Rigby, Idaho
Encyclopedia
Rigby is a small city in and the county seat
of Jefferson County
, Idaho
, United States
. The population was 2,998 at the 2000 census
.
The larger "Rigby area" includes such outlying unincorporated communities as Annis, Garfield, Grant, Labelle, and Clark. Other nearby incorporated areas within Jefferson County include Menan, Roberts, Lewisville, and Ririe.
Rigby is part of the Idaho Falls, Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area
, and is located directly between the two larger Idaho cities of Rexburg
and Idaho Falls
, providing its residents with a wide variety of shopping, entertainment and cultural choices. Many Rigby citizens commute to jobs in Rexburg or Idaho Falls, and a number of residents work for the federal government or federal contractors through the Idaho National Laboratory
(INL), locally called "The Site".
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 1 square miles (2.6 km²), all of it land.
is the only high school within the city. Its mascot is the "Trojans," and its colors are maroon, gold, and white.
The community supports four elementary schools: Midway Elementary, South Fork Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, and Harwood Elementary; and Midway Middle School, Rigby Junior High School (R.J.H.S.),and Rigby High School. The schools are 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 in 1883. The community was named after William F. Rigby, a prominent early settler and member of the LDS church. A significant majority of Rigby's residents, as well as those of the outlying communities, are members of the LDS faith. Baptist, Presbyterian, and Lutheran faiths also have current local congregations.
for many years. They are now held by the Jefferson County Museum in Rigby. A section of the former 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
.
Rigby is also the home of Wayne Quinton
, who invented the treadmill and over thirty biomedical devices.
of 2000, there were 2,998 people, 1,051 households, and 789 families residing in the city. The population density
was 2,935.3 people per square mile (1,134.8/km²). There were 1,107 housing units at an average density of 1,083.9 per square mile (419.0/km²). 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.
produced movie, The R.M.
, when Jared Phelps, played by actor Kirby Heyborne
, reads his ex-girlfriends marriage announcement and discovers that the groom is from the town and disbelievingly sputters the popular quote, "Kirby from Rigby likes to play frisbee?"
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Idaho
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. The county was established in 1913, and was named after Thomas Jefferson, the third U.S. President. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 19,155 . The county seat and largest city is Rigby...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,998 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
.
The larger "Rigby area" includes such outlying unincorporated communities as Annis, Garfield, Grant, Labelle, and Clark. Other nearby incorporated areas within Jefferson County include Menan, Roberts, Lewisville, and Ririe.
Rigby is part of the Idaho Falls, Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area
Idaho Falls metropolitan area
The Idaho Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in eastern Idaho, anchored by the city of Idaho Falls...
, and is located directly between the two larger Idaho cities of Rexburg
Rexburg, Idaho
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 17,257 people, 4,274 households, and 2,393 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,534.4 people per square mile . There were 4,533 housing units at an average density of 928.4 per square mile...
and Idaho Falls
Idaho Falls, Idaho
Idaho Falls is a city in and the county seat of Bonneville County, Idaho, United States, and the largest city in Eastern Idaho. As of the 2010 census, the population of Idaho Falls was 56,813, with a metro population of 130,374....
, providing its residents with a wide variety of shopping, entertainment and cultural choices. Many Rigby citizens commute to jobs in Rexburg or Idaho Falls, and a number of residents work for the federal government or federal contractors through the Idaho National Laboratory
Idaho National Laboratory
Idaho National Laboratory is an complex located in the high desert of eastern Idaho, between the town of Arco to the west and the cities of Idaho Falls and Blackfoot to the east. It lies within Butte, Bingham, Bonneville and Jefferson counties...
(INL), locally called "The Site".
Geography
Rigby is located at 43°40′26"N 111°54′59"W (43.673842, -111.916310).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 1 square miles (2.6 km²), all of it land.
Community information
Rigby High SchoolRigby High School
Rigby High School is a public high school located in Rigby, Idaho. The school serves about 840 student in grades 10 to 12 in the Jefferson County Joint School District. Its mascot is the Trojans, and its colors are gold, white, and maroon. The High School serves Rigby and its smaller surrounding...
is the only high school within the city. Its mascot is the "Trojans," and its colors are maroon, gold, and white.
The community supports four elementary schools: Midway Elementary, South Fork Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, and Harwood Elementary; and Midway Middle School, Rigby Junior High School (R.J.H.S.),and Rigby High School. The schools are affiliated with the Jefferson County School District. These schools also serve residents from neighboring areas such as Menan and Roberts, Idaho
Roberts, Idaho
Roberts is a city in Jefferson County, Idaho, United States. It is part of the Idaho Falls, Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 647 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Roberts is located at ....
.
Rigby was founded by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1883. The community was named after William F. Rigby, a prominent early settler and member of the LDS church. A significant majority of Rigby's residents, as well as those of the outlying communities, are members of the LDS faith. Baptist, Presbyterian, and Lutheran faiths also have current local congregations.
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 SchoolRigby High School
Rigby High School is a public high school located in Rigby, Idaho. The school serves about 840 student in grades 10 to 12 in the Jefferson County Joint School District. Its mascot is the Trojans, and its colors are gold, white, and maroon. The High School serves Rigby and its smaller surrounding...
for many years. They are now held by the Jefferson County Museum in Rigby. A section of the former Yellowstone highway, passing through the community, has been named in Farnsworth's honor.
Rigby is the birthplace of Larry Wilson
Larry Wilson
Larry Frank Wilson is a former American football free safety who played for the St. Louis Cardinals.Wilson attended Rigby High School, where a plaque now hangs noting his accomplishments...
, a Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
member who played safety for 13 seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
Vardis Fisher
Vardis Fisher
Vardis Alvero Fisher was a well-respected writer best known for historical novels of the old West and the monumental 12-volume Testament of Man series of novels, depicting the history of humans from cave to civilization....
, a famous and influential atheist author, is from the rural Annis area near Rigby. He attended and graduated from Rigby High School
Rigby High School
Rigby High School is a public high school located in Rigby, Idaho. The school serves about 840 student in grades 10 to 12 in the Jefferson County Joint School District. Its mascot is the Trojans, and its colors are gold, white, and maroon. The High School serves Rigby and its smaller surrounding...
.
Rigby is also the home of Wayne Quinton
Wayne Quinton
Wayne Quinton was a developer of over thirty biomedical devices.Quinton received a degree in biomedical technology from the University of Washington in 1959...
, who invented the treadmill and over thirty biomedical devices.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,998 people, 1,051 households, and 789 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,935.3 people per square mile (1,134.8/km²). There were 1,107 housing units at an average density of 1,083.9 per square mile (419.0/km²). 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
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 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
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
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
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
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.
Popular culture
Rigby was mentioned in a scene of the Halestorm EntertainmentHalestorm Entertainment
Halestorm Entertainment is a film production and distribution company based in Orem, Utah. It was founded in January 2001 by Kurt Hale and Dave Hunter...
produced movie, The R.M.
The R.M.
The R.M. is a 2003 comedy film about the experiences of an LDS returned missionary. "RM" is an LDS initialism for "returned missionary." It was written by Kurt Hale and John E. Moyer and directed by Kurt Hale.-Overview:...
, when Jared Phelps, played by actor Kirby Heyborne
Kirby Heyborne
Kirby Heyborne is an actor, musician, singer-songwriter, and comedian known for his work in LDS films.-Biography:Heyborne graduated from Alta High School in 1995 where he was student body president. He served a full time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Dominican...
, reads his ex-girlfriends marriage announcement and discovers that the groom is from the town and disbelievingly sputters the popular quote, "Kirby from Rigby likes to play frisbee?"