1895: Layton boasted 905 residents; Was Davis County's 4th largest town

LAYTON in 1895 was a rural farming town. According to a census of Davis County, published in the Davis County Clipper of May 30, 1895, there was 905 total residents in Layton.

That made Layton the fourth largest town in Layton, behind Bountiful (1,595 residents); Kaysville (1,203); and Farmington (1,103).

Layton’s 1895 population included 130 male parents and 135 female parents. Unmarried children included 305 males and 2823 females.

Eighty-eight of Layton’s 905 residents were reported as foreign born and all 905 were reported as white by race.

Davis County only had 7,480 residents in 1895.

-One oddity on the Davis County census was the community of “Steed,” with 272 residents. This eventually became Clearfield.

Layton City’s milestones in population growth

LAYTON City was born as an outgrowth from neighboring Kaysville City, in the early 20^th Century.

In fact, when Layton incorporated as a City in 1920, Kaysville’s population was 809, while Layton had less than 400 residents.

Even by 1940, Layton only had half the population of Kaysville, with 646 residents.

                               A view of Layton's South Main Street in 1940. 

It was World War II and rise of  area military installations, like Hill Air Force Base, that produced a surge in Layton’s population.

                                     Layton was never the same after Dec. 7, 1941.

It was probably around 1943 when Layton surpassed Kaysville in total population. By 1950, Layton’s population was 3,456, as compared to 1,898 for Kaysville.

Layton City reached another milestone in 1985, when it surpassed Bountiful as the largest city in Davis County, with an estimated 36,000 residents.

Today, Layton has more than 76.000 residents, as compared to Bountiful’s 45,000 and Kaysville’s 32,000 populations.

-And, sometime in the future, Layton likely surpass Ogden as the largest Utah city north of Salt Lake City ...