Bluff, Utah
Bluff, Utah | ||
---|---|---|
Incorporated town and municipality | ||
FIPS code 49-06700[5] | | |
GNIS feature ID | 1425842[1] | |
Website | Town of Bluff |
Bluff is a town in
History
Under the direction of John Taylor, Silas S. Smith and Danish settler Jens Nielson led about 230 Mormons on an expedition to start a farming community in southeastern Utah. After forging about 200 miles (320 kilometers) of their own trail over difficult terrain, the settlers arrived on the site of Bluff in April 1880.[7] (The trail followed went over and down the "Hole in the Rock", which now opens into one of the tributaries of Lake Powell.) The town was named for the bluffs near the town site.[8] The town's population had declined to seventy by 1930[citation needed] but rebounded during a uranium prospecting boom in the 1950s.[7] With the uranium decline in the 1970s, Bluff again declined and now remains a small town with about 200 residents.[citation needed]
Geography
Bluff is located in the sparsely populated southeastern Utah canyonlands of the
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 22.6 square miles (58.7 km2), of which 22.1 square miles (57.2 km2) is land and 0.6 square mile (1.4 km2) (2.43%) is water.
Climate
Bluff has a cold
Climate data for Bluff, Utah (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1911–present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 69 (21) |
76 (24) |
86 (30) |
94 (34) |
102 (39) |
106 (41) |
109 (43) |
106 (41) |
102 (39) |
95 (35) |
85 (29) |
69 (21) |
109 (43) |
Mean maximum °F (°C) | 55.2 (12.9) |
64.3 (17.9) |
76.3 (24.6) |
85.0 (29.4) |
93.2 (34.0) |
101.1 (38.4) |
103.4 (39.7) |
99.8 (37.7) |
94.7 (34.8) |
83.7 (28.7) |
68.8 (20.4) |
56.7 (13.7) |
103.7 (39.8) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 43.2 (6.2) |
51.4 (10.8) |
62.8 (17.1) |
71.4 (21.9) |
80.7 (27.1) |
91.8 (33.2) |
95.9 (35.5) |
92.6 (33.7) |
84.2 (29.0) |
70.2 (21.2) |
55.1 (12.8) |
43.0 (6.1) |
70.2 (21.2) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 31.5 (−0.3) |
38.1 (3.4) |
47.4 (8.6) |
55.3 (12.9) |
64.1 (17.8) |
73.7 (23.2) |
79.8 (26.6) |
77.4 (25.2) |
68.0 (20.0) |
54.2 (12.3) |
40.9 (4.9) |
31.4 (−0.3) |
55.2 (12.9) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 19.7 (−6.8) |
24.8 (−4.0) |
31.9 (−0.1) |
39.1 (3.9) |
47.6 (8.7) |
55.5 (13.1) |
63.8 (17.7) |
62.2 (16.8) |
51.8 (11.0) |
38.2 (3.4) |
26.8 (−2.9) |
19.7 (−6.8) |
40.1 (4.5) |
Mean minimum °F (°C) | 6.4 (−14.2) |
12.3 (−10.9) |
19.0 (−7.2) |
25.6 (−3.6) |
34.4 (1.3) |
43.5 (6.4) |
52.1 (11.2) |
52.0 (11.1) |
37.8 (3.2) |
24.2 (−4.3) |
12.7 (−10.7) |
6.8 (−14.0) |
2.1 (−16.6) |
Record low °F (°C) | −22 (−30) |
−13 (−25) |
4 (−16) |
16 (−9) |
23 (−5) |
33 (1) |
40 (4) |
37 (3) |
23 (−5) |
10 (−12) |
−2 (−19) |
−22 (−30) |
−22 (−30) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.83 (21) |
0.62 (16) |
0.47 (12) |
0.34 (8.6) |
0.50 (13) |
0.20 (5.1) |
0.62 (16) |
0.94 (24) |
0.84 (21) |
0.77 (20) |
0.48 (12) |
0.67 (17) |
7.28 (185) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 2.5 (6.4) |
1.6 (4.1) |
0.3 (0.76) |
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) |
0.3 (0.76) |
2.6 (6.6) |
7.4 (19) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 1.2 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 43.3 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 1.5 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.7 | 4.5 |
Source: NOAA[10][11] |
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
2019 (est.) | 245 | [4] | |
U.S. Decennial Census[12] |
As of the
There were 135 households, of which 28.9% had children under 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.4% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37, and the average family size was 3.25.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.5 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 104.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $23,906, and the median income for a family was $30,938. Males had a median income of $31,563 versus $14,792 for females. The
Education
The San Juan School District operates Bluff Elementary School in Bluff.
Attractions and events
- Bluff Fort and Visitors Center
- Navajo Twin Rocks
- Bluff Pioneer Cemetery
- Trading Post
- Bears Ear Education Center
- Historic buildings and sites of Bluff Historic District and other listings on the National Register of Historic Places in Bluff.
Events:
- Winter Balloon Festival, January [13]
- Bluff Arts Festival, October and Utah Navajo Fair, September[14]
Notable people
- Academy Award-winning cinematographer
- Albert R. Lyman, writer
- Jane McKechnie Walton, pioneer
- Ellen Meloy, writer
- Charles Redd, rancher and member of the Utah House of Representatives
See also
References
- ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Bluff, Utah
- ^ "Bluff Town History - Bluff, Utah". November 10, 2019.
- ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ a b "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "Town of Bluff Government". Archived from the original on September 8, 2018. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ a b "Bluff Town History | Bluff, Utah". November 10, 2019.
- ^ Van Atta, Dale (January 22, 1977). "You name it - there's a town for it". The Deseret News. p. 15. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
- ^ Bluff, UT, 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1989
- ^ "NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
- ^ "Bluff, Utah Balloon Festival Schedule of Events". June 17, 2008. Archived from the original on June 17, 2008.
- ^ "Events in Bluff | Bluff, Utah". June 16, 2015.