Moving to New Harmony, Utah

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

New Harmony is a small town of about 250 people, at about 5,300 feet. It sits at the west edge of a green valley, at the foot of the Pine Valley Mountains. The Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness starts at the west edge of town. The town itself covers less than a square mile. The draw is room, mountain views, dark skies, and a spot between two cities.

The town is small, but the valley is not. About 1,500 people live in the ZIP code, and most homes sit outside the town line, on county land. Those homes sit in named areas such as Kolob Ranch, Blackridge Ranches, Harmony Heights, and New Harmony Farms, and on acreage in between. The communities topic lists them, and the housing market topic has the home counts.

The only road in is the old Highway 144, which has been a county road since 1969. It runs about 5 miles east from town to I-15 at Exit 42, about 10 minutes. Cedar City, about 28 minutes north, is where most people shop and see the doctor. St. George, about 44 minutes south, is the main city of Washington County.

The county is a common mix-up. The town and the valley around it are in Washington County, even though daily errands run north to Cedar City in Iron County.

Fort Harmony came first. A camp on Ash Creek grew into an adobe fort in 1854, and Washington County was run from there until 1859. In January and February of 1862, 28 days of rain dissolved its walls. Families moved west to higher ground and founded New Harmony that year. Others went east to Kanarraville. The town dug a six-mile ditch in 1865 and incorporated in 1935. The monument to the fort is about 9 minutes east of town.

Nothing in town sells food, fuel, or groceries. The post office, the town park, the fire station, and a county library branch are in or near town. The shopping topic lists the nearest stores and fuel. No builder puts up whole subdivisions here. Homes were built one at a time, and the water and septic matter as much as the house does.

Search results for New Harmony often show New Harmony, Indiana. The New Harmony guides on The Local cover the fort, the town ditch, and the Comanche Trail in depth. For the services next door, see Cedar City and Kanarraville.

Sources: the U.S. Census Bureau (250 people in 2025; about 1,500 in the ZIP, 2020 to 2024), the county parcel roll of October 2025, USGS (5,302 feet at Town Hall), and the Washington County Historical Society. Drive times start at Town Hall, 133 E Center St.

New Harmony has four real seasons, and none is extreme. Summers are warm with cool nights. Winters are cold, with snow that comes in storms. Spring is breezy and late. The elevation keeps the valley cooler and greener than St. George, which sits much lower and about 44 minutes south.

New Harmony has its own NOAA weather station. It sits about 1.3 miles southeast of Town Hall and about 135 feet lower. Town sits a little higher, so treat these numbers as close, not exact.

Month by month

These are the normal highs and lows at the New Harmony station.

• JanuaryHigh 45°F, low 21°F
• FebruaryHigh 48°F, low 24°F
• MarchHigh 56°F, low 29°F
• AprilHigh 63°F, low 34°F
• MayHigh 73°F, low 42°F
• JuneHigh 84°F, low 50°F
• JulyHigh 90°F, low 58°F
• AugustHigh 88°F, low 56°F
• SeptemberHigh 81°F, low 48°F
• OctoberHigh 68°F, low 37°F
• NovemberHigh 55°F, low 27°F
• DecemberHigh 44°F, low 21°F

Source: NOAA climate normals, 1991 to 2020, the New Harmony station (USC00426181).

Frost lasts into spring. The last spring freeze usually comes around May 9. One year in ten it comes as late as May 29. The first fall freeze usually comes around October 11. That leaves about 155 frost-free days, so plan a garden with that in mind. About 148 nights a year drop to freezing or lower.

Snowmelt fills the creeks and the irrigation ditches in spring, and the valley greens up fast. Dirt roads go soft for a while. Fall is the showpiece season, with cool, clear days and color on the mountain. It is also a good time for the trails before the snow.

A normal year brings about 17.5 inches of rain and melted snow. Winter storms bring most of it, and August adds a bump from summer storms. The driest month is June.

A normal year brings about 38 inches of snow at the New Harmony station. That is real winter, but far less than Cedar City, which gets about 60. January and February are the snowiest months here. Cedar City peaks in December and March.

Snow comes in storms. A normal year has about 11 days with an inch or more of new snow. February has the most, at about 3. Snow comes and goes in the valley, while the mountain above town holds it much longer.

Snow by month, at the New Harmony station

• January10.9 inches
• February11.7 inches
• March3.8 inches
• April2.1 inches
• May to Septembernone
• October0.3 inch
• November3.5 inches
• December5.8 inches

Brian Head, about 1 hour and 5 minutes away, is the place for deep snow and skiing. Snow in town is a lighter thing. Expect to shovel a few times a winter and to wait out a storm now and then.

Source: NOAA climate normals, 1991 to 2020, New Harmony station (snow figures are provisional in five months).

