“With its soaring red cliffs and sage-covered open range, Kayenta is the wild west in all its grandeur,” says Terry Martenof Kayenta Development.
He says, “A few of us got together back in 1975 and purchased a 1,300-acre ranch west of St. George out by Shivwits with the wild, hairbrained idea of making something of it . . . building a community.” That idea became known as the “Kayenta Concept,” the growth of a pristine place to call home, where overcrowding would be nonexistent, where lighting would not pollute the night sky, where colors and materials would blend into the landscape—and where people who shared their love of beauty at the base of the Red Mountain would come.
Now Kayenta reaches in all directions and extends approximately 3 miles in length and 1.75 miles in width, for a total of 2,200 acres. Gulch Design Group, run by Terry’s son Matt, designs homes exclusively for the Kayenta community and preserves the vision of this pristine site.
Says Terry: “Kayenta is an awe-inspiring place. I hope people can appreciate the effort of doing something slightly different. In appreciating it they are willing to protect it.”
The residents who live in Kayenta now tell the story—a testimonial of sorts—of why they came and how the “Kayenta Concept is being celebrated and preserved.
Victoria and Matt Topham with Flossie
Professional chef and owner of Petite Feast, a private chef service specializing in small private events and parties. Matt serves as her photographer for her YouTube videos.
I am the host of Petite Feast's monthly supper club and chef/writer of the Virtual Dinner Party (a weekly virtual dinner party offered in response to the pandemic. I offer cooking classes, in-home meal planning and preparation, as well as customized vegetarian, gluten free or low carb meals.
We have lived in Kayenta for five years and were drawn to the area by the natural and awe-inspiring beauty of the area, but the climate and proximity to family played a role, too. However, it is the vibrant community that keeps us here. We love the peaceful surroundings, engaging and welcoming community and, of course, the Kayenta waterfalls when it rains!
This is a wonderfully unique community.
Walter and Donna Townson
Physicians in Salt Lake City and St. George
We bought property in Kayenta four years ago and are just completing the construction of our home. We have always been drawn to the natural beauty of southern Utah. While visiting friends in Kayenta, we were impressed with the community and the efforts to preserve the natural desert landscape through innovative planning and design.
One of the best attributes of our home is the incredible view in all directions. We also enjoy the magnificent night sky and appreciate the community’s efforts to protect it. We cherish the peace and quiet the community offers as we escape from our very hectic world.
Kathi Fox
Art Guide at MakeSpace, a place for artists to experience and create art and a labor of love for our community
We bought our land in 2007—the same weekend we came here for the first time; we moved here in 2013. The beauty and the waterfalls, the warm weather, the sunshine and so many fun things to do outside drew us to this area.
Since living here I’ve hiked to the top of Red Mountain, I see waterfalls out my kitchen windows and I know all the trails in Snow Canyon. Our neighborhood has lighting restrictions, so we have dark skies, making the moon and stars extraordinary. It’s a quiet place to live and is so peaceful.
We have an incredible, supportive and active community. The art in our community—the fun art village shops, the Center for the Arts at Kayenta and MakeSpace art school make this a great place to live.
Judy and Tim Terrell
Arts Advocates
We have lived in Kayenta nine years and were drawn to the area by the natural beauty of the region and the way in which preservation of the natural landscape was an integral part of the development of the Kayenta community. We have taken an active role in the Kayenta Arts Foundation during the planning and construction of the Center for the Arts. We have also been engaged in planning and staging various festivals at the village, such as the Street Painting Festival in the spring and the Art Festival in the fall each year.
We love exploring the many hiking and biking paths and getting together with friends for dinners, wine parties and impromptu “porch time.”
Kayenta is a unique community—welcoming and providing many opportunities to participate in various activities, such as volunteering at the arboretum or Art Center, working in the community garden, caring for the mustangs at Kayenta corral, participating in a bridge group, a book club, the workout studio, water aerobics.
Hollie and Greg Ragland
Hollie – graphic designer
Greg – fine artist, painter, sculptor, public artist
We met at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., and spent seven years in New York City, then to Park City for 25 years raising our sons. We moved into our Kayenta home in 2014.
We were drawn to the area by the environment, the rural feeling and the small size of Ivins. The dark night sky and stunning red cliffs are incredible. We have experienced rattlesnakes, tarantulas, coyotes and eagles. Hiking trails are accessible from all homes. It’s like living in a national park.
We love our home, pool and the ability to exercise year around outside. The hiking trails are incredible. The quiet is amazing! We love the space and that each home has privacy. We love the light quality and the everchanging views. The people—they all love it here.
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