Moab | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Downtown Moab, Utah | |
 Location inGrand County and the state ofUtah | |
| Coordinates:38°34′21″N109°32′59″W / 38.57250°N 109.54972°W /38.57250; -109.54972 | |
| Country | United States of America |
| State | Utah |
| County | Grand |
| Settled | 1878 |
| Incorporated | 1902 |
| Named after | Moab |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor/city council |
| • Mayor | Joette Langianese |
| Area | |
• Total | 4.80 sq mi (12.42 km2) |
| • Land | 4.80 sq mi (12.42 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 4,026 ft (1,227 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 5,366[1] |
| • Density | 1,119.0/sq mi (432.05/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP Code | 84532 |
| Area code | 435 |
| FIPS code | 49-50700[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1430389[4] |
| U.S. Routes |  |
| Website | moabcity |
Moab (/ˈmoʊ.æb/ ⓘ) is the largest city in and thecounty seat ofGrand County[5] in easternUtah in the westernUnited States, known for its dramatic scenery. The population was 5,366 at the2020 census.[6] Moab attracts many tourists annually, mostly visitors to the nearbyArches andCanyonlands National Parks. The town is a popular base formountain bikers who ride the extensive network of trails including theSlickrock Trail, and for off-roaders who come for the annualMoab Jeep Safari.[7]
Moab is home to one of the nine regional campuses ofUtah State University.
Residents named the town Moab in 1880;[8]in the Bible this term refers to an area of land located on the eastern side of theJordan River. Some historians believe the city in Utah came to use this name because of William Andrew Peirce, the first postmaster, believing that the biblical Moab and this part of Utah were both "the far country".[9]: 16 [10] However, others believe the name hasPaiute origins, referring to the wordmoapa, meaning "mosquito".[11] Some of the area's early residents attempted to change the city's name, because in the Christian Bible, Moabites are demeaned asincestuous andidolatrous (but note,Ruth was a Moabite). One petition in 1890 had 59 signatures and requested a name change to "Vina".[9]: 50 Another effort attempted to change the name to "Uvadalia".[11] Both attempts failed.
During the period between 1829 and the early 1850s, the area around what is now Moab served as theColorado River crossing along theOld Spanish Trail.Latter-day Saint settlers attempted to establish a trading fort at the river crossing called the Elk Mountain Mission in April 1855 to trade with travellers attempting to cross the river. Forty men were called on this mission. There were repeated Indian attacks, including one on September 23, 1855, in which James Hunt, companion to Peter Stubbs, was shot and killed by a Native American.[12][13] After this last attack, the fort was abandoned.[14] The fort was resettled first by the brothers Silas and George Green, who were also killed by the Ute, before being settled again in 1877 by the mixed-race cowboyWilliam Grandstaff and a fur trapper named "Frenchie". Frenchie would later leave the area, but Grandstaff remained as Moab's first successful non-indigenous settler, having moved out of the derelict Elk Mountain Mission to construct his own ranch, growing garden vegetables and keeping cattle penned ina nearby canyon[15]. A new group of settlers from Rich County, led by Randolph Hockaday Stewart, arrived in 1878 under the direction of Brigham Young.[16] Racial animosity from these same settlers drove Grandstaff from town in 1881[17]. Moab was incorporated as a town on December 20, 1902.[11]
In 1883 theDenver and Rio Grande Western Railroad main line was constructed across eastern Utah. The rail line did not pass through Moab, instead passing through the towns ofThompson Springs 38 mi (61 km) andCisco, 47 miles (76 km) to the north.[18] Later, other places to cross the Colorado were constructed, such asLee's Ferry,Navajo Bridge andBoulder Dam. These changes shifted the trade routes away from Moab. Moab farmers and merchants had to adapt from trading with passing travelers to shipping their goods to distant markets.[citation needed] Soon Moab's origins as one of the few natural crossings of the Colorado River were forgotten.[citation needed] Nevertheless, the U.S. military deemed the bridge over the Colorado River at Moab important enough to place it under guard as late asWorld War II.[19][20]
