But they have concerns, according to a first-ever public opinion poll.

Many of the 401 respondents to the Dan Jones & Associates survey said they are worried about ongoing growth and the slew of traffic it is bringing to their community's rural roads.

The traffic issues pressed Mayor Heber Thompson in March to appoint a traffic panel. It has looked at problem areas and will represent city interests in discussions over changes to Interstate 15 and other roads.

Just 7 percent of residents polled said they were "very satisfied" with the current road system. A majority - 55 percent - said they were either "neutral" or "dissatisfied." They blamed congestion and said there are not enough roads and freeway ramps. The sample group added that the city lacks public transportation.

City spokeswoman Linda Walton - she serves on the mayor's transportation committee - said she was not surprised that traffic topped a list of residents' concerns.

"One of the first ways you feel growth is in traffic," Walton said. "The way it's been is not going to be the way it will be, and some people don't like that. The trick is that everyone has [adult] children, and everyone wants them to live nearby."

But for this city of nearly 26,000, things could get worse before they get better.

The Utah Department of Transportation is planning major I-15 reconstruction projects through Utah County, and American Fork plans to install a pressurized irrigation system.

That installation would require roads to be torn up over the next three years.

And as the city plans for its ongoing growth, locals are particular about what they want to happen. But at the same time, 77 percent of survey respondents said they have never contacted the mayor or City Council to seek service or file a complaint.

"The council, department leadership and I want to determine what American Fork residents really want to do with all city services," Mayor Heber Thompson said in a news release. "The few phone calls or e-mails we receive have not given the clear direction that this survey has provided."

sgehrke@sltrib.com

The poll

The telephone survey sampled 401 residents - about half men and half women - and has a margin of error of 4.8 percent. Most respondents were between the ages of 26 and 45, had a college degree and earned an annual family income between $75,000 and $100,000.