Page Contents for Vernal, Utah

Statistics & Facts

Location

History & History-related items

City Attractions

Economy

Government

Historical Events

Chamber of Commerce.

Organizations, Churches, and Sports.

Schools.

Miscellany

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Statistics & Facts

The Utah state capital is Salt Lake City.
The population of Vernal is approximately 6,644 (1990), 9089 (2010).
The approximate number of families is 2,845 (1990), 3193 (2010).
The amount of land area in Vernal is 11.836 sq. kilometers.
The amount of land area in Vernal is 4.6 sq. miles.
The amount of surface water is 0 sq kilometers.
The distance from Vernal to Washington DC is 1788 miles.
The distance to the Utah state capital is 129 miles. (as the crow flies)
Vernal is positioned 40.45 degrees north of the equator and 109.53 degrees west of the prime meridian.
Vernal elevation is 5,336 feet above sea level.
Vernal per capita income is $ 17,031 (2008).
Vernal median income is $ 37,019 (2008).
The Vernal median home price is $ 128,848 (2008).
Vernal average annual snowfall is 14.3 inches per year.

Location

in northeastern Utah on Hwy 40 near the Wyoming and Colorado borders. It is about 113 miles from Provo. Other nearby communities include: Naples, Maeser, Fort Duchesne, Whiterocks, Randlett, Uintah, Ballard and Neola.
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Weather

seasonal. Here is a weather page for Vernal. Also try this weather underground page for Vernal for up-to-the-date weather information.
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History & History Related Items

Here is a history page for Vernal. This history page is from Online Utah. For genealogists, try the Vernal Family History Center.

Though the first explorers came through the area around 1776, no real settlement took place until 1876 when Pardon Dodds and his family arrived and built a log cabin in Ashley Valley. The Hatch family is supposed to be the first in the actual Vernal area. Vernal had several names before officially becoming Vernal. These were Ashley Valley, Jericho, Hatchtown, Ashley Center and then Vernal.
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The settling of Vernal

1876

The incorporation of Vernal

1897

Attractions

Dinosaurland Travel Board
25 East Main
Vernal, Utah 84078
Phone: 435-789-6932
Toll-free: 800-477-5558

Dinosaur National Monument
North of Jensen and east of Vernal
Phone: 970-374-3000
This monument is in both colorado and Utah and features a working excavation site.

Attractions in nearby areas also include Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area and the Uintah Mountains.

Vernal has the distinction of being one of the largest cities in the country without a railroad! The nearly railroad is about 60 miles away from the city.

Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum
235 E. Main
Vernal, Utah
Phone: 435-789-3799
This museum houses diverse exhibits from varied eras in the area. Eighteen life-size dinosaurs and creatures from the Mesozoic period are on display in the Dinosaur Gardens. Hours vary depending on the time of the year. Northeastern Utah Visitor's Center

John Jarvie Historic Site
170 South 500 East
Vernal, UT 84078
Phone: 435-781-4400
Visit this glimpse of early frontier life in the area. This site features the original stone house and two-room dugout that was Jarvie's first residence. There is also a replica of the general store, built in 1881, where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid came to stock up on supplies.

Learn more about Vernal at this site

Things to do in the Vernal area.

Vernal Photos page

Swett Ranch National Historic Site
Learn what it took to homestead in the old west and to make a living here. Located one mile east of US Highway 191/Utah Highway 44 Junction near Flaming Gorge Dam. Free admission. Open Thursday through Monday, from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Dry Fork Petroglyphs
10 miles north of Vernal in Dry Fork Canyon. These petroglyphs may be seen for several miles along a 200 foot Navajo9 formation sandstone cliff. Western Heritage Museum
302 East 200 South
Vernal, Utah
Memorabiia from the area's outlaw past, as well as photographs and other Western artifacts from the early 1900s may be seen in this museum. Hours vary depending on time of year.

For those coming into Vernal, prepare to be welcomed to town by a pink dinosaur named Dinah complete with long eyelashes and a smile. She once held the motel sign for the Dine-A-Ville Motel in town, but was moved to the east end of Vernal on Highway 40. Now she hold a welcome sign for Vernal that states: Vernal - Utah's Dinosaur Land. See Vernal Photos page for pictures.

Vernal Utah Temple
170 South 400 West
Vernal, Utah 84078
Phone: 435-789-3220
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Economy & Industry

Uintah County Economic Devvelopment
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Vernal City Government

Official City of Vernal website

Vernal City
447 East Main
Vernal, UT 84078
Phone: 435-789-2255

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COUNTY GOVERNMENT

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Uintah County official site

Vernal Historical Events

1916
The Parcel Post Bank
The Bank of Vernal is located at 3 West Main Street in Vernal. It is a registered historical building in the county landmark register, mostly because of it's unique past. The bank was built by W.H. Coltharp. He wanted special textured bricks for his building but they were made in Salt Lake City, over 400 miles away, by the Salt Lake Pressed Brick Company. Due to the distance and the difficulty of moving the bricks that distance over rough and dangerous terrain, the cost would have been about four times the cost of the bricks themselves. He then became very creative and had the company send the bricks through the United States Postal Service. Why? The cost was very low at the time, so they packaged up seven bricks in each 50 pount bundle and sent lots of 40 packages every day until they had sent enough for the building. The number of bricks was over 80,000! The route was long and arduous, but eventually arrived in Vernal. The USPS soon changed the rules for mailing parcels to a limit of 200 pounds per day per receiver. A letter from Postmaster General Albert Signey Burleson specifically stated: "it is not the intent of the United States Postal Service that buildings be shipped through the mail."

The Bank was nicknamed the Parcel Post Bank because of the way the bricks were sent to Vernal. The bank is now a branch of Zion's Bank.

Vernal Chamber

Vernal Area Chamber of Commerce
134 W. Main St.
Vernal, UT 84078
Phone: 435-789-1352

Vernal Organizations

Vernal Area Chamber of Commerce
134 W. Main St.
Vernal, UT 84078
Phone: 435-789-1352

Vernal Schools

Uintah School District
635 W. 200 S.
Vernal, UT 84078
Phone: 435.781.3100 Vernal

Miscellany

The population of Vernal was:
1880 - 799
1890 - 1,305
1900 - 664
1910 - 836
1920 - 1,309
1930 - 1,744
1940 - 2,119
1950 - 2,845
1960 - 3,655
1970 - 3,908
1980 - 6,600
1990 - 6,644
2000 - 7,714
2009 - 9,216

Number of Housing Units:
1990 - 2,845
2000 - 2,957

Median age:
2000 - 28 years

Population Density:
2000 - 1,683.4 persons per square mile

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Median household income:
2000 - $ 30,357
2008 - $ 37,019

Per capita income:
2000 - $ 13,497
2008 - $ 17,031

Median House Value:
2000 - $ 79,100
2008 - $ 128,848 Vernal is located in the Mountain Time Zone and does participate in daylight savings time during a portion of the year.