city, seat (1890) of Grand county, southeastern Utah, U.S. Located on the western flank of the La Sal Mountains (LaSal Mountains) alongside the Colorado River, the city was originally a Mormon mission, founded in 1855. Both the original settlement and the surrounding area bore several names (including Spanish Valley and Poverty Flats) until 1880, when the city was named Moab after the biblical “land beyond the Jordan.” Moab emerged in the early 1900s as a centre of stone-fruit cultivation. In the early 1950s a uranium mining boom transformed the quiet town into a bustling industrial centre. The uranium boom and subsequent production of locally discovered oil and potash faded in the 1960s, after which Moab made efforts to become a tourist centre for the scenic region, which includes the adjacent Arches National Park and nearby Canyonlands National Park and the Manti-La Sal National Forest. It is also a popular destination for competitive mountain bikers. Inc. town, 1903; city, 1936. Pop. (1990) 3,971; (2000) 4,779.