Fort Duchesne is a
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
(CDP) in
Uintah County,
Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
, United States. The population was 714 at the
2010 census, an increase from the 2000 figure of 621.
Fort Duchesne was originally a
fort
A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...
, established by the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
in 1886 and closed in 1912. The community developed around it within the
Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation, established in 1864. Several bands of Ute were forced on to the
reservation about 1880.
The headquarters of the
Ute Indian Tribe are located here. Its reservation includes much of Uintah and nearby counties.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the CDP has a total area of 7.7 square miles (19.8 km
2), of which 7.0 square miles (18.2 km
2) is land and 0.6 square mile (1.7 km
2) (8.36%) is water.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 621 people, 165 households, and 138 families residing in the CDP. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was 88.5 people per square mile (34.2/km
2). There were 183 housing units at an average density of 26.1/sq mi (10.1/km
2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 5.48%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 90.18%
Native American, 0.16%
Asian, 0.16% from
other races, and 4.03% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 5.15% of the population.
There were 165 households, out of which 46.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.3% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 43.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.8% were non-families. 13.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 1.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.61 and the average family size was 3.78.
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 40.1% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 14.7% from 45 to 64, and 4.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.4 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $18,750, and the median income for a family was $14,688. Males had a median income of $30,714 versus $20,750 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the CDP was $6,466. About 52.1% of families and 54.6% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 57.4% of those under age 18 and 52.4% of those age 65 or over.
Climate
Fort Duchesne has one of the largest temperature differences between the summer, where highs commonly reach 90 and above, and winter, where lows commonly reach below 0. As a result, Fort Duchesne has a cold-semi arid near cold desert climate instead of a subarctic climate despite the frigid winters. Precipitation, although very minimal, can be seen throughout the year with the late summer and early fall months seeing more than any other month of the year. However, there isn't a month that averages more than 1 inch.
Notable residents
*
Danny Lopez, world champion professional boxer and member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Ernie Lopez's brother
*
Ernie Lopez, top ranked professional boxer, Danny Lopez's brother
See also
*
List of census-designated places in Utah
This article lists census-designated places (CDPs) in the U.S. state of Utah. At the 2010 census, there were 81 CDPs in Utah. That number dropped to 79 in 2016 when first Dutch John then Millcreek incorporated, and to 74 when five in Salt La ...
References
Further reading
"Fort Duchesne" Utah History Encyclopedia
External links
Gary Lee Walker, research on Fort Duchesne, Utah, MSS 6856a
L. Tom Perry Special Collections Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...
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Census-designated places in Uintah County, Utah
Former installations of the United States Army
Duchesne
Formerly Used Defense Sites in Utah
Populated places established in 1886
1886 establishments in Utah Territory
Census-designated places in Utah