In 1943, a formerCivilian Conservation Corps camp outside Moab was used as aCitizen Isolation Center to confineJapanese American internees labeled "troublemakers" by authorities in theWar Relocation Authority, the government body responsible for overseeing the wartime incarceration program.[21] The Moab Isolation Center for "noncompliant" Japanese Americans was created in response to growing resistance to WRA policies within the camps; a December 1942 clash between guards and inmates known as the "Manzanar Riot", in which two were killed and ten injured, was the final push.[22] On January 11, 1943, the sixteen men who had initiated the two-day protests were transferred to Moab from the town jails where they were booked (without charges or access to hearings) after the riot. Having closed just fifteen months prior, all 18 military-style structures of the CCC camp were in good condition, and the site was converted to its new use with minimal renovation.[23] 150 military police guarded the camp, and director Raymond Best and head of security Francis Frederick presided over administration.[22] On February 18, thirteen transfers fromGila River, Arizona, were brought to Moab, and six days later, ten more arrived from Manzanar. An additional fifteenTule Lake inmates were transferred on April 2. Most of these new arrivals were removed from the general camp population because of their resistance to the WRA's attempts todetermine the loyalty of incarcerated Japanese Americans, met largely with confusion and anger because of a lack of explanation as to how and why internees would be assessed.[22] The Moab Isolation Center remained open until April 27, when most of its inmates were bused to the larger and more secureLeupp Isolation Center. (Five men, serving sentences in the Grand County Jail after protesting conditions in Moab, were transported to Leupp in a five-by-six-foot box on the back of a truck. Their separate transfer was arranged by Francis Frederick, who had also handed down their prison sentences, using a law he later rescinded to charge them with unlawful assembly.)[22][24] In 1994, the "Dalton Wells CCC Camp/Moab Relocation Center" was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and, although no marker exists on the site, an information plaque at the current site entrance and a photograph on display at the Dan O'Laurie Museum in Moab mention the former isolation center.[22][25]
Moab's economy was originally based on agriculture, but gradually shifted to mining.Uranium andvanadium were discovered in the area in the 1910s and 1920s.[citation needed]Potash andmanganese came next, and then oil and gas were discovered.[citation needed] In the 1950s Moab became the so-called "Uranium Capital of the World" after geologistCharles Steen found a rich deposit of uranium ore south of the city.[11] This discovery coincided with the advent of the era ofnuclear weapons andnuclear power in the United States, and Moab's boom years began.[8]
The city population grew nearly 500% over the next few years, bringing the population to near 6,000 people. The explosion in population caused much construction of houses and schools. Charles Steen donated a great deal of money and land to create new houses and churches in Moab.[26]
With the winding down of theCold War, Moab's uranium boom was over, and the city's population drastically declined. By the early 1980s a number of homes stood empty, and nearly all of the uranium mines had closed.[citation needed]
In 1949,Western movie directorJohn Ford was persuaded to use the area for the movieWagon Master.[27] Ford had been using the area inMonument Valley aroundMexican Hat, Utah, south of Moab, since he filmedStagecoach there 10 years earlier in 1939. A local Moab rancher (George White) found Ford and persuaded him to come take a look at Moab.[28] The Moab to Monument Valley Film Commission is a Moab City Department[29] and holds the title of the longest running film commission in the world. Established in 1949,[30] the commission has overseen the production of the many movies filmed near Moab.
