Green River, Utah

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Green River, Utah
Aerial photograph of Green River.
Aerial photograph of Green River.
Location of Green River, Utah
Location of Green River, Utah
Coordinates: 38°59′36″N 110°9′0″W﻿ / ﻿38.99333°N 110.15000°W﻿ / 38.99333; -110.15000Coordinates: 38°59′36″N 110°9′0″W﻿ / ﻿38.99333°N 110.15000°W﻿ / 38.99333; -110.15000
Country United States
State Utah
County Emery
Incorporated 1906
Named for Green River
 • Total 12.6 sq mi (32.7 km2)
 • Land 12.5 sq mi (32.4 km2)
 • Water 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Elevation 4,078 ft (1,243 m)
Population (2012)
 • Total 949
 • Density 77.8/sq mi (30.0/km2)
Time zone Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
 • Summer (DST) MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP code 84525
Area code(s) 435
FIPS code 49-31670[1]
GNIS feature ID 1428398[2]

Green River is a city in Emery County, Utah, United States. The population was 973 at the 2000 census.


Green River is located on the banks of the Green River, after which the city is named. The San Rafael Swell region is to the west of Green River, while Canyonlands National Park lies to the south. Today located exclusively in Emery County, it was split between Emery and Grand counties until January 6, 2003, when Emery County's boundaries were expanded.[3]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.6 square miles (32.7 km²), of which, 12.5 square miles (32.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (1.03%) is water.

Crystal Geyser, a cold water "geyser"---actually a carbon-dioxide driven, erupting well---is located about nine miles southeast of town (Glennon, J.A. and Pfaff R.M. 2005).


Green River City started as a river crossing for the U.S. Mail. In 1876, a Mr. Blake set up a ferry on the East side of the river and a way station. It became a stopover for travelers with a ferry for transporting people, supplies, and animals across the river.

In 1883 the line commonly known as the Utah Division of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad was built and a train station was opened. The west side of the river became known as Greenriver ( later changed to Green River) and the east side of the river became known as Elgin, and is still referred to by that name today. With the coming of the railroad, the town quickly went from a small farm hamlet to a boom town with workers coming to build the bridge and the road bed for the railroad. After completion of the railroad, Green River became a fueling, watering stop for the railroad, with switching yards and engine sheds. A hotel, called the Palmer House was built and became the scheduled meal stop for trains from both directions for many years. Green River enjoyed the railroad boom until 1892, when the railroad transferred most of its operations to Helper. The population of the town declined significantly.

Throughout the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s the mining of uranium played a significant role in the economy of Green River. Several trucking companies hauled ore from mines in the Four-Corners Mining District west of Green River, the San Rafael Swell, the Henry Mountains, and the area that is now Lake Powell.

The U.S. Air Force built the Green River Launch Complex, just outside of Green River, 1964. It was an annex of the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range. From 1964 to 1973 the U. S. Air Force launched 141 Athena Missiles from the Green River launching area, near the Crystal Geyser as part of research to improve nuclear missiles.[4]


Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Green River station, operating its California Zephyr daily in both directions between Chicago and Emeryville, California.


Historical population
Census Pop.
1910 628
1920 645 2.7%
1930 474 −26.5%
1940 470 −0.8%
1950 583 24.0%
1960 1,075 84.4%
1970 1,033 −3.9%
1980 1,048 1.5%
1990 866 −17.4%
2000 973 12.4%
2010 952 −2.2%
Est. 2012 949 −0.3%

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 973 people, 329 households, and 238 families residing in the city. The population density was 77.8 people per square mile (30.0/km²). There were 376 housing units at an average density of 30.0 per square mile (11.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.28% White, 0.92% African American, 1.23% Native American, 1.23% Asian, 0.41% Pacific Islander, 7.09% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.63% of the population.

There were 329 households out of which 41.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.48.

In the city the population was spread out with 35.7% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 17.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,000, and the median income for a family was $31,667. Males had a median income of $28,417 versus $16,477 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,326. About 12.5% of families and 15.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.8% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.


Located approximately 100 miles in either direction from Richfield, Utah and Grand Junction, Colorado, Green River's local economy primarily caters to serving passers-by on Interstate 70 since there are no services on I-70 westbound between Green River and Salina, 107 miles away. The economy relies heavily on hotels, fast food and a few other restaurants and gas stations. A large natural gas field has been discovered 3 miles south of the city. The field is operated by Delta Petroleum headquartered in Denver, Colorado.

Green River is famous for its melons, sold during the growing season.

Green River is also a popular freeride mountain biking spot. It can be seen in films such as New World Disorder 7.


Emery Telecom is the local telephone and high speed internet provider while Satview Broadband Ltd is the local cable television company.


  3. ^ Geographic Change Notes: Utah, United States Census Bureau, 2007. Accessed 2009-03-04.
  4. ^ "History of Green River". Official Website for Green River, Utah. City of Green River, Utah. Retrieved 11 December 2009. [dead link]

Further reading[edit]

  • Glennon, J.A., Pfaff, R.M. (2005). "The operation and geography of carbon-dioxide-driven, cold-water geysers," GOSA Transactions, vol. 9, pp. 184–192.

External links[edit]