Cache County (/kæʃ/ KASH) is a county located in the Wasatch Front region of Utah. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 133,154, with an estimated 140,173 in 2022.[1] Its county seat and largest city is Logan.[2] Cache County is one of two counties included in the Logan metropolitan area, alongside Franklin County, Idaho.
Cache County | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 41°41′N 111°45′W / 41.69°N 111.75°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Utah |
Founded | January 5, 1856 (created) April 4, 1857 (organized) |
Named for | Fur trade |
Seat | Logan |
Largest city | Logan |
Area | |
• Total | 1,173 sq mi (3,040 km2) |
• Land | 1,165 sq mi (3,020 km2) |
• Water | 8.2 sq mi (21 km2) 0.7% |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 133,154 |
• Density | 110/sq mi (44/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
Congressional district | 1st |
Website | www |
History
editIndigenous peoples occupied the valleys of present Cache County as much as 10,000 BCE. Near the present epoch, the valley served the Plains Indians and the Shoshone. Trappers and explorers visited the area in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. John Henry Weber and Jim Bridger came through in 1824; Peter Skene Ogden and James Beckwourth passed through in 1825.
In July 1855, a group of settlers from the LDS Church drove a herd of cattle into the valley and camped at Haw Bush Spring (present Elkhorn Ranch). However, the cold winter drove the settlers back to the Salt Lake Valley. Peter Maughan, who had requested better land for agriculture for the families of his settlement in Lake Point, Utah, was called by President Brigham Young to establish a new settlement in the Cache Valley. On September 15, 1856, he established Maughan's Fort, which grew into present day Wellsville. More settlers arrived in the valley, and by 1859 the settlements of Providence, Mendon, Logan, Richmond, and Smithfield had been established.
In preparation for this influx, the Utah Territory legislature created a county, effective January 5, 1856, with seats and government incomplete. By April 4, 1857, the organization was completed, and Logan became the seat.[3] It was named for the fur stashes, known in French as Caches, made by many of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company trappers. The county gained area in 1862 when its boundary lines with adjacent counties were adjusted. In 1863, the federal government enacted the Idaho Territory, which administratively removed the described portions of Cache County that lay north of the territorial border. Then in 1864, the east part of the county was partitioned to become Rich County. The borders of Cache County have remained in their present state since 1864.
A rail line between Brigham City and Logan was completed in 1873 (Utah and Northern Railway). The line was extended into Idaho, and a connection was made to the transcontinental railroad, which opened the world to Cache County; their crops (especially grain and dairy) began moving to broader markets. The county's sheep population also burgeoned, from 10,000 in 1880 to 300,000 by 1900. By 1900 the Forest Service began regulating grazing practices, which brought the sheep population under control.
There were 16,000 dairy cows in Cache County in 1910. Commercial creameries, flour mills, woolen mills, and knitting factories developed around the farm-based economy. Cache presently continues as the state's leader in dairy products and as a major producer of hay, alfalfa, and grain.[4]
Geography
