Bluff, Utah

Under the direction of John Taylor, Silas S. Smith and Danish settler Jens Nielson led about 230 Mormons on an expedition to start a farming community in southeastern Utah. After forging about 200 miles (320 kilometers) of their own trail over difficult terrain, the settlers arrived on the site of Bluff in April 1880.{{Cite web|url=https://bluffutah.org/town-history/|title=Bluff Town History | Bluff, Utah|date=November 10, 2019}} (The trail followed went over and down the "Hole in the Rock", which now opens into one of the tributaries of Lake Powell.) The town was named for the bluffs near the town site.{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sa9SAAAAIBAJ&sjid=c38DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6741%2C5066695 | title=You name it - there's a town for it | work=The Deseret News | date=Jan 22, 1977 | access-date=18 October 2015 | author=Van Atta, Dale | pages=15}} The town's population had declined to seventy by 1930{{Citation needed|date=July 2007}} but rebounded during a uranium prospecting boom in the 1950s. With the uranium decline in the 1970s, Bluff again declined and now remains a small town with about 200 residents.{{citation needed|date = October 2022}}

Bluff is located in the sparsely populated southeastern Utah canyonlands of the Colorado Plateau. The community is on the north margin of the San Juan River valley at the confluence of Cottonwood Wash with the San Juan. U.S. routes 163 and 191 and State Route 162 pass through the community.Bluff, UT, 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1989

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 22.6 square miles (58.7 km²), of which 22.1 square miles (57.2 km²) is land and 0.6 square mile (1.4 km²) (2.43%) is water.

Bluff has a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk) typical of southern Utah, though it borders on a cold semi-arid climate (BSk). Winters are cool and dry with occasional snow. Despite averaging just over {{cvt|8|in|cm}} of snow per year, only three seasons have gone without snow (1928-1929, 1963-1964, and 1995-1996). The snowiest season was 1978-1979, with {{cvt|28|in|cm}}. Nights are chilly, falling below freezing on 141 days per year, while only seven days fail to rise above freezing. Bluff is located in hardiness zone 7A, with an average yearly low of {{cvt|1|F}}. Spring comes quickly in February and is the driest time of the year. Temperatures are usually warm, although snow has fallen as late as April (although very rarely). The average last freeze is April 25. Summer is long and hot with occasional thunderstorms. Days reach {{cvt|90|F}}, an average of 86 days per year, and attain highs of {{cvt|100|F}} or greater on 16. Despite the hot days, nights cool to {{cvt|60|F}}. While September is still hot, temperatures cool rapidly in October and November. Snow has fallen in October but usually holds off until late November. The first freeze typically comes on October 7.

{{Weather box

| width = auto

| collapsed = yes

| single line = yes

| location = Bluff, Utah (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1911–present)

