Daggett County, Utah facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Daggett County
U.S. county
Daggett County Courthouse in Manila, May 2008
Location within the U.S. state of Utah
Utah's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Utah
Founded	January 7, 1918
Named for	Ellsworth Daggett
Seat	Manila
Largest town	Manila
Area
• Total	721 sq mi (1,870 km2)
• Land	697 sq mi (1,810 km2)
• Water	24 sq mi (60 km2)  3.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	935
• Density	1.2968/sq mi (0.5007/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	3rd

Daggett County (/ˈdæɡət/ DAG-ət) is a county in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 935, making it the least populous county in Utah. Its county seat is Manila. The county was named for Ellsworth Daggett, the first surveyor-general of Utah. The small community of Dutch John, located near the state line with Colorado and Wyoming, became an incorporated town in January 2016.

History

The land that includes what is now Daggett County, Utah, specifically the Brown's Park area, was inhabited or used by Comanche, Shoshoni, and Ute tribal groups. Other tribes like the Blackfoot, Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Navajo also visited or used this area.

Due to dangerous roads, mountainous terrain, and frequent bad weather preventing travel via a direct route, 19th century residents in the north portion of Uintah County had to travel 400 to 800 miles (640 to 1,290 km) on both stagecoach and rail to conduct business in Vernal, the county seat, a mere 50 miles (80 km) away. The journey involved overland travel to a train station in Wyoming, to either Mack, Colorado, Price, or Salt Lake City, then a stagecoach to Vernal. In the fall 1917 election, the Uintah county voters voted to establish a separate county on the northern slope of the Uinta Mountains. The act establishing the county was approved on January 7, 1918, naming Manila as the county seat.

The boundary between Daggett and Uintah counties was adjusted in 1919, with some territory being returned to Uintah. Daggett County boundaries have remained unchanged since 1919.

Geography

Daggett County lies at the lower northeastern corner of Utah. Its northern border abuts the south border of the state of Wyoming, and its eastern boundary abuts the western border of the state of Colorado. Its main geographical features are the Uinta Mountains, which comprise its southwestern portion and delineate part of its southern border, and the Green River, which has carved a deep gorge through the east-central part of the county. In 1958, the United States Bureau of Reclamation took advantage of this natural feature to construct the Flaming Gorge Dam, creating the Flaming Gorge Reservoir, which began filling in 1964.

The county terrain slopes to the north and east on the northern flank of the Uintas. The county's highest point is on a mountain crest along its south border, at 12,276 ft (3,742 m) ASL. The county has a total area of 721 square miles (1,870 km²), of which 697 square miles (1,810 km²) is land and 24 square miles (62 km²) (3.3%) is water. It is the fourth-smallest county in Utah by area. Over 90% of the land of Daggett County is under federal ownership.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Lakes

Demographics

2020 census

According to the 2020 United States census and 2020 American Community Survey, there were 935 people in Daggett County with a population density of 1.3 people per square mile (0.5/km²). Among non-Hispanic or Latino people, the racial makeup was 881 (94.2%) White, 1 (0.1%) African American, 0 (0.0%) Native American, 1 (0.1%) Asian, 2 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 2 (0.2%) from other races, and 19 (2.0%) from two or more races. 29 (3.1%) people were Hispanic or Latino.

There were 510 (54.55%) males and 425 (45.45%) females, and the population distribution by age was 219 (23.4%) under the age of 18, 455 (48.7%) from 18 to 64, and 261 (27.9%) who were at least 65 years old. The median age was 47.6 years.

There were 392 households in Daggett County with an average size of 2.39 of which 282 (71.9%) were families and 110 (28.1%) were non-families. Among all families, 227 (57.9%) were married couples, 29 (7.4%) were male householders with no spouse, and 26 (6.6%) were female householders with no spouse. Among all non-families, 99 (25.3%) were a single person living alone and 11 (2.8%) were two or more people living together. 115 (29.3%) of all households had children under the age of 18. 323 (82.4%) of households were owner-occupied while 69 (17.6%) were renter-occupied.

The median income for a Daggett County household was $74,911 and the median family income was $100,833, with a per-capita income of $27,568. The median income for males that were full-time employees was $69,375 and for females $35,313. 3.3% of the population and 0.0% of families were below the poverty line.

In terms of education attainment, out of the 381 people in Daggett County 25 years or older, 15 (3.9%) had not completed high school, 162 (42.5%) had a high school diploma or equivalency, 148 (38.8%) had some college or associate degree, 39 (10.2%) had a bachelor's degree, and 17 (4.5%) had a graduate or professional degree.

Ancestry

As of 2016, the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Daggett County, Utah, were:

• 35.4% were of English ancestry
• 9.2% were of Scots-Irish ancestry
• 8.8% were of German ancestry
• 8.3% were of Irish ancestry
• 7.9% were of American ancestry
• 7.2% were of Dutch ancestry
• 5.5% were of Danish ancestry.
• 3.3% were of Swedish ancestry
• 2.5% were of Scottish ancestry
• 2.1% were of Italian ancestry
• 1.6% were of Swiss ancestry
• 1.6% were of French ancestry
• 1.5% were of Norwegian ancestry
• 0.7% were of Polish ancestry

Commerce and transportation

The few commercial establishments in Daggett County exist to service tourists and users of the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. Throughout the county, there is one small general store, several gas stations, five cafes or restaurants, five inns/motels, and a few miscellaneous businesses that offer raft rentals. Some businesses offer guided fishing trips on the Flaming Gorge Reservoir and the Green River. The economy is primarily related to recreation, management of government land, and ranching. There are no railroads within Daggett County.

Map of Daggett County communities

Communities

Towns

• Dutch John
• Manila (county seat)

Census-designated places

• Flaming Gorge

Former communities

• Bridgeport
• Greendale
• Linwood

Education

There is one school district in the county: Daggett School District.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Daggett para niños