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Green River is a commercial, farming and ranching community located where the Green River flows for several miles between Gray and Labyrinth canyons. At the time, the city Green River was the most accessible crossing point on the Green River south of the Uinta Basin. Green River's accessibility also made it a natural staging and supply point for those who traveled on the river.
 With the completion of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railway in 1883, Green River became a shipping point for livestock and mining equipment and supplies. The railroad workers added 375 residents to the town by 1890, and came with the addition to a growing population of cowboys and sheepherders.
In the early 1890s, the railroad moved much of its divisional operations to Helper, causing the population of Green river to be cut by more than half. Over the years, there were substantial rises and falls in the population as different economic and commercial ventures took place. Green river is best known for its excellent agricultural production and for the relatively long frost-free season and hot summer temperatures of Green River's 4,000-foot elevation, which are ideal for growing melons. Melons are still an important crop, and the annual Melon Days celebration is a highlight of the local social year.
Like many other southern Utah towns, the economic history of the 20th century shows a substantial rise and fall of many mining opportunities in coal, oil and uranium. Other economic ventures include cattle ranching and agriculture. Bluff is now a very active center for artists and craftsmen, but continues to progress in farming and ranching. Tourism has also become a large portion of the economy because of the national parks, prehistoric sites and canyons and river recreation located in the surrounding areas.
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