Ivins, Utah
Encyclopedia
Ivins is a city in Washington County
Washington County, Utah
As of the census of 2000, there were 90,354 people, 29,939 households, and 23,442 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile . There were 36,478 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile...

, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 4,450 at the 2000 census, and it was estimated at 7,205 in 2006. Although Ivins was a town in 2000, it has since been classified as a fifth-class city by state law.

History

Prior to the arrival of Mormon settlers, this area was inhabited for thousands of years by the Paiute people and their ancestors. The Shivwits Band of Paiutes reservation is located immediately west of Ivins City.

Ivins was born out of the fulfilled dream of several men to bring water to the Santa Clara bench. This was not easy to accomplish. An eight-mile canal had to be built from the Santa Clara creek near the Shem smelter to the bench. This was not an easy undertaking, the route took them over steep mountain sides and deep ravines that needed to be siphoned or plumed. Work began in 1911 and the canal was completed in 1914. Ivins Reservoir was built to store the water in 1918. Civil engineers, Leo A. Snow and Clarence S. Jarvis first conceived the idea in 1909.

The first couple to move onto the project site were Mr. and Mrs. Alden Gray who arrived there 15 January 1922. Mr. and Mrs. Edward Tobler came a week later. Mr and Mrs. Samuel Gubler came in the spring, then Mr. and Mrs. Clement Gubler, Mr. and Mrs. Edward R. Frei, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Leo F. Reber, and Mr. and Mrs. Reuben Ence. In 1924 Mr. and Mrs. Milo Ence, Mr. and Mrs. Rulon Stucki, Mr. and Mrs. Martin J. Gubler, Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Reber, and Mr. and Mrs. Loren Stucki joined the group. The irrigation company offered a lot to the first ten families to move to the new town, but since two came on the same day they gave eleven lots instead. These families were all young and willing to live in humble circumstances and work hard to make this new town a reality. Their children had to ride a horse to Santa Clara to school each day.

When residents decided they wanted a different name for their town than "Santa Clara Bench," they chose "Ivins" after the Mormon Apostle Anthony W. Ivins
Anthony W. Ivins
Anthony Woodward Ivins born in Toms River, New Jersey, was a high-ranking official of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-Early life and family :...

. He was asked and didn't object as long as they spelled it right. He then donated $100 toward a chapel and later sent a bell for it.

Geography

Ivins is located at 37°10′3"N 113°40′51"W (37.167578, -113.680851).

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 10.3 square miles (26.6 km²), of which, 10.2 square miles (26.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.68%) is water.

Ivins is near Tuacahn
Tuacahn
Tuacahn Amphitheatre and Center for the Arts is a nonprofit 501 arts organization nestled in the mouth of Padre Canyon below towering 1500 foot red sandstone cliffs in Ivins, Utah adjacent to Snow Canyon State Park...

 (an outdoor arts and amphitheater) and Snow Canyon State Park
Snow Canyon State Park
Snow Canyon State Park is a state park of Utah, USA, featuring a canyon carved from the red and white Navajo sandstone in the Red Mountains. The park is located near Ivins, Utah in Washington County...

 which draw many people to the area. There are many new planned developments some with golf courses near or in Ivins joining the earlier Kayenta and Padre Canyon developments all with lovely homes and families.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 4,450 people, 1,435 households, and 1,234 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 436.3 people per square mile (168.4/km²). There were 1,598 housing units at an average density of 156.7 per square mile (60.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.96% White, 0.07% African American, 1.19% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.34% Pacific Islander, 2.04% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 2.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.93% of the population.

There were 1,435 households out of which 43.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.0% were non-families. 11.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.10 and the average family size was 3.35.

In the town the population was spread out with 33.1% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $41,297, and the median income for a family was $43,103. Males had a median income of $30,868 versus $21,719 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the town was $16,743. About 4.9% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.8% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.

Points of interest

Ivins is home to the Kayenta Desert Community which includes the Coyote Gulch Art Village. It also has a labyrinth
Labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos...

made from small stones called the Desert Rose.
There are also a number of petroglyphs from the Anasazi tribe along the banks of the Santa Clara Creek northwest of Ivins.

External links

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