Summers here are warm, not harsh. A normal July afternoon reaches about 90°F. Nights cool into the upper 50s, so you can open the windows by dark. St. George reaches about 102°F in the same month.

Hot days do happen. A normal year has about 36 days at 90°F or hotter, and about one day at 100°F or more. July has about 16 of the hot days, August about 11, and June about 7.

Late summer brings storms. They build on hot afternoons in July and August, and August averages about 1.8 inches of rain. Heavy rain can send fast water down a wash or a canyon, so watch the forecast before a hike, even on a clear morning.

Source: NOAA climate normals, 1991 to 2020, the New Harmony station (USC00426181).

Some, and spring is the windy season. Nothing in town measures wind, so the nearest record is at the Cedar City airport, about 25 miles away by road. It averages about 7 miles an hour over the year. Spring is the windiest time, at about 9 miles an hour. Winter is the calmest, at about 6.

In spring, gusts of 30 miles an hour or more show up in about 8 percent of the hours at the airport. In winter it is about 3 percent. New Harmony sits at the foot of a mountain, so the wind in town can feel different from the open ground at the airport.

Source: daily wind readings at Cedar City Regional Airport, 2006 to 2025, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet. New Harmony has no wind station.

An inversion is when cold air gets trapped in a valley under a lid of warmer air, and haze builds for days. The Salt Lake Valley is the place known for it. Nothing measures it in New Harmony, so I will not call it a problem here.

Cold air does settle on the low ground on clear winter nights. The nearest state air monitor is in Enoch, about 30 miles north by road. Washington County and Iron County are not on the EPA list of places that fail the air standards.

Iron County has few bad air days, and most come in summer. Fine particles, the tiny bits in smoke and haze, climb out of the good range mostly from June to September. The worst day since 2020 was in August 2021. From 2020 to 2025 the county had 6 winter days out of the good range. Salt Lake County had 249.

Smoke is the air issue to know about. In summer 2026 the Cottonwood Fire in Beaver Canyon, far to the north, put up smoke that drivers could see along I-15. No monitor in town counts smoke days. The Dixie National Forest also ran Stage 1 and Stage 2 fire restrictions that summer, and burning trash is illegal across Utah.

Check the air on any day at the state's air quality site, the way you check the weather.

Sources: the Utah Division of Air Quality, EPA AirData for Iron County (2020 to 2025), KUTV, and the Dixie National Forest.

Housing is the biggest cost in New Harmony. The glance box at the top of this page shows the Census typical home value. Compare it with the same box on the Cedar City and St. George pages.

Many homes here sit on acreage, and prices swing a lot from one property to the next. The land, the water and the outbuildings are part of the price. So a home here does not line up well against a house in a city neighborhood. Compare what the whole property gives you.

Daily costs follow the rest of Washington County. A few costs run higher here. There is no grocery store in town, so you drive about 25 minutes to the Walmart in Cedar City. Homes use septic tanks, so there is no sewer bill. Water comes from the town, a private water company or a well. At about 5,300 feet you have a real winter, so plan for heating bills.

The honest comparison: against St. George, you trade the warm desert for height, green fields and room. Against Cedar City, you trade a town's services for quiet, half an hour away. I can run the real numbers side by side for the places you are weighing.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024; Utah State Tax Commission, 2025 property tax report and sales tax rates for October 2026. Rates change, so ask me for today's 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. Here is each one in plain terms, with the rates in effect in October 2026.

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, up to one acre of land. You qualify if it is your main home for at least 183 days each year. Second homes, cabins, and land without a home you live in are taxed on the full value.

Washington County already requires owners to apply for the break. You can apply online or call the county assessor at 435-301-7020. Starting January 1, 2027, Utah law requires an application when a home changes owners.

Town fees and car fees

The town runs its own water system, so it sets its own water fees. The town does not post a fee schedule online. Ask the town office at 435-865-7522 what a hookup and a month of water cost. Water outside the town line is billed by the private company that serves the address.

Washington County has no emissions test. Utah charges a fee at registration that depends on the age of the car.

Sources: Utah State Tax Commission (sales tax rates for October 2026, the 2025 property tax report, the residential exemption FAQ); Utah Code 59-2-103.5; Utah DMV; New Harmony Town Council minutes, 2026. Questions about your own bill go to the Washington County 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 Census typical home value, which is what owners say their homes are worth. New Harmony is a small, land-driven market. Often only a handful of homes are for sale at one time. A single large ranch or bare parcel can move the average a lot. So ask me for current numbers.

Most homes sit outside the town line, on county land. In the town, the Census counts about 150 homes, and all are detached houses. About two in three homes people live in are owned by the people in them. The median home was built in 1982. In the valley, meaning the 84757 ZIP code, about 82% are owner-lived and the median home was built in 2002. Those are Census estimates for 2020 to 2024, and they carry a wide margin.

