thumb|right|LDS Church South Chapel

Blanding () () is a city in San Juan County, Utah, United States. The population was 3,394 at the 2020 census, making it the most populated city in San Juan County. It was settled in the late 19th century by Mormon settlers, predominantly from the famed Hole-In-The-Rock expedition. Economic contributors include mineral processing, mining, agriculture, local commerce, tourism, and transportation.

Blanding is located near both the Navajo and White Mesa Ute Native American reservations and a significant percentage of Blanding's population has family ties to these nearby cultures. Blanding is a gateway to an abundance of nearby natural and archaeological resources, including The Dinosaur Museum, Natural Bridges National Monument, Monument Valley, and the Four Corners area, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (Lake Powell), Cedar Mesa archaeological and wilderness area, the San Juan River including Goosenecks State Park, and the Needles district of Canyonlands National Park. It is located approximately 1 hour south of the popular recreation hub of Moab and Arches National Park.

Blanding is home to one of the nine statewide regional campuses of Utah State University.

History

First known as Grayson (after Nellie Grayson Lyman, wife of settler Joseph Lyman), the town changed its name in 1914 when a wealthy easterner, Thomas W. Bicknell, offered a thousand-volume library to any town that would adopt his name. Grayson competed with Thurber, Utah (renamed Bicknell) for the prize. Grayson was renamed Blanding after the maiden name of Bicknell's wife, and each town received 500 books.

There were 1,035 households in Blanding, of which 46.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 54.7% were married-couple households, 12.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 2,064 || 60.8%

|-

| Black or African American || 17 || 0.5%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 1,020 || 30.1%

|-

| Asian || 9 || 0.3%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 36 || 1.1%

|-

| Some other race || 59 || 1.7%

|-

| Two or more races || 189 || 5.6%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 212 || 6.2%

|}

2010 census

As of the 2010 census

|source 2 = National Weather Service

Notable people

  • Ron Dewar (1941–2024) – jazz musician
  • Albert R. Lyman (1880–1973) – writer, pioneer, and early settler of Blanding
  • Phil Lyman – Utah House of Representatives member
  • Logan Monson – Utah House of Representatives member and mayor
  • Buu Nygren (b. 1986) – president of the Navajo Nation
  • DeVan L. Shumway (1930–2008) – publisher, spokesman for the Committee for the Re-Election of the President, and aide to Richard Nixon

<gallery class="center">

File:The Dinosaur Museum, Blanding, Utah 03.jpg | Exhibit in the dinosaur museum, Blanding, Utah taken 2019

File:Blanding Utah city office.jpeg | City office of Blanding, Utah, taken 2009

</gallery>

See also

  • List of municipalities in Utah

;Community

  • Arizona breccia pipe uranium mineralization
  • Blanding Municipal Airport
  • KBDX
  • Swallow's Nest (Blanding, Utah)

;Geographically

  • Abajo Mountains
  • Bears Ears National Monument
  • Colorado Plateau
  • Four Corners
  • Hovenweep National Monument

;Roadways

  • U.S. Route 191 in Utah
  • Utah State Route 95
  • Utah State Route 262

References

  • Blanding City Chamber of Commerce