Moving to Paragonah, Utah

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

Paragonah is a small farm town of about 580 people, at about 5,900 feet. It sits at the north end of the Parowan Valley, where Red Creek comes out of the hills. I-15 runs about a mile to the northwest, and the town has its own exit, Exit 82. Main Street is State Route 271, and it runs north to the exit and south to Parowan.

The town plan puts it plainly: Paragonah is a community of homes. There is no store, cafe, or fuel stop in town, only a post office. Most people who live here work somewhere else. Parowan, about 9 minutes south, has the groceries, the clinic, the schools, and the Iron County offices. Cedar City, the main city of Iron County, is about 27 minutes south.

Settlers came to Red Creek in the early 1850s, and the town was first called Red Creek. A fort of about 105 feet on a side went up in 1855, and it was torn down in 1879. Paragonah was incorporated in 1916. The name is Southern Paiute, and people translate it as red water, many springs, or many watering holes. One house in town is on the National Register of Historic Places, the Ensign-Smith House on North Main.

The valley held a village long before that. The Fremont, a farming people, lived here from about A.D. 700 to 1300, and their village was one of the largest known in Utah. A small piece of it is now a private preserve. The arts and culture topic tells its story.

What the town offers is a quiet street, a big lot, and room for a garden or a few animals. The cost is the drive. Every grocery run, school run, and doctor visit starts with a drive of about 10 minutes or more. The market is small too, with few homes for sale at one time.

The Paragonah mounds guide tells the dig history. The Red Creek guide tells how the town began. Paragonah on The Local has the rest. For the services next door, see Parowan.

Sources: the U.S. Census Bureau (578 people in 2025) and USGS (5,868 feet at Town Hall). Also the Town of Paragonah, its 2024 General Plan, the fort marker, and the Archaeological Conservancy.

Paragonah has four real seasons. Summer days are warm and the nights are cool. Winters are cold, with snow on the ground off and on. Spring is windy and comes late. St. George, about 1 hour 10 minutes southwest, sits far lower, and it feels like a different place.

No weather station in the Parowan Valley has official normals for 1991 to 2020. Paragonah has an old station of its own, but NOAA never published normals for it. The closest match is Cedar City, at a similar height, so the numbers below come from there. Paragonah sits on open, flat ground, and cold air sinks there. On matched days, its nights ran about 4 to 7°F colder than Cedar City. Its summer afternoons ran about 2 to 3°F warmer.

Month by month

These are the normal highs and lows at the Cedar City station. Expect Paragonah nights to run colder, and plan on layers in every season.

• JanuaryHigh 42°F, low 22°F
• FebruaryHigh 45°F, low 24°F
• MarchHigh 54°F, low 30°F
• AprilHigh 61°F, low 35°F
• MayHigh 70°F, low 44°F
• JuneHigh 82°F, low 54°F
• JulyHigh 88°F, low 62°F
• AugustHigh 86°F, low 61°F
• SeptemberHigh 77°F, low 52°F
• OctoberHigh 65°F, low 39°F
• NovemberHigh 52°F, low 29°F
• DecemberHigh 41°F, low 21°F

Source: NOAA climate normals, 1991 to 2020, the Cedar City station (USC00421259), and daily records for the Paragonah station (USC00426686).

Frost lasts into spring. At the Cedar City station, the last spring freeze usually comes around May 4. About one year in ten it comes as late as May 28. The first fall freeze usually comes around October 13. That leaves a growing season of about 159 days. Paragonah ran later in spring and earlier in fall. Its last freeze came on May 11, May 11, and May 21 in 2023 to 2025, so plan a garden with that in mind.

Paragonah logged about 170 to 195 nights a year at or below freezing. In 2023 to 2025 the counts were 182, 182, and 171. Cedar City logged 111 to 148 in the years checked. A normal year brings about 13 inches of rain and melted snow at the Cedar City station. March, October, July, and August are the wettest months.

The Cedar City station gets about 60 inches of snow in a normal year, and that is the closest official number for Paragonah. Paragonah itself gets less. Its own station caught about 28 percent less snow than Cedar City on matched days. December and March are the snowiest months.

Snow comes in storms. A normal year at the Cedar City station has about 17 days with an inch or more of new snow. Winters swing a lot from one year to the next.

Snow by month, at the Cedar City station

• January9.5 inches
• February10.6 inches
• March12.3 inches
• April5.6 inches
• May1.4 inches
• June to Septembernone
• October0.9 inch
• November6.1 inches
• December13.2 inches

So do not plan on Cedar City numbers for your own driveway. Plan on a real winter with less snow than the city to the south. Brian Head, up the canyon, gets about 87 inches a year by the NOAA normal at the Bryce Canyon station. That is mountain snow at a much higher height, not town snow.

