OCR Text |
Show Population Nature of the Economy- Much of the Colorado Basin is almost unin- habited. Probably no other section of the United States has as large areas completely devoid of hu- man habitation as some sections of southeastern Utah. With 8 percent of the Nation's area, the basin has less than 1 percent of the national popu- lation, and most of this small population is largely concentrated in a few locations favorable for agri- culture or mining. A very high proportion of the total area has densities of less than one person per square mile. The population (estimated in 1950 as between 1 and ll/£ million) has been increasing steadily, al- though not uniformly, throughout the basin. For example, the lower basin increased its population five times between 1900 and 1940, while the upper basin only doubled. The rate of growth within the basin during this period exceeded that of the United States as a whole by a ratio of 3 to 1. During the past decade, the rapid rate of growth in the area has continued. Arizona, the only State lying almost wholly within the Colorado River Basin, experienced a population increase of ap- proximately 50 percent, from 499,000 in 1940 to 742,000 in 1950. The increase in population of the Nation during the same interval was 14 percent. There are no first-rank urban concentrations in the Colorado Basin. In 1940, with less than a mil- lion population, 69 percent was classified as rural. Throughout this region urban population has been limited to those areas which can be irrigated, mineds or which hold special advantages as tourist or rail- road centers. All the larger cities are in the south- ern part of the basin. Phoenix, the largest city, now has a population of 105,000, or 60 percent more than in 1940. Next in size is Tucson, with 47,383 inhabitants; followed by Las Vegas, with 28,256; and Grand Junction, with 14,454 inhabitants.6 These three communities have all experienced a population increase well over 70 percent since 1940. Although not in the basin, the great urban con- centration of the Los Angeles area (population 4,330,962 in 1950) lies immediately adjacent and is largely dependent upon the Colorado River for electric power and for water to supply homes and industries. • All 1950 population figures are from the preliminary count of the U. S. Bureau of the Census. In order of importance, industries in the basin are mining, agriculture, petroleum production and refining, lumbering, manufacturing, trans- portation, trade, and construction activities. Agri- culture employs the largest number of people, but the annual value of mineral products is consider- ably greater than that of agricultural products. Recreation is rapidly expanding as an industry, in large part based on climatic and natural scenic at- tractions which draw tourists to the area. The Federal Government administration of over 70 percent of the total area as Indian reser- vations, national forests, national parks, and similar holdings, is a matter of much importance in the basin economy. Present Forms of Resource Use Agriculture Livestock raising is the basin's principal agricul- tural pursuit, particularly in the northern region. Most of the land of the basin is suitable for no other use. Moreover, 30 percent of the basin's irrigated land is used to grow alfalfa as winter feed for the many herds of sheep and cattle that graze the range. Crop production in the basin is dependent almost wholly on irrigation. More than 2,676,000 acres of land in the Colorado River watershed are now under irrigation, and an additional 416,000 acres in the Salton Sea Basin of southern California are irrigated with Colorado River water. In the lower basin, citrus fruits, cotton, winter vegetables, and other produce are raised, while the southern end of the upper basin is noted for temperate climate fruits and other high-value crops. The growing season varies in length from 80 days in the higher elevations of the north to year-round in the semitropical southern areas of the basin. Al- though the northern growing season is short, condi- tions are locally favorable for growing such fruits as peaches, pears, cherries, apricots, and berries. Hailstorms and late spring and early fall frosts occasionally damage crops in this area, however. In the principal farming districts of the southern basin, multiple cropping is common because of the long growing season. Only occasionally are these crops damaged by frost, heavy storms, or dry sum- mer winds. 359 |