Ivins and Santa Clara, Utah sit side by side on the west edge of St. George, about 4 road miles apart, and buyers lump them together all the time. They are different places. Santa Clara is the older and smaller of the two, 8,722 people on about 6 square miles, with its own city-owned power company and a historic district along Santa Clara Drive. Ivins has grown to 11,546 people on about 9.5 square miles, sits next to Snow Canyon State Park, and has city code that controls the color of your house and the light over your garage. Those population figures are Census Bureau estimates for July 1, 2025. Here is how they compare, with the source for each number.
How do Ivins and Santa Clara compare at a glance?
| Item | Ivins | Santa Clara | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population estimate | 11,546 | 8,722 | Census Bureau city estimates, July 1, 2025 |
| 2020 Census count | 8,978 | 7,553 | 2020 Census redistricting file, April 1, 2020 |
| Land area | 9.45 sq mi | 6.06 sq mi | Census 2025 Gazetteer |
| Incorporated | 1935 | 1915 | Ivins 2024 General Plan; Santa Clara city history page |
| 2026 city tax area rate | 0.007038 | 0.006767 | Washington County 2026 tax rates, marked final by the County Auditor, read Nov 12, 2026 |
| Electric provider | Rocky Mountain Power | Santa Clara City Power | Ivins 2024 General Plan; santaclarautah.gov power page |
| Drive to downtown St. George | 8.0 mi, about 17 min | 4.4 mi, about 9 min | OSRM route estimate from each city hall to the St. George Tabernacle, Nov 12, 2026 |
The growth numbers tell you a lot. Ivins added about 29 percent to its population between the 2020 Census and the 2025 estimate, while Santa Clara added about 15 percent. In my experience showing homes in both, Ivins has more new construction and Santa Clara feels more settled. Santa Clara also sits closer to everything in St. George. From Santa Clara City Hall it is about 6.6 miles to Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital and 19 miles to the airport. From Ivins City Hall it is 10.2 and 22.5 miles.
Which city has lower property taxes and power bills?
Under the 2026 rates the Washington County Auditor lists as final, a $600,000 primary residence pays about $2,233 a year in Santa Clara and about $2,323 in Ivins, a difference of roughly $90. Utah taxes a primary residence on 55 percent of its value, and a second home or rental pays on the full value, which works out to about $4,060 in Santa Clara and $4,223 in Ivins at the same price. You can run any price through my Southern Utah property tax calculator.
The exception that matters is Black Desert. Black Desert PID 1, inside Ivins, carries a 2026 rate of 0.017038, a full point higher than the rest of the city. At $600,000 that is about $5,623 a year on a primary home. My Black Desert Resort guide covers the community.
Power runs the other direction. I ran my power cost calculator on November 12, 2026 at 774 kWh a month, which is the average Utah household's use in the U.S. Energy Information Administration's 2024 data. Before tax, Santa Clara City Power came to $112 a month in both seasons. Rocky Mountain Power, which serves Ivins, came to $103 in summer and $93 the rest of the year. Rocky Mountain Power's summer rates run June through September, so at average use Santa Clara costs about $190 a year more for power, which outweighs its $90 tax edge. At 3,000 kWh in summer the two utilities land within $2 of each other. Santa Clara's power cost adjustment changes monthly, so treat these as a snapshot.
What can you build, light and rent in each city?
Ivins regulates how a house looks. Section 16.19.103 of the Ivins City code requires building colors to be "earth tones and muted colors" that blend with the desert, limits exterior wall reflectance to a light reflectance value between 7 and 38, and prohibits white or reflective roofs and high-gloss paint. Chapter 16.23 requires outdoor fixtures to be fully shielded with no light above the horizontal and a color temperature of 3,000K or less, homes included. Santa Clara's version of this is narrower. Chapter 17.76 of its code sets up a Historic District Overlay Zone where the Heritage Commission reviews exterior work, including repainting or re-roofing significant historic buildings and any new construction, against design guidelines the city adopted in 2024.
Nightly rentals are mostly off the table in both cities. Ivins code section 16.12.123 prohibits rentals of less than 30 days in all residential zones, with exceptions only for a licensed bed and breakfast inn and a mixed-use overlay that includes resort commercial. Santa Clara section 17.20.260 prohibits rentals of 29 days or less in all zones except by conditional use permit in its planned development residential district and its historic district mixed-use zone. If a listing is marketed as a nightly rental, confirm the zoning on that exact parcel. My post on short-term rental rules across Washington County lays out every city side by side.
Both cities allow accessory dwelling units. Ivins allows one internal or detached unit on an owner-occupied single-family home, caps a detached unit at 1,000 square feet, and bars internal units from short-term rental under section 16.12.103. Santa Clara permits internal units in every residential zone and detached units on lots of at least 6,000 square feet, and requires rentals of 30 days or more under sections 17.22.020 and 17.22.030. Horses are a bigger split. Ivins allows livestock in four zones on lots of at least 1 acre, one animal per half acre, under section 16.12.113. In Santa Clara's R-1-10 zone, no large or medium animals are allowed on lots under 2 acres under section 17.64.060(F).
Which schools serve Ivins and Santa Clara?
The Ivins welcome packet, dated August 2026, lists Red Mountain Elementary, Lava Ridge Intermediate, Snow Canyon Middle and Snow Canyon High for Ivins families. Santa Clara has two elementary schools with Santa Clara addresses, Santa Clara Elementary and Arrowhead Elementary, and Lava Ridge Intermediate sits in Santa Clara too. The district's feeder chart, updated February 2024, shows Arrowhead feeding both the Snow Canyon and Dixie high school groups, so part of Santa Clara may go to Dixie High. Check the exact address; my post on how Washington County school boundaries work shows how.
For what is for sale today, see my Ivins homes for sale and Santa Clara homes for sale pages, and the county numbers on my St. George market summary. Retirees should also read my St. George vs Hurricane vs Ivins post, and the wider list is on St. George homes for sale.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ivins or Santa Clara closer to St. George?
Santa Clara is closer. From Santa Clara City Hall it is about 4.4 road miles and 9 minutes to downtown St. George, and from Ivins City Hall it is about 8.0 miles and 17 minutes, based on OSRM route estimates to the St. George Tabernacle run on November 12, 2026.
Are property taxes lower in Santa Clara or Ivins?
Santa Clara is slightly lower. The 2026 rates are 0.006767 for Santa Clara and 0.007038 for Ivins, so a $600,000 primary residence pays about $2,233 in Santa Clara and $2,323 in Ivins. Black Desert PID 1 in Ivins runs 0.017038, about $5,623 at the same price.
Can you do nightly rentals in Ivins or Santa Clara?
Generally no. Ivins prohibits rentals under 30 days in all residential zones under code section 16.12.123, and Santa Clara prohibits rentals of 29 days or less except by conditional use permit in two districts under section 17.20.260. Confirm the zoning of any specific parcel before you buy.
Who provides electricity in Ivins and Santa Clara?
Rocky Mountain Power serves Ivins, according to the Ivins 2024 General Plan. Santa Clara runs its own utility, Santa Clara City Power. At 774 kWh a month, Santa Clara came to $112 before tax in both seasons and Rocky Mountain Power to $103 in summer and $93 otherwise, on my power cost calculator on November 12, 2026.
If you are trying to decide between Ivins, Santa Clara or somewhere closer in, call me at 435-200-5508 or send me a message. I will tell you which streets fit how you actually plan to live.