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Hurricane, Utah
City of Hurricane
Hurricane, Utah in July 2009
Hurricane, Utah in July 2009
Location in Washington County and the state of Utah
Location in Washington County and the state of Utah
Country United States
State Utah
County Washington
Area
 • Total 53.63 sq mi (138.90 km2)
 • Land 52.76 sq mi (136.64 km2)
 • Water 0.88 sq mi (2.27 km2)
Elevation
3,248 ft (990 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 20,036
 • Estimate 
(2020)
20,036
 • Density 361.55/sq mi (139.60/km2)
Time zone UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code
84737
Area code(s) 435
FIPS code 49-37170
GNIS feature ID 1428951

Hurricane ( hur-I-kən) is a city in Washington County, Utah, United States. Its population was 20,036 as of the 2020 United States Cenus estimates. The Hurricane valley makes up the easternmost part of the St. George Metropolitan area, and is becoming a touristy gateway town to Zion National Park. Hurricane is known for its historic peach and pecan orchards, open space, green fields and small-town charm, although like much of southwestern Utah, the Hurricane valley continues to experience significant population growth.

History

Hurricane was first settled in 1896, and received its name after a whirlwind blew the top off of a buggy that Erastus Snow was riding in. Snow exclaimed, "Well, that was a Hurricane. We'll name this 'Hurricane Hill'."

Hurricane, which is pronounced "Hur-a-kin" by local residents (mimicking the accent of early Liverpool settlers), is in eastern Washington County. The community was settled as part of LDS Church President Brigham Young's 'Cotton Mission', intended to establish the southern end of Utah for agricultural purposes. The town once operated a large peach and apricot orchard for the LDS Church, and is historically known for growing peaches, pecans and pistachio nuts on small farms. The town boasts multiple parks, a new dog park, a city pool and large community center, several ranked golf courses, two reservoir lakes noted for bass fishing (Sand Hollow Recreation Area and Quail Lake State Park), as well as a small municipal airfield. There are several medical clinics in the area.

Hurricane Canal and Canal Trail

For approximately 80 years, the Hurricane Canal was the lifeblood of the Hurricane Valley. Built over a period of 11 years (1893–1904), mostly by pick and shovel, the canal stands as a testament to pioneer ingenuity and determination. Since 1985, the canal has lain empty. In 2000, special interest groups came together to preserve the canal, receiving grants and volunteering time to construct a trail to stand as a tribute to the sweat and toil early settlers put forth to make the canal a reality. A monument at the trailhead recounts the canal story in brief. Much of the trail, which only covers a small section of the canal, is the actual west bank of the canal, which “canal riders” rode every day when the canal was in operation to ensure there were no leaks or other problems since the bank was somewhat unstable. Two of the trail’s unique aspects are walking in the canal itself – on a steel flume across a wash and through a tunnel immediately thereafter. The trail provides excellent views of the towns of Hurricane and La Verkin throughout. The trail ends before reaching the Virgin River Gorge, approximately five miles from the canal’s former headwaters..

State Route 59 accident

On December 30, 2006, an Arizona driver on the Utah State Route 59 just outside Hurricane lost control and crashed though the guardrail at around 80 mph. The truck struck the culvert, flipped over, and rotated 180 degrees before landing on the opposite side of a ravine. Due to the rare nature of the event, photos of the crash were suspected to be a hoax, but the Hurricane City Police department confirmed the entire sequence of events.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 31.5 square miles (81.7 km²), of which, 31.1 square miles (80.6 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.1 km²) of it (1.39%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1910 336
1920 1,021 203.9%
1930 1,197 17.2%
1940 1,524 27.3%
1950 1,271 −16.6%
1960 1,251 −1.6%
1970 1,408 12.5%
1980 2,660 88.9%
1990 3,915 47.2%
2000 8,250 110.7%
2010 13,748 66.6%
2019 (est.) 19,074 38.7%
U.S. Decennial Census

At the 2010 census, there were 13,748 people, 4,609 households and 3,545 families residing in the city. The population density was 540 per square mile (210/km2). There were 5,461 housing units at an average density of 435.8 per square mile (270.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 91.3% White, 0.5% African American, 1.3% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.8% Pacific Islander, 3.32% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.72% of the population.

