In recent years Moab has experienced a surge of second-home owners. The relatively mild winters and enjoyable summers have attracted many people to build such homes throughout the area. In a situation mirroring that of other resort towns in the American West, controversy has arisen over these new residents and their houses, which in many cases remain unoccupied for most of the year. Many Moab citizens are concerned that the town is seeing changes similar to those experienced in Vail and Aspen in neighboring Colorado. These include rapidly rising property values, an increase in the cost of living, and the effects felt by local low- and middle-income workers.
"Sunset Magazine"s March 2009 issue listed Moab as one of the "20 best small towns in the West," a distinction corroborated by similar articles in other magazines.
Since 2011 Moab has hosted an LGBT Pride festival. The first festival included a march which drew more than 350 people. The second year's festival had over 600 in attendance.
Moab has an arid climate characterized by hot summers and chilly winters. Precipitation is evenly spread over the year (usually less than one inch per month). There are an average of 41 days with temperatures reaching , 109 days reaching , and 3.6 days per winter where the temperature remains at or below freezing. The highest temperature was on July 7, 1989. The lowest temperature was on January 22, 1930.
Average annual precipitation in Moab is . There are an average of 55 days annually with measurable precipitation. The wettest year was 1983 with and the driest year was 1898 with . The most precipitation in one month was in July 1918. The most precipitation in 24 hours was on July 23, 1983.
Average seasonal snowfall for 1981–2011 is . The most snow in a season was during 1914–15, but the snowiest month is December 1915 at .
Grand County, Utah
Grand County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2010 census, the population was 9,225. Its county seat and largest city is Moab. The county was named for the Colorado River, which at the time of statehood was known as the Grand River. It is west from the Colorado state line.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.3%) is water. The Green River forms the western boundary and Colorado lies on the eastern boundary. The Colorado River flows through the southeast corner. Deserts, cliffs and plateaus make up the scenery, with few settlements apart from the city of Moab, a Colorado River oasis. Arches National Park lies in the southern part of the county, just north of Moab. Also, the northernmost extension of Canyonlands National Park lies in the southwest corner of the county.
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,485 people, 3,434 households, and 2,170 families residing in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 4,062 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile (0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.65% White, 0.25% Black or African American, 3.85% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.66% from other races, and 1.32% from two or more races. 5.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 3,434 households out of which 29.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them. In addition, 48.60% were married couples living together, 10.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.80% were non-families. 29.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the county, the population was spread out with 26.90% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 27.90% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,387, and the median income for a family was $39,095. Males had a median income of $31,000 versus $21,769 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,356. About 10.90% of families and 14.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.20% of those under age 18 and 8.40% of those age 65 or over.
Fab Morvan
Fabrice "Fab" Morvan (born 14 May 1966) is a French singer-songwriter, dancer and model. He was half of pop duo Milli Vanilli, with Rob Pilatus. The duo sold multi-platinum albums around the world. But in the early 1990s, he and Pilatus were involved in one of the largest scandals in the history of pop music. It was revealed that neither he nor Pilatus really sang on any of Milli Vanilli's music whatsoever.
After the scandal, the duo got themselves back together as Rob & Fab, though with limited success. Morvan had a solo comeback in the 2000s, with his album "Love Revolution".
Morvan was born in Paris, France.
Easter Jeep Safari
The Easter Jeep Safari is an annual event hosted by the Red Rock 4-Wheelers off-road club. Four-wheelers come from all parts of the United States and other countries to challenge the rough terrain of the backcountry in the Moab, Utah area. While the title does say it is a festival of Jeeps, there are no restrictions on vehicle make or models used. However, all vehicles are expected to have high ground clearance Four-wheel drive vehicles with two-speed transfer cases. No ATV's or UTV's are allowed. The Easter Weekend safari lasts for nine days, going through Easter Sunday.
When going 4-wheeling, people can either go alone, or join up in a group. Groups usually meet up early in the day, at a certain location in the city. First waivers are signed and collected, then the drivers are given instruction and told to comply with any and all Bureau of Land Management regulations (i.e. stay on the trail, avoid walking on protected soil, etc.). Groups will then head out to the trails for the day. Once a group arrives at a trail, they will partially deflate ("air down") their tires to get better traction on sand or slick rock. Once the air down is completed they will begin through the trail and depending on the trail and the number of stops, it can take anywhere from a few hours to all day.
Many groups do radio introductions, over the CB radio, where a person (often the driver) will introduce his/her self and any passengers in the car. They may also tell if they have driven the trail before, or if it's their first time. When a group approaches a really difficult obstacle, a few will get out and act as a spotter to ensure everyone makes it up or down safely.
Groups will usually stop around noon or 1:00 P.M. for a lunch break. Drivers and passengers usually chat, take pictures, or do some work on their Jeep/4X4 vehicle. Once lunch is completed they will take off again.
Trails rank from easy to difficult (1 through 5). The classification system is the same used in skiing: Circle is Easy, Square is Moderate, and Diamond is Hard. Many trails have several obstacles to get through. Some of the most famous are "Kenny's Climb", and "White Knuckle Hill". Many involve rockcrawling.
The Event is often attended by media representatives who cover outdoor and recreation events including representatives from Jeep. The Moab variant of the Jeep Wrangler
is named after Moab, UT.
Some trails, specifically the higher difficulty ones can be dangerous for inexperienced drivers, especially if they try to go alone. A basic rule for driving off-road is to never travel alone. Traveling in groups of two or more vehicles makes it more certain at least one vehicle can get back for help. Those who do venture out into the backcountry alone should have good communications (two-way radio, mobile phone or satellite device). Inexperienced groups are advised to bring a spotter along on the more difficult trails to avoid injuries and rollovers.