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

Moab is a city located in Grand County, Utah. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 4,779. It is the county seat of Grand CountyTemplate:GR. 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.

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. The Mormon settlers of Utah often gave biblical names to their cities, rivers, lakes, and outposts. Accordingly, the first Spanish Valley pony express station in 1851 was named Fort Moab. After repeated Indian attacks, the fort was abandoned in 1855 and a nearby mission established. Five months later, after a fatal Indian raid, the small mission settlement was abandoned as well. Moab established a permanent settlement in 1877. It became: connected by railroad in 1883, the county seat for Grand County in 1890, and incorporated as a town in 1903.

Moab originally served as a favorite place to cross the Colorado River. 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 & Louise (1990), City Slickers II (1994), and Mission 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. The town has also become a popular destination for BASE jumpers who are allowed to practice their sport.

Geography

Moab is located just south of the Colorado River, at 38°34'21" North, 109°32'59" West (38.572545, -109.549776)Template:GR at an elevation of 4,025 feet (1227 meters).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.4 km² (3.6 mi²). 9.4 km² (3.6 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 4,779 people, 1,936 households, and 1,169 families residing in the city. The population density is 506.9/km² (1,313.1/mi²). There are 2,148 housing units at an average density of 227.8/km² (590.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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. 6.44% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

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

In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $32,620, and the median income for a family is $38,214. Males have a median income of $35,291 versus $21,339 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,228. 15.7% of the population and 12.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 19.1% of those under the age of 18 and 10.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

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.

See also

• Atlas Uranium Mill
• Moab is also the historical name for a mountainous strip of land in Jordan. See Moab.

External links

• Official Website of the Moab Travel Council
• City of Moab website
• Mountain Biking in Moab
• Moab Chamber of Commerce
• Activities in Moab
• The Times-Independent, Moab Utah
• The Canyon Country Zephyr
• Moab Farmer's Market
• Photographic virtual tour of Moab @ the UnTraveledRoad.com
• Moab area river rafting
• Moab area images @ Canyonlight Photography tours
• 7.5' Moab Area topographic map @ Utah Geological Survey

Template:Mapit-US-cityscale

• Cities in Utah
• Grand County, Utah