Ivins is a city in southwestern Washington County, Utah, United States. It is a part of the St. George Metropolitan Area as a suburb or "bedroom" community. The population was 6,753 at the 2010 census, and it was estimated at 8,913 in 2018. Although Ivins was listed as a town in the 2000 census, it became a city in 1998. In recent years, the culture of Ivins has transitioned from that of a sleepy farming community to a more affluent bedroom community and resort town. This is due to adjacent attractive scenery and recreation opportunities, such as Snow Canyon State Park.
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. An eight-mile canal had to be built from the Santa Clara creek near the Shem smelter to the bench. This was a major undertaking because the route took them over steep mountain sides and through deep ravines that needed to be siphoned or flumed. Work began in 1911 and the canal was completed in 1914. The 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 January 15, 1922. Mr. and Mrs. Edward Tobler came a week later. Mr and Mrs. Samuel Gubler came in the spring along with 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. He was asked and did not object as long as they spelled it correctly. Ivins then donated $100 toward a chapel and later sent a bell for it.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is land and is water. Ivins is near Tuacahn and Snow Canyon State Park, which draw many people to the area. There are many new planned developments near or in Ivins, joining the earlier Kayenta and Padre Canyon developments.
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,450 people, 1,435 households, and 1,234 families residing in the town. The population density was 436.3 people per square mile. There were 1,598 housing units at an average density of 156.7 per square mile. 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, 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 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 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.
Schools
Various schools service the local population, public and charter, as well as a private School of medicine. All of the public schools are within Washington County School District, with all competitive athletics and activities of the region competing in Region 9 of the UHSAA.
Ivins is home to the Kayenta Desert Community which includes the Coyote Gulch Art Village. It also has a labyrinth made from small stones called the Desert Rose. There are petroglyphs from the Anasazi Tribe along the banks of the Santa Clara River southwest of Ivins. The Red Mountain Resort and Movara Resort are two world-class spas located in Ivins. Anasazi Valley Trailhead is nearby as a part of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, a host to Anasazi petroglyphs in a protected valley. The Nearby Snow Canyon State Park is also a notable draw to the area.