Sources: NOAA climate normals, 1991 to 2020, Cedar City station (snow figures are provisional). Also daily NOAA records for the Paragonah station.

Summers in Paragonah are warm, not harsh. A normal July afternoon reaches about 88°F at the Cedar City station. St. George reaches about 102°F in the same month. Paragonah afternoons ran about 2 to 3°F warmer than Cedar City on matched days, but the nights cool fast. Paragonah's own record for the 1990s put the July high near 89°F and the July low near 54°F.

Hot days do happen. A normal year at the Cedar City station has about 27 days at 90°F or hotter, and almost none at 100°F. July has about 13 of the hot days, August about 8, and June about 5. Storms build on late summer afternoons, and July and August each bring a little over an inch of rain.

Sources: NOAA climate normals, 1991 to 2020, the Cedar City station (USC00421259), and daily records for the Paragonah station.

Some, and spring is the windy season. No one measures wind in Paragonah, so the nearest record is at the Cedar City airport, about 26 miles south. 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. Paragonah sits on open ground, so the wind can feel different here than at the airport.

Source: daily wind readings at Cedar City Regional Airport, 2006 to 2025, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet. Paragonah 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. No monitor measures it in the Parowan Valley, so I will not say it is a problem here.

Cold air does pool on the flat low ground on clear winter nights. That is why Paragonah nights run colder than the Cedar City numbers. The nearest state air monitor is in Enoch, about 25 minutes south. Iron County is 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, rise above the moderate 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 above that range. Salt Lake County had 249.

Smoke is the air issue to know about. In summer 2026 the Cottonwood Fire in Beaver Canyon put up smoke that drivers could see from the interstates. No monitor in town counts smoke days.

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 network, EPA AirData for Iron County (2020 to 2025), and KUTV coverage of the Cottonwood Fire.

Housing is the biggest cost in Paragonah, and it runs low for Southern Utah. 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 to see the gap.

This is a small farm town, so many homes come with land. Prices swing a lot from one property to the next. A home on an acre of irrigated ground is a different purchase than a house on a town lot. The things that cost more here are heat and distance. At 5,900 feet you have a real heating season, and the nearest grocery store is about 10 minutes away in Parowan.

The town of Paragonah sells its own power, water and trash pickup, and bills them on one statement. It posts its rates online, so you can plan before you move. The utilities topic has the full list, and the taxes topic shows each tax rate.

Coming from California, Nevada, or a big coastal city, you may find your housing money goes much further here, especially if land is part of what you want. I can run a side by side with where you live now, and show you what each place costs and what you give up.

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; Paragonah Town rate pages, checked October 2026.

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.

Ask the Iron County Assessor how to claim the break. Starting January 1, 2027, Utah law requires an application. The assessor's office is in Parowan, and you can call it at 435-477-8320.

Car fees and tests

Iron County has no emissions test. Utah charges a fee at registration that depends on the age of the car. The first 90 days topic has where and when to register.

Sources: Utah State Tax Commission (sales tax rates in effect October 1, 2026, the 2025 property tax report, and the residential exemption FAQ); Utah Code 59-2-103.5; Utah DMV. Questions about your own bill go to the Iron 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. Paragonah is a small market with few homes for sale at a time, often only a handful. So one or two unusual sales can swing the average, and I do not publish a monthly market report for it. Ask me for current numbers.

The Census counts about 300 homes in Paragonah, and about 81% are lived in by their owners. About 96% are detached houses, and about 4% are mobile homes. The median home was built in 1973, and about 31% date from 1939 or earlier. Those are Census estimates for 2020 to 2024, and they carry a wide margin.

About one home in ten is held for seasonal or occasional use. County records show a typical lot under a home inside town is about 0.6 acre. About 194 are under half an acre, and about 105 are between one and five acres. Much of what sells is really land with a house on it, so water, septic, and access matter as much as the house.

Town zoning has three districts: rural estate, mobile home, and general commercial. Most homes sit in the rural estate zone, where a new lot needs one acre. Older lots in the original grid are smaller, because the old minimum was 12,500 square feet. Lots of 39,000 square feet or more can keep up to four animal units, 40 fowl and four pigs. Smaller lots can keep two animal units, 20 fowl and two pigs.

