Kane County, Utah

Kane County
Kane County
County
	Narrows in Diana's Throne Canyon, also known as the Huntress Slot in vicinity of Mount Carmel Junction.
	Location within the U.S. state of Utah
	Utah's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 37°17′N 111°53′W / 37.29°N 111.89°W
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

Kane County is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 7,667.^[2] Its county seat and largest city is Kanab.^[3]

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,^[4] 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.^[5]

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.^[6] 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.^[7]

Adjacent counties

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^[6]

Lake Powell (along east border)
Navajo Lake

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
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^[8] 1790–1960^[9] 1900–1990^[10] 1990–2000^[11] 2010^[12] 2020^[13]

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 6,046 people, 2,237 households, and 1,628 families in the county. The population density was 1.52 people per square mile (0.59 people/km²). There were 3,767 housing units at an average density of 0.94 units per square mile (0.36 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.00% White, 0.03% Black or African American, 1.55% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.74% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. 2.32% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The top 5 ethnic groups in Kane County are:

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

There were 2,237 households, of which 32.20% had children under 18 living with them, 64.60% were married couples living together, 6.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.20% were non-families. 23.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67, and the average family size was 3.21.

The county population contained 29.40% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 21.20% from 25 to 44, 25.90% from 45 to 64, and 16.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.30 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 94.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,247, and the median income for a family was $40,030. Males had a median income of $30,655 versus $20,406 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,455. About 5.50% of families and 7.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.30% of those under age 18 and 5.40% of those aged 65 or over.

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.^[14]

State elected offices
	District	Name	Affiliation	First elected
Senate	24	Derrin Owens	Republican	2020^[15]
House of Representatives	73	Phil Lyman	Republican	2018^[16]
Board of Education	14	Mark Huntsman	Nonpartisan	2014^[17]

United States presidential election results for Kane County, Utah^[14]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
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%