San Juan County, Utah

For counties with a similar name, see San Juan County (disambiguation).

San Juan County
County
San Juan County Courthouse, Monticello
Location within the U.S. state of Utah
Utah's location within the U.S.
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Utah
Founded	17 February 1880
Named for	San Juan River
Seat	Monticello
Largest city	Blanding
Area
• Total	7,933 sq mi (20,550 km2)
• Land	7,820 sq mi (20,300 km2)
• Water	113 sq mi (290 km2)  1.4%
Population
• Estimate  (2017)	15,356
• Density	1.96/sq mi (0.76/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	www.sanjuancounty.org

San Juan County (/sæn ˈwɑːn/ san-WAHN) is a county in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 14,746. Its county seat is Monticello, while its most populous city is Blanding. The county was named by the Utah State Legislature for the San Juan River, itself named by Spanish explorers (in honor of Saint John).

San Juan County borders Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico at the Four Corners.

History

The Utah Territory authorized creation of San Juan County on 17 February 1880, with territories annexed from Iron, 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

Ruins in Montezuma Canyon with stones of unusual size

San Juan County lies at the SE corner of the state of Utah. Its borders abut the borders of the states of Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. Its terrain generally slopes to the west and the south, with its highest point (Mount Peale) at 12,726' (3879m) ASL. The county has a total area of 7,933 square miles (20,550 km²), of which 7,820 square miles (20,300 km²) is land and 113 square miles (290 km²) (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 and San Juan 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 are Cedar Mesa, Comb Wash, Natural Bridges and Hovenweep National Monuments. Canyonlands National Park is primarily within the county borders. The Eastern side of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area / Lake Powell in also in San Juan County. Rising above all, the Blue (Abajo) Mountains and the La Sal Mountains surpass 12,000 feet (3,700 m) elevations. Both ranges are covered with lush forests vividly contrasting with the scenery below. The elevation change within the county is from near 13,000 feet (4,000 m) in the La Sal Mountains to 3,000 feet (910 m) at Lake Powell, an elevation change of 10,000 feet (3,000 m). The county is cut by deep and spectacular canyons, red rock and mountain meadows, desert, and evergreen forest. The towns run primarily on a north/south axis along U.S. Route 191 and U.S. Route 163 from La Sal in the north to Monument Valley in the south.

Natural resources

San Juan County includes the Utah section of the Four Corners Monument.

Sipapu Bridge, in Natural Bridges National Monument

House on Fire ruin, one of many Ancestral Pueblo ruins in the county

The only operating Uranium Processing plant in the United States operates in the town of Blanding, population 3500.

San Juan County is home to numerous oil and gas fields that produce primarily from the Desert Creek and Ismay Formations.

Major highways

• US 163
• US 191
• US 491
• SR-46
• SR-95
• SR-162
• SR-261
• SR-276

Adjacent counties

• Grand County - north
• Mesa County, Colorado - northeast
• Montrose County, Colorado - northeast
• San Miguel County, Colorado - east
• Dolores County, Colorado - east
• Montezuma County, Colorado - east
• San Juan County, New Mexico - southeast
• Apache County, Arizona - south
• Navajo County, Arizona - south
• Coconino County, Arizona - 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 Primitive Area
• Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (part)
• Grand Gulch Primitive Area
• Hovenweep National Monument (part)
• Manti-La Sal National Forest (part)
• Natural Bridges National Monument
• Rainbow Bridge National Monument

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	204		—
1890	365		78.9%
1900	1,023		180.3%
1910	2,377		132.4%
1920	3,379		42.2%
1930	3,496		3.5%
1940	4,712		34.8%
1950	5,315		12.8%
1960	9,040		70.1%
1970	9,606		6.3%
1980	12,253		27.6%
1990	12,621		3.0%
2000	14,413		14.2%
2010	14,746		2.3%
2017 (est.)	15,356		4.1%
US Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2014

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.

