Rigby, Idaho

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rigby is a city in Jefferson County, Idaho, United States. The population was 2,998 within the city limits at the 2000 census.

The city is the county seat of Jefferson County^GR6. The larger "Rigby area" includes such smaller outlying unincorporated Jefferson County communities as Annis, Garfield, Grant, Labelle, and Clark. Other nearby incorporated areas include Menan, Lewisville, and Ririe. As a result, the actual number of people living in the "Rigby area" may be 5000 or greater.

Rigby is located between the two larger Idaho cities of Rexburg and Idaho Falls, providing its residents with a wide variety of shopping, entertainment and cultural choices. The neighboring towns are only about a 10-15 minute drive in both the South and North direction. The Rigby area has seen recent population growth due to its residential taxes being less than that of Rexburg or Idaho Falls. For employment, many Rigby citizens commute to either of the two larger communities, and another sizable portion of residents work for the federal government or federal contractors through the Idaho National Laboratory INL, locally called "The Site".

1 Geography
2 Community Information
3 Notable History
4 Demographics
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Rigby is located at 43°40′26″N, 111°54′59″W (43.673842, -111.916310)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.6 km² (1.0 mi²), all land.

[edit] Community Information

Rigby High School is the only high school within the city. Its mascot is the "Trojans," and its colors are maroon, gold, and white. The community supports three elementary schools: Midway Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, and Harwood Elementary; and Midway Middle School and Rigby Junior High School (R.J.H.S.), and is affiliated with the Jefferson County School District. These schools also serve residents from neighboring areas such as Menan and Roberts, Idaho.

Rigby was founded by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and a significant majority of Rigby's residents, as well as those of the outlying communities, are members of the LDS faith. Baptist and Presbyterian faiths also have local congregations.

[edit] Notable History

Rigby is most famous for being the "birthplace of television", a title the city can attribute to a high school student named Philo Taylor Farnsworth. Farnsworth drew up his first blue-prints of a television while he was a Jefferson County resident. Later he invented the vacuum tube television display. Original tubes from Farnsworth's early experiments were on display at the Rigby High School for many years. They are now held by the Jefferson County Museum in Rigby. A section of the Yellowstone highway, passing through the community, has been named in Farnsworth's honor.

Rigby is the birthplace of Larry Wilson, a Pro Football Hall of Fame member who played safety for 13 seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League.

Vardis Fisher, a famous and influential atheist author, is from the rural Annis area near Rigby. He attended and graduated from Rigby High School.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 2,998 people, 1,051 households, and 789 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,134.8/km² (2,935.3/mi²). There were 1,107 housing units at an average density of 419.0/km² (1,083.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.16% White, 0.43% African American, 0.87% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 5.64% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.67% of the population.

There were 1,051 households out of which 42.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.36.

In the city the population was spread out with 33.7% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,192, and the median income for a family was $36,417. Males had a median income of $32,316 versus $18,269 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,795. About 10.5% of families and 12.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.