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Piute County, Utah facts for kids

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Piute County
Grass Valley and the Sevier Plateau from SR-25
Grass Valley and the Sevier Plateau from SR-25
Map of Utah highlighting Piute County
Location within the U.S. state of Utah
Map of the United States highlighting Utah
Utah's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Utah
Founded January 16, 1865
Named for Paiute Native Americans
Seat Junction
Largest town Circleville
Area
 • Total 766 sq mi (1,980 km2)
 • Land 758 sq mi (1,960 km2)
 • Water 7.9 sq mi (20 km2)  1.0%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 1,438
 • Density 1.8773/sq mi (0.7248/km2)
Time zone UTC−7 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district 2nd

Piute County (/ˈpjuːt/ PY-yoot) is a county in south-central Utah, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 1,438, making it the second-least populous county in Utah. The county seat is Junction, and the largest town is Circleville.

History

Paiute County was formed on January 16, 1865, with areas annexed from Beaver County. It was named for the Paiute tribe of Native Americans. Its defined boundaries were altered by adjustments between adjoining counties in 1866, in 1880, in 1892, and in 1931. It has retained its current configuration since 1931.

By the 1860s, mining prospectors were pushing into central and southern Utah Territory, and several mining towns, such as Bullion and Webster, appeared. Mining activity had slowed by the 1900s, but gold mining (from lodes in Tushar Mountains) had produced 240,000 ounces of gold from 1868 through 1959. As the nation entered The Great War, a mine on the east Tushar Mountains producing potash and alumina became a national center of attention, both because of the strategic value of these products, and because of persistent rumors of sabotage attempts and spying. The town of Alunite flourished (1915-1930), then died as the war effort wound down. Today it is abandoned.

Geography

The Sevier River flows northward through the west-central part of Piute County, joined at Kingston by the East Branch of the Sevier. Immediately north of Kingston, it is dammed to form Piute Reservoir. Two mountain ridges lie north–south across the county. The eastern ridge runs through the east-central part of the county, and the western ridge (Tushar Mountains) runs along the county's west border, its crestline defining the county line. Otter Creek flows southward through the east part of the county; it is dammed to form Otter Creek Reservoir in the SE part of the county. Along the way it is fed by Greenwich Creek and Box Creek, draining the east face of the eastern ridge. The eastern part of the county generally slopes to the south while the west-central part of the county slopes to the north. The county's highest point is Delano Peak on the Tushar Range, at 12,174 ft (3,711 m) ASL. The highest point on the eastern ridge is a crest near the county's north border, at 9.893 ft (3.015 m) ASL. The county has a total area of 766 square miles (1,980 km2), of which 758 square miles (1,960 km2) is land and 7.9 square miles (20 km2) (1.0%) is water. It is the fifth-smallest county in Utah by total area.

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

  • Dixie National Forest (part)
  • Fishermans Bench Recreation Site
  • Fishlake National Forest (part)
  • Otter Creek State Park
  • Piute State Park

Lakes

  • Barney Lake
  • Big Flat Reservoir
  • Burnt Flat Reservoir
  • Butte Reservoir
  • Chicken Spring
  • Clause Pond
  • Dead Horse Reservoir
  • Death Hollow Reservoir
  • Dog Lake
  • Dry Lake (southeast of Marysvale)
  • Dry Lake (east of Piute Reservoir)
  • Dry Wash Pond
  • Durkee Reservoir
  • Fish Lake Reservoir
  • Forshea Reservoir
  • Forshea Spring
  • Forshea Spring Reservoir
  • Hell Hole Reservoir
  • Hidden Lake
  • Little Meadows
  • Little Park
  • Lower Box Creek Reservoir
  • Manning Meadows Reservoir
  • Middle Spring Lake
  • Mud Lake
  • Nicks Pond
  • Otter Creek Reservoir
  • Parker Lake
  • Pine Point Reservoir
  • Pole Canyon Reservoir
  • Piute Reservoir
  • Rock Canyon Reservoir
  • Rock Spring
  • Rocky Ford Reservoir
  • Smiths Reservoir
  • Taylor Pond
  • Tuft Reservoir
  • Upper Box Creek Reservoir
  • Voyles Pond
  • West Cedar Grove Reservoir
  • Willis Reservoir
  • Wills Reservoir
  • Willow Spring
  • Willow Springs
  • Windy Ridge Reservoir
  • Wood Pond

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1870 82
1880 1,651 1,913.4%
1890 2,842 72.1%
1900 1,954 −31.2%
1910 1,734 −11.3%
1920 2,770 59.7%
1930 1,956 −29.4%
1940 2,203 12.6%
1950 1,911 −13.3%
1960 1,436 −24.9%
1970 1,164 −18.9%
1980 1,329 14.2%
1990 1,277 −3.9%
2000 1,435 12.4%
2010 1,556 8.4%
2020 1,438 −7.6%
US Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010 2020

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 1,435 people, 509 households, and 389 families in the county. The population density was 1.89 people per square mile (0.73 people/km2). There were 745 housing units at an average density of 0.98 units per square mile (0.38 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.61% White, 0.14% Black or African American, 1.18% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.88% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. 4.46% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 509 households, out of which 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.6% were married couples living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.4% were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.25.

The county population contained 30.7% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 19.7% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.6 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,625, and the median income for a family was $35,147. Males had a median income of $26,771 versus $18,438 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,697. About 11.7% of families and 16.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.1% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Former communities

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Piute para niños

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