There were 4,609 households, of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.4% were married couples living together, 8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.1% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.32.

Age distribution was 32.3% under the age of 19, 5.6% from 20 to 24, 11.2% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males.

The median household income was $32,865, and the median family income was $36,955. Males had a median income of $30,172 versus $19,588 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,353. About 10.8% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.2% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

State Street and Main Street, Hurricane, Utah
State Street and Main Street
Sunrise over Hurricane, Utah
Sunrise over Hurricane

The one main boulevard is State Street, renovated and designated Utah SR-9. From 100 East to 400 West, the shopping district is designated as a "historical district," with ongoing preservation efforts. Many of the larger homes in town are listed on the National Registry of Historic Homes.

Tourism

Situated on Utah State Route 9, Hurricane lies between Interstate 15 and Zion National Park, and as a result has numerous motels, restaurants and other commercial establishments that serve a portion of the millions of tourists that visit Zion National Park each year. Hurricane also benefits from visitors who are on their way to or from Lake Powell and the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park via Utah State Route 59 which intersects State Route 9 within Hurricane city limits. The Hurricane area is also a growing destination for mountain biking in Southwestern Utah as the city is situated near the popular Gooseberry Mesa, J.E.M and Little Creek mountain biking trails.

Distribution Centers

Old U.S. Highway 91 houses distribution centers for many companies. The biggest is the Walmart Distribution Center, which employs an estimated 700 associates. The road also houses distribution centers for Orgill, Pepsi-Cola, BlvdHome, PrimeSource Sanitary Supply and many smaller businesses.

Education

Hurricane is a part of the Washington County School District.

Hurricane has one high school, Hurricane High School (encompassing grades 10–12), attended also by students from the surrounding communities of La Verkin, Toquerville and Springdale, among others. There are also two elementary schools, an intermediate school (grades 6-7) and a middle school (grades 8-9), as well as one charter school, Valley Academy (grades K-8).

Transportation

Major Roadways

Interstate 15

U.S. Interstate 15 forms part of the northwest border of Hurricane. It has one exit, exit 16, that is located in Hurricane, and another exit, exit 27, that provides access to Hurricane from the north. I-15 is the main mean of transportation to nearby St. George, and also connects the town to Salt Lake City, located 290 miles to the north, and Las Vegas, 138 miles to the south.

Utah State Route 9

Utah State Route 9 begins in Hurricane, at Harrisburg Junction. It travels east through Hurricane, forming State Street. SR-9 links Hurricane to the nearby Zion National Park and to U.S. Route 89. State Route 9 is also Hurricane's main connector to I-15.

Utah State Route 59

Utah State Route 59 ends in Hurricane, at the intersection of SR-9 and Main Street. It connects Hurricane with the nearby Hilldale, and indirectly connects Hurricane to Kanab and Lake Powell through Arizona State Route 389.

Utah State Route 7

Utah State Route 7, also known as Southern Parkway, when finished with construction, will begin at State Route 9 just south of Hurricane's business district, and provides access to Washington and South St. George. State Route 7 has its western terminus just north of the Arizona border in St. George where it becomes Sun River Parkway at I-15.

Airports

Hurricane Municipal Airport

Hurricane Municipal Airport, located in the south of Hurricane, is the city's only public airstrip. It has only 1 runway, currently has no taxiway, and only services small personal aircraft.

St. George Regional Airport

St. George Regional Airport is the closest airport which provides commercial service to select hubs. It can be accessed from Hurricane via State Route 7 (Southern Parkway). It connects Hurricane and Washington County with Salt Lake City, Denver, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Dallas-Fort Worth.

Harry Reid International Airport

Harry Reid International Airport is the closest international airport to Hurricane, about 130 miles away. It can be accessed from Hurricane by travelling south on I-15 to Las Vegas.

Shuttles and Buses

Hurricane has no public transportation in the form of buses, but has shuttle service connecting with Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and Southern California via shuttle services in St. George.

Notable people

  • Don Leo Jonathan, wrestler
  • Herb Wilkinson, led Utah to its only NCAA Tournament Championship in 1943–44, and later was a three time All American basketball player at Iowa

See also

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

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