San Juan County, Utah
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San Juan County ( ) is a
county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
in the southeastern portion of the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
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 ...
. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 14,518. Its
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
is
Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary residence and plantation of Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father, author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third president of the United States. Jefferson began designing Monticello after inheriting l ...
, while its most populous city is Blanding. The Utah State Legislature named the county for the San Juan River, itself named by Spanish
explorer Exploration is the process of exploring, an activity which has some Expectation (epistemic), expectation of Discovery (observation), discovery. Organised exploration is largely a human activity, but exploratory activity is common to most organis ...
s (in honor of Saint John). San Juan County borders
Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
,
Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
, and
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
at the
Four Corners Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. Most of the Four Corners regio ...
.


History

The
Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th st ...
authorized the creation of San Juan County on February 17, 1880, with territories annexed from
Iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...
, Kane, and Piute counties. There has been no change in its boundaries since its creation. Monticello was founded in 1887, and by 1895 it was large enough to be designated the seat of San Juan County.


Geography

San Juan County lies in the southeastern corner of the state of Utah. Its borders coincide with the borders of the states of
Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
,
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
, and
Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
with Utah.''San Juan County UT'' Google Maps (accessed March 31, 2019)
/ref> The convergence point of these borders,
Four Corners Monument The Four Corners Monument marks the quadripoint in the Southwestern United States where the U.S. state, states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet. It is the only point in the United States shared by four states, leading to the area ...
, is located at the extreme southeastern corner of the county. The county's terrain generally slopes to the west and the south, with its highest point, Mount Peale, at above sea level. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.4%) is water. It is the largest county by area in Utah. The county's western and southern boundaries lie deep within gorges carved by the
Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
and
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...
Rivers. Tributary canyons, cutting through rock layers of the surrounding deserts, have carved the land up with chasms, cliffs, and plateaus. In the center of the county is Cedar Mesa, Comb Wash, Natural Bridges, and Hovenweep National Monuments. Canyonlands National Park lies mainly within the county borders. The Eastern side of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area /
Lake Powell Lake Powell is a reservoir on the Colorado River in Utah and Arizona, United States. It is a major vacation destination visited by approximately two million people every year. It holds of water when full, second in the United States to only the ...
is also in the county. The Blue (Abajo) Mountains and the La Sal Mountains exceed in elevation. Both ranges are covered with lush forests, contrasting the scenery below. The elevation change within the county is from nearly in the La Sal Mountains to at Lake Powell, a difference of about . The county's towns lie primarily on a north-south axis along U.S. routes 191 and
163 Year 163 ( CLXIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Laelianus and Pastor (or, less frequently, year 916 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 163 for this y ...
from La Sal in the north to Monument Valley in the south.


Natural resources

In 2018, the only operating uranium processing plant in the United States was located in the town of Blanding; however, the plant was moved to be on standby in 2019. San Juan County is home to numerous oil and gas fields, including Squaw Canyon Oil Field, that produce primarily from the Desert Creek and Ismay Formations.


Major highways

* * * * * * * *


Adjacent counties

* Grand County - north * Mesa County, Colorado - northeast *
Montrose County, Colorado Montrose County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 42,679. The county seat is Montrose, Colorado, Montrose, for which the county is named. Montrose County com ...
- northeast * San Miguel County, Colorado - east *
Dolores County, Colorado Dolores County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,326. The county seat is Dove Creek. History It is thought that the area has been the site of human habitation since at least 2500 ...
- east *
Montezuma County, Colorado Montezuma County is a county located in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 25,849. The county seat is Cortez, Colorado, Cortez. Montezuma County contains m ...
- east *
San Juan County, New Mexico San Juan County () is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 121,661 making it the fifth-most populous county in New Mexico. Its county ...
- southeast *
Apache County, Arizona Apache County is a County (United States), county in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. Shaped in a long rectangle running north to south, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 66,021. The county ...
- south * Navajo County, Arizona - south *
Coconino County, Arizona Coconino County is a County (United States), county in the North Central Arizona, North-Central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its population was 145,101 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The county seat is Flagstaff, Arizon ...
- southwest * Kane County - west * Garfield County - west * Wayne County - west * Emery County - northwest San Juan County is bordered by more counties than any other county in the United States, at 14.


Protected areas

* Bears Ears National Monument * Canyonlands National Park (part) * Dark Canyon Wilderness * Edge of the Cedars State Park *
Four Corners Monument The Four Corners Monument marks the quadripoint in the Southwestern United States where the U.S. state, states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet. It is the only point in the United States shared by four states, leading to the area ...
Navajo Tribal Park (part) * Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (part) * Grand Gulch Primitive Area * Goosenecks State Park * Hovenweep National Monument (part) * Manti-La Sal National Forest (part) * Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park (part) * Natural Bridges National Monument *
Navajo Mountain Navajo Mountain ( meaning "Earth Head") is a peak in San Juan County, Utah, with its southern flank extending into Coconino County, Arizona, in the United States. It holds an important place in the traditions of three local Native American tri ...
* Rainbow Bridge National Monument *
Valley of the Gods The Valley of the Gods is a scenic sandstone valley near Mexican Hat, Utah, Mexican Hat in San Juan County, Utah, San Juan County, southeastern Utah, United States. Part of Bears Ears National Monument, the Valley of the Gods is located north of ...


Demographics

As of 2017, San Juan County was the poorest county (per capita) in Utah and one of the poorest in the United States.


