Wayne County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in 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 sove ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,778, making it the fourth-least populous county in Utah. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is Loa.

History

Due to its remoteness and harsh terrain, settlements did not appear in the future Wayne County until the 1880s. By 1892, there was enough settlement and enough interest in a separate county (due mainly to the difficulty of accessing the

Piute County Piute County ( ) is a county in south-central Utah, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 1,556, making it the second-least populous county in Utah. The county seat is Junction, and the largest town is Circlevil ...

seat), that

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 state ...

passed an act (effective date March 10, 1892) to separate the east portion of Piute into a separate county. The county was named for Wayne County, Tennessee, itself named for

Anthony Wayne Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his mil ...

. The county boundaries have remained unchanged since its creation.

Geography

The eastern border of Wayne County is delineated by the meanders of the

Green River Green River may refer to: Rivers Canada * Green River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Lillooet River *Green River, a tributary of the Saint John River, also known by its French name of Rivière Verte *Green River (Ontario), a tributary of ...

, which flows southward to discharge into the

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. s ...

. After the two rivers join, the combined southwestern flow forms the remaining portion of the county's eastern border. The central part of the county is drained by the Fremont River and Muddy Creek. The Fremont begins at Fish Lake in Sevier County and flows into Wayne County near its northwestern corner. It joins the Muddy near Hanksville to form the Dirty Devil River, which flows southeastward out of the county's southern border to discharge into Colorado. Wayne County terrain varies from rough forestland on the west to arid poor soil carved by drainages and rocky outcrops.''Wayne County UT'' Google Maps (accessed 24 March 2019)
/ref> The terrain slopes to the east and south; its highest area is near its NW corner, at 9,888' (3014m) ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water. The

, passing through the canyons of Canyonlands National Park, forms the eastern boundary. The San Rafael Desert occupies the center of the county. Thousand Lake Mountain and Boulder Mountain flank Rabbit Valley on the western end of the county, where beautiful forests contrast with the deserts to the east. The small population of the county is centered in Rabbit Valley, with one town of 200, Hanksville, located in Graves Valley north of the Henry Mountains. Wayne County is also home to

Capitol Reef National Park Capitol Reef National Park is an American national park in south-central Utah. The park is approximately long on its northsouth axis and just wide on average. The park was established in 1971 to preserve of desert landscape and is open all ye ...

Major highways

* * * *

Adjacent counties

* Emery County - north * Grand County - northeast * San Juan County - east * Garfield County - south *

- west * Sevier County (northwest)

National forests/parks

* Canyonlands National Park *

Dixie National Forest Dixie National Forest is a United States National Forest in Utah with headquarters in Cedar City. It occupies almost two million acres (8,000 km²) and stretches for about across southern Utah. The largest national forest in Utah, it st ...

Fishlake National Forest Fishlake National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in south central Utah. The namesake for the forest is Fish Lake, the largest freshwater mountain lake in the state. Wildlife Animals that inhabit this forest are elk, shrews, deer, b ...

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (shortened to Glen Canyon NRA or GCNRA) is a national recreation area and conservation unit of the United States National Park Service that encompasses the area around Lake Powell and lower Cataract Canyon ...

