Kane County, Utah

Kane County
County
Narrows in Diana's Throne Canyon, also known as the Huntress Slot in vicinity of Mount Carmel Junction. [2]
Location within the U.S. state of Utah
Utah's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 37°17′N111°53′W / 37.29°N 111.89°W / 37.29; -111.89
Country	United States
State	Utah
Founded	January 16, 1864
Named for	Thomas L. Kane
Seat	Kanab
Largest city	Kanab
Area
• Total	4,109 sq mi (10,640 km2)
• Land	3,990 sq mi (10,300 km2)
• Water	118 sq mi (310 km2)  2.9%
Population  (2020)
• Total	7,667
• Density	1.9/sq mi (0.72/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	kane.utah.gov

Sunset Arch, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Kane County is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 7,667. ^[3] Its county seat and largest city is Kanab. ^[4]

History

The county was created on January 16, 1864, by the Utah Territory legislature, with areas partitioned from Washington County. It was named for Col. Thomas L. Kane, ^[5] a friend of the Latter Day Saint settlers in the 1840s and 1850s. The county boundary was adjusted in 1869, when a portion was returned to Washington County; in 1880, when San Juan County was created; and in 1883, when portions were partitioned from Kane and added to Iron and Washington counties. ^[6]

Geography

Kane County lies on the south line of the state of Utah. Its south border abuts the northern border of the state of Arizona. The Colorado River, reformed as Lake Powell, forms its eastern border. Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument covers much of the county. A rugged and inhospitable country of deserts, mountains, and cliffs make up the terrain, with breathtaking scenery in every area. Parts of Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park extend into the northern and western portions of the county. The eastern part of the county is part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. ^[7] The county has a total area of 4,109 square miles (10,640 km²), of which 3,990 square miles (10,300 km²) is land and 118 square miles (310 km²) (2.9%) is water. ^[8]

Adjacent counties

• Washington County - west
• Iron County - northwest
• Garfield County - north
• San Juan County - east
• Mohave County, Arizona - southwest
• Coconino County, Arizona - south

Protected areas

• Bryce Canyon National Park (part)
• Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
• Dixie National Forest (part)
• Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (part)
• Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument (part)
• Kodachrome Basin State Park
• Zion National Park (part)

Lakes

Source: ^[7]

• Lake Powell (along east border)
• Navajo Lake

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1870	1,513		—
1880	3,085		103.9%
1890	1,685		−45.4%
1900	1,811		7.5%
1910	1,652		−8.8%
1920	2,054		24.3%
1930	2,235		8.8%
1940	2,561		14.6%
1950	2,299		−10.2%
1960	2,667		16.0%
1970	2,421		−9.2%
1980	4,024		66.2%
1990	5,169		28.5%
2000	6,046		17.0%
2010	7,125		17.8%
2020	7,667		7.6%
US Decennial Census [9] 1790–1960 [10] 1900–1990 [11] 1990–2000 [12] 2010 [13] 2020 [14]

2020 census

According to the 2020 United States census ^[15] and 2020 American Community Survey, ^[16] there were 7,667 people in Kane County with a population density of 1.9 people per square mile (0.7/km²). Among non-Hispanic or Latino people, the racial makeup was 6,924 (90.3%) White, 27 (0.4%) African American, 119 (1.6%) Native American, 59 (0.8%) Asian, 1 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 18 (0.2%) from other races, and 197 (2.6%) from two or more races. 322 (4.2%) people were Hispanic or Latino.

There were 3,808 (49.67%) males and 3,859 (50.33%) females, and the population distribution by age was 1,752 (22.9%) under the age of 18, 3,950 (51.5%) from 18 to 64, and 1,965 (25.6%) who were at least 65 years old. The median age was 44.9 years.

There were 3,081 households in Kane County with an average size of 2.49 of which 1,987 (64.5%) were families and 1,094 (35.5%) were non-families. Among all families, 1,663 (54.0%) were married couples, 110 (3.6%) were male householders with no spouse, and 214 (6.9%) were female householders with no spouse. Among all non-families, 932 (30.2%) were a single person living alone and 162 (5.3%) were two or more people living together. 784 (25.4%) of all households had children under the age of 18. 2,409 (78.2%) of households were owner-occupied while 672 (21.8%) were renter-occupied.

The median income for a Kane County household was $49,486 and the median family income was $69,722, with a per-capita income of $28,142. The median income for males that were full-time employees was $41,368 and for females $34,986. 13.1% of the population and 6.0% of families were below the poverty line.

In terms of education attainment, out of the 5,600 people in Kane County 25 years or older, 480 (8.6%) had not completed high school, 1,391 (24.8%) had a high school diploma or equivalency, 2,066 (36.9%) had some college or associate degree, 1,114 (19.9%) had a bachelor's degree, and 549 (9.8%) had a graduate or professional degree.

Ancestry

The top 5 ethnic groups in Kane County are:

• English-30%
• German-10%
• Irish-9%
• Danish-5%
• Swedish-4%

Politics and government

Kane is one of the most reliably Republican counties in the nation. Of "straight-ticket" voters in the 2008 election, there were 992 Republicans and 326 Democrats. In the Utah gubernatorial election, 2004 nearly 70% of the county's vote went for Jon Huntsman, Jr. and in the 2008 election he received around 75% of the vote. Kane County is part of Utah's 2nd congressional district and thus was represented by moderate Democrat Jim Matheson for several years until 2013. The second district is now represented by Republican Celeste Maloy.