editCache County lies on the north edge of Utah. Its north border abuts the south border of the state of Idaho. On the western edge of the county are the Wellsville Mountains and on the eastern edge are the Bear River Mountains, both northern branches of the Wasatch Range. The Cache Valley reaches north to the state border. The Bear River Mountains, the northernmost extension of the Wasatch Range, cover the eastern half of the county.[5] The county's highest elevation is Naomi Peak in the northeast part of the county, at 9,979 feet (3,042 m) above sea level.[6] The Bear River flows through Cache Valley. The county has a total area of 1,173 square miles (3,040 km2), of which 1,165 square miles (3,020 km2) is land and 8.2 square miles (21 km2) (0.7%) is water.[7]
Major highways
editAdjacent counties
edit- Oneida County, Idaho - northwest
- Franklin County, Idaho - north
- Bear Lake County, Idaho - northeast
- Rich County - east
- Weber County - south
- Box Elder County - west
Protected areas
edit- Cache National Forest (part)
- Caribou National Forest (part)
- Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area (state park)
- Tony Grove Lake Campground (US Forest Service)
- Millville Face Wildlife Management Area[5]
Lakes
edit- Crescent Lake
- Cutler Reservoir
- Hyrum Reservoir
- Newton Reservoir
- Porcupine Reservoir
- Tony Grove Lake[5]
Government and politics
editCache County is governed by a seven-member county council and also elects eight officials at large. As of 2019, all county elected officials were members of the Republican Party.[8][9]
Position | District | Name | Affiliation | First Elected | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Senate | 1 | Scott Sandall | Republican | 2018[10] | |
Senate | 2 | Chris H. Wilson | Republican | 2020[11] | |
House of Representatives | 1 | Thomas Peterson | Republican | 2022[12] | |
House of Representatives | 2 | Mike Petersen | Republican | 2020[13] | |
House of Representatives | 3 | Dan Johnson[a] | Republican | 2018[14] | |
House of Representatives | 3 | Jason Thompson | Republican | 2024[15] | |
House of Representatives | 5 | Casey Snider | Republican | 2018[16] | |
Board of Education | 1 | Jennie Earl | Nonpartisan | 2018[17] |
Like most of Utah, Cache County is strongly Republican in presidential elections. The last time it voted for a Democratic presidential candidate was 1944. Unlike most counties dominated by a major college town, Cache County is solidly Republican.
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2024 | 39,457 | 64.27% | 18,718 | 30.49% | 3,213 | 5.23% |
2020 | 38,032 | 65.17% | 16,650 | 28.53% | 3,676 | 6.30% |
2016 | 21,139 | 45.25% | 8,563 | 18.33% | 17,016 | 36.42% |
2012 | 35,039 | 82.85% | 6,244 | 14.76% | 1,010 | 2.39% |
2008 | 29,127 | 69.48% | 10,294 | 24.56% | 2,501 | 5.97% |
2004 | 32,486 | 81.76% | 6,375 | 16.05% | 870 | 2.19% |
2000 | 25,920 | 78.21% | 5,170 | 15.60% | 2,052 | 6.19% |
1996 | 16,832 | 63.77% | 6,595 | 24.99% | 2,967 | 11.24% |
1992 | 15,971 | 51.98% | 4,973 | 16.19% | 9,781 | 31.83% |
1988 | 21,766 | 77.84% | 5,871 | 21.00% | 326 | 1.17% |
1984 | 22,127 | 83.68% | 4,123 | 15.59% | 192 | 0.73% |
1980 | 20,251 | 78.69% | 3,639 | 14.14% | 1,845 | 7.17% |
1976 | 16,636 | 71.73% | 5,430 | 23.41% | 1,128 | 4.86% |
1972 | 16,538 | 76.83% | 4,018 | 18.67% | 969 | 4.50% |
1968 | 11,906 | 68.81% | 4,327 | 25.01% | 1,070 | 6.18% |
1964 | 9,326 | 58.46% | 6,627 | 41.54% | 0 | 0.00% |
1960 | 10,281 | 67.65% | 4,917 | 32.35% | 0 | 0.00% |
1956 | 10,349 | 73.82% | 3,671 | 26.18% | 0 | 0.00% |
1952 | 10,167 | 70.56% | 4,242 | 29.44% | 0 | 0.00% |
1948 | 6,514 | 50.32% | 6,383 | 49.30% | 49 | 0.38% |
1944 | 4,938 | 41.33% | 6,998 | 58.57% | 12 | 0.10% |
1940 | 5,184 | 39.70% | 7,867 | 60.25% | 7 | 0.05% |
1936 | 3,258 | 27.25% | 8,606 | 71.97% | 93 | 0.78% |
1932 | 4,829 | 42.20% | 6,522 | 56.99% | 93 | 0.81% |
1928 | 5,297 | 52.60% | 4,748 | 47.15% | 26 | 0.26% |
1924 | 4,973 | 52.01% | 3,915 | 40.94% | 674 | 7.05% |
1920 | 5,063 | 53.88% | 4,239 | 45.11% | 95 | 1.01% |
1916 | 3,756 | 41.09% | 5,305 | 58.03% | 81 | 0.89% |
