Cache County ( ) is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the northern region of

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

bordering

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 133,154, with an estimated 145,487 in 2024. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

and largest city is Logan. Cache County is one of two counties included in the Logan metropolitan area, alongside

Franklin County, Idaho Franklin County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census the county had a population of 14,194. The county seat and largest city is Preston, Idaho, Preston. The cou ...

History

Indigenous 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 James Felix Bridger (March 17, 1804 – July 17, 1881) was an American mountain man, Animal trapping, trapper, Army scout, and wilderness guide who explored and trapped in the Western United States in the first half of the 19th century. He was ...

came through in 1824;

Peter Skene Ogden Peter Skene Ogden (alternately Skeene, Skein, or Skeen; baptised 12 February 1790 – 27 September 1854) was a British-Canadian fur trader and an early explorer of what is now British Columbia and the Western United States. During his many exped ...

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 Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City, Utah, Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably Murray, Utah, Murray, Sandy, Uta ...

. 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 Brigham Young ( ; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until h ...

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 The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th st ...

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. 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 A transcontinental railroad or transcontinental railway is contiguous rail transport, railroad trackage that crosses a continent, continental land mass and has terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks may be via the Ra ...

, 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.

Geography

Cache County lies on the north edge of Utah. Its north border abuts the south border of the state of

. 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 Wasatch Range ( ) or Wasatch Mountains is a mountain range in the western United States that runs about from the Utah-Idaho border south to central Utah. It is the western edge of the greater Rocky Mountains, and the eastern edge of the Gr ...

. The Cache Valley reaches north to the state border. The Bear River Mountains, the northernmost extension of the

, cover the eastern half of the county.''Cache County UT'' Google Maps (accessed 30 March 2019)
/ref> The county's highest elevation is Naomi Peak in the northeast part of the county, at above sea level. The Bear River flows through Cache Valley. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.7%) is water.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 89 * U.S. Highway 91 * State Route 23 * State Route 30 * State Route 101 * State Route 142 * State Route 165 * State Route 200 * State Route 218 * State Route 252

Adjacent counties

* Oneida County, Idaho - northwest *

- north * Bear Lake County, Idaho - northeast * Rich County - east * Weber County - south * Box Elder County - west

Protected areas

* 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

Lakes

* Crescent Lake * Cutler Reservoir * Hyrum Reservoir * Newton Reservoir * Porcupine Reservoir * Tony Grove Lake

Government and politics

Cache County is governed by a seven-member

County Council A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Australia In the Australian state of New South Wales, county councils are special purpose ...

which exercises legislative authority, while the county additionally elects a County Executive who oversees the day-to-day operations of the County. Various other offices in the Cache County government are filled by election. At the state-level, the county elects eight officials at large. As of 2019, all county elected officials were members of the Republican Party. 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 A college town or university town is a town or city whose character is dominated by a college or university and their associated culture, often characterised by the student population making up 20 percent of the population of the community, bu ...

, Cache County is solidly Republican.

Demographics

2020 census

According to the 2020 United States census and 2020 American Community Survey, there were 133,154 people in Cache County with a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

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 White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1,045 (0.8%)

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 620 (0.5%) Native American, 2,303 (1.7%) Asian, 660 (0.5%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

, 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 The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

. 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 A high school diploma (sometimes referred to as a high school degree) is a diploma awarded upon graduation of high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary s ...

or equivalency, 22,386 (34.9%) had some college or

associate degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

, 16,272 (25.4%) had a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

, and 8,418 (13.1%) had a graduate or

professional degree A professional degree, formerly known in the US as a first professional degree, is a degree that prepares someone to work in a particular profession, practice, or industry sector often meeting the academic requirements for licensure or accreditatio ...

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 112,655 people, 34,722 households, and 26,464 families in the county. The

was . There were 37,024 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 89.12%

, 0.62%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 0.61% Native American, 1.88% Asian, 0.39%

, 5.48% from other races, and 1.90% from two or more races. 9.96% of the population was

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

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

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

As 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

Communities

Cache 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 celebration. Millville's "May Day" has been celebrated since 1862, the oldest in the valley. Richmond's "Black & White Days" includes the nation's longest-running dairy show, which started in 1912. The county government celebrates the Cache County Fair and Rodeo. Logan has an average of 24 annual events, including food festivals, historic home tours, and baby animal days.

Cities (13)

* Hyde Park * Hyrum * Lewiston * Logan (county seat) * Mendon * Millville * Nibley * North Logan * Providence * Richmond * River Heights * Smithfield * Wellsville

Towns (6)

* Amalga * Clarkston * Cornish * Newton *

Paradise In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...

* Trenton

Townships (1)

* College-Young (merger of the unincorporated communities of College Ward and Young Ward)

Census-designated places (5)

* Avon * Benson * Cache (aka Cache Junction) *

Cove A cove is a small bay or coastal inlet. They usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often situated within a larger bay. Small, narrow, sheltered bays, inlets, creek (tidal), creeks, or recesses in a coast ...

* Petersboro

Former communities (2)

La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. According to the 2022 Argentina census, census, the La Plata Partido, Partido has a population of 772,618 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 938,287 inhabit ...

* White Horse Village ( Christ Brotherhood)

Education

School districts

* Cache County School District * Logan City School District

Universities

Utah State University Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public university, public land grant colleges, land-grant research university with its main campus in Logan, Utah, United States. Founded in 1888 under the Morrill Land-Grant Acts as Utah's federal ...

(public) * Bridgerland Technical College (public)

Gallery

Image:Cachevalley.jpg, Cache Valley looking south (from North Logan) File:Logan Tabernacle (Logan, UT).jpg, Logan Tabernacle in Logan

Notes

References

External links

*
Cache Valley Tourism Council
{{authority control 1857 establishments in Utah Territory Populated places established in 1857