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Utah State...
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Utah Counties
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Utah Counties
There are 29 counties in the State of Utah |
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Washington County, Utah
Washington County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: St. George
Year Organized: 1852
Square Miles: 2,427 |
Court House: 197 E. Tabernacle
County Administration Building
St. George, UT 84770-3443
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
after President George Washington
Demographics:
County QuickFacts:
Census Bureau Quick Facts
History
Washington County in the southwest
corner of the state is nicknamed Dixie because it includes a large area around
St. George, in the valley of the Virgin River and its tributaries, with the
highest average temperatures in the state and very mild winters. The eastern
third of the county, including spectacular Zion National Park, is part of the
Colorado Plateau. The western two-thirds lies in the Basin and Range geographic
province. The lowest point in the state, along Beaver Dam Wash (2,350 feet), is
near the county's southwest corner, while the Pine Valley Mountains in the north
top 10,000 feet.
Traces of the prehistoric Archaic and Anasazi cultures have been found in the
area, and the Santa Clara and Virgin rivers provided an important base for the
development of Southern Paiute life. The Dominguez-Escalante expedition in 1776
recorded the first description of the Indians in this area. In 1980 the federal
government restored traditional tribal lands west of Santa Clara to the Shivwits
branch of Southern Paiutes.
In an attempt to establish an overland route to the Pacific and southern
California (the so-called Mormon Corridor) the Mormons founded a string of
settlements running southwest from the Salt Lake Valley. Brigham Young sent
small groups into southwestern Utah as early as 1852 to test the agricultural
potential of the warm climate. Fort Harmony was established in 1852; Santa
Clara, 1854; Washington, 1857; Toquerville, 1858; Grafton, 1859; and Adventure
(Rockville), 1860. But until 1861--when several hundred families were called by
church leaders to go to the area to raise cotton, figs, olives, grapes, sugar,
almonds, and tobacco-colonization remained chiefly an experiment. St. George,
settled in 1861, became the center of Dixie, and the colonists succeeded in
producing sizable amounts of cotton, wine, and molasses. The demand for cotton
lasted until after the Civil War. The wine industry also grew during this
period, as did mining, but when mining decreased so did the demand for wine.
During 1875-80 Silver Reef, northwest of Leeds, was a booming mining town, and
Wells Fargo reportedly shipped more than $8,000,000 in bullion from the mines
there.
The boundaries of Washington County, formed in 1852 by the legislature,
stretched the entire width of the territory (then some 600 miles). After several
changes the county achieved its present size and shape in 1892.
The economic base of the county has changed significantly over the years from
its agricultural foundation to a much more diversified mix. Zion National Park
(established in 1909 as Mukuntuweap National Monument) has always been one of
the state's premier tourist attractions. The trade and service industries have
grown steadily to accommodate not only increasing numbers of tourists but also
the development of the area as a major retirement center. Communities such as
Bloomington, south of St. George and numerous condominiums and trailer parks
house thousands of winter residents. Two-year Dixie College with some 2,300
students is a major employer.
*Sources: Beehive History 14:
Utah Counties. 1988. Utah State Historical Society, 300 Rio Grande, Salt Lake
City, UT 84101-1182.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,430 square miles (6,293 kmē), of which,
2,427 square miles (6,285 kmē) of it is land and 3 square miles (8 kmē) of it (0.13%) is water. The elevation varies
from 2,178 to 10,194 feet in elevation
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.
Neighboring Counties:
- Iron County, Utah - (north)
- Kane County, Utah - (east)
- Mohave County, Arizona - (south)
- Lincoln County, Nevada - (west)
Cities and Towns:
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- Enterprise |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Hildale |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Hurricane |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Ivins |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- La Verkin |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Leeds |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- New Harmony |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- Rockville |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- Santa Clara |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Springdale |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- St. George
(County
Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Toquerville |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- Virgin |
town |
Incorporated Area |
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- Washington |
city |
Incorporated Area |
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic
features of our country!"
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.
Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally,
act locally." |
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