County records from October 2025 show 120 homes inside the town line and about 590 more out in the valley. A typical lot under a town home is about 0.91 acre. About one home in four in town is not a primary home, so it is a second home or a rental. The town does not allow mobile homes inside its limits. Manufactured and modular homes are allowed as permanent homes.

Value here lives in the land and the water as much as the house. Read those first on any listing. On acreage, irrigation shares can be worth about as much as the dirt, and they pass only by the wording in the deed. A parcel with shares and one without are very different buys. The before you buy topic has the water checks.

Nightly rentals and animals

Inside the town, a nightly rental needs a yearly conditional use approval. The town limits it to four guest rooms and eight guests. The town site holds two versions of the nightly-rental rule and two versions of the livestock rule. They differ on where the owner must live and on how much land each animal needs. Ask the town clerk which version governs before you count on rental income or plan a barn. Land outside the town line follows Washington County rules. The vacation rental guide covers the Utah rules.

What sells here

Shop by price

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 (estimates with a wide margin); Washington County parcel records, October 2025; New Harmony Land Use Ordinance (2020) and the town's 2018 animal and vacation rental ordinance.

New Harmony is one valley, not a set of subdivisions. The town sits at the west edge, at the foot of the Pine Valley Mountains. The land falls east and south toward Ash Creek and the freeway. Most homes outside town are west of I-15. Here are the named areas, from the town outward. Lot sizes and build years come from Washington County parcel records.

• Town centerThe townsiteCenter Street and Main, the old gridAbout 27 homes, built from 1888 to 2005. A typical lot is about 0.7 acre. This is the everyday center, with the town hall, the fire station and the town park.
• Town edgesInside the town lineNorth to 325 North, west toward Trailhead Road, east to 400 EastAbout 91 homes on parcels outside any recorded subdivision. A typical lot is about one acre. Ten homes here were built from 2020 to 2025. The trailhead lot is about 4 minutes from Town Hall.
• Hillside northNorth of townAbout 2 miles north, about 6 minutesAbout 24 homes on parcels of about 10 acres, with a typical build year of 2018. North Valley Ranches and North Canyon Ranches are two of the plats.
• Hillside northKolob HeightsAbout 2.6 miles, about 7 minutes21 lots of about 5 acres, and no homes today. All of them sit on the state's high-priority flood fan, so read the home checks topic.
• SoutheastHarmony HeightsAbout 1.9 miles southeast, about 7 minutesAbout 60 homes on lots of about 1.7 acres, built from 1994 to 2024. This area sits outside the town line, and its water comes from the Harmony Heights Water Company.
• EastFort Harmony and Doug ThorleyAbout 3 to 4 miles, 9 to 10 minutesAbout 12 homes. Doug Thorley lots run about 20 acres, and the Fort Harmony lots by the old fort site about 3 acres. The fort monument is here.
• Toward I-15New Harmony FarmsAbout 5 miles, 12 to 13 minutesAbout 115 homes on lots of about 1.2 to 1.7 acres. Unit 4 sits just east of the freeway at Exit 42, the only homes in the valley on that side. Harmony Farms Water Users appears to serve this area, so confirm the water source for each home.
• SouthBlackridge RanchesAbout 8 miles south, about 18 minutesThe largest plat in the valley. About 190 homes sit on parcels of about 5 acres, built from 1989 to 2023. Roughly one in five lots is still open.
• SouthKolob RanchAbout 9 miles south, about 19 minutesAbout 100 homes on parcels of about 5 acres. This is the fastest-growing area, with about 40 homes built since 2020.
• County acreageAround town1 to 3 miles out, all sidesAbout 86 homes on unplatted parcels with a typical size of 20 acres. County rules apply. Ask whether a parcel has a well and a water right.

Zoning in town and on county land

The town has rural residential zones with lot minimums from half an acre to 5 acres, and its 2022 zoning map also shows a 10-acre zone. Its RA zone sets a 20-acre minimum. The county handles the land outside town under the New Harmony Valley Overlay, which protects the views along the old highway. New county zoning around town is 5 acres or more.

Because the market is small, what is for sale changes fast. Tell me what you are looking for, and I will keep an eye out for the right place. You can also browse every New Harmony home for sale. Cedar City, about 28 minutes north, has more shopping and services.

Locations, lot sizes and build years come from the Washington County parcel roll (October 2025). Lot sizes are typical sizes in those records, not zoning minimums. Drive times are from Town Hall, 133 E Center Street.

