Bluff, Utah
Encyclopedia
Bluff is a census-designated place
(CDP) in San Juan County
, Utah
, United States
. The population was 320 at the 2000 census.
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 22.6 square miles (58.7 km²), of which, 22.1 square miles (57.2 km²) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.4 km²) of it (2.43%) is water.
of 2000, there were 320 people, 135 households, and 75 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 14.5 people per square mile (5.6/km²). There were 191 housing units at an average density of 8.6/sq mi (3.3/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 62.50% White, 35.00% Native American, 0.94% from other races
, and 1.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.06% of the population.
There were 135 households out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples
living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.4% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.25.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 102.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $23,906, and the median income for a family was $30,938. Males had a median income of $31,563 versus $14,792 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $13,567. About 22.8% of families and 21.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.7% of those under age 18 and 25.0% of those age 65 or over.
, Silas S. Smith led about 230 Mormons on expedition to start a farming community in southeastern Utah. After forging about 200 miles (320 kilometers) of their own trail over difficult terrain, the settlers arrived on the site of Bluff in April 1880. (The trail followed went over and down the "Hole In the Rock", which now opens into one of the tributaries of Lake Powell.) The town’s population had declined to seventy by 1930 but rebounded during a uranium
prospecting
boom in the 1950s. With the uranium decline in the 1970s Bluff again declined and now remains a small town with about 300 residents.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in San Juan County
San Juan County, Utah
As of the current census of 2010, there were 14,746 people and 4,505 households. 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...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 320 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Bluff is located at 37°17′1"N 109°33′10"W (37.283696, -109.552871), in the scenic and very sparsely populated southeastern Utah canyonlands of the Colorado PlateauColorado Plateau
The Colorado Plateau, also called the Colorado Plateau Province, is a physiographic region of the Intermontane Plateaus, roughly centered on the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States. The province covers an area of 337,000 km2 within western Colorado, northwestern New Mexico,...
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 22.6 square miles (58.7 km²), of which, 22.1 square miles (57.2 km²) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.4 km²) of it (2.43%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 320 people, 135 households, and 75 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 14.5 people per square mile (5.6/km²). There were 191 housing units at an average density of 8.6/sq mi (3.3/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 62.50% White, 35.00% Native American, 0.94% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.06% of the population.
There were 135 households out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.4% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.25.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 102.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $23,906, and the median income for a family was $30,938. Males had a median income of $31,563 versus $14,792 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $13,567. About 22.8% of families and 21.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.7% of those under age 18 and 25.0% of those age 65 or over.
History
Under the direction of John TaylorJohn Taylor (1808-1887)
John Taylor was the third president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1880 to 1887. He is the only president of the LDS Church to have been born outside of the United States....
, Silas S. Smith led about 230 Mormons on expedition to start a farming community in southeastern Utah. After forging about 200 miles (320 kilometers) of their own trail over difficult terrain, the settlers arrived on the site of Bluff in April 1880. (The trail followed went over and down the "Hole In the Rock", which now opens into one of the tributaries of Lake Powell.) The town’s population had declined to seventy by 1930 but rebounded during a uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
prospecting
Prospecting
Prospecting is the physical search for minerals, fossils, precious metals or mineral specimens, and is also known as fossicking.Prospecting is a small-scale form of mineral exploration which is an organised, large scale effort undertaken by mineral resource companies to find commercially viable ore...
boom in the 1950s. With the uranium decline in the 1970s Bluff again declined and now remains a small town with about 300 residents.
Attractions and events
- Winter Balloon Festival, January http://www.bluffutah.org/balloon.htm
- Bluff Arts Festival, February http://www.bluffutah.org/calendar.htm
- Utah Navajo Fair, September http://www.bluffutah.org/calendar.htm
Notable natives and residents
- John Albert Scorup, National Cowboy Hall of Fame inductee, rancher
See also
- Design Build BluffDesign Build Bluff__INDEX__DesignBuildBLUFF is a non-profit organization based in Park City, Utah that designs and builds sustainable housing, and is noted for its award-winning and innovative home designs. It is named after Bluff, Utah where their campus facility is located and because of Bluff's close proximity to...