2020 census

According to the 2020 United States census and 2020 American Community Survey, there were 14,518 people in San Juan County with a
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 ...
of 1.9 people per square mile (0.7/km2). Among non- Hispanic or Latino people, the racial makeup was 6,038 (41.6%)
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 ...
, 32 (0.2%)
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 7,186 (49.5%) Native American, 34 (0.2%) Asian, 51 (0.4%)
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 26 (0.2%) from other races, and 404 (2.8%) from two or more races. 747 (5.1%) people were Hispanic or Latino. There were 7,269 (50.07%) males and 7,249 (49.93%) females, and the population distribution by age was 4,176 (28.8%) under the age of 18, 8,104 (55.8%) from 18 to 64, and 2,238 (15.4%) who were at least 65 years old. The median age was 34.6 years. There were 4,649 households in San Juan County with an average size of 3.12 of which 3,397 (73.1%) were families and 1,252 (26.9%) were non-families. Among all families, 2,359 (50.7%) 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 ...
, 317 (6.8%) were male householders with no spouse, and 721 (15.5%) were female householders with no spouse. Among all non-families, 1,070 (23.0%) were a single person living alone and 182 (3.9%) were two or more people living together. 1,848 (39.8%) of all households had children under the age of 18. 3,708 (79.8%) of households were owner-occupied while 941 (20.2%) were renter-occupied. The median income for a San Juan County household was $49,690 and the median family income was $57,401, with a per-capita income of $20,088. The median income for males that were full-time employees was $48,259 and for females $34,092. 22.8% of the population and 18.1% of families 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 ...
. In terms of education attainment, out of the 9,192 people in San Juan County 25 years or older, 1,313 (14.3%) had not completed high school, 2,801 (30.5%) had a
high school diploma A high school diploma (sometimes referred to as a high school degree) is a diploma awarded upon graduation of high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary s ...
or equivalency, 3,316 (36.1%) had some college or
associate degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...
, 1,156 (12.6%) had a
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
, and 606 (6.6%) had a graduate or
professional degree A professional degree, formerly known in the US as a first professional degree, is a degree that prepares someone to work in a particular profession, practice, or industry sector often meeting the academic requirements for licensure or accreditatio ...
.


2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 14,746 people and 4,505 households in San Juan County. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 50.4% Native American, 45.8% White, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% African American and 2.3% reporting two or more races. 4.4% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.


Politics and government

San Juan County has supported Republican presidents since voting for
Wendell Willkie Wendell Lewis Willkie (born Lewis Wendell Willkie; February 18, 1892 – October 8, 1944) was an American lawyer, corporate executive and the 1940 History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican nominee for president. Willkie appeale ...
in 1940. It supported a Democrat for president in 1896 (
William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator, and politician. He was a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running three times as the party' ...
), 1916 (
Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...
), and
1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...
(
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
). Though a Republican vote currently secures elections, the area has voted less Republican than the rest of Utah in many national elections. In 2004, for example,
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
won 60.02% in San Juan County versus 71.54% in the state. In 2020, Democrat
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
needed 6.13% more votes to win the county from
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
, who secured 51.2% in the county as opposed to 58.13% in the state as a whole. The county is more competitive at the state level due to its high Native American population, which leans Democratic. Notably, the county voted for the Democratic candidates in the 1988 and
2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
gubernatorial elections, both of which Republican candidates won. Federally mandated commissioner districts put many
Navajo The Navajo or Diné are an Indigenous people of the Southwestern United States. Their traditional language is Diné bizaad, a Southern Athabascan language. The states with the largest Diné populations are Arizona (140,263) and New Mexico (1 ...
voters in one district. The San Juan County Board of Commissioners has been majority white for many years. In 2016, a Federal District Court decision found voting districts violated the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution. Before the 2016 court decision, the county used an at-large voting system to elect commissioners. In 2018, the first-ever majority-Navajo commission was seated. Two of the three county commissioners, Willie Grayeyes and Kenneth Maryboy, are board members of Utah Diné Bikeyah, which supported the creation of Bears Ears National Monument. In a 2019 special election, Proposition 10, which would have changed the structure of the county government to include five county commissioners, was blocked needing 153 more popular votes. The proposition, spearheaded by Blanding Mayor Joe Lyman, was characterized by opponents as an effort to undermine the Navajo-majority county commission. Mayor Joe Lyman characterized the proposition as a way to restore representation to Blanding, the county's largest city. He states, "I don't like how we arrived at the commissioners we have because it felt like a judicial appointment," and that "the vote is very evenly split." As of March 2020, efforts were underway to bring municipal water and electrical service to the 29-home Diné (
Navajo The Navajo or Diné are an Indigenous people of the Southwestern United States. Their traditional language is Diné bizaad, a Southern Athabascan language. The states with the largest Diné populations are Arizona (140,263) and New Mexico (1 ...
) community of Westwater, which has existed for decades with neither just outside the city limits of Blanding.


Communities


Cities

* Blanding *
Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary residence and plantation of Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father, author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third president of the United States. Jefferson began designing Monticello after inheriting l ...
(county seat)


Town

* Bluff


Census-designated places

* Aneth * Halchita * Halls Crossing * La Sal * Mexican Hat * Montezuma Creek *
Navajo Mountain Navajo Mountain ( meaning "Earth Head") is a peak in San Juan County, Utah, with its southern flank extending into Coconino County, Arizona, in the United States. It holds an important place in the traditions of three local Native American tri ...
* Oljato-Monument Valley * Spanish Valley * Tselakai Dezza * White Mesa


Unincorporated communities

* Eastland * Ucolo


See also

*
List of counties in Utah There are 29 County (United States), counties in the U.S. state of Utah. In 1849, the provisional State of Deseret established seven counties: Davis County, Utah, Davis, Iron County, Utah, Iron, Sanpete County, Utah, Sanpete, Salt Lake Count ...
* National Register of Historic Places listings in San Juan County, Utah


References


External links

* * {{Authority control 1880 establishments in Utah Territory Populated places established in 1880