No large builder works in New Harmony, and homes go up one at a time. The valley added 16 to 29 homes a year from 2018 to 2024. Most were in Kolob Ranch, which has about 40 homes built since 2020. Blackridge Ranches and unplatted county land each added about 14. Inside the town line, 10 homes were built from 2020 to 2025.

A new home here usually means buying land and building. You do not pick a finished home off a list. That makes the lot, water, septic, access and the build contract the whole job, and a build often takes a year or more. Many buyers come to the valley for this reason, and I can point you to builders who already work here and know its water. Large builder communities are in the Cedar City area, and the Cedar City new homes page shows them.

What a lot needs

Water comes first. The town system serves lots inside the town line, and three private water companies serve areas outside it. The town does not post its hookup fees, so ask the town office. A lot on a private well needs a valid water right, which the home checks topic explains.

Every new building in town must connect to an approved septic system, because there is no sewer. On county land, plan for 2.5 acres of land for each home on septic. Septic permits go through the Southwest Utah Public Health Department. The town needs a building permit and a site plan. Homes in town can be up to 2.5 stories or 35 feet tall.

About 160 platted lots outside the town line had no home in October 2025. Kolob Ranch had 56 of them, Blackridge Ranches 43 and Kolob Heights 21. The county counted 294 empty lots in 2011. Some open parcels are side lots or pasture, so check the zone and the lot size before you fall for one.

A 17-lot plat of about 95 acres, called Kolob Canyon View Estates, was on the county planning agenda in January 2026. It would have 5-acre lots, with one septic system on each lot and a water letter from the county water district. Ask the county planning office where it stands.

Buying new works differently from buying resale. I am licensed in both real estate and lending, and on any one purchase I take one role. If I am your lender, I can line up a construction loan early so nothing surprises you at the framing stage. Builders often cover the buyer agent fee, and I put that in writing before you sign.

Sources: Washington County parcel roll (October 2025), counted by year built; New Harmony Land Use Ordinance (2020); county planning agenda, January 2026; Utah Division of Water Rights, Area 81 policy. Counts are approximate, and rules change. The listings page is the fastest way to see what is open.

Every town has its own list of things to check. New Harmony has a few, and water comes first. None of them should scare you off. They are the questions I would ask about any home here, and some have a free map you can look up for one address.

Freeway noise matters only near Exit 42. The town is about 5 miles from I-15, so only New Harmony Farms Unit 4 and a few county parcels sit next to it.

Private wells need a water test for radium and other natural minerals as well as the usual bacteria and nitrate. The town's own water carries natural radium and stays under the federal limit.

I will walk through each of these with you on any home you like, and tell you what I see.

This is general information, not legal, engineering, or insurance advice. Sources: FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer (map effective April 2, 2009); Utah Geological Survey active alluvial-fan inventory; EPA drinking water records and the town's 2025 water quality report; Utah Division of Water Rights, Area 81; Utah forestry and fire division; Utah radon results (2019); Washington County valley plan. Have a licensed inspector look at any home before you buy.

The best thing you can do before you shop for a home is get pre-approved. That means a lender checks your finances and tells you how much you can borrow. It shows you what you can spend, and it makes your offer stronger when the right home comes up. In a small market like New Harmony, being ready the day the right home appears matters.

Acreage does not finance like a house on a city lot. A custom home on a well, a horse property, bare land for a later build, and a parcel with water shares each follow a different path to a loan. In a small, mixed market, the appraisal takes careful work too. Know which path you are on from day one. If I am your lender, I can tell you early if a home could be hard to get a loan on.

Buyers here use every kind of loan, including conventional, FHA, and VA. USDA loans have a map of eligible areas. On USDA's map, the spots checked in and around New Harmony sit outside the ineligible area, while St. George and Cedar City are inside it. Check any address on the map.

New Harmony is in the federal flood program, so flood insurance can be bought here. The before you buy topic shows where the flood zone runs, so ask an insurance agent about it early.

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. The full explanation is on How I Work. This section is general information, not financial, legal, or tax advice.

New Harmony has no stores, offices, or factories of its own, so most people who live here drive to work. In the census survey for 2020 to 2024, about 64% of town workers had a job in Washington County. About 36% worked in another Utah county. Cedar City, in Iron County, is the nearest large job center to the north.

About 8 in 10 workers get there by car. The biggest group, about half of town commuters, travels 30 to 34 minutes. That is the length of the run to Cedar City. About 1 in 8 travels an hour or more. The traffic topic has the road details.

Some people work from home. The same survey counts about 1 in 6 town workers, and about 1 in 8 in the whole valley. Those shares come from a small sample, so treat them as loose. If your job depends on the internet, check the exact address first. The internet topic shows how.

Big employers around the region include Southern Utah University, the Iron County School District, Cedar City Hospital, and Walmart in Cedar City. In Washington County they include the Washington County School District, SkyWest, and Utah Tech University. Farming and the land are still part of the valley, but the town itself has no business district.