Lakes

* Abes Knoll Reservoir * Alkali Lake * Bald Knoll Reservoir * Beaver Dam Reservoir * Beef Hollow Reservoir * Bicknell Reservoir * Big Hollow Reservoir * Black Point Reservoir * Blackburn Reservoir * Blind Lake (near Neff Reservoir) * Blind Lake (near Pear Lake) * Blue Lake * Bobs Hole * Brinkerhoff Pond * Buffalo Pond * Bull Roost Reservoir * Bullberry Lakes * Cameron Reservoir * Cedar Peak Lake * Coleman Reservoir * Cook Lake * Cub Lake * Curler Lake * Cyclone Co-op Reservoir * Cyclone Knoll Reservoir * Dead Horse Lake * Deadman Hollow Reservoir * Deep Creek Lake * Donkey Reservoir * Dry Lake Reservoir * East Bicknell Sand Wash Pond * East Gate Reservoir * Eightmile Reservoir * Emily Lake * Evans Reservoir * Fish Creek Reservoir * Flat Top Reservoir * Flatiron Lakes * Flossie Lake * Government Lake * Grass Lake (near Bobs Hole) * Grass Lake (near Torgerson Lake) * Green Lake * Gripe Reservoir * Hare Lake * Heart Lake * Honeymoon Lake * Hunt Reservoir * Jakes Knoll Reservoir * Jane Lake * Jay Pond * Jim Larson Reservoir * Lava Lake * Lee Lake * Left Hand Reservoir * Lightning Lake * Long Hollow Reservoir * Lost Lake * Lower Balsam Reservoir * Lower Reservoir * Meadow Gulch Reservoir * Middle Balsam Reservoir * Middle Reservoir * Mill Meadow Reservoir (part) * Miller Lake * Mitts Reservoir * Moroni Reservoir * Mud Lake * Ned Reservoir * Neff Reservoir * Ottos Reservoir * Parker Hollow Reservoir * Pass Reservoir * Pear Lake * Petes Pond * Pine Creek Reservoir * Pole Canyon Reservoir * Raft Lake * Right Fork Wildcat Reservoir * Rock Lake * Rock Point Reservoir * Round Lake (near Heart Lake) * Round Lake (near Lower Reservoir) * Sage Reservoir * Smooth Knoll Reservoir * Snow Lake * Snow Lakes * Solitaire Lake * Spray Reservoir * Square Reservoir * Tidwell Reservoir * Torgerson Lake * Twin Lakes * Upper Balsam Reservoir * Vance Reservoir * West Bicknell Pond * West Flat Top Reservoir Number 1 * West Flat Top Reservoir Number 2 * White Rock Reservoir * Wide Hollow Reservoir * Wildcat Reservoir * Woodys Reservoir

Demographics

2000 census

As of the

2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...

, there were 2,509 people, 890 households, and 669 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

was 1.02/sqmi (0.39/km²). There were 1,329 housing units at an average density of 0.54/sqmi (0.21/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.29%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.16%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.36% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.16%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 1.24% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.72% from two or more races. 1.99% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino of any race. There were 890 households, out of which 36.20% had children under 18 living with them, 66.50% were married couples living together, 5.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.80% were non-families. 21.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81, and the average family size was 3.31. The county population contained 32.40% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 22.50% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.50 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 103.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,000, and the median income for a family was $36,940. Males had a median income of $26,645 versus $20,000 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $15,392. About 12.70% of families and 15.40% 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 t ...

, including 22.10% of those under age 18 and 8.20% of those aged 65 or over.

Ancestry/Ethnicity

As of 2017 the largest self-identified ancestry groups/ethnic groups in Wayne County, Utah were:

Communities

Towns

* Bicknell * Hanksville * Loa (county seat) * Lyman * Torrey

Census-designated places

* Fremont * Teasdale

Unincorporated communities

Caineville Caineville is an unincorporated community in central Wayne County, Utah, United States. Description The community is located east of Capitol Reef National Park and west of Hanksville, along the Fremont River and Utah State Route 24. The set ...

* Fruita *

Grover Grover is a blue Muppet character on the popular PBS/HBO children's television show ''Sesame Street''. Self-described as lovable, cute and furry, he is a blue monster who rarely uses contractions when he speaks or sings. Grover was originall ...

* Notom

Former communities

Aldridge Aldridge is an industrial town in the Walsall borough, West Midlands, England. It is historically a village that was part of Staffordshire until 1974. The town is from Brownhills, from Walsall, from Sutton Coldfield and from Lichfield. ...

* Eagle City * Giles Scenery north of Hanksville, Utah

Politics and Government

Wayne County voters are traditionally Republican. In only one national election since 1948 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2020).

References

External links

* {{Coord, 38.36, -110.90, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-UT_source:UScensus1990 1892 establishments in Utah Territory Populated places established in 1892