1912 | 2,825 | 37.92% | 3,296 | 44.25% | 1,328 | 17.83% |
1908 | 3,787 | 52.81% | 3,317 | 46.26% | 67 | 0.93% |
1904 | 4,008 | 56.89% | 2,948 | 41.85% | 89 | 1.26% |
1900 | 2,820 | 47.59% | 3,082 | 52.02% | 23 | 0.39% |
1896 | 839 | 16.03% | 4,395 | 83.97% | 0 | 0.00% |
Demographics
editCensus | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1890 | 15,509 | — | |
1900 | 18,139 | 17.0% | |
1910 | 23,062 | 27.1% | |
1920 | 26,992 | 17.0% | |
1930 | 27,424 | 1.6% | |
1940 | 29,797 | 8.7% | |
1950 | 33,536 | 12.5% | |
1960 | 35,788 | 6.7% | |
1970 | 42,331 | 18.3% | |
1980 | 57,176 | 35.1% | |
1990 | 70,183 | 22.7% | |
2000 | 91,391 | 30.2% | |
2010 | 112,656 | 23.3% | |
2020 | 133,154 | 18.2% | |
2022 (est.) | 140,173 | [1] | 5.3% |
US Decennial Census[19] 1790–1960[20] 1900–1990[21] 1990–2000[22] 2010–2018[23] 2019[24] 2020[25] |
2020 census
editAccording to the 2020 United States census[26] and 2020 American Community Survey,[27] there were 133,154 people in Cache County with a population density of 114.3 people per square mile (44.1/km2). Among non-Hispanic or Latino people, the racial makeup was 109,376 (82.1%) White, 1,045 (0.8%) African American, 620 (0.5%) Native American, 2,303 (1.7%) Asian, 660 (0.5%) Pacific Islander, 422 (0.3%) from other races, and 3,652 (2.7%) from two or more races. 15,076 (11.3%) people were Hispanic or Latino.
There were 66,362 (49.84%) males and 66,792 (50.16%) females, and the population distribution by age was 38,993 (29.3%) under the age of 18, 80,630 (60.6%) from 18 to 64, and 13,531 (10.2%) who were at least 65 years old. The median age was 26.3 years.
There were 41,658 households in Cache County with an average size of 3.20 of which 30,904 (74.2%) were families and 10,754 (25.8%) were non-families. Among all families, 25,928 (62.2%) were married couples, 1,688 (4.1%) were male householders with no spouse, and 3,288 (7.9%) were female householders with no spouse. Among all non-families, 7,130 (17.1%) were a single person living alone and 3,624 (8.7%) were two or more people living together. 16,542 (39.7%) of all households had children under the age of 18. 26,427 (63.4%) of households were owner-occupied while 15,231 (36.6%) were renter-occupied.
The median income for a Cache County household was $60,530 and the median family income was $69,109, with a per-capita income of $24,221. The median income for males that were full-time employees was $50,178 and for females $33,997. 14.6% of the population and 9.3% of families were below the poverty line.
In terms of education attainment, out of the 64,162 people in Cache County 25 years or older, 4,146 (6.5%) had not completed high school, 12,940 (20.2%) had a high school diploma or equivalency, 22,386 (34.9%) had some college or associate degree, 16,272 (25.4%) had a bachelor's degree, and 8,418 (13.1%) had a graduate or professional degree.
2010 census
editAs of the 2010 United States Census, there were 112,655 people, 34,722 households, and 26,464 families in the county. The population density was 96.7 people per square mile (37.3 people/km2). There were 37,024 housing units at an average density of 31.78 units per square mile (12.27 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 89.12% White, 0.62% Black or African American, 0.61% Native American, 1.88% Asian, 0.39% Pacific Islander, 5.48% from other races, and 1.90% from two or more races. 9.96% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 34,722 households, out of which 41.34% had children under 18 living with them, 76.22% were married couples living together, 7.73% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.78% were non-families. 16.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.54% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.14, and the average family size was 3.55.