Mobile homes, RVs and nightly rentals

A mobile home is allowed in the rural estate zone only with a conditional use permit, on a permanent foundation with skirting and tie-downs. A conditional use permit is a special approval from the town for a use that needs extra conditions. The mobile home zone allows them outright. Living in an RV on a lot is capped at 20 days a year without a town permit.

The town added nightly rentals and bed-and-breakfast inns as a conditional use in the rural estate zone in February 2026. Confirm the conditions with Town Hall before you count on rental income. The vacation rental guide covers the Utah rules.

Shop by price

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 (housing counts are estimates with a wide margin); Iron County parcel records, July 2024; Paragonah Town Code Title XV; Paragonah Town Board minutes, February 2026.

Most of Paragonah is the original pioneer grid, plus four small recorded subdivisions on the east, northeast and southeast edges. Farm ground and acreage spread out around town. The easiest way to read it is by place, from the center outward. Lot sizes and build years come from the Iron County parcel records.

• Town centerThe original townsiteAround Town Hall and Main StreetThis is the biggest part of town, with homes from the 1860s to today and a typical lot of about half an acre. Town Hall, the fort marker, the Ensign-Smith House and the town square are all here, so it is the most walkable part of a very rural town.
• East sideRed Creek Canyon Estates and JungmanAbout 0.8 mile east, toward the hillsRed Creek Canyon Estates has one-acre lots, and its homes were built from 2005 to 2024. That makes it the newest building in town. Jungman has lots of about 0.4 acre, with some still empty. Other east-side parcels run about an acre, and the cemetery sits at the east edge.
• NortheastMounds SubdivisionAbout 0.4 mile northeastHomes here date from 1971 to 2022 on lots of about 0.9 acre. The town dates the subdivision to a 1991 annexation.
• SoutheastBlack Rock SubdivisionAbout 0.5 mile southeastFive lots of about eight acres each, with homes built from 2004 to 2018. The state geology map shows an old flow of dark lava rock inside the town line, which fits the name.
• North and south endsAlong Main StreetSR-271, toward Exit 82 and ParowanMain Street runs 1.4 miles north to I-15 Exit 82 through farm ground. South of town it runs about 4 miles to Parowan. Homes at the north end sit closest to the freeway.
• County landThe farm ground around townOutside the town limitsAbout 86 homes sit within 3 miles of Town Hall, on a typical parcel of 20 acres, and most of that ground is farm ground. Named county plats include Willow Bend Ranches, with 20-acre lots, and Scottsville Amended, with half-acre lots and few homes. These parcels use Iron County permits and a well, so confirm both.

Town water and town power stop at the town line, so a county parcel needs a well, a water right, and another power company. The home checks topic has the water rules.

Want to compare lots, prices, and styles side by side? Tell me what you are looking for, and I will point you to the right streets. You can also browse every Paragonah home for sale. Parowan, 9 minutes south, has more shopping and services.

Locations and lot sizes come from the Iron County parcel roll (July 2024) and the Paragonah Town Code; lot sizes are typical sizes in those records, not zoning minimums. Distances are from Town Hall.

New homes in Paragonah go up one lot at a time. No large builder is selling homes in town today, and no new subdivision plat turned up in town records. County records show 24 homes built inside town from 2020 to the middle of 2024. Red Creek Canyon Estates had 6 of them, and about 13 went on single lots in the old grid.

If you want a new home, the path is usually land first, then a build. 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. Communities from large builders are down in the Cedar City area, and the Cedar City new homes page shows them.

What a new lot needs

Every new lot in the rural estate zone needs one acre. Anyone who splits a lot must give the town one acre-foot of usable water rights for each new lot. Every subdivision must connect to town water and add fire hydrants. Impact fees, which pay for roads, water, and other town costs, are due before a building permit.

The town charges $1,000 to connect to its water and a $500 water impact fee. Power costs $1,200 to connect, for one pole, one meter, and up to 100 feet of line. The town also has a limited number of septic permits, as the home checks topic explains.

Buying new works differently from buying resale. You pick a lot, follow a build schedule, and sign the builder's contract. I walk you through each step, so the loan lines up with the build and nothing surprises you once the walls go up. Builders often cover the buyer agent fee, and I put that in writing before you sign.

Sources: Iron County parcel roll (July 2024), counted by year built; Paragonah Town Code Title XV, sections 152.091 and 150.105 to 150.109; the town's utility agreement and rate pages. Counts are approximate, and fees change. The listings page is the fastest way to see what is open.

Every town has its own list of things to check. Paragonah has a few, and the two I would start with are septic and water. 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 a single address.