In recent years, Moab has experienced a surge ofsecond-home owners.[citation needed] The relatively mild winters and enjoyable summers have attracted many people to build such homes throughout the area. In a situation mirroring that of otherresort towns in theAmerican West, controversy has arisen over these new residents and their houses, which in many cases remain unoccupied for most of the year. Many Moab citizens are concerned that the town is seeing changes similar to those experienced inVail andAspen in neighboringColorado: skyrocketing property values, a rising cost of living, and corresponding effects on local low- and middle-income workers.[31][32]
Moab hosts several cultural events and festivals including the Moab Music Festival, LGBT Pride Festival, Folk Festival, Skinny Tire Festival, and others. The annual music festival occurs in September, and was founded in 1992 by several musicians from New York.[33] The Moab Folk Festival features concerts by numerous folk musicians every November.[34] Since 2011 Moab has hosted anLGBT Pride festival.[35][36][37][38] The first festival included a "visibility" march which drew more than 350 people; in its second year's festival had over 600 in attendance.[39] The Skinny Tire Festival is a road bike festival that occurs in March each year and raises funds for cancer research and survivors.[40][41] Additionally, Moab sponsors the Moab Art Walk at multiple venues throughout the year, highlighting local artists' work.[42][43]
Moab is just south of theColorado River, at an elevation of 4,025 feet (1,227 m) on theColorado Plateau. It is 18 miles (29 km) west of the Utah/Colorado state line. ViaU.S. Route 191, it is 31 miles (50 km) south ofInterstate 70 at Crescent Junction, and it is 54 miles (87 km) north ofMonticello. ViaUtah State Route 128 it is 46 miles (74 km) southwest ofCisco. The entrance toArches National Park is 4 miles (6 km) north of Moab on US 191.Hurrah Pass is located on the trail between Moab and Chicken Corners.[citation needed]Kokopelli's Trail, a 142-mile mountain biking trail which begins near Loma, Colorado, ends in Moab.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12 square kilometres (4.8 sq mi), all land.[6]
Moab has a semi-arid climate bordering on arid (KöppenBSk) characterized by hot summers and chilly winters, with precipitation evenly spread over the year (usually less than one inch per month). There are an average of 41 days with temperatures reaching 100 °F (38 °C), 109 days reaching 90 °F (32 °C), and 3.6 days per winter where the temperature remains at or below freezing. The highest temperature was 114 °F (46 °C) on July 7, 1989. The lowest temperature was −24 °F (−31 °C) on January 22, 1930.
Average annual precipitation in Moab is 9.02 inches (229 mm). There are an average of 55 days annually with measurable precipitation. The wettest year was 1983 with 16.42 inches (417 mm) and the driest year was 1898 with 4.32 inches (110 mm). The most precipitation in one month was 6.63 inches (168 mm) in July 1918. The most precipitation in 24 hours was 2.77 in (70 mm) on July 23, 1983.
Average seasonal snowfall for 1981–2011 is 6.9 inches (18 cm). The most snow in a season was 74 in (190 cm) during 1914–15, and the snowiest month on average is December, with the record set in 1915 at 46.0 in (117 cm).[44]
| Climate data for Moab, Utah, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 67 (19) | 78 (26) | 88 (31) | 96 (36) | 109 (43) | 113 (45) | 114 (46) | 110 (43) | 108 (42) | 97 (36) | 82 (28) | 67 (19) | 114 (46) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 57.2 (14.0) | 65.4 (18.6) | 78.2 (25.7) | 86.2 (30.1) | 95.8 (35.4) | 104.1 (40.1) | 106.9 (41.6) | 103.7 (39.8) | 98.7 (37.1) | 88.4 (31.3) | 71.7 (22.1) | 58.1 (14.5) | 107.4 (41.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 43.5 (6.4) | 52.1 (11.2) | 64.6 (18.1) | 72.4 (22.4) | 82.6 (28.1) | 93.9 (34.4) | 99.2 (37.3) | 95.9 (35.5) | 87.7 (30.9) | 73.5 (23.1) | 57.1 (13.9) | 43.9 (6.6) | 72.2 (22.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 32.4 (0.2) | 39.6 (4.2) | 50.1 (10.1) | 57.4 (14.1) | 66.7 (19.3) | 76.4 (24.7) | 82.7 (28.2) | 80.0 (26.7) | 71.2 (21.8) | 57.6 (14.2) | 43.7 (6.5) | 33.0 (0.6) | 57.6 (14.