children’s parade and a Founders night at Smith Park on July 3, then the Freedom Run, the Grand Parade, and fireworks at Community Park on the Fourth.
• AugustMovies in the Park continue. The museum leads a guided community hike.
• SeptemberThe Heritage Fair at the museum, with reenactors. Lagoon’s fall season begins.
• OctoberThe Fall Festival at Smith Park, usually in mid October, with a pumpkin carving contest and crafts. Park water turns off October 15.
• NovemberThe tree lighting at Smith Park, usually near the end of the month. Lagoon closes for the season in early November. Ski areas usually open late in the month.
• DecemberPioneer Christmas at the Whitaker House, with reservations. CenterPoint holiday shows. Ski season.

The Fourth of July

The Centerville Freedom Festival fills the first days of July. The children’s parade and the Founders night come on July 3. The Founders night at William R. Smith Park has a concert and an outdoor movie. On the Fourth, the Freedom Run starts behind City Hall. The Grand Parade follows Main Street from about 1450 North south to Pages Lane, led in by a timed flyover. Party in the Park fills Community Park, and the fireworks are there that night. Times and acts reset each spring, so use the city’s page.

These are the usual months. Dates move each year, so check the city's events page before you plan a trip. Bountiful's Handcart Days and Summerfest are covered in the Bountiful guide.

Centerville sits in the middle of south Davis County. Bountiful touches its south line, and Farmington touches its north line. The county offices are in Farmington. Here are the towns around it and the drive from City Hall.

Day trips

Farther out, you can reach much of northern Utah in a morning. Antelope Island is about 37 minutes to the visitor center. Snowbasin is about 41 minutes, and Park City is about 50.

Drive times are map estimates from City Hall at 250 North Main Street, outside rush hour. They are close, not exact.