The state's hazard maps show nothing mapped inside the town line for unstable soil, rockfall, or shallow groundwater. The one map hit is the old lava flow, which is geology and not an active danger. USGS lists the Paragonah fault along the foot of the hills just east of town. For soils and rockfall, look up the exact address on the state hazards portal. Utah law does not require agents to disclose geologic hazards, so ask.

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: Paragonah Town Code Titles V and XV; Paragonah General Plan (February 2024); Utah Department of Environmental Quality radon results (2019); Utah Geological Survey hazard layers; USGS Quaternary fault database; FEMA flood map layers; Utah Division of Water Rights, Parowan Valley Groundwater Management Plan (October 2024). 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 Paragonah, being ready the day the right home appears matters.

Buyers here use every kind of loan, including conventional, FHA, and VA. USDA loans have a map of eligible areas. On USDA's map, Paragonah sits outside the ineligible area, but Cedar City is inside it. Check any address on the map. Acreage and land-plus-build purchases have their own loan questions. One-acre lots, limited septic permits, and water rights all come up with a lender. If I am your lender, I can tell you early if a home could be hard to get a loan on. The loan guides on this site explain each loan type in plain English.

Flood insurance can be bought in Paragonah, so ask about it early for any home near Red Creek.

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.

Paragonah is a farm town with deep roots in ranching and crops. Farming and ranching are still part of how the town makes its living. But most people who live here earn their pay somewhere else. The town's own plan says Paragonah is a community of homes. A few local businesses are based here, but their work goes outside town.

The plan says the town once had hotels, service stations, and grocery stores. They closed as cars made travel easy. Today the town licenses small home farm stands, so a small bit of business still happens at the kitchen table and the fence line.

The census survey for 2020 to 2024 shows what residents do for work. Education and health care come first. Then come farming, retail, manufacturing, and construction, with transportation and government close behind. The sample is small, so I give the order and not the exact counts.

Most big jobs in the county are in Cedar City. Southern Utah University, the Iron County School District, and Cedar City Hospital are on the state's list of major employers. Parowan, with the county offices and the two schools, is the nearest place to work. The traffic topic has commute times.

If you bring your job with you, my guide for remote workers in Utah covers what to check first.

Sources: the Paragonah General Plan (2024), the census survey for 2020 to 2024, and the 2025 state employer list. The census sample is small. No source ranks employers for the town.

There is no clinic or hospital in Paragonah. The town's own website lists two clinics in Parowan and the hospital in Cedar City. Intermountain Canyon View Clinic is at 15 East 400 North in Parowan, about 8 minutes from Town Hall. It lists family medicine, internal medicine, pediatric care, senior primary care, lab work, and walk-in care on weekdays. The phone is 435-477-3317.

A second clinic, Parowan Medical Clinic, is on Clinic Way in Parowan, about 10 minutes away. The town lists it, but no clinic website posts its hours, so call first.

Intermountain Cedar City Hospital is at 1303 North Main in Cedar City, about 26 minutes south. It has an emergency room open 24 hours a day and is a Level IV trauma center. Cedar City InstaCare, at 962 Sage Drive, takes after hours care that is not an emergency. It is about 27 minutes away.

For specialty care and the most serious trauma, St. George Regional Hospital is about an hour and 10 minutes away. It is a Level II trauma center. In an emergency, call 911. The Paragonah Volunteer Fire Department covers the town, and Parowan provides police by contract.

If a certain specialist matters to you, ask that office before you commit to a move. Moving on military orders? My military PCS guide has VA loan and timing notes.

Sources: the Paragonah town website, Intermountain Health pages, and federal hospital records, checked October 2026. Drive times come from a road-routing model run from Town Hall. Services and hours change, so confirm before you rely on one.

There is no school in Paragonah. An elementary school stood in town until the 1950s. Today the Iron County School District sends Paragonah children to Parowan, and school buses make the trip. The district office is in Cedar City.

Parowan Elementary teaches kindergarten through grade 6, with 418 students. It is at 128 West 100 North, about 9 minutes from Town Hall. Parowan High teaches grades 7 through 12, with 349 students. It is at 168 North Main, about 8 minutes away. Both match the district's boundary maps for Paragonah. The 2027-28 change to the high school boundaries does not move the town.

Charter schools are in the Cedar Valley. Gateway Preparatory Academy is in Enoch, and American Preparatory Academy is in Cedar City. Both teach kindergarten through grade 8.

To enroll, use the district's online system. The district lists full-day kindergarten, and a child must be 5 by September 1. Kindergarten enrollment opens March 1. The district office phone is 435-586-2804.

