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Mayors of Utah Valley: Orem’s top 5 accomplishments of 2024

And there's more in store for 2025

By David Young - Special to the Daily Herald | Jan 11, 2025

Courtesy photo

Orem Mayor David Young

Looking back on 2024 for the City of Orem, I can’t help but reflect on how extraordinary the year was. We thought 2023 was over the top in terms of “good things happening in Orem,” but here we are, 12 months later, having taken things to a whole new level.

So many wonderful things happened, like the 550,000 Christmas lights in City Center Park, and we can’t list them all in this format, but here is what I view to be the top five accomplishments that defined Orem in 2024.

5: Hundreds of new businesses start in Orem

I don’t know if you have noticed, but Orem is open to business. This year alone, we welcomed 488 new businesses into our thriving community. New restaurants are off the charts. National rankings have named Orem one of the best places in America to start a business. If you’ve had dreams of starting a business, you’re definitely in the right place to do it.

4: Opening Hillcrest Park

This year, we cut the ribbon on Hillcrest Park, completing a regional park project that has been a sensational success. We estimate that this park had more than 182,000 visits in its first year. This beautiful space is now a hub for families, friends and visitors to come together, and it’s already making a big impact on our community.

3: Launching myHometown in Geneva Heights

Expanding service opportunities and building our sense of community have been a focus for the City Council this year. Through the myHometown initiative, we’ve seen service, education and good old-fashioned neighborly living lift the Geneva Heights neighborhood. This program embodies the spirit of Orem: neighbors helping neighbors and working together to make Orem better. The classes are full, and this is a program we expect to grow exponentially!

2: Breaking ground on a new fire training facility

In our pursuit to be the best fire department in the state, we broke ground on a state-of-the-art fire training facility. This project will provide critical learning opportunities for our first responders, ensuring they are equipped to save lives and keep our community safe. In a similar vein, as mayor, I challenge all of our city departments to be the best in the state. Actually, this year alone, we won four Best of State awards. But we’re not stopping there; here in Orem, we are all about getting better every day.

1: Earning AAA credit status

Topping the list is a rare and highly coveted achievement for a city: Orem earned AAA credit status! This distinction, achieved by only 1%-2% of cities nationwide, was awarded for Orem’s strong economic outlook, sound fiscal policy and practices, and manageable debt levels.

These accomplishments didn’t happen by chance — they happened because our elected officials, city staff, volunteers and residents worked together with the guiding vision of making Orem a place where families can thrive. That’s why we do what we do.

Looking into 2025, we’re not going to kick back and relax. We’re riding the momentum of 2024 to achieve even greater things this year. A few highlights include:

  • Finishing our new City Center, which is being built with no new taxes and no debt.
  • Remodeling the Orem Public Library to give patrons an incredible place to learn, grow and gather.
  • Creating a new basketball court in Windsor Park in partnership with the Utah Jazz.
  • Building out Phase 3 of the Bike Skill Course at Mt. Timpanogos Park.
  • New pickleball and tennis courts at Northridge Park.
  • Dedicating the Gold Star Family Monument, Utah County’s only tribute to families that have lost loved ones in the Armed Forces.

I couldn’t be more grateful for everything we’ve accomplished together. It’s been an incredible ride, and the best part is knowing that we’re just getting started. 2025 is already shaping up to be another fantastic year, and I can’t wait to see what we achieve as a community. Here’s to another year of making Orem better than ever!