Sources: the U.S. Census Bureau survey for 2020 to 2024 (a small town, so the shares are loose). Also the Utah Department of Workforce Services employer list (2025). Employer lists change.

There is no clinic in New Harmony. Health care means a drive, and the valley sits between two hospitals. Both belong to Intermountain Health.

Intermountain Cedar City Hospital is at 1303 North Main Street, about 32 minutes north. It has an emergency room open all day, every day, and it is a Level IV trauma center. That means it treats most injuries and sends the most serious ones on to a larger hospital. Cedar City InstaCare on South Sage Drive, about 27 minutes away, is for after hours care that is not an emergency.

Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital is at 1380 East Medical Center Drive, about 44 minutes south. It is a Level II trauma center, which means it handles more serious cases. A 24 hour emergency room and an urgent care also sit in Hurricane. They are about 42 minutes away, so they are no closer in time than St. George.

In an emergency, call 911. The Harmony Valley Fire District covers the whole valley from the station at 133 East Center Street. The distance to care is worth planning for before you buy.

Moving on military orders? My military PCS guide covers VA loans and timing.

Sources: the Intermountain hospital pages, the town and fire district pages, and a road-routing model run from Town Hall, checked October 2026. Services change, so call before you go. Who runs the ambulance was not posted.

There is no school in New Harmony. The town is in the Washington County School District, and students ride a district bus to a school elsewhere in the district. The district buses grades K to 5 if they live 1.5 miles or more from school. For grades 6 to 12 the line is 2 miles.

I cannot tell you which school serves a New Harmony address. The district's online boundary maps stop south of the valley, so they do not show it. Call the district to confirm the school and the bus stop for the exact address you are considering. Do that before you make an offer.

Elementary school runs kindergarten to grade 5. Intermediate runs grades 6 to 7, middle school grades 8 to 9, and high school grades 10 to 12. The district counted 34,396 students on October 1, 2025. Ask how long the bus ride is from your address.

I do not rate schools, and I would be wary of anyone who tells you which one is best. The links below go to the district and to independent sources so you can look for yourself.

Ratings and boundaries come from the district and independent third parties, not from me. The district's online maps were checked in October 2026.

New Harmony is not a college town, but the freeway puts a campus within reach in each direction. Southern Utah University is in Cedar City, about 28 minutes north. Southwest Technical College, also in Cedar City, teaches trades and career training.

To the south, Utah Tech University is in St. George, about 43 minutes away. Dixie Technical College is in St. George too. A returning student, or a high schooler taking college classes, can reach any of these without living in a campus town. Many degrees can also be done online, so check your internet before you plan on that.

Sources: the schools' own sites and a road-routing model run from Town Hall. Programs change.

Traffic in New Harmony is light. The town is small, and the valley roads carry mostly neighbors. You will not sit in a jam here.

The freeway is not in the valley. The road in is the old Highway 144, which some people call the New Harmony road. It was a state highway until 1969 and is now a county road. It runs about 5 miles from Exit 42 on I-15 to town, about 10 minutes by car. Exit 42 is the only door.

The commute is the part to plan for. The biggest group of town commuters drives about half an hour, and the jobs topic has the numbers and where people work.

Winter is the other part. The valley gets about 38 inches of snow in a normal year, and I-15 can slow down in a storm. The weather topic has the numbers. The town keeps its own roads. Many valley roads on county land stay in the shape they were platted in, so ask whether a road is paved and who plows it. The home checks topic covers roads.

Sources: the census survey for 2020 to 2024 (small town, wide margins) and the town and county road records. Times come from a road-routing model run from Town Hall. No traffic counts were found. The routing model runs the old highway slowly, so the Exit 42 time may be a few minutes long.

New Harmony has no public transportation. SunTran runs only in St. George, Ivins, and Washington, with a route to Springdale. The Cedar Area Transit Service runs inside Cedar City only. Neither one reaches the valley. The census survey for 2020 to 2024 counts no one in town who rides transit to work.

Plan on a car for daily life, as in most of rural Southern Utah. Groceries, a doctor, school, and work are all a drive away. If you will not drive, think hard about the trips you need before you move.

The airports topic shows the nearest flights.

Source: a check of public transit in Washington and Iron counties, October 2026. Routes can start, so ask the county before you rely on this.

New Harmony has no airport. The nearest airline airport is Cedar City Regional (CDC), about 32 minutes north. SkyWest flies there as Delta Connection, with regular flights to Salt Lake City.