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

Ratings and boundaries come from the district and independent third parties, not from me. Enrollment is from the National Center for Education Statistics, the latest year posted. Bus service is from the town's General Plan.

Paragonah is not a college town, but one is within reach. Southern Utah University is about 27 minutes south in Cedar City. It had about 15,800 students in fall 2025. Southwest Technical College, for trades and career training, is also in Cedar City. It had about 860 students in fall 2024 and serves Iron, Beaver, Garfield, and Kane counties.

That is close enough to drive to class, or to enjoy the campus events and library. The district also lists Success Academy SUU, a program for grades 9 to 12 on the university campus. Ask the district how it works. Utah Tech University is in St. George, about an hour and 10 minutes away. For the university town itself, see my Cedar City guide.

Sources: the college sites, federal college data, and a road-routing model run from Town Hall. Programs and enrollment change each year.

Traffic in Paragonah is light. Main Street is State Route 271, a state highway. The speed limit is 35 miles per hour in town and 55 outside it, with radar warning signs at both ends. I-15 Exit 82, the Paragonah exit, is about 4 minutes from Town Hall.

The town is small and plain. Only part of Main Street has sidewalks, from about 335 North to just south of 200 South. The rest of town has no curb or sidewalk. The town's plan notes that livestock is still moved through the streets, so slow down and share the road.

Some weekends bring extra vehicles. Center Street turns into Red Creek Canyon Road, and Bear Valley Road comes down just north of town. Both lead to Forest Service roads. The plan says riders of off-highway vehicles, called OHVs, trailer in, park on local streets, and ride through town. The outdoors topic covers the trails.

The longer drive is the commute. In the census survey for 2020 to 2024, about 4 in 10 commuters travel under 15 minutes, which means Parowan or nearby. About 1 in 3 travel 20 to 34 minutes, which fits the Cedar City run. About 1 in 8 travel an hour or more.

Winter is the main slowdown, mostly on the roads out of town. Snow can slow the freeway, so check UDOT before you drive in bad weather.

Sources: the Paragonah General Plan (2024) and the census survey for 2020 to 2024 (small sample, wide margins). Road status changes, so check UDOT before a trip.

Paragonah has no public transit. The town's plan says so plainly. The only city bus in the area, CATS, runs inside Cedar City. Plan on a car for daily life and for every trip out of town.

Salt Lake Express, an intercity bus line, stops in Parowan at 1130 North 100 West. That is the travel stop at I-15 Exit 78, about 4 miles from Paragonah. Its booking page lists northbound trips from this stop. Check the schedule before you plan around it.

The Parowan senior center, at 685 North 300 East, runs a bus by prior arrangement. It also lists a shopping run on Tuesdays to Walmart in Cedar City and the Parowan Market. Call 435-477-8925 to ask how often it runs.

If you will not drive, ask about the trips you need before you move. The nearest airline flights are in Cedar City, as the next topic shows.

Sources: the Paragonah General Plan (2024), the town's senior center page, the Cedar City transit guide, and the carrier's booking page, checked October 2026. Routes and schedules change, so confirm before you rely on them.

Paragonah has no airport of its own. Parowan Airport is about 2 miles southwest of town. It has a 5,001 foot runway and serves private and small planes, called general aviation. It has no airline flights. Flight training from Southern Utah University uses it, so you may hear aircraft overhead.

• Cedar City (CDC)~26 mi · ~30 min
• Salt Lake City (SLC)~236 mi · ~3.5 hr

Cedar City Regional Airport (CDC) is the nearest airport with airline service. SkyWest, flying for Delta, offers regular flights from Cedar City to Salt Lake City. It is the only scheduled destination.

For more choices, St. George Regional (SGU) is about an hour and 20 minutes away. It has Delta flights to Salt Lake City, United flights to Denver and Los Angeles, and American flights to Phoenix and Dallas-Fort Worth. Harry Reid International in Las Vegas (LAS) is about 3 hours and 20 minutes away. Salt Lake City International (SLC) is about 3.5 hours away.

Sources: airport and airline pages, federal airport listings, the town's General Plan, and a road-routing model run from Town Hall in October 2026. Flight lists change by season, so check each airport before you book.

Paragonah has no stores, so every errand is a drive. Parowan is the short run, and Cedar City is the bigger one. Here is how long common trips take from Town Hall.

