Piute County, Utah

Piute County (/ˈpaɪjuːt/ PY-yoot) is a county in south-central Utah, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 1,556,[1] making it the second-least populous county in Utah.[2] The county seat is Junction,[3] and the largest town is Circleville.

Piute County
U.S. county
Grass Valley and the Sevier Plateau from SR-25
Location within the U.S. state of Utah
Utah's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 38°20′N 112°08′W
Country United States
State Utah
FoundedJanuary 16, 1865
Named forPaiute Native Americans
SeatJunction
Largest townCircleville
Area
 • Total766 sq mi (1,980 km2)
 • Land758 sq mi (1,960 km2)
 • Water7.9 sq mi (20 km2)  1.0%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total1,556
 • Estimate 
(2019)
1,479
 • Density2/sq mi (0.8/km2)
Time zoneUTC−7 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district2nd
Websitewww.piute.org

History

Paiute County[4] was formed on January 16, 1865 with areas annexed from Beaver County. It was named for the Paiute tribe of Native Americans.[5] Its defined boundaries were altered by adjustments between adjoining counties in 1866, in 1880, in 1892, and in 1931. It has retained its current configuration since 1931.[6]

By the 1860s, mining prospectors were pushing into central and southern Utah Territory, and several mining towns, such as Bullion and Webster, appeared. Mining activity had slowed by the 1900s, but gold mining (from lodes in Tushar Mountains) had produced 240,000 ounces of gold from 1868 through 1959.[7] As the nation entered The Great War, a mine on the east Tushar Mountains producing potash and alumina became a national center of attention, both because of the strategic value of these products, and because of persistent rumors of sabotage attempts and spying. The town of Alunite flourished (1915-1930), then died as the war effort wound down. Today it is abandoned.

Geography

The Sevier River flows northward through the west-central part of Piute County, joined at Kingston by the East Branch of the Sevier. Immediately north of Kingston, it is dammed to form Piute Reservoir. Two mountain ridges lie north-south across the county. The eastern ridge runs through the east-central part of the county, and the western ridge (Tushar Mountains) runs along the county's west border, its crestline defining the county line. Otter Creek flows southward through the east part of the county; it is dammed to form Otter Creek Reservoir in the SE part of the county. Along the way it is fed by Greenwich Creek and Box Creek, draining the east face of the eastern ridge.[8] The eastern part of the county generally slopes to the south while the west-central part of the county slopes to the north. The county's highest point is Delano Peak on the Tushar Range, at 12,174' (3711m) ASL. The highest point on the eastern ridge is a crest near the county's north border, at 9.893' (3015.5m) ASL.[9] The county has a total area of 766 square miles (1,980 km2), of which 758 square miles (1,960 km2) is land and 7.9 square miles (20 km2) (1.0%) is water.[10] It is the fifth-smallest county in Utah by total area.

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Lakes

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
187082—
18801,6511,913.4%
18902,84272.1%
19001,954−31.2%
19101,734−11.3%
19202,77059.7%
19301,956−29.4%
19402,20312.6%
19501,911−13.3%
19601,436−24.9%
19701,164−18.9%
19801,32914.2%
19901,277−3.9%
20001,43512.4%
20101,5568.4%
Est. 20191,479−4.9%
US Decennial Census[11]
1790–1960[12] 1900–1990[13]
1990–2000[14] 2010–2018[1] 2019[15]

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 1,435 people, 509 households, and 389 families in the county. The population density was 1.89/sqmi (0.73/km²). There were 745 housing units at an average density of 0.98/sqmi (0.38/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.61% White, 0.14% Black or African American, 1.18% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.88% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. 4.46% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 509 households out of which 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.6% were married couples living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.4% were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.25.

The county population contained 30.7% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 19.7% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 104.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.6 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,625, and the median income for a family was $35,147. Males had a median income of $26,771 versus $18,438 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,697. About 11.7% of families and 16.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.1% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Piute County is a traditional Republican stronghold. In no national election since 1940 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2016).

Presidential election results
Presidential elections results[16]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2016 85.9% 626 6.5% 47 7.7% 56
2012 89.1% 697 9.5% 74 1.4% 11
2008 79.3% 635 17.6% 141 3.1% 25
2004 83.6% 646 15.9% 123 0.5% 4
2000 80.2% 626 17.0% 133 2.8% 22
1996 66.3% 475 24.6% 176 9.2% 66
1992 57.0% 429 22.4% 169 20.6% 155
1988 69.3% 476 30.0% 206 0.7% 5
1984 80.1% 606 20.0% 151
1980 76.6% 551 21.8% 157 1.5% 11
1976 55.9% 377 39.3% 265 4.9% 33
1972 78.8% 475 16.9% 102 4.3% 26
1968 64.4% 411 26.2% 167 9.4% 60
1964 56.9% 361 43.1% 273
1960 64.7% 453 35.3% 247
1956 75.3% 548 24.7% 180
1952 72.0% 531 28.1% 207
1948 57.7% 440 41.3% 315 1.1% 8
1944 52.4% 381 47.6% 346
1940 48.6% 442 51.2% 466 0.2% 2
1936 35.7% 339 64.3% 611 0.1% 1
1932 50.7% 433 47.2% 403 2.1% 18
1928 64.2% 434 35.1% 237 0.7% 5
1924 61.4% 398 32.1% 208 6.5% 42
1920 63.8% 538 33.6% 283 2.6% 22
1916 36.3% 269 56.2% 417 7.6% 56
1912 37.4% 205 20.1% 110 42.5% 233[17]
1908 56.5% 333 26.7% 157 16.8% 99
1904 48.1% 358 30.7% 228 21.2% 158
1900 53.8% 330 45.6% 280 0.7% 4
1896 5.8% 34 94.2% 555
Map of Piute County communities

Communities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Former communities

See also

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  2. Daggett County at the NE state corner, has the least county population (as of 2010 census).
  3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. The Utah Legislature later changed the county name to its current spelling. "About Piute State Park" Utah State Parks website (accessed March 22, 2019)
  5. Van Cott, John W. (1990). Utah Place Names. Salt Lake City UT: University of Utah Press. p. 297. ISBN 0-87480-345-4.
  6. Newberry Library. Individual County Chronologies - Piute County UT (accessed March 25, 2019)
  7. "History" - Piute County website. Accessed March 22, 2019
  8. Piute County UT Google Maps (accessed 22 March 2019)
  9. ""Find an Altitude/Piute County UT" Google Maps (accessed 22 March 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  10. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  11. "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  12. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  13. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (June 25, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  14. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  15. "QuickFacts. Utah counties". Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  16. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  17. The leading "other" candidate, Progressive Theodore Roosevelt, received 146 votes, while Socialist candidate Eugene Debs received 110 votes.

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