Rich County
County
Rich County Courthouse, Randolph
Location within the U.S. state of Utah
Utah's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°37′N 111°14′W / 41.62°N 111.24°W / 41.62; -111.24
Country	United States
State	Utah
Founded	January 16, 1864 (created) May 5, 1864 (organized)
Named for	Charles C. Rich
Seat	Randolph
Largest town	Garden City
Area
• Total	1,086 sq mi (2,810 km2)
• Land	1,029 sq mi (2,670 km2)
• Water	58 sq mi (150 km2)  5.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,510
• Density	2.4/sq mi (0.9/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	www.richcountyut.org

Rich County is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 2,510,^[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 lies 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.^{[citation needed]} Because of the high elevation, the climate is cold in winter and mild in summer, and the population is limited.

History[edit]

Rich County was believed to have first been visited by European-descended 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 that is still marked today. The site is also preserved as part of Bear Lake State Park. The Oregon Trail, a heavily traveled route to the Northwest Territories, passed through the upper part of the future county (as defined by its original description).^[4] Many emigrants traveling to the NW Territories also traveled around the south end of Bear Lake instead of hewing to the more heavily traveled route through present-day Idaho, although this adds to the Oregon Trail is usually not shown on maps of the route.^[5] The Utah Territory had been initially settled by Mormon pioneers beginning in 1847, but no Mormons moved into the Rich County area until after 1862. The US Congress passed the Homestead Act of 1862, opening this area to settlement. Mormon leader Brigham Young, fearing this would lead to an influx of non-Mormons, called members of his flock to move to the area and begin its settlement. 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 on January 16, 1864, the name was shortened to Rich on January 29, 1868, by the 17th Utah Territorial Legislature. The boundary as originally defined extended beyond Utah into southwestern Wyoming and southeast Idaho. However, on July 25, 1868, the Wyoming Territory was created by the federal government, and all of the Rich County area east of the 111-degree line of longitude became part of the new territory and thus was lost to Rich.^[6] 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.^[7] Utah Territory adjusted the county's boundary on February 16, 1872, by moving a small portion previous Summit County into Rich. The final adjustment to county boundaries was made on January 5, 1875, when Idaho Territory took the eight aforementioned communities and others in the Bear Lake Valley to form Bear Lake County.^[8]

The present county building was constructed in Randolph in 1940.^[5]

Geography[edit]

Rich County lies in the upper northeastern corner of Utah. Its northern border abuts the south border of the state of Idaho, and its east border abuts the west border of the state of Wyoming. The Bear River flows eastward out of the middle part of the county into Wyoming. The terrain is rugged, with less than ten percent of the area under cultivation. Over half of the county's area is used for cattle grazing.^[5][9] The county terrain slopes from the Bear River Mountain crests which form its western border, toward the east. The highest point is along its northern border known as Bridger Peak, at 9,255 ft (2,821 m) ASL.^[10] 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.^[11]

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 lies 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 are an increasingly popular location for cabins.

In both 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, lasting for weeks at a time.

Major highways[edit]

• 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 16 heads south from Sage Creek Junction through Randolph and Woodruff before entering Wyoming northwest of Evanston.
• State Route 30 heads south from Garden City through Laketown and climbs east through the mountains to the Wyoming border.
• 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 near the Rich County border but is only accessible from Rich County through Wyoming.

Adjacent counties[edit]

Protected areas^[5][edit]

• Cache National Forest (part)
• Bear Lake State Park
  • Rendezvous Beach State Park
  • Bear Lake Marina State Park
  • East Side State Park

Lakes^[9][edit]

Demographics[edit]

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
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%
2020	2,510		10.9%
US Decennial Census[12] 1790–1960[13] 1900–1990[14] 1990–2000[15] 2010[16] 2020[17]

2000 census[edit]

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 1,961 people, 645 households, and 521 families in the county. The population density was 1.91 people per square mile (0.74 people/km²). There were 2,408 housing units at an average density of 2.34 units per square mile (0.90 units/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 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.

The county population contained 34.60% under 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 aged 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.

2010 census[edit]

As of the 2010 census, the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Rich County were:

• 40.7% were of English ancestry
• 14.2% were of German ancestry
• 10.2% were of Scottish ancestry
• 8.5% were of "American" ancestry
• 5.8% were of Irish ancestry
• 5.6% were of Danish ancestry.^[18]

Communities[edit]

Towns[edit]

• Garden City
• Laketown (originally named "Last Chance"^[5])
• Randolph (county seat)
• Woodruff

Census-designated place[edit]

• Garden

Former communities[edit]

• Argyle
• Pickelville (former town annexed by Garden City in 1979)

Politics and government[edit]

Rich County voters are traditionally Republican. The county has not selected the Democratic Party candidate in a national election since 1944.

State elected offices

Position		District	Name	Affiliation	First elected
	Senate	25	Chris D. Wilson	Republican	2020[19]
	House of Representatives	53	Kera Birkeland	Republican	2020[20]
	Board of Education	1	Jennie Earl	Nonpartisan	2018[21]

United States presidential election results for Rich County, Utah^[22]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	1,157	84.51%	180	13.15%	32	2.34%
2016	797	71.29%	104	9.30%	217	19.41%
2012	915	90.15%	83	8.18%	17	1.67%
2008	831	82.36%	154	15.26%	24	2.38%
2004	922	88.91%	109	10.51%	6	0.58%
2000	736	81.51%	152	16.83%	15	1.66%
1996	523	65.70%	179	22.49%	94	11.81%
1992	525	59.93%	154	17.58%	197	22.49%
1988	621	72.21%	234	27.21%	5	0.58%
1984	797	85.61%	131	14.07%	3	0.32%
1980	762	81.15%	143	15.23%	34	3.62%
1976	541	67.12%	248	30.77%	17	2.11%
1972	604	79.58%	120	15.81%	35	4.61%
1968	525	70.28%	183	24.50%	39	5.22%
1964	435	57.16%	326	42.84%	0	0.00%
1960	511	63.72%	291	36.28%	0	0.00%
1956	561	68.92%	253	31.08%	0	0.00%
1952	569	69.39%	251	30.61%	0	0.00%
1948	399	52.09%	366	47.78%	1	0.13%
1944	394	49.94%	395	50.06%	0	0.00%
1940	447	48.48%	475	51.52%	0	0.00%
1936	388	44.09%	488	55.45%	4	0.45%
1932	398	45.91%	469	54.09%	0	0.00%
1928	470	67.72%	224	32.28%	0	0.00%
1924	403	62.48%	211	32.71%	31	4.81%
1920	449	66.92%	222	33.08%	0	0.00%
1916	325	41.72%	454	58.28%	0	0.00%
1912	329	48.89%	238	35.36%	106	15.75%
1908	425	59.44%	285	39.86%	5	0.70%
1904	439	64.65%	240	35.35%	0	0.00%
1900	387	57.76%	282	42.09%	1	0.15%
1896	162	28.42%	408	71.58%	0	0.00%

See also[edit]

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

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Media related to Rich County, Utah at Wikimedia Commons

41°37′N 111°14′W / 41.62°N 111.24°W / 41.62; -111.24