Moab, Utah

For other instances of Moab, see Moab (disambiguation).

Moab is a city in Grand County, Utah, United States. It is 233 miles (374 km) southeast of Salt Lake City and 354 miles (569 km) west of Denver, just off of Interstate 70. The population was 4,779 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Grand County. Moab hosts a large number of tourists every year, mostly visitors of the Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, which are located close by. The town is also a popular base for mountain bikers who come to ride the nearby Slickrock Trail, and off-roaders who come for the annual Easter Jeep Safari. Moab is also the home of the UBL Moab Falcons.

History

Moab is the biblical name of a bastard son of Lot and his firstborn daughter. The biblical Moab fathered the Moabite people that lived in a mountainous strip of land running along the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. This strip of land is also named Moab. It is uncertain how a city in Southeastern Utah came to use that name. The name may have been used by Mormon Pioneers because it reminded them of the biblical desert kingdom of Moab. During the 1800s the area around what is now Moab served as one of only two possible crossings of the Colorado River along the Old Spanish Trail. Mormon settlers attempted to establish a trading fort at the river crossing called "Elk Mountain Mission" in 1855. The purpose was to trade with travelers attempting to cross the river. Later that year and after repeated Indian attacks, the fort was abandoned. A new round of settlers established a permanent settlement in 1878. The name Moab was in use by 1880 when the first post office was established. Moab was incorporated as a town on December 20, 1902.

In 1883 the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad main line was constructed across eastern Utah. The rail line did not pass through Moab. Later other places to cross the Colorado were constructed, such as Lee's Ferry, Navajo Bridge and Boulder Dam. These changes shifted the trade routes away from Moab. Moab farmers and merchants had to adapt from trading with passing travelers to shipping their goods to market. Soon Moab's origins as a one of the few natural crossings of the Colorado River were forgotten. Nevertheless, the U.S. military deemed the bridge over the Colorado River at Moab important enough to place it under guard as late as World War II, fearing sabotage by German or Japanese spies.

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. Potash and manganese came next and then oil and gas were discovered. In the 1950s Moab became the uranium Capital of the world after the Geologist Charles Steen found uranium ore.

In 1949 famed Western movie director John Ford was talked into using the area for the movie Wagon Master. 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 went, found Ford, and persuaded him to come take a look at Moab. There have been numerous movies filmed in the area ever since, using the beauty of Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park as backdrops. They have included: Rio Grande (1950), Warlock (1958), The Comancheros (1961), Cheyenne Autumn (1963), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1963), and parts of more recent films: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1988), Thelma and Louise (1990), The Legend of Curly's Gold (1994), and Impossible II (2000).

Since the 1970s tourism has played an increasing role in the local economy. Partly due to the John Ford movies, the area has become a favorite for photographers, rafters, hikers, and most recently mountain bikers. Moab is also an increasingly popular destination for four-wheelers as well as for BASE jumpers, who are allowed to practice their sport.

Transportation

As stated above, Moab was a strategic place to cross the Colorado River until 1883 when the railroad changed the primary trade routes away from Moab.

A toll ferry service across the river ended when a permanent bridge was built in 1911. This bridge was replaced with the current bridge in 1955. The highway that uses this bridge has changed number multiple times but is presently numbered U.S. Highway 191.

Moab would not gain direct railroad access until 1962 when a spur railroad line was built to service potash mines. This rail line passes within 2 miles of city limits, but has never been used for passenger service and is seldom used today. Due to the spectacular scenery and the rarity of trains many railfans consider a picture of a train on this track the crown jewel of their photo album.

Air service is available at Canyonlands Field.

Geography

Moab is located just south of the Colorado River, at (38.572545, -109.549776) at an elevation of 4,025 feet (1227 meters) on the Colorado Plateau.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.4 km² (3.6 mi²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,779 people, 1,936 households, and 1,169 families residing in the city. The population density was 506.9/km² (1,313.1/mi²). There were 2,148 housing units at an average density of 227.8/km² (590.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.35% White, 0.36% African American, 5.46% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 1.88% from other races, and 1.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.44% of the population.

There were 1,936 households out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,620, and the median income for a family was $38,214. Males had a median income of $35,291 versus $21,339 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,228. About 12.0% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.1% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

Trivia

Moab had numerous products named in its honor during the 1990's, including the Nike Air Mowabb shoe and the Moab Mountain Bike by Schwinn.

The Union Pacific Railroad launched the "Building America" marketing campaign in 2002. The commercials and photos were filmed almost entirely on the Moab spur railroad line. Many photos and even screen savers showing massive freight trains on the Moab spur are still featured on Union Pacific's web site. These pictures were almost certainly staged, pulling trains off the main line long enough for the photo session.

City officials asked the United States government to change the acronym of the Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb (MOAB) because of the similarity of the acronym to the city's name.

External links

Cities in Utah | Grand County, Utah | Uranium mines

Moab (Stadt)