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

Etymology - Origin of County Name

after President George Washington

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County 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 km²), of which, 2,427 square miles (6,285 km²) of it is land and 3 square miles (8 km²) 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:

- Enterprise	city	Incorporated Area
- Hildale	city	Incorporated Area
- Hurricane	city	Incorporated Area
- Ivins	city	Incorporated Area
- La Verkin	city	Incorporated Area
- Leeds	town	Incorporated Area
- New Harmony	town	Incorporated Area
- Rockville	town	Incorporated Area
- Santa Clara	city	Incorporated Area
- Springdale	town	Incorporated Area
- St. George (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Toquerville	town	Incorporated Area
- Virgin	town	Incorporated Area
- Washington	city	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this 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."