2000 Census

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 14,413 people, 4,089 households and 3,234 families in the county. The population density was 1.84/sqmi (0.71/km²). There were 5,449 housing units at an average density of 0.70/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 40.77% White, 0.12% Black or African American, 55.69% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.70% from other races, and 1.51% from two or more races. 3.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In the 4,089 households, 47.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.40% were married couples living together, 14.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.90% were non-families. 18.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.46 and the average family size was 4.02.

The county population contained 39.30% under the age of 18, 10.00% from 18 to 24, 25.20% from 25 to 44, 17.10% from 45 to 64, and 8.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 99.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,137, and the median income for a family was $31,673. Males had a median income of $31,497 versus $19,617 for females. The per capita income for the county was $10,229. About 26.90% of families and 31.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.70% of those under age 18 and 35.10% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2017, San Juan County was the poorest county (per capita) in the state.

Politics

San Juan County has not supported a Democrat for president since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936. However the county is slightly more competitive at the state level due to its high Native American population, who lean Democratic, and the comparatively small Mormon population which leans Republican, as well its economic distress. Notably, San Juan voted for the Democratic candidates in the 1988 and 2000 gubernatorial elections, both of which Republicans won. The area also votes less Republican than the rest of Utah in national elections. In 2004, for example, George W. Bush won 60.02% in San Juan County versus 71.54% in the state as a whole. Federally mandated commissioner districts put many Navajo 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. The County was afraid to redraw district boundaries because they were put in place by a Federal Judge. Before this the County used an at-large voting system to elect commissioners In 2018 the first ever majority-Navajo commission was seated. Two of the new members, Willie Grayeyes and Kenneth Maryboy, are board members of Utah Diné Bikeyah, which supported the creation of Bears Ears National Monument.

Presidential election results

Presidential elections results

Year	Republican	Democratic	Third parties
2016	47.8% 2,645	36.9% 2,042	15.3% 847
2012	57.9% 3,074	40.3% 2,139	1.8% 94
2008	51.4% 2,638	46.9% 2,406	1.7% 86
2004	60.0% 2,971	38.5% 1,906	1.5% 73
2000	57.4% 2,721	38.7% 1,838	3.9% 185
1996	51.4% 2,139	40.2% 1,675	8.4% 351
1992	46.2% 2,004	37.8% 1,639	16.0% 692
1988	62.0% 2,377	36.7% 1,407	1.4% 53
1984	69.1% 2,598	30.5% 1,145	0.4% 15
1980	76.0% 2,774	20.9% 763	3.1% 113
1976	57.6% 1,856	36.7% 1,182	5.7% 184
1972	68.3% 1,893	24.4% 677	7.3% 203
1968	59.7% 1,393	29.1% 680	11.2% 262
1964	58.0% 1,371	42.0% 993
1960	62.7% 1,408	37.3% 837
1956	72.5% 1,119	27.5% 425
1952	67.5% 876	32.5% 421
1948	56.8% 558	42.5% 418	0.7% 7
1944	58.2% 513	41.7% 367	0.1% 1
1940	50.4% 528	49.2% 515	0.4% 4
1936	45.0% 432	54.1% 520	0.9% 9
1932	48.9% 460	48.8% 459	2.2% 21
1928	65.6% 449	33.7% 231	0.7% 5
1924	56.9% 380	34.7% 232	8.4% 56
1920	64.8% 523	32.2% 260	3.0% 24
1916	31.5% 213	66.3% 448	2.2% 15
1912	37.2% 146	37.2% 146	25.5% 100
1908	53.1% 130	44.5% 109	2.5% 6
1904	78.5% 135	20.9% 36	0.6% 1
1900	51.9% 81	46.2% 72	1.9% 3
1896	4.6% 8	95.4% 167

Communities

Cities

• Blanding
• Monticello (county seat)

Census-designated places

• Aneth
• Bluff
• Halchita
• Halls Crossing
• La Sal
• Mexican Hat
• Montezuma Creek
• Navajo Mountain
• Oljato–Monument Valley
• Spanish Valley
• Tselakai Dezza
• White Mesa

See also

• List of counties in Utah
• National Register of Historic Places listings in San Juan County, Utah

External links

• Official website
• Geographic data related to San Juan County, Utah at OpenStreetMap