• Cedar City (CDC)~25 mi · ~32 min
• St. George (SGU)~46 mi · ~1 hr

St. George Regional Airport (SGU) is about an hour south. Delta flies to Salt Lake City, United to Denver and Los Angeles, and American to Phoenix and Dallas-Fort Worth. Harry Reid International in Las Vegas (LAS) has the widest choice of flights. It is about 3 hours away by car. The Las Vegas Strip is a bit closer, at about 2 hours 40 minutes.

Sources: the St. George airport flight board (October 2026), the county airport lists, and a road-routing model run from Town Hall. Flight lists change by season, so check each airport's board before you book.

New Harmony sits about 5 miles off I-15, between Cedar City and St. George. Here is how long common trips take from Town Hall.

• Trailhead, end of Trailhead Rd~4 min
• Fort Harmony monument~9 min
• Kolob Canyons~10 to 15 min
• Walmart, Cedar City~25 min
• Cedar City Hospital~32 min
• Zion, south entrance~1 hr

These longer drives are from Town Hall too.

Kanarraville

~9 mi · ~20 min

Cedar City

~22 mi · ~28 min

St. George

~40 mi · ~44 min

Brian Head

~52 mi · ~1 hr 5 min

Las Vegas Strip

~162 mi · ~2 hr 40 min

Salt Lake City

~272 mi · ~4 hr

Going somewhere else? Look up any Utah drive between 138 towns. Trails and the parks are in the outdoors and national parks topics, and the towns around are in the nearby topic.

Drive times come from a road-routing model, run from New Harmony Town Hall in October 2026. The model runs the old highway slowly, so short trips may be a few minutes shorter. Real trips vary with weather and the season.

Almost nobody puts this on a real estate site, but it is what you need in your first week. In this valley the answers depend on the address. Only about 1 in 6 of the valley's homes sit inside the town limits. The rest sit on county land, where town water and town roads do not reach.

Water is the first thing to check. The town system serves homes inside the town line. The home checks topic explains the water, the water rights, and the septic rules in full.

The town office is at 133 East Center Street, in the fire station. No office hours are posted, so call first.

Phone numbers come from town, county, and company pages, and water systems from the state drinking water records, checked in October 2026. They can change. The town posts no water fee list, so ask the office. Which private company serves a given address was not posted.

Fiber is available in much of New Harmony. The state broadband map shows SC Broadband, from South Central Communications, with fiber to the home at 7 of the 9 spots checked. Those included the town office, both ends of town, and four spots across the valley.

Two spots had no fiber. They were the far north end of town on Broad Hollow Drive and the far west edge of town. Those showed only fixed wireless and satellite. Fixed wireless sends internet through the air from a nearby tower. InfoWest offers it across the valley, and Starlink, HughesNet, and Viasat offer satellite. The map reports no cable provider.

Service can change from one street to the next, so check the exact address before you make an offer. Check your cell carrier's coverage map for the address too.

Sources: the Utah broadband map (data edited October 1, 2026), tested at nine spots. I list who offers service, not speeds or prices. Cell coverage was not tested.

Moving day is only the start. Here is the short list for your first 90 days in New Harmony, in the order most people do it. Group your errands, because the county and state offices are in Hurricane and St. George, and the town office posts no hours.

1. Turn on the utilitiesCall the town office at 435-865-7522 if the home is on town water. Call Rocky Mountain Power for power, and Enbridge Gas Utah or a propane company for heat. Ask the seller who serves a home on county land.
2. Get your Utah driver licenseThe only license office in Washington County is in Hurricane, at 102 South 5300 West. It is about 39 minutes away. Bring proof of who you are and proof of your Utah address.
3. Register your carUtah gives you 60 days after you set up a permanent home. Washington County has no emissions test.
4. Register to voteDo it online at vote.utah.gov, or ask the Washington County Clerk at 435-301-7248.
5. Claim the primary home tax breakWashington County asks owners to apply for the primary home exemption, online or at 435-301-7020. The taxes topic explains it.
6. Sign up for schoolCall the Washington County School District to confirm the school and the bus stop for your address. Then enroll through the district.
7. Learn your trash and recyclingCall Washington County Solid Waste at 435-673-2813 to learn how pickup works at your address. The utilities topic lists the recycling sites.
8. Get a library cardThe New Harmony Branch of the Washington County Library is at 34 South 2900 East, about 3.5 miles east of the town center. Call 435-867-0065 for hours.
9. Stop at the post officeThe post office is in town, next to the town center. The town's own site calls it the community's gathering place.

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

There is no grocery store, restaurant, or gas station inside New Harmony. The town has a post office and a branch library. Everything else means a drive. The restaurants topic covers places to eat.

Fuel

The nearest fuel is the Shell at Exit 42, about 11 minutes from town. Its pumps are open all day and night, and it has diesel and a store. Going north, the next fuel is the Sinclair at Hamilton Fort by Exit 51, about 21 minutes away. Going south, the Sinclair at Anderson Junction by Exit 27 is about 25 minutes away. Kanarraville has no station.

