Big Water | |
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Town | |
Location in Kane County and the state of Utah |
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Location of Utah in the United States |
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Coordinates: 37°4′47″N 111°39′29″W / 37.07972°N 111.65806°WCoordinates: 37°4′47″N 111°39′29″W / 37.07972°N 111.65806°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Utah |
County | Kane |
Incorporated | December 29, 1983 |
Area | |
• Total | 6.1 sq mi (15.7 km2) |
• Land | 6.1 sq mi (15.7 km2) |
• Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
Elevation | 4,108 ft (1,252 m) |
Population (2012) | |
• Total | 472 |
• Density | 68.7/sq mi (26.5/km2) |
Time zone | MST (UTC-7) |
• Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
ZIP code | 84741 |
Area code(s) | 435 |
FIPS code | 49-05534 |
GNIS feature ID | 1455970 |
Big Water is a town in Kane County, Utah, United States. The population was 417 at the 2000 census, a modest increase over the 1990 figure of 326. It is located 17 miles north of Page, Arizona on US-89 near Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon Dam. It was originally called Glen Canyon City and housed workers who built the dam in the 1950s. Big Water made news in the 1980s as a polygamous colony of the Joseph clan. It also made news in 1986, when the mayor Alex Joseph and the city council left the Republican Party to join the Libertarian Party. This made Joseph the first Libertarian mayor in the history of the U.S. Subsequently, Willy Marshall, also a Libertarian, was elected as the state's first openly gay mayor.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.1 square miles (15.7 km²), all of it land.
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Big Water has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.
As of the census of 2000, there were 417 people, 171 households, and 117 families residing in the town. The population density was 68.7 people per square mile (26.5/km²). There were 264 housing units at an average density of 43.5 per square mile (16.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.00% White, 2.88% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.48% Pacific Islander, 1.20% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.28% of the population.