In Presidential elections, Kane County has only been won once by a Democratic candidate when Woodrow Wilson carried the county in 1916. It was the only county in Utah carried by Alf Landon, the Republican opponent who lost to Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1936 Presidential election in the most lopsided Presidential election in over a century. It has solidly favored the Republican candidate since at least 1956, when Dwight D. Eisenhower received approximately 90% of the vote. In 1964, by over thirty-nine percent, the county went for Barry Goldwater, who lost the overall in the state by over nine percent. Since 1920, only in the Democratic landslides of 1936, 1940, and 1964 did the Democratic candidate for president receive even 30% of the county's vote. ^[17]

State elected offices

Position		District	Name	Affiliation	First elected
	Senate	24	Derrin Owens	Republican	2020 [18]
	House of Representatives	73	Phil Lyman	Republican	2018 [19]
	Board of Education	14	Mark Huntsman	Nonpartisan	2014 [20]

United States presidential election results for Kane County, Utah ^[17]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	3,277	72.56%	1,137	25.18%	102	2.26%
2020	2,998	71.30%	1,083	25.76%	124	2.95%
2016	2,265	64.02%	741	20.94%	532	15.04%
2012	2,522	74.81%	744	22.07%	105	3.11%
2008	2,212	69.65%	856	26.95%	108	3.40%
2004	2,414	79.12%	576	18.88%	61	2.00%
2000	2,254	80.44%	387	13.81%	161	5.75%
1996	1,682	72.63%	304	13.13%	330	14.25%
1992	1,241	57.14%	295	13.58%	636	29.28%
1988	1,788	79.29%	398	17.65%	69	3.06%
1984	1,710	85.12%	294	14.63%	5	0.25%
1980	1,492	81.35%	256	13.96%	86	4.69%
1976	1,094	72.50%	330	21.87%	85	5.63%
1972	1,146	78.82%	218	14.99%	90	6.19%
1968	814	71.72%	147	12.95%	174	15.33%
1964	784	69.75%	340	30.25%	0	0.00%
1960	876	80.44%	213	19.56%	0	0.00%
1956	939	90.20%	102	9.80%	0	0.00%
1952	943	85.19%	164	14.81%	0	0.00%
1948	769	77.76%	220	22.24%	0	0.00%
1944	662	73.07%	244	26.93%	0	0.00%
1940	675	66.57%	339	33.43%	0	0.00%
1936	519	56.54%	395	43.03%	4	0.44%
1932	618	71.86%	229	26.63%	13	1.51%
1928	566	79.94%	141	19.92%	1	0.14%
1924	515	80.22%	117	18.22%	10	1.56%
1920	501	72.61%	186	26.96%	3	0.43%
1916	304	46.99%	329	50.85%	14	2.16%
1912	426	75.27%	115	20.32%	25	4.42%
1908	415	79.81%	102	19.62%	3	0.58%
1904	399	79.64%	102	20.36%	0	0.00%
1900	392	70.89%	161	29.11%	0	0.00%
1896	288	55.60%	230	44.40%	0	0.00%

Communities

Map of Kane County communities

City

• Kanab (county seat)

Towns

• Alton
• Big Water
• Glendale
• Orderville

Unincorporated communities

• Bullfrog
• Duck Creek Village
• Mount Carmel
• Mount Carmel Junction

Ghost towns

• Johnson
• Paria

Education

There is one school district, Kane School District. ^[21]

Utah State University also has a local campus in Kanab. ^[22]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Kane County, Utah

References

2. Diana's Throne
3. "Kane County, Utah". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved June 30, 2023.
4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
5. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p.  172.
6. "[[Newberry Library]]. Individual County Chronologies - Kane County UT (accessed March 25, 2019)". Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
7. Kane County UT Google Maps (accessed 25 March 2019)
8. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
9. "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 26, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
10. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
11. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (June 25, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
12. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
13. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
14. 2020 Population and Housing State Data | Utah
15. United States Census Bureau. "2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (DHC)" . Retrieved November 3, 2024.
16. United States Census Bureau. "American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2009-2022)" . Retrieved November 3, 2024.
17. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
18. "Senator Owens Utah Senate". senate.utah.gov. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
19. "Rep. Lyman, Phil". Utah House of Representatives. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
20. "Mark Huntsman". www.schools.utah.gov. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
21. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Kane County, UT" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved September 28, 2024. - Text list
22. University, Utah State. "Locations | Statewide Campuses". statewide.usu.edu. Retrieved October 22, 2024.

Further reading

• (1994) "Kane County" article in the Utah History Encyclopedia. The article was written by Miriam B. Murphy and the Encyclopedia was published by the University of Utah Press. ISBN 9780874804256. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024 and retrieved on May 22, 2024.

External links

• Kane County official website

37°17′N111°53′W / 37.29°N 111.89°W / 37.29; -111.89