Washington County, Utah

Washington County, Utah
Washington County Hall of Justice
Map of Utah highlighting Washington County
Location in the state of Utah
Map of the United States highlighting Utah
Utah's location in the U.S.
Founded 1852
Named for George Washington
Seat St. George
Largest city St. George
Area
 • Total 2,430 sq mi (6,294 km2)
 • Land 2,426 sq mi (6,283 km2)
 • Water 3.6 sq mi (9 km2), 0.1%
Population
 • (2010) 138,115
 • Density 57/sq mi (22/km²)
Congressional district 2nd
Time zone Mountain: UTC-7/-6
Website www.washco.state.ut.us
Washington County 5th District Courthouse, 2010
Road to Zion National Park

Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2010 census, the population was 138,115.[1] Its county seat and largest city is St. George.[2] The county was named for the first President of the United States, George Washington.

Washington County experienced the fifth highest job-growth rate in the United States at one point.[3]

Washington County comprises the St. George, UT Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Established as colonies to grow cotton, before the beginning of the American Civil War, Utah's Dixie as the early settlements in Washington County were known, St. George, Grafton, Duncans Retreat, Adventure, and Northrop were nearly destroyed by the Great Flood of 1862 that followed forty-four days of rainfall in January and February 1862.[4] Springdale and Rockville were founded in 1862 by settlers flooded out of Adventure, Northup and other places in the vicinity.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,430 square miles (6,300 km2), of which 2,426 square miles (6,280 km2) is land and 3.6 square miles (9.3 km2) (0.1%) is water.[5] The elevation varies from 2,178 to 10,194 feet (3,107 m) in elevation. The lowest point in the state of Utah is located in the Beaver Dam Wash in Washington County, where it (seasonally) flows out of Utah and into Arizona. Washington County is made up of three major geographic areas; the Colorado Plateau in the east-northeast, the Great Basin in the northwest and the Mojave Desert in the south-southwest.

The county includes an area along the Old Spanish Trail called Mountain Meadows. Zion National Park is located in the eastern part of Washington County.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

National protected areas

There are 18 official wilderness areas in Washington County that are part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Most are entities managed by the Bureau of Land Management, but some are integral parts of the above listed protected areas. Two of these extend into neighboring counties (as indicated below). Many of the BLM wildernesses are not much more than small appendages of Zion Wilderness in Zion National Park.

Education

Washington County School District Office in St. George, Utah.

In addition to the primary and secondary schools that compose Washington County School District, Washington County is home to Dixie State University in St. George with a campus extension in Hurricane.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1860691—
18703,064343.4%
18804,23538.2%
18904,009−5.3%
19004,61215.0%
19105,12311.1%
19206,76432.0%
19307,4209.7%
19409,26924.9%
19509,8366.1%
196010,2714.4%
197013,66933.1%
198026,06590.7%
199048,56086.3%
200090,35486.1%
2010138,11552.9%
Est. 2013147,8007.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8]
1990-2000[9] 2010-2012[1]

As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 90,354 people, 29,939 households, and 23,442 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile (14/km²). There were 36,478 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.57% White, 0.21% Black or African American, 1.47% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.42% Pacific Islander, 2.24% from other races, and 1.65% from two or more races. 5.23% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In 2005 89.7% of the population was non-Hispanic whites. African Americans now made up 0.4% of the population. Native Americans had fallen slightly to only being 1.4% of the population. Asians were up to 0.6% of the population. Pacific Islanders had risen to being 0.5% of the population. 6.6% of the population was now Latino.

In 2000 there were 29,939 households out of which 37.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.60% were married couples living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.70% were non-families. 17.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.36.

In the county, the population was spread out with 31.20% under the age of 18, 11.60% from 18 to 24, 22.40% from 25 to 44, 17.80% from 45 to 64, and 17.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 97.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,212, and the median income for a family was $41,845. Males had a median income of $31,275 versus $20,856 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,873. About 7.70% of families and 11.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.60% of those under age 18 and 4.20% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities and towns

Washington County (UT) cities and towns.

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ↑ "Where-the-Jobs-Are: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance". Finance.yahoo.com. 2008-07-23. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
  4. ↑ P. Kyle House, Ancient floods, modern hazards: principles and applications of paleoflood hydrology, Volume 1, American Geophysical Union, 2002, p. 297
  5. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  6. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  10. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Washington County, Utah.

Community Related Links

Recreation

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Coordinates: 37°17′N 113°31′W / 37.28°N 113.52°W