Moab, Utah
For other instances of Moab, see Moab (disambiguation).Moab is a city in
Grand County,
Utah,
United States. It is 233 miles (374 km) southeast of
Salt Lake City and 354 miles (569 km) west of
Denver, just off of
Interstate 70. The population was 4,779 at the 2000 census. It is the
county seat of
Grand County. Moab hosts a large number of tourists every year, mostly visitors of the
Arches and
Canyonlands National Parks, which are located close by. The town is also a popular base for
mountain bikers who come to ride the nearby
Slickrock Trail, and off-roaders who come for the annual Easter Jeep Safari.
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Delicate Arch in Arches Nat'l Park near Moab |
Moab is the biblical name of a bastard son of
Lot and his firstborn daughter. The biblical
Moab fathered the
Moabite people that lived in a mountainous strip of land running along the eastern shore of the
Dead Sea. This strip of land is also named Moab. It is uncertain how a city in Southeastern Utah came to use that name. The name may have been used by Mormon Pioneers because it reminded them of the biblical desert kingdom of Moab. During the
1800s the area around what is now Moab served as one of only two possible crossings of the
Colorado River along the
Old Spanish Trail.
Mormon settlers attempted to establish a trading fort at the river crossing called "Elk Mountain Mission" in
1855. The purpose was to trade with travelers attempting to cross the river. Later that year and after repeated Indian attacks, the fort was abandoned. A new round of settlers established a permanent settlement in 1878. The name Moab was in use by 1880 when the first post office was established. Moab was incorporated as a town on
December 20,
1902.
In 1883 the
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad main line was constructed across eastern
Utah. The rail line did not pass through Moab. Later other places to cross the Colorado were constructed, such as
Lee's Ferry,
Navajo Bridge and
Boulder 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 market. Soon Moab's origins as a one of the few natural crossings of the Colorado River were forgotten. Nevertheless, the U.S. military deemed the bridge over the Colorado River at Moab important enough to place it under guard as late as
World War II, fearing sabotage by German or Japanese .
Moab's economy was originally based on agriculture, but gradually shifted to mining.
Uranium and
vanadium were discovered in the area in the
1910s and
1920s.
Potash and
manganese came next and then oil and gas were discovered. In the 1950s Moab became the uranium Capital of the world after the Geologist
Charles Steen found uranium ore.
In 1949 famed
Western movie director
John Ford was talked into using the area for the movie
Wagon Master. Ford had been using the area in
Monument Valley around
Mexican Hat, Utah, south of Moab, since he filmed
Stagecoach there 10-years earlier in 1939. A local Moab rancher went, found Ford, and persuaded him to come take a look at Moab. There have been numerous movies filmed in the area ever since, using the beauty of
Arches National Park and
Canyonlands National Park as backdrops. They have included:
Rio Grande (1950),
Warlock (1958),
The Comancheros (1961),
Cheyenne Autumn (1963),
The Greatest Story Ever Told (1963), and parts of more recent films:
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1988),
Thelma and Louise (1990),
City Slickers II (1994), and
Mission: Impossible II (2000).
Since the
1970s tourism has played an increasing role in the local economy. Partly due to the John Ford movies, the area has become a favorite for
photographers,
rafters,
hikers, and most recently
mountain bikers. Moab is also an increasingly popular destination for four-wheelers as well as for BASE jumpers, who are allowed to practice their sport.
As stated above, Moab was a strategic place to cross the Colorado River until 1883 when the railroad changed the primary trade routes away from Moab.
A toll ferry service across the river ended when a permanent bridge was built in 1911. This bridge was replaced with the current bridge in 1955. The highway that uses this bridge has changed number multiple times but is presently numbered
U.S. Highway 191.
Moab would not gain direct railroad access until 1962 when a spur railroad line was built to service
potash mines. This rail line passes within 2 miles of city limits, but has never been used for passenger service and is seldom used today. Due to the spectacular scenery and the rarity of trains many
railfans consider a picture of a train on this track the crown jewel of their photo album.
Air service is available at
Canyonlands Field.
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Location of Moab, Utah |
Moab is located just south of the
Colorado River,at (38.572545, -109.549776) at an elevation of 4,025
feet (1227
meters) on the Colorado Plateau.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.4
km² (3.6
mi²), all land.
As of the
census of 2000, there were 4,779 people, 1,936 households, and 1,169 families residing in the city. The
population density was 506.9/km² (1,313.1/mi²). There were 2,148 housing units at an average density of 227.8/km² (590.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.35%
White, 0.36%
African American, 5.46%
Native American, 0.29%
Asian, 0.08%
Pacific Islander, 1.88% from
other races, and 1.57% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino 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% were
married 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. The
per capita income for the city was $16,228. About 12.0% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 19.1% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.
*Moab had numerous products named in its honor during the 1990's, including the Nike Air Mowabb shoe and the Moab
Mountain Bike by Schwinn.
*The
Union Pacific Railroad launched the "Building America" marketing campaign in 2002. The commercials and photos were filmed almost entirely on the Moab spur railroad line. Many photos and even screen savers showing massive freight trains on the Moab spur are still featured on Union Pacific's web site. These pictures were almost certainly staged, pulling trains off the main line long enough for the photo session.
*City officials asked the
United States government to change the
acronym of the
Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb (MOAB) because of the similarity of the acronym to the city's name.
*
Atlas Uranium Mill*Moab is also the historical name for a mountainous strip of land in Jordan. See
Moab.
*
Official Website of the Moab Travel Council*
City of Moab website*
Mountain Biking in Moab*
Moab Chamber of Commerce*
The Times-Independent, Moab Utah*
The Canyon Country Zephyr*
Moab Farmer's Market*
Moab Region Guide*
Photographic virtual tour of Moab @ the UnTraveledRoad.com*
Moab area images @ Canyonlight Photography tours*
7.5' Moab Area topographic map @ Utah Geological Survey
