SPRINGDALE — This little gateway community of 550 people and Zion National Park are much like an old married couple.
They've been together for years and have marched through the time of their relationship with all the typical growing pains, triumphs and revelations that come with being together for so long.
Somewhere along the way, they learned to excel by having each other — and accepting faults, idiosyncrasies and learning to be what they are: a town that thrives on a park, and a park that is made stronger and better by a town.
"We're joined at the hip," notes city employee Fay Cope wryly. "That's just the way it is."
It's not always been easy.
This little community has largely had to shrug its shoulders at the constant stream of tourists and realize that what made it come into being — the allure of spectacular scenery — will always keep people coming.
"If not for the park, the town would not be here, except for the people who have been here since 1910 or something like that" said Dean Cook, president of the Zion Canyon Visitors Bureau.
Like the park, the town is a study in contrasts.
It hosts a thriving artist community with multiple art galleries, eclectic jewelry, a half-dozen rock shops, home-grown restaurants, its own candy company, homemade soap shop and the hotels and bed and breakfasts offering 700 rooms.
But there are only three police officers among the city's contingent of 11 employees, and town children sixth grade and older have to be bused 25 miles away to Hurricane for their education.
Housing is incredibly expensive, but property taxes contribute only 3 percent of the city's $1 million budget.
"Springdale is pretty much unlike any other town in Utah," said Mayor Pat Cluff. "We consider ourselves part of the park. But if you have to ask what there is to do here, this is not the place for you."
Like most relationships, there have been rocky moments over the years between the park and town.
Most say it was the shuttle service, begun in 2000 by the national park, that acted as a sort of marriage counselor for Zion and Springdale.
"The shuttle system brought the town and park together," Cook said, with free shuttle service and multiple stops offered on Zion Park Boulevard, the town's main drag.
Springdale became the only town in the country with a free shuttle funded by the federal government, backed by the notion that shuttles reduce congestion and foster retail activity. After a day in the park, tired and hungry tourists are dropped off at restaurants to rejuvenate and later browse the gift shops. They're also delivered to the doorstop of their hotels.
Such has been the successful partnering of Zion and Springdale that an internal training film was made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to showcase the model of park relationships with gateway communities. It is called "The Road to Tranquility."
The hand-holding goes beyond transportation, however, with regular meetings held among town and park officials to address issues that arise.
Both town and park employees are aware of the keenly symbiotic relationship they share and know that in the years to come, the majesty of Zion and the hospitality of Springdale will shape the visitor experience.
Of course, not all who visit leave. Or if they do, they come back to stay.
Cluff was one such visitor who frequented the area to "kick dirt" and decided 18 years ago to bid Salt Lake City farewell and move to Springdale.
Active in nonprofit organizations in Salt Lake, particularly those that promote art, she soon found herself on the art council in Springdale and later on the town planning commission.
"It didn't suit me," Cluff said.
A desire to establish a community center and library led her to the mayor's seat, and she admits, "I never, ever, wanted to be mayor of anything."
She said the area is one with a special allure.
"It is one of those places that if it grabs you, you can't stop yourself."
Cook, who has managed hotels all over the country, agrees.
"You can't beat it," he said, gesturing toward the red rocks of the canyon outside the Best Western Zion Park Inn that he runs.
"If you've had a bad day at work and you're stressed and it's 'that's enough,' all you have to do is walk outside. Look at it. You don't get that kind of view from a high-rise in Houston."
E-MAIL: amyjoi@desnews.com