Rich County, Utah

Rich County, Utah
Rich County Courthouse, Randolph
Location in the state of Utah
Utah's location in the U.S.
Founded	1864
Named for	Charles C. Rich
Seat	Randolph
Largest town	Garden City
Area
• Total	1,086 sq mi (2,813 km^2)
• Land	1,029 sq mi (2,665 km^2)
• Water	58 sq mi (150 km^2), 5.3%
Population
• (2010)	2,264
• Density	2.2/sq mi (1/km²)
Congressional district	1st
Time zone	Mountain: UTC-7/-6
Website	www.richcountyut.org

Rich County farm, Neponset, 1912

Rich County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,264,^[1] making it the third-least populous county in Utah. Its county seat is Randolph,^[2] and the largest town is Garden City. The county was created in 1864.^[3] It was named for an early LDS apostle, Charles C. Rich.

The southern half of Bear Lake and the Bear Lake Valley lie on the northern edge of the county. The Bear River Valley lies in most of the eastern portion of the county. The elevation of these valleys is close to 6,000 feet (1,800 m), and the rest of the county is covered by mountains, including the Bear River Range. Because of the high elevation the climate is cold in winter and mild in summer, and the population is limited. There are only four significant settlements in Rich County.

History

Rich County was believed to have first been visited by European descendent explorers in 1811, when trapper Joseph Miller discovered the Bear River. In 1827, the first annual rendezvous of trappers occurred on the south shore of Bear Lake, a tradition which is still marked today. The site is also preserved as part of Bear Lake State Park. The first settlement within the county's present boundary was Round Valley in 1863; located southwest of Laketown (settled 1864), it is now a ghost town. Randolph was settled in 1870. Originally created as Richland County in 1864, the name was shortened to Rich in 1868 by the 17th Utah Territorial Legislature. The boundary as originally defined legitimately extended beyond Utah into southwestern Wyoming, but also contained populated territory within what was actually Idaho Territory.^[4] The 1870 census for Rich County, Utah Territory enumerates a total of 1,672 residents in the eight Idaho communities of Bennington, Bloomington, Fish Haven, Liberty, Montpelier, Ovid, Paris and St. Charles.^[5] Utah Territory adjusted the county's boundary in 1872 and Idaho Territory took the eight aforementioned communities and others in the Bear Lake Valley to form Bear Lake County on January 5, 1875.^[6]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,086 square miles (2,810 km²), of which 1,029 square miles (2,670 km²) is land and 58 square miles (150 km²) (5.3%) is water.^[7]

The Bear River Valley is created by the Bear River and consists of the east-central portion of the county. The towns of Randolph and Woodruff lie in this farming-oriented valley. Its high elevation makes this region one of the coldest areas in the state. Woodruff has a record low of −50 °F (−46 °C) and temperatures rarely exceed 90 °F (32 °C) during the summer. Snow is heavy in late autumn, winter, and early spring and remains on the ground for the entire winter.

Further to the north lies the southern half of Bear Lake Valley, which contains Bear Lake. This lake is famous for its deep blue water, beaches, and surrounding mountains. The Bear River Mountains lie along the western edge of the county, and Logan Canyon opens up to the west of Garden City, which is a quaint tourist town that lies on the western edge of Bear Lake. Laketown lies at the southern edge of the lake. Three sections of the coastline are protected by Bear Lake State Park. The eastern slopes of the Bear River Range is an increasingly popular location for cabins.

In both of these major valleys, temperature inversions are a major problem during winter. These temperature inversions can bring extremely cold temperatures, fog, smog, and haze to the valleys, sometimes for more than two weeks at a time.

Rich County is bordered by Cache County to the west, Weber and Morgan counties to the southwest, Summit County to the south, Uinta County, Wyoming to the southeast, Lincoln County, Wyoming to the northeast, and Bear Lake County, Idaho to the north.

National protected area

• Cache National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	1,955		—
1880	1,263		−35.4%
1890	1,527		20.9%
1900	1,946		27.4%
1910	1,883		−3.2%
1920	1,890		0.4%
1930	1,873		−0.9%
1940	2,028		8.3%
1950	1,673		−17.5%
1960	1,685		0.7%
1970	1,615		−4.2%
1980	2,100		30.0%
1990	1,725		−17.9%
2000	1,961		13.7%
2010	2,264		15.5%
Est. 2014	2,293	[8]	1.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790–1960[10] 1900–1990[11] 1990–2000[12] 2010–2014[1]

As of the census^[13] of 2000, there were 1,961 people, 645 households, and 521 families residing in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 2,408 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.16% White, 0.05% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.92% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. 1.84% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 645 households out of which 42.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.40% were married couples living together, 3.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.10% were non-families. 17.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.44.

In the county, the population was spread out with 34.60% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 22.20% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 103.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,766, and the median income for a family was $44,783. Males had a median income of $34,464 versus $22,396 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,267. About 6.50% of families and 10.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.30% of those under age 18 and 6.30% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

U.S. Route 89 descends from the Bear River Mountains through Logan Canyon and turns north at Garden City along the Bear Lake shoreline. State Route 30 heads south from Garden City through Laketown and climbs east through the mountains to the Wyoming border. State Route 16 heads south from Sage Creek Junction through Randolph and Woodruff before entering Wyoming northwest of Evanston. State Route 39 heads west into the Wasatch Range from Woodruff on its way to Huntsville and eventually Ogden. However, this highway is closed through the mountains during the winter months as heavy snow blocks the road. Interstate 80 lies in Summit County very near the Rich County border, but is only accessible from Rich County through Wyoming.

Communities

Map of Rich County communities

• Garden
• Garden City
• Laketown
• Randolph (county seat)
• Woodruff

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Rich County, Utah

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
3. "Utah: Individual County Chronologies". Utah Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
4. "Utah: Individual County Chronologies".
5. 1870 Census. United States. 1870.
6. Compiled Laws of Idaho. 1875. pp. 720–722.
7. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
8. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
9. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
10. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
11. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (June 25, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
12. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
13. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.

Coordinates: 41°37′N 111°14′W / 41.62°N 111.24°W