Groceries and everyday stores

Cedar City is where people shop. The big stores on South Main Street and Providence Center Drive come first, since you reach them before downtown. Walmart is about 25 minutes away. Natural Grocers, Smith's, and the downtown Lin's Fresh Market are 26 to 28 minutes. Cedar City beats St. George for groceries by about 15 minutes. A new Lin's opened in Enoch on September 21, 2026, but it is farther than Cedar City, at about 38 minutes.

Hardware, farm supply, and markets

C-A-L Ranch and IFA, both on South Main in Cedar City, sell farm and ranch supplies. C-A-L Ranch also sells propane and hunting and fishing licenses. They are about 26 to 28 minutes away. Cedar City has farmers markets too. The downtown market runs every Saturday all year, the IFA market runs on Saturdays, and Midvalley holds one on Wednesdays from May to October. For Target, the mall, Lowe's, and Best Buy, head to St. George and Washington, about 40 to 50 minutes south.

Store lists and hours change. These come from store, town, and county pages and a road-routing model run from Town Hall, checked in October 2026. Store hours at Exit 42 were not confirmed.

New Harmony sits at the foot of a mountain wilderness. The trailhead is about 4 minutes from Town Hall, so the Comanche Trail is the town's own front door to the high country. The national parks are in the national parks topic, and the ski resort is in the skiing topic.

Horse country and dark skies

The acreage and pasture across the valley make this real horse and hobby farm country, with riding out the back gate. The night sky is dark here, with few lights. The town holds no dark sky certification. Zion and Cedar Breaks do, and the national parks topic tells you about them.

Check the closure and the fire rules first

The Forsyth Fire burned about 15,675 acres on the far side of the mountain in 2025. It started with lightning on June 19 and was fully contained on August 7. A Forest Service order has closed the Pine Valley Recreation Area on that far side while crews repair it. The order does not name the Comanche Trail, the Anderson Valley Trail or the New Harmony trailhead. Even so, call the Forest Service before a big hike. Snow can stay on the upper trails into June, and fire restrictions on the Dixie National Forest change through the summer.

Trail facts come from the Forest Service Comanche Trail page, its Anderson Valley page and Wilderness.net. Check the closure order before you go. Drive times are map estimates from Town Hall with no traffic.

Kolob Canyons, the quiet north entrance to Zion National Park, is about 7 miles away, or 10 to 15 minutes. It is the closest park to town. It is at I-15 Exit 40, the next exit south of the New Harmony exit. No road links town to the park, so you drive out to the freeway first. The county tourism office lists the visitor center with a New Harmony address.

Kolob Canyons has a 5 mile scenic drive under cliff walls about 2,000 feet tall, and over 20 miles of trail. Timber Creek Overlook is a 1 mile round trip. Taylor Creek is 5 miles round trip and passes two homestead cabins. Kolob Arch is a 14 mile round trip from Lee Pass. At 287 feet, it is the sixth longest natural arch in the world and the second longest in the United States. The road is open for most of the year, but it closes often in winter.

Zion's 2026 fee is $35 per private vehicle for 7 days. Check the Zion conditions page and the Cedar Breaks conditions page before you go. Zion became a dark sky park in 2021 and Cedar Breaks in 2017. Drive times are map estimates from Town Hall with no traffic.

Brian Head Resort is the closest ski area, about 1 hour 5 minutes from town. You drive north to Cedar City, then climb the canyon road. The resort's base is at 9,600 feet, the highest base in the state.

The lifts usually open in November. In summer the lifts also carry mountain bikers and hikers.

Thinking about a place up the mountain? See the Brian Head page. Resort facts come from the resort. The drive time is a map estimate from Town Hall with no traffic.

No. New Harmony has no golf course. The nearest one is Cedar Ridge, in Cedar City, which is about 28 minutes north. It is a public, city-owned course with 18 holes and a par of 72.

In the St. George area, Sky Mountain in Hurricane and Copper Rock each have 18 holes, and Sand Hollow Resort has 27. Disc golf is closer to home, with an 18 hole course at Thunderbird Gardens in Cedar City and a city course in Enoch.

Course details come from the Cedar Ridge and city course pages. Call ahead for conditions. Drive times are map estimates from Town Hall with no traffic.

There is no restaurant inside the town limits. The Shell at Exit 42 is open 24 hours, with diesel and a store. The nearest sit-down meal is Fire + Smoke BBQ in Kanarraville, about 20 minutes. It serves Texas style barbecue at 240 S Main. Call ahead to ask about days and hours.

