The county was created on January 16, 1864, by the old federalUtah Territory (1850–1896) territorial legislature, with areas partitioned off from earlierWashington County. It was named for Col.Thomas L. Kane (1822–1883),[4] a friend of theLatter Day Saint (Mormons) settlers when they first arrived westward, led by patriarchBrigham Young (1801–1877), in the1840s and1850s. The county boundary was readjusted later, first in 1869, when a portion was returned back to Washington County; second in 1880, whenSan Juan County was partitioned off and created; and third, in 1883, when additional portions were partitioned from Kane and added toIron and back to Washington counties.[5]
Kane County lies on the south line of the state of Utah. Its south border abuts the northern border of the state ofArizona. TheColorado River, reformed asLake 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 ofBryce Canyon National Park andZion National Park extend into the northern and western portions of the county. The eastern part of the county is part of theGlen 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]
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%) weremarried 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 wereowner-occupied while 672 (21.8%) wererenter-occupied.
The median income for a Kane County household was $49,486 and the median family income was $69,722, with aper-capita income of $28,142. The median income for males that werefull-time employees was $41,368 and for females $34,986. 13.1% of the population and 6.0% of families were below thepoverty line.
In Presidential elections, Kane County has only been won once by a Democratic candidate whenWoodrow Wilson carried the county in 1916. It was the only county in Utah carried byAlf Landon, the Republican opponent who lost toFranklin 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, whenDwight D. Eisenhower received approximately 90% of the vote. In 1964, by over thirty-nine percent, the county went forBarry 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.[16]
(1994)"Kane County" article in theUtah History Encyclopedia. The article was written by Miriam B. Murphy and the Encyclopedia was published by the University of Utah Press. ISBN 9780874804256. Archived fromthe original on May 3, 2024 and retrieved on May 22, 2024.
![Narrows in Diana's Throne Canyon, also known as the Huntress Slot in vicinity of Mount Carmel Junction.[1]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aNarrows_in_Dianas_Throne_Canyon_-_DyeClan.com_-_panoramio_(2).jpg)