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 21.4 (−5.9) | 27.2 (−2.7) | 35.6 (2.0) | 42.6 (5.9) | 50.7 (10.4) | 58.9 (14.9) | 66.3 (19.1) | 64.1 (17.8) | 54.7 (12.6) | 41.7 (5.4) | 30.3 (−0.9) | 22.0 (−5.6) | 43.0 (6.1) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 10.0 (−12.2) | 15.6 (−9.1) | 23.1 (−4.9) | 29.9 (−1.2) | 38.1 (3.4) | 47.6 (8.7) | 56.4 (13.6) | 54.9 (12.7) | 41.5 (5.3) | 28.0 (−2.2) | 17.4 (−8.1) | 9.3 (−12.6) | 6.8 (−14.0) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −24 (−31) | −13 (−25) | 8 (−13) | 15 (−9) | 27 (−3) | 36 (2) | 43 (6) | 40 (4) | 28 (−2) | 13 (−11) | 2 (−17) | −19 (−28) | −24 (−31) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 0.65 (17) | 0.66 (17) | 0.70 (18) | 0.77 (20) | 0.82 (21) | 0.35 (8.9) | 0.92 (23) | 0.88 (22) | 0.89 (23) | 1.03 (26) | 0.70 (18) | 0.76 (19) | 9.13 (232.9) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 1.7 (4.3) | 1.4 (3.6) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.25) | 1.0 (2.5) | 4.9 (12) | 9.3 (23.16) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 5.4 | 6.2 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 4.8 | 2.5 | 4.7 | 6.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 4.4 | 5.5 | 61.6 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 4.7 |
| Source 1: NOAA[45] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service[46] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 333 | — | |
| 1900 | 376 | 12.9% | |
| 1910 | 586 | 55.9% | |
| 1920 | 856 | 46.1% | |
| 1930 | 863 | 0.8% | |
| 1940 | 1,084 | 25.6% | |
| 1950 | 1,274 | 17.5% | |
| 1960 | 4,682 | 267.5% | |
| 1970 | 4,793 | 2.4% | |
| 1980 | 5,333 | 11.3% | |
| 1990 | 3,971 | −25.5% | |
| 2000 | 4,779 | 20.3% | |
| 2010 | 5,046 | 5.6% | |
| 2020 | 5,366 | 6.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[47] | |||
As of thecensus[3] of 2000,[needs update] there were 4,779 people, 1,936 households, and 1,169 families residing in the city. Thepopulation density was 1,313.1 people per square mile (506.9/km2). There were 2,148 housing units at an average density of 590.2 per square mile (227.8/km2).
The racial makeup of the city was 90.35%White, 5.46%Native American, 0.36%African American, 0.29%Asian, 0.08%Pacific Islander, 1.88% fromother races, and 1.57% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino people of any race were 6.44% of the population.
There were 1,936 households, out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% weremarried couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.6% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,620, and the median income for a family was $38,214. Males had a median income of $35,291 versus $21,339 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $16,228. About 12.0% of families and 15.7% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 19.1% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.
The following public schools serve Moab area students:
Moab is home to a regional campus ofUtah State University.
Prior to the construction of therailroad in 1883, Moab was a strategic place to cross the Colorado River. A toll ferry service across the river ended when a permanent bridge was built in 1911.[48] This bridge was replaced with a new bridge in 1955, which was in turn replaced by another new bridge in 2010. The 1955 bridge was subsequently demolished. The highway that uses this bridge has been renumbered multiple times and is now numberedU.S. Route 191.[49]
Moab gained freight railroad access in 1962,[50] when a spur railroad line (now theUnion Pacific Railroad's Cane Creek subdivision)[51] was built to serve theCane Creek potash mine. Moab has never had passenger rail service, although theCalifornia Zephyr has advertised service to Moab in the past via stops atThompson Springs (no longer a scheduled stop),Green River orGrand Junction, Colorado.[citation needed] Beginning on August 15, 2021, the excursion companyRocky Mountaineer began operating passenger rail service between Moab andDenver, Colorado, in the form of theRockies to the Red Rocks.[52]
| Preceding station | Rocky Mountaineer | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminus | Rockies to the Red Rocks | Glenwood Springs towardsDenver | ||
Bus service is provided by Salt Lake Express.[53][54] There are a number of locally owned shuttle services that provide transportation to Salt Lake City and Grand Junction, CO.[55]
Air service is available atCanyonlands Field, with daily nonstop flights toDenver International Airport viaSkyWest Airlines/United Express.[56]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Places adjacent to Moab, Utah | |
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Municipalities and communities ofGrand County, Utah,United States | ||
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| City |  | |
| Town | ||
| CDP | ||
| Indian reservation | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
