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Alton, Utah
Town
Location in Kane County and the state of Utah
Location in Kane County and the state of Utah
Location of Utah in the United States
Location of Utah in the United States
Country United States
State Utah
County Kane
Founded 1907
Incorporated 1935
Named for Alton Fjord
Area
 • Total 2.33 sq mi (6.02 km2)
 • Land 2.29 sq mi (5.93 km2)
 • Water 0.04 sq mi (0.10 km2)
Elevation
7,041 ft (2,146 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 119
 • Estimate 
(2019)
120
 • Density 52.45/sq mi (20.25/km2)
Time zone UTC-7 (MST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code
84710
Area code(s) 435
FIPS code 49-00870
GNIS feature ID 1438182

Alton is a small town located in the northwestern part of Kane County, Utah, in the United States. In 2010, about 119 people lived there. This number was a little less than the 134 people who lived there in 2000.

History of Alton

Alton was first settled in 1865 by a person named Lorenzo Wesley Roundy. At first, the area was called "Roundys Station." However, Roundy's family had to leave because of problems with the local Native American tribes.

Later, the community was named "Graham" after Graham Duncan McDonald, another early settler. Over the years, people talked about many different names for the town. They couldn't agree on one. In 1912, they held a special drawing at a community event to pick the name. Charles R. Pugh had been reading about a place called the Alton Fjord in Norway. He suggested the name "Alton." A two-year-old child then picked this name from a hat, and that's how the town got its name!

Currently, Dustin Cox is the Mayor of Alton. He has been the mayor for some time. It is expected that he will run for mayor again without anyone running against him in the next election.

Who Lives in Alton? (Demographics)

Historical population
Census Pop.
1900 106
1910 98 −7.5%
1920 169 72.4%
1930 193 14.2%
1940 239 23.8%
1950 154 −35.6%
1960 116 −24.7%
1970 62 −46.6%
1980 75 21.0%
1990 93 24.0%
2000 134 44.1%
2010 119 −11.2%
2019 (est.) 120 0.8%
U.S. Decennial Census

The word "demographics" helps us understand who lives in a place. In 2010, a count of the population showed that 119 people lived in Alton. These people lived in 39 different homes.

Most of the people in Alton, about 89%, were white. About 5% were of Hispanic or Latino background. Around 2.5% of the people were Native American.

Looking at ages, about 38.7% of the population was under 18 years old. About 20% of the people were 65 years old or older. The population was made up of 45% males and 55% females.

Geography of Alton

Alton is located in the northwestern part of Kane County. It sits in a valley that slopes, which is known as the "Alton Amphitheater." This area is about 4 miles (6.4 km) east of U.S. Route 89. You can reach Alton by following Utah State Route 136. The Kanab Creek flows along the eastern side of the town.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Alton covers a total area of about 2.3 square miles (6.0 square kilometers). A very small part of this area, about 0.04 square miles (0.1 square kilometers), is water. This means most of Alton is land.

Alton's Climate

Alton has a type of weather called a "warm-summer continental climate". This means it has warm summers and cold winters. It also has a good amount of snow.

Climate data for Alton, Utah, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1915–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 64
(18)
68
(20)
76
(24)
81
(27)
90
(32)
96
(36)
101
(38)
97
(36)
93
(34)
85
(29)
77
(25)
67
(19)
101
(38)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 41.3
(5.2)
43.4
(6.3)
51.5
(10.8)
60.0
(15.6)
69.4
(20.8)
80.5
(26.9)
85.3
(29.6)
83.1
(28.4)
75.9
(24.4)
64.1
(17.8)
51.2
(10.7)
41.0
(5.0)
62.2
(16.8)
Daily mean °F (°C) 29.6
(−1.3)
31.4
(−0.3)
38.0
(3.3)
44.5
(6.9)
52.3
(11.3)
61.7
(16.5)
68.2
(20.1)
66.6
(19.2)
59.4
(15.2)
48.8
(9.3)
37.7
(3.2)
29.4
(−1.4)
47.3
(8.5)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 17.9
(−7.8)
19.4
(−7.0)
24.4
(−4.2)
29.0
(−1.7)
35.2
(1.8)
43.0
(6.1)
51.2
(10.7)
50.1
(10.1)
42.9
(6.1)
33.5
(0.8)
24.3
(−4.3)
17.8
(−7.9)
32.4
(0.2)
Record low °F (°C) −20
(−29)
−17
(−27)
−7
(−22)
−2
(−19)
5
(−15)
23
(−5)
32
(0)
32
(0)
20
(−7)
−2
(−19)
−5
(−21)
−24
(−31)
−24
(−31)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.03
(52)
2.07
(53)
1.51
(38)
0.82
(21)
0.87
(22)
0.41
(10)
1.17
(30)
1.87
(47)
1.70
(43)
1.80
(46)
1.22
(31)
1.83
(46)
17.30
(439)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 17.8
(45)
18.7
(47)
12.6
(32)
5.2
(13)
0.3
(0.76)
0.4
(1.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
2.0
(5.1)
6.4
(16)
14.1
(36)
77.5
(197)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 6.4 7.0 5.8 4.8 4.6 2.3 6.5 7.8 6.2 4.9 3.8 5.9 66.0
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 5.2 5.3 3.5 2.2 0.4 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.9 2.0 4.3 23.9
Source: NOAA

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Alton (Utah) para niños

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Alton, Utah Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.