• Parowan Market~10 min
• Parowan Gap petroglyphs~25 min
• Cedar City Hospital~26 min
• Brian Head Resort~30 min
• Red Creek Reservoir~40 min, gravel road
• Bryce Canyon~1 hr 20 min

Here is how long the longer drives take.

Parowan

~5 mi · ~9 min

Cedar City

~26 mi · ~27 min

Beaver

~30 mi · ~30 min

St. George

~77 mi · ~1 hr 10 min

Las Vegas Strip

~200 mi · ~3 hr 5 min

Salt Lake City

~230 mi · ~3 hr 25 min

A few more trips people ask about.

I-15 Exit 82

~4 min

Summit

~15 min

Enoch

~25 min

Beaver

~30 min

Kanarraville

~39 min

Kolob Canyons (Zion)

~41 min

Cedar Breaks, summer road

~46 min

Panguitch

~48 min

Panguitch Lake

~1 hr 5 min

Bryce Canyon

~1 hr 20 min

Two of these times need a note. Red Creek Reservoir is about 8 miles up a gravel canyon road, so the trip takes about 40 minutes. The road to Cedar Breaks is a summer road. The outdoors topic and the national parks topic have the details. The towns around Paragonah are in the nearby topic.

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

Drive times come from a road-routing model, run from Town Hall in October 2026. 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. The Town of Paragonah bills electric power, culinary (drinking) water, and trash on one account. Gas comes from another company. Town Hall is at 44 North 100 West, and the phone is 435-477-8979.

The town posts its rates, last checked in October 2026. Power is $15 a month plus $0.11 per kilowatt hour once you use 150 kilowatt hours, or $25 flat below that. The agreement also lists a monthly power cost adjustment, but the town does not post the amount. Water is $50 a month for the first 6,000 gallons, then $2.50 per 1,000 gallons and up in steps. Trash is $14.50 a month per can, plus a one-time $95 can fee. Services are not connected until connection fees are paid.

The town's pages name no deposit. Ask Town Hall what a new account needs. The town runs its own power system and buys through UAMPS, a nonprofit supplier to community-owned power systems. The town does not allow new power hook-ups outside town limits. A lot outside town needs another provider, usually Rocky Mountain Power, so ask which one serves the parcel.

Water, septic, and irrigation

The town water comes from two springs in the mountains east of town. The water flows downhill to one storage tank. The 2025 water quality report shows no violations. The town's plan says the system is at capacity and lists a grant-funded upgrade for 2024 to 2027. The town has not posted whether that work is done.

There is no sewer, and a septic tank is required to build. Septic permits are limited, as the home checks topic explains, so ask about one before you buy a lot.

Irrigation water is separate from drinking water. The Paragonah Canal Company delivers it from mountain springs, Red Creek Reservoir, and groundwater. If a home on acreage has irrigation shares, confirm them in writing.

Set up accounts through the Town of Paragonah website.

Rates, fees, and phone numbers come from the town website, its utility agreement, its 2025 water report, and its General Plan. The septic facts add a state study. All were checked in October 2026. They can change. Ask Town Hall for current figures.

Internet changes from one address to the next in Paragonah. The state broadband map was checked at four points in town. At Town Hall it showed South Central Communications cable, CenturyLink DSL, InfoWest fixed wireless, fixed wireless from the cell carriers, and satellite. At a point on the north end it showed South Central fiber. At a point on the south end it showed no South Central service at all, only CenturyLink DSL, a cell carrier, and satellite.

So check the exact address before you make an offer. Outside town, service depends on the property. I list who offers service, not speeds or prices. For cell service, look at your own carrier's map for the address.

Source: the Utah Broadband Center provider map at four points in town, data edit of October 2026. Providers and coverage change.

Moving day is only the start. Here is the short list for your first 90 days in Paragonah, in the order most people do it. The county offices are all at one address in Parowan, so you can group those errands.

1. Turn on the utilitiesThe Town of Paragonah handles power, water, and trash at Town Hall, 44 North 100 West. Enbridge Gas Utah handles gas. Start them before you move in.
2. Get your Utah driver licenseThe state license office is in Cedar City only, at 181 East DL Sargent Drive. It is open Monday to Friday. A move from another state is by appointment.
3. Register your carUtah gives you 60 days to register. The Iron County Assessor's motor vehicle office is at 68 South 100 East in Parowan, and the phone is 435-477-8320. Iron County has no emissions test. A car titled in Utah for the first time needs a VIN inspection.
4. Register to voteDo it online at vote.utah.gov, or visit the Iron County Clerk at 68 South 100 East in Parowan. The phone is 435-477-8340.
5. Claim the primary home tax breakAsk the County Assessor at the same office what you need to file. Starting January 1, 2027, Utah requires a new owner to apply for the break. The taxes topic explains how it works.
6. Sign up for schoolContact the Iron County School District, 435-586-2804. Enroll online, and check the boundary map for your address first.
7. Find the post office and the libraryThe Paragonah Post Office is at 50 North 100 West, next to Town Hall. The Parowan Library is at 16 South Main. The Iron County Bookmobile also stops on Main Street every other Thursday, so check its schedule. County residents get a free Cedar City Library card.
8. Know the senior centerThe Parowan senior center is at 685 North 300 East, 435-477-8925.

