Piute County, Utah

Piute County is a county in south-central Utah, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 1,438, making it the second-least populous county in Utah. The county seat is Junction, and the largest town is Circleville.

History
Paiute County was formed on January 16, 1865, with areas annexed from Beaver County. It was named for the Paiute tribe of Native Americans. Its defined boundaries were altered by adjustments between adjoining counties in 1866, in 1880, in 1892, and in 1931. It has retained its current configuration since 1931.

By the 1860s, mining prospectors were pushing into central and southern Utah Territory, and several mining towns, such as Bullion and Webster, appeared. Mining activity had slowed by the 1900s, but gold mining (from lodes in Tushar Mountains) had produced 240,000 ounces of gold from 1868 through 1959. As the nation entered The Great War, a mine on the east Tushar Mountains producing potash and alumina became a national center of attention, both because of the strategic value of these products, and because of persistent rumors of sabotage attempts and spying. The town of Alunite flourished (1915-1930), then died as the war effort wound down. Today it is abandoned.

Geography
The Sevier River flows northward through the west-central part of Piute County, joined at Kingston by the East Branch of the Sevier. Immediately north of Kingston, it is dammed to form Piute Reservoir. Two mountain ridges lie north–south across the county. The eastern ridge runs through the east-central part of the county, and the western ridge (Tushar Mountains) runs along the county's west border, its crestline defining the county line. Otter Creek flows southward through the east part of the county; it is dammed to form Otter Creek Reservoir in the SE part of the county. Along the way it is fed by Greenwich Creek and Box Creek, draining the east face of the eastern ridge. The eastern part of the county generally slopes to the south while the west-central part of the county slopes to the north. The county's highest point is Delano Peak on the Tushar Range, at 12,174 ft ASL. The highest point on the eastern ridge is a crest near the county's north border, at 9.893 ft ASL. The county has a total area of 766 sqmi, of which 758 sqmi is land and 7.9 sqmi (1.0%) is water. It is the fifth-smallest county in Utah by total area.

Adjacent counties

 * Sevier County (north)
 * Wayne County (east)
 * Garfield County (south)
 * Beaver County (west)

Protected areas

 * Dixie National Forest (part)
 * Fishermans Bench Recreation Site
 * Fishlake National Forest (part)
 * Otter Creek State Park
 * Piute State Park

Lakes

 * Barney Lake
 * Big Flat Reservoir
 * Burnt Flat Reservoir
 * Butte Reservoir
 * Chicken Spring
 * Clause Pond
 * Dead Horse Reservoir
 * Death Hollow Reservoir
 * Dog Lake
 * Dry Lake (southeast of Marysvale)
 * Dry Lake (east of Piute Reservoir)
 * Dry Wash Pond
 * Durkee Reservoir
 * Fish Lake Reservoir
 * Forshea Reservoir
 * Forshea Spring
 * Forshea Spring Reservoir
 * Hell Hole Reservoir
 * Hidden Lake
 * Little Meadows
 * Little Park
 * Lower Box Creek Reservoir
 * Manning Meadows Reservoir
 * Middle Spring Lake
 * Mud Lake
 * Nicks Pond
 * Otter Creek Reservoir
 * Parker Lake
 * Pine Point Reservoir
 * Pole Canyon Reservoir
 * Piute Reservoir
 * Rock Canyon Reservoir
 * Rock Spring
 * Rocky Ford Reservoir
 * Smiths Reservoir
 * Taylor Pond
 * Tuft Reservoir
 * Upper Box Creek Reservoir
 * Voyles Pond
 * West Cedar Grove Reservoir
 * Willis Reservoir
 * Wills Reservoir
 * Willow Spring
 * Willow Springs
 * Windy Ridge Reservoir
 * Wood Pond

Demographics
As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 1,435 people, 509 households, and 389 families in the county. The population density was 1.89 /mi2. There were 745 housing units at an average density of 0.98 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 95.61% White, 0.14% Black or African American, 1.18% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.88% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. 4.46% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 509 households, out of which 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.6% were married couples living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.4% were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.25.

The county population contained 30.7% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 19.7% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.6 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,625, and the median income for a family was $35,147. Males had a median income of $26,771 versus $18,438 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,697. About 11.7% of families and 16.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.1% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

Politics and government
Piute County is a traditional Republican stronghold. In no national election since 1940 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2020).

Towns

 * Circleville
 * Junction (county seat)
 * Kingston
 * Marysvale

Unincorporated communities

 * Angle
 * Greenwich
 * Thompsonville

Former communities

 * Alunite
 * Bullion Falls
 * Kimberly
 * Virginia
 * Webster