For more choice, eating out means Cedar City, about half an hour north. The same barbecue business runs a second, larger spot at 225 N Main there. The six places below are well known in Cedar City. This is not a ranking.

• Steak and seafoodMilt's Stage Stop3560 E Highway 14, up Cedar CanyonA log cabin steakhouse that has served diners since 1956. It opens at 5 pm.
• Ranch houseRusty's Ranch House2275 E Highway 14, up Cedar CanyonSteaks, ribs and pasta, open Monday to Saturday evenings.
• PizzaCentro Woodfired Pizzeria50 W Center St, downtownWood-fired pizza, salads and craft beer. The tourism office suggests a reservation.
• ItalianChef Alfredo's Ristorante Italiano2313 W Highway 56Pasta, meats and seafood, on the west side of Cedar City.
• MexicanLas Flores Family Mexican Restaurant126 N Main St, downtownA family-run spot on the main downtown block.
• Pub foodThe Pub Spirits + Craft Kitchen86 W Center St, downtownComfort food, with brunch on weekends and a full menu at dinner.

Groceries, fuel and the rest are in the shopping topic. St. George, about 44 minutes south, has the widest list of restaurants.

I chose these six for age, local ownership or landmark status, using each place's own site and the Visit Cedar City dining posts. Hours change, so check before you go. Sources: Visit Cedar City downtown dining and Fire + Smoke BBQ on Instagram. Drive times are map estimates from Town Hall.

New Harmony has no theater, movie house or ticketed venue. Weekends here are riding, gardening, hiking and quiet neighbors. For a bigger night out, you borrow the culture of Cedar City and St. George.

• ParkTown ParkBeside the fire stationA playground, horseshoe pits, a baseball backstop and picnic tables. You can reserve it through the town clerk. It is also where the Apple Festival is held.
• ParkComanche Nature ParkWest of townA 40 acre natural area with hiking trails and picnic tables.
• HistoryFort Harmony site and monumentEast of town, by the freewayThe old fort site is on the National Register of Historic Places. A monument has stood there since 1936. It is about 9 minutes from Town Hall. The overview tells the story.
• LibraryNew Harmony Branch Library34 S 2900 EA branch of the Washington County Library, with a makerspace. Check its hours before you go.
• HikingThe Comanche and Anderson Valley trailsTrailhead about 4 minutes awayThe outdoor recreation topic has the details.

Cedar City is about 28 minutes north. It has movies, shopping, Southern Utah University events and the Utah Shakespeare Festival. St. George is about 44 minutes south, with bigger shopping and the regional airport.

Hours and dates change. Check each place before you go. Park facts come from the town's parks page. Drive times are map estimates from Town Hall.

New Harmony has no theater, gallery or museum of its own. The arts season is in Cedar City, about 28 minutes north. Here is where to find it.

Details come from the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Seasons and times change, so check before you go. Drive times are map estimates from Town Hall.

New Harmony's own big day is the Apple Festival and Fall Harvest. It is usually held on the second Saturday in October, from 10 am to 3 pm, at Town Park. Entry is free. The 2026 page lists more than 80 vendors, plus music, kids' games, local produce and New Harmony apples. Proceeds go to the volunteer fire department. The department's support group also lists a Christmas event and a pancake breakfast, so check its site for dates.

The town posts no July 4 or July 24 program. The rest of the year runs on Cedar City, so these are the usual months. Dates move each year.

• January and FebruaryWinter storms. Cedar City Music Arts holds concerts.
• MarchThe Utah Summer Games begin their first events in Cedar City.
• MaySummer farmers markets open in Cedar City.
• JuneThe Utah Shakespeare Festival opens in Cedar City, and its free Greenshow begins.
• JulyThe Cedar Breaks Wildflower Festival is held in early July.
• SeptemberThe Iron County Fair is held in Parowan.
• OctoberThe New Harmony Apple Festival fills a Saturday. The Shakespeare season ends, and the Cedar Livestock and Heritage Festival fills a weekend in Cedar City.
• NovemberBrian Head usually opens for skiing.
• DecemberThe Orchestra of Southern Utah plays the Messiah in Cedar City.

These are the usual months, and times change each year. Check the Apple Festival page and the town's site before you plan a trip.

New Harmony sits at the north end of Washington County, a short way from the freeway. Cedar City is close to the north, and St. George is a longer drive south. Here is what sits around it, with drive times from Town Hall.

Pine Valley, the town on the far side of the mountain, is about 1.5 hours by road. Kolob Canyons and Zion are in the national parks topic. Las Vegas and Salt Lake City are in the getting around topic.

Drive times are map estimates from New Harmony Town Hall with no traffic.

Weighing the cities on either side? See the Cedar City page or the St. George page. Want to compare? Compare New Harmony with other Utah cities side by side.