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

There is no store, cafe, restaurant, or gas station in Paragonah. The town has a post office, and home farm stands open in season. Everything else is a drive, and Parowan is the short one.

In Parowan

Parowan Market, at 740 West 200 South, is a full grocery with a bakery, meat, produce, and a deli. It is about 10 minutes from Town Hall and closed on Sunday. Family Dollar, at 590 North Main, is about 7 minutes away. Parowan Drug & Gift, at 20 North Main, is the pharmacy, and State Bank of Southern Utah has a branch at 93 North Main. Dry Lakes Ranch Beef sells local beef on Main, and Sweet Pea Farm & Orchard, at 136 South 600 West, sells farm goods.

Fuel is in Parowan too. Maverik on South Main and TA Express at Exit 78 are about 9 minutes away, and TA Express is open 24 hours. For meals, see the restaurants topic. Paragonah mail uses ZIP code 84760.

The nearest big stores

Lin's in Enoch is the closest big supermarket. It has an Ace Hardware next door, with a Starbucks and a pharmacy. An Arctic Circle is part of the same site. Cedar City is the big box run, with Walmart and Home Depot. Beaver is a similar drive north, but it has no Walmart.

Store lists and hours change. These come from store, bank, and map listings, and a map search of the town, checked in October 2026.

Paragonah sits at the foot of the mountains, so the outdoors starts at the east edge of town. Red Creek Canyon runs straight up from Center Street. The rock art at Parowan Gap is a short drive west, and the canyon road to Brian Head is just past Parowan.

Paragonah also has its own deep history, the Fremont village sites near town. The arts and culture topic tells that story. The skiing topic covers the canyon road in winter.

Drive times are map estimates from Paragonah Town Hall with no traffic. The reservoir takes about 40 minutes because the last 8 miles are gravel. Sources: Utah fish stocking records, the Forest Service Markagunt Plateau page and the BLM Parowan Gap page. Roads and seasons change, so check conditions before you go.

Kolob Canyons and Cedar Breaks are both under an hour from Paragonah. Bryce Canyon is a longer trip. The main Zion canyon, at the south entrance, is about an hour and a half away, so I would plan it as a full day.

Drive times are map estimates from Paragonah Town Hall with no traffic. Check the Cedar Breaks conditions page before you go, since the visitor center and the roads have their own seasons.

Brian Head Resort is the closest ski area, about 30 minutes from Paragonah. You drive to Parowan, then climb State Route 143 up the canyon. The resort says it has 650 acres across two peaks. Brian Head gets about 87 inches of snow a year by the NOAA normal at the Bryce Canyon station.

The lifts usually open in November. In summer the lifts run a bike park, and the mountain has hiking too.

The winter drive is the one thing to plan. SR-143 is the only winter road to Brian Head from the I-15 side. Crews plow it in daylight hours, so carry chains or use snow tires. Panguitch Lake and the high country beyond are farther on, past Brian Head.

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

No. Paragonah and Parowan have no golf course. The nearest 18 hole course is Cedar Ridge in Cedar City, about 27 minutes south. It is a public, city-owned course with a driving range and a grill.

Beaver, about 30 minutes north, has a 9 hole city course called Canyon Breeze. Paragonah sits about halfway between the two. Disc golf is closer. The Parowan Canyon course has 18 holes, about a mile up SR-143 from Parowan.

Course details come from the Cedar City and Beaver city course pages and the Parowan disc golf page. Call ahead for conditions.

Paragonah has no cafe or restaurant, so eating out means a short drive to Parowan, about 9 to 10 minutes away.

• BarbecueSmokin' Joe's Barbeque1646 W 200 S, Parowan, near I-15 Exit 75Ribs, brisket, pulled pork and sandwiches, with a few tables and a drive-thru window. A national food site wrote about it in February 2026.
• BreakfastParowan Cafe33 N Main St, ParowanBreakfast and cinnamon rolls. The county tourism office named it in two 2026 posts.
• PizzaPizza Barn595 W 200 S, ParowanPizza in a room of barn tin. It opens at 5 pm.
• Comfort foodJersey's Corner30 N Main St, ParowanComfort food, which the county tourism office calls "elevated."