The county population contained 36.3% under the age of 20, 12.59% from 20 to 24, 26.97% from 25 to 44, 16.41% from 45 to 64, and 7.72% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.84 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 99.53 males.
Ancestry
editAs of 2016, the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Cache County were:
- 28.3% were of English ancestry
- 11.6% were of German ancestry
- 7.4% were of Danish ancestry
- 5.9% were of American ancestry
- 5.3% were of Swedish ancestry
- 5.1% were of Scottish ancestry
- 4.6% were of Irish ancestry
- 2.9% were of Norwegian ancestry
- 2.7% were of Welsh ancestry
- 2.2% were of Italian ancestry
- 2.2% were of Swiss ancestry
- 1.8% were of French ancestry
- 1.7% were of Dutch ancestry
- 0.8% were of Polish ancestry[28]
Communities
editCache County has 13 incorporated cities, six incorporated towns, one township, five unincorporated areas, and at least two former communities. Millville was the first area to be incorporated in April 1864. Logan was incorporated on January 17, 1866, with Wellsville incorporated two days later. The most recent area to be incorporated was Amalga in 1938.
Almost every city and area of Cache County has an annual calibration. Millville's "May Day" has been celebrated since 1862, the oldest in the valley.[29] Richmond's "Black & White Days" is the nation's longest dairy show, starting in 1912.[30] The county government celebrates the Cache County Fair and Rodeo.[31] Logan has an average of 24 annual events, including food festivals, historic home tours, and baby animal days.[32]
Cities (13)
editTowns (6)
editTownships (1)
edit- College-Young (merger of the unincorporated communities of College Ward and Young Ward)
Census-designated places (5)
edit- Avon
- Benson
- Cache (aka Cache Junction)
- Cove
- Petersboro
Former communities (2)
edit- La Plata
- White Horse Village (Christ Brotherhood)
Education
editSchool districts
editUniversities
edit- Utah State University (public)
- Bridgerland Technical College (public)
Gallery
edit-
Cache Valley looking south (from North Logan)
-
Logan Tabernacle in Logan
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Johnson is retiring after the 2024 election
References
edit- ^ a b "Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020–2021". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "Utah: Individual County Chronologies". Utah Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. Newberry Library. 2008. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
- ^ Cache County. Utah Division of State History (accessed 30 March 2019)
- ^ a b c Cache County UT Google Maps (accessed 30 March 2019)
- ^ "Utah County High Points/Cache County. Peakbaggers (accessed 30 March 2019)". Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
- ^ Elected Officials - Cache County (accessed 30 March 2019)
- ^ County Council - Cache County (accessed 30 March 2019)
- ^ "Senator Sandall Utah Senate". senate.utah.gov. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ "Senator Wilson Utah Senate". senate.utah.gov. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ "Representative Page". Utah House of Representatives. September 8, 2023. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
- ^ "Rep. Petersen, Michael J." Utah House of Representatives. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ "Rep. Johnson, Dan N." Utah House of Representatives. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ Walter, Bill (November 8, 2024). "Long-time local representative wraps up his tenure in the Utah Legislature". Cache Valley Daily. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
- ^ "Rep. Snider, Casey". Utah House of Representatives. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ "Jennie Earl". www.schools.utah.gov. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 26, 2015. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
- ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
- ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
- ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
- ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Cache County, Utah". Archived from the original on January 16, 2019. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ 2020 Population and Housing State Data | Utah
- ^ United States Census Bureau. "2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (DHC)". Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ^ United States Census Bureau. "American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2009-2022)". Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ^ "American FactFinder - Results". factfinder.census.gov. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ "Mendon, Utah May Day". www.mendonutah.net. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
- ^ "Ten fast facts about Utah's dairy industry". hoards.com. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
- ^ "Official Site of Cache County, Utah - Fair & Rodeo". www.cachecounty.gov. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
- ^ "Cache Valley Visitors Bureau - Annual Events". www.explorelogan.com. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
Further reading
edit- (1994) "Cache County" article in the Utah History Encyclopedia. The article was written by Linda Thatcher and the Encyclopedia was published by the University of Utah Press. ISBN 9780874804256. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024, and retrieved on March 27, 2024.