Moab, Utah

Moab
FIPS code		49-50700[3]
GNIS feature ID	1430389[4]
U.S. Routes
Website	moabcity.org

Moab (

Moab is home to one of the nine regional campuses of Utah State University.

History

Early years

The Biblical name Moab refers to an area of land located on the eastern side of the Jordan River. Some historians believe the city in Utah came to use this name because of William Andrew Pierce, the first postmaster, believing that the biblical Moab and this part of Utah were both "the far country".^{[8]: 16 [9]} However, others believe the name has Paiute origins, referring to the word moapa, meaning "mosquito".^[10] Some of the area's early residents attempted to change the city's name, because in the Christian Bible, Moabites are demeaned as incestuous and idolatrous (but note, Ruth was a Moabite). One petition in 1890 had 59 signatures and requested a name change to "Vina".^[8]: 50 Another effort attempted to change the name to "Uvadalia".^[10] Both attempts failed.

During the period between 1829 and the early 1850s, the area around what is now Moab served as the Colorado River crossing along the Old 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.^[11][12] After this last attack, the fort was abandoned.^[13] A new group of settlers from Rich County, led by Randolph Hockaday Stewart, established a permanent settlement in 1878 under the direction of Brigham Young.^[14] Moab was incorporated as a town on December 20, 1902.^[10]

In 1883 the

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.^{[citation needed]} Potash and manganese 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 geologist Charles Steen found a rich deposit of uranium ore south of the city.^[10] This discovery coincided with the advent of the era of nuclear weapons and nuclear power in the United States, and Moab's boom years began.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[23]

With the winding down of the Cold 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 director John Ford was persuaded to use the area for the movie Wagon Master.^[24] 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 (George White) found Ford and persuaded him to come take a look at Moab.^[25] The Moab to Monument Valley Film Commission is a Moab City Department^[26] and holds the title of the longest running film commission in the world. Established in 1949,^[27] the commission has overseen the production of the many movies filmed near Moab.

In recent years, Moab has experienced a surge of

• 
  Charlie Steen's $11 million Uranium Reduction Co. that became the Atlas Uranium Mill
• 
  County-sponsored sign promoting manufacturing in Moab during the early 1970s
• 
  Uranium building's historic storefront, 2019
• 
  A rock shop, 2019

Cultural events

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.^[30] The Moab Folk Festival features concerts by numerous folk musicians every November.^[31] Since 2011 Moab has hosted an LGBT Pride festival.^{[32][33][34][35]} The first festival included a "visibility" march which drew more than 350 people; in its second year's festival had over 600 in attendance.^[36] The Skinny Tire Festival is a road bike festival that occurs in March each year and raises funds for cancer research and survivors.^[37][38] Additionally, Moab sponsors the Moab Art Walk at multiple venues throughout the year, highlighting local artists' work.^[39][40]

Geography

Moab is just south of the Colorado River, at an elevation of 4,025 feet (1,227 m) on the Colorado Plateau. It is 18 miles (29 km) west of the Utah/Colorado state line. Via U.S. Route 191, it is 31 miles (50 km) south of Interstate 70 at Crescent Junction, and it is 54 miles (87 km) north of Monticello. Via Utah State Route 128 it is 46 miles (74 km) southwest of Cisco. The entrance to Arches 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 the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12 square kilometres (4.8 sq mi), all land.^[6]

Climate

Moab has a semi-arid climate bordering on arid (Köppen BSk) 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).^[41]

Demographics

As of the

Education

The following public schools serve Moab area students:

• Helen M. Knight Elementary School, Grades K-6
• Moab Charter School, Grades K-6
• Margaret L. Hopkin Middle School, Grades 7-8
• Grand County High School, Grades 9-12

Moab is home to a regional campus of Utah State University.

Media

• Films
  • Films shot in the Moab area include:
    • Wagon Master (1950)
    • Rio Grande (1950)
    • Warlock (1958)
    • Rio Conchos
      (1964)
    • Fade In (1968)
    • Nightmare at Noon (1988)
    • Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1988)
    • Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
    • Lightning Jack (1994)
    • Riders of the Purple Sage (1996)
    • RocketMan (1997)
    • Breakdown (1997)
    • John Carter (2012)
• Books
  • Books set partially in Moab include:
    • Fall; or, Dodge in Hell (2019)
    • Desert Solitaire (1968)
    • The Scholar of Moab (2011)
    • The Man Who Quit Money (2012)

Infrastructure

Transportation

Prior to the construction of the railroad 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.^[44] 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 numbered U.S. Route 191.^{[citation needed]}

Moab gained freight railroad access in 1962,^[

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Moab, Utah.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Moab.

• City of Moab official website
• 7.5' Moab Area topographic map Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine - Utah Geological Survey