The tourism office also names Paco's Family Diner, which serves home-style plates and pies. It also names High Voltage BBQ, at 580 N Main St. At Exit 78, a Taco Bell and a Subway inside the truck stop cover fast food. The new Lin's in Enoch, about 25 minutes away, has a Starbucks counter, and its site includes an Arctic Circle. Cedar City has the widest choice, about 27 minutes south.

The town's own events, like the July 4 lunch and the Veterans Day dinner, are the closest thing to eating out at home. The festivals and events topic has them.

I chose these because each one shows a 2026 news story or tourism post. This is not a ranking, and no one paid to be on it. Hours change, so check before you go. Sources: Food Republic and the Visit Cedar City posts on spring in Parowan and the summer itinerary. Drive times are map estimates from Paragonah Town Hall.

Paragonah has nothing with a ticket: no theater, gallery or venue. Weekends here are outdoors and quiet. The town park is the one place built for gathering, and the town events fill the calendar.

• ParkParagonah town parkIn townA playground, a basketball court and a covered picnic area with barbecue grills. A portable restroom is set out from May through October. The town takes reservations for the covered pavilion.
• Town eventsCivic Committee eventsIn townA volunteer Civic Committee runs the town events through the year, and anyone may join. The festivals and events topic has the calendar.
• Pool and parksParowan City Pool and parksParowan, about 9 minutesThe pool opens on Memorial Day weekend. Summer concerts and July 4 games are held in the parks.
• VisitorsParowan Visitor Center5 S Main St, ParowanBrochures for the Gap and the canyon, and the place to reserve a straw bale for Scarecrows on Main.

For movies, a bigger stage or a longer night out, Cedar City is about 27 minutes south. It is the nearest place for a full evening.

Hours and dates change. Check each place before you go. Park facts come from the town parks page; the Parowan places come from the Parowan city pages.

Paragonah's culture is its history, and the oldest part of it is the Fremont village that stood on the hillside near town. The Fremont were a farming people who lived across Utah long ago. The village was one of the largest known in the state.

The mounds are private conservation land, not a park. The Conservancy does not publish visiting hours or a public trail, so please do not go looking for them. If you find old artifacts anywhere in Utah, leave them where they are and report them.

Details come from The Archaeological Conservancy, Judd's 1919 report for the Smithsonian, and the town history page. Check before you go.

Paragonah has a small, steady calendar that volunteers run. A Civic Committee runs three fundraisers: the July 4 community lunch, the July 24 pie auction and the October bake sale. The money pays for the Easter egg hunt and the Veterans Day dinner. Dates move each year, so these are the usual months.

• JanuaryQuiet in town. Parowan marks its birthday on January 13, and the 2026 re-enactment trek started at the Paragonah park.
• FebruaryA quiet month. No major town event.
• March and AprilThe Easter egg hunt, in spring. The town-wide yard sale is held every other year.
• MayQuiet in town. Parowan holds its Memorial Day program, and the city pool opens.
• JuneQuiet in town. The Utah Shakespeare Festival opens in Cedar City.
• JulyThe July 4 community lunch and the Pioneer Day celebration, with the July 24 pie auction. The Cedar Breaks Wildflower Festival is held in early to mid July.
• AugustA quiet month. No major town event.
• SeptemberThe Iron County Fair is held in Parowan on Labor Day weekend, with a rodeo, a carnival and a parade.
• OctoberThe Hunters Bake Sale, usually in mid October, with chili, baked goods and crafts.
• NovemberThe Veterans Day dinner, free, honors veterans, the Citizen of the Year and residents turning 80. Brian Head usually opens for skiing.
• DecemberWreaths Across America at the town cemetery.

These are the usual months, and times change each year. Check the town calendar and the Civic Committee page before you plan a trip.

Paragonah sits beside I-15, with Parowan close and Cedar City a short drive south. Here is what sits around it, with drive times from Town Hall. I-15 Exit 82 is about 4 minutes away.

The Gap and the reservoir are in the outdoors topic. Cedar Breaks, Kolob and Bryce are in the national parks topic. Las Vegas and Salt Lake City are in the getting around topic.

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

Looking at the next town? See the Parowan page. Weighing your options? Compare Paragonah with other Utah cities side by side.