Kane County is a county in Utah, United States, wedged against the Arizona border along Lake Powell and the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument. It had a population of 7,667 at the 2020 census and covers 4,109 square miles (10,640 km2) — 3,990 square miles of land and 118 square miles of water — centred near 37°17′N 111°53′W.
Kanab is the county seat, and its postal code is 84741. The county has four incorporated towns, one city, and several unincorporated communities. Kane County sits in the Mountain Time Zone.
Towns & Villages in Kane County
Kane County has one incorporated city (Kanab) and four incorporated towns (Alton, Big Water, Glendale, Orderville). The rest of the list below is unincorporated: Duck Creek Village and Mount Carmel are Census Designated Places (CDPs), and Long Valley Junction is a small unincorporated crossroads community.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kanab | City · seat | 4,683 | 84741 |
| Orderville | Town | — | 84758 |
| Glendale | Town | — | 84729 |
| Alton | Town | — | 84710 |
| Big Water | Town | — | — |
| Duck Creek Village | CDP | — | 84762 |
| Mount Carmel | CDP | — | 84755 |
| Long Valley Junction | Unincorp. | — | — |
Duck Creek Village straddles the Kane–Garfield county line along State Route 14 on Cedar Mountain; the settlement pattern here is genuinely split between the two counties rather than a naming duplicate.
ZIP Codes
- 84741 — Kanab (also serves surrounding unincorporated county land)
- 84758 — Orderville
- 84729 — Glendale
- 84710 — Alton
- 84762 — Duck Creek Village
- 84755 — Mount Carmel
Big Water and Long Valley Junction have no confirmed standalone ZIP code on record and are omitted above rather than guessed.
Geography
Kane County is red-rock canyon country: the Vermilion Cliffs, the Paria River, and the western edge of the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument cross the county, while Lake Powell and the Colorado River form its eastern border. Bryce Canyon National Park sits on the county’s northern edge and Zion National Park brushes its northwest corner. Elevations range from around 3,100 feet near Lake Powell to over 9,000 feet on Kane’s stretch of the Markagunt and Paunsaugunt plateaus.
Kane County borders Washington County to the west, Iron County to the northwest, Garfield County to the north, and San Juan County to the east, with Mohave County and Coconino County, Arizona, along its southern line.
Demographics
The 2020 census counted 7,667 residents. Kanab, with 4,683 people, holds roughly 61% of the county’s population — the largest single share of any Kane County community — followed by Orderville as the second-largest town. Kane County’s median household income runs below the Utah median of $93,421, typical of southern Utah’s rural counties. With 3,990 square miles of land, the county’s overall density is under 2 people per square mile, among the most sparsely populated in the state.
Economy & Local Life
Tourism anchors the local economy: Kanab calls itself “Utah’s Little Hollywood” for its long run as a Western-movie filming location (Stagecoach, The Outlaw Josey Wales, television’s Gunsmoke), and it now serves as a gateway town for Zion, Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon’s North Rim, and Grand Staircase–Escalante. Kanab is also home to Best Friends Animal Society’s Angel Canyon sanctuary, the largest no-kill animal sanctuary in the country and a significant local employer. Ranching and public-lands grazing remain part of the economy in the county’s smaller towns.
History
Kane County was organized on January 16, 1864, and named for Colonel Thomas L. Kane, a non-Mormon ally who helped negotiate on behalf of Latter-day Saint settlers during their 1840s–1850s westward migration; Kane himself never lived in Utah. Mormon pioneers founded Kanab and the county’s other early towns in the 1860s–1870s as part of the broader settlement of southern Utah’s Colorado Plateau. Paria, once a small farming settlement along the Paria River, was abandoned by the mid-20th century and today survives only as a ghost town and film set.
Getting There
US Route 89 runs the length of the county and is the main route into Kanab; State Route 9 and State Route 12 connect north toward Zion and Bryce Canyon.
- St. George, Utah — 78 miles west
- Cedar City, Utah — 75 miles northwest
- Page, Arizona — 75 miles southeast
- Zion National Park (south entrance) — 45 miles northwest
The nearest commercial airport is St. George Regional Airport; Kanab has its own small municipal airport for general aviation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Kane County, Utah?
It sits in the southernmost tier of Utah, along the Arizona border between Zion National Park and Lake Powell.
What is the population of Kane County?
7,667 people, at the 2020 census.
How big is Kane County?
4,109 square miles (10,640 km2), making it one of Utah’s largest counties by land area and one of its smallest by population.
What is the county seat of Kane County?
Kanab is the county seat.
How many towns are in Kane County?
One city (Kanab) and four incorporated towns (Alton, Big Water, Glendale, Orderville), plus unincorporated communities including Duck Creek Village and Mount Carmel.
What ZIP codes are in Kane County?
84741 (Kanab), 84758 (Orderville), 84729 (Glendale), 84710 (Alton), 84762 (Duck Creek Village), and 84755 (Mount Carmel).
Why is Kanab called “Utah’s Little Hollywood”?
Decades of Western films and TV shows were shot in and around Kanab, taking advantage of its red-rock scenery.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Utah.