| Jan record high F = 69

| Feb record high F = 76

| Mar record high F = 86

| Apr record high F = 94

| May record high F = 102

| Jun record high F = 106

| Jul record high F = 109

| Aug record high F = 106

| Sep record high F = 102

| Oct record high F = 95

| Nov record high F = 85

| Dec record high F = 69

| year record high F =

|Jan avg record high F = 55.2

|Feb avg record high F = 64.3

|Mar avg record high F = 76.3

|Apr avg record high F = 85.0

|May avg record high F = 93.2

|Jun avg record high F = 101.1

|Jul avg record high F = 103.4

|Aug avg record high F = 99.8

|Sep avg record high F = 94.7

|Oct avg record high F = 83.7

|Nov avg record high F = 68.8

|Dec avg record high F = 56.7

|year avg record high F = 103.7

| Jan high F = 43.2

| Feb high F = 51.4

| Mar high F = 62.8

| Apr high F = 71.4

| May high F = 80.7

| Jun high F = 91.8

| Jul high F = 95.9

| Aug high F = 92.6

| Sep high F = 84.2

| Oct high F = 70.2

| Nov high F = 55.1

| Dec high F = 43.0

| year high F = 70.2

| Jan mean F = 31.5

| Feb mean F = 38.1

| Mar mean F = 47.4

| Apr mean F = 55.3

| May mean F = 64.1

| Jun mean F = 73.7

| Jul mean F = 79.8

| Aug mean F = 77.4

| Sep mean F = 68.0

| Oct mean F = 54.2

| Nov mean F = 40.9

| Dec mean F = 31.4

| year mean F = 55.2

| Jan low F = 19.7

| Feb low F = 24.8

| Mar low F = 31.9

| Apr low F = 39.1

| May low F = 47.6

| Jun low F = 55.5

| Jul low F = 63.8

| Aug low F = 62.2

| Sep low F = 51.8

| Oct low F = 38.2

| Nov low F = 26.8

| Dec low F = 19.7

| year low F = 40.1

|Jan avg record low F = 6.4

|Feb avg record low F = 12.3

|Mar avg record low F = 19.0

|Apr avg record low F = 25.6

|May avg record low F = 34.4

|Jun avg record low F = 43.5

|Jul avg record low F = 52.1

|Aug avg record low F = 52.0

|Sep avg record low F = 37.8

|Oct avg record low F = 24.2

|Nov avg record low F = 12.7

|Dec avg record low F = 6.8

|year avg record low F = 2.1

| Jan record low F = -22

| Feb record low F = -13

| Mar record low F = 4

| Apr record low F = 16

| May record low F = 23

| Jun record low F = 33

| Jul record low F = 40

| Aug record low F = 37

| Sep record low F = 23

| Oct record low F = 10

| Nov record low F = -2

| Dec record low F = -22

| year record low F =

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation inch = 0.83

| Feb precipitation inch = 0.62

| Mar precipitation inch = 0.47

| Apr precipitation inch = 0.34

| May precipitation inch = 0.50

| Jun precipitation inch = 0.20

| Jul precipitation inch = 0.62

| Aug precipitation inch = 0.94

| Sep precipitation inch = 0.84

| Oct precipitation inch = 0.77

| Nov precipitation inch = 0.48

| Dec precipitation inch = 0.67

| year precipitation inch = 7.28

| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

| Jan precipitation days = 4.3

| Feb precipitation days = 4.0

| Mar precipitation days = 3.5

| Apr precipitation days = 3.2

| May precipitation days = 3.2

| Jun precipitation days = 1.2

| Jul precipitation days = 4.5

| Aug precipitation days = 5.0

| Sep precipitation days = 3.9

| Oct precipitation days = 4.0

| Nov precipitation days = 2.7

| Dec precipitation days = 3.8

| year precipitation days = 43.3

| Jan snow inch = 2.5

| Feb snow inch = 1.6

| Mar snow inch = 0.3

| Apr snow inch = 0.0

| May snow inch = 0.0

| Jun snow inch = 0.0

| Jul snow inch = 0.0

| Aug snow inch = 0.0

| Sep snow inch = 0.0

| Oct snow inch = 0.1

| Nov snow inch = 0.3

| Dec snow inch = 2.6

| year snow inch = 7.4

| unit snow days = 0.1 in

| Jan snow days = 1.5

| Feb snow days = 0.9

| Mar snow days = 0.1

| Apr snow days = 0.0

| May snow days = 0.0

| Jun snow days = 0.0

| Jul snow days = 0.0

| Aug snow days = 0.0

| Sep snow days = 0.0

| Oct snow days = 0.1

| Nov snow days = 0.2

| Dec snow days = 1.7

| year snow days = 4.5

| source = NOAA{{cite web

|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=gjt

|title = NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|access-date = December 9, 2023}}{{cite web

|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00420788&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL

|title = Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|access-date = December 9, 2023}}

}}

{{update|section|date=May 2025|reason=Newer information is available from the 2010 and 2020 census reports}}

As of the census{{fv|date=May 2025|reason=no mention of Bluff at the given link}} of 2000, there were 320 people, 135 households, and 75 families residing in the town. The population density was 14.5 people per square mile (5.6/km²). There were 191 housing units at an average density of 8.6/sq mi (3.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 62.50% White, 35.00% Native American, 0.94% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.06% of the population.

There were 135 households, of which 28.9% had children under 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.4% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37, and the average family size was 3.25.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.5 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 104.3 males.

Image:Navajotwinrocks.jpg

The median income for a household in the town was $23,906, and the median income for a family was $30,938. Males had a median income of $31,563 versus $14,792 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $13,567. About 22.8% of families and 21.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.7% of those under age 18 and 25.0% of those aged 65 or over.

The San Juan School District operates Bluff Elementary School in Bluff.

Image:Bluff utah usa red roof.jpg

• Bluff Fort
• Navajo Twin Rocks
• Bluff Pioneer Cemetery
• Trading Post
• Bears Ear Education Center
• Historic buildings and sites of Bluff Historic District and other listings on the National Register of Historic Places in Bluff.

Events:

• Winter Balloon Festival, January {{Cite web|url=http://www.bluffutah.org/balloon.htm|title=Bluff, Utah Balloon Festival Schedule of Events|date=June 17, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617082520/http://www.bluffutah.org/balloon.htm |archive-date=2008-06-17 }}
• Bluff Arts Festival, October and Utah Navajo Fair, September{{Cite web|url=https://bluffutah.org/events-2/|title=Events in Bluff | Bluff, Utah|date=June 16, 2015}}

• Charles Lang, Academy Award-winning cinematographer
• Albert R. Lyman, writer
• Jane McKechnie Walton, pioneer
• Ellen Meloy, writer
• Charles Redd, rancher and member of the Utah House of Representatives

{{portal|Utah}}

• List of census-designated places in Utah
• Design Build Bluff

{{reflist|22em}}

{{commons category|Bluff, Utah}}

• {{official website|http://townofbluff.org/}}

{{San Juan County, Utah}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Census-designated places in San Juan County, Utah

Category:Census-designated places in Utah

Category:Populated places established in 1880

Category:1880 establishments in Utah Territory