Rexburg, Idaho
Encyclopedia
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 17,257 people, 4,274 households, and 2,393 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 3,534.4 people per square mile (1,365.4/km²). There were 4,533 housing units at an average density of 928.4 per square mile (358.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.20% White, 0.30% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.28% Pacific Islander, 2.23% 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 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.04% of the population.
There were 4,274 households out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% 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, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.0% were non-families. 12.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.71 and the average family size was 3.45.
In the city the population was spread out with 18.3% under the age of 18, 57.3% from 18 to 24, 11.9% from 25 to 44, 7.5% from 45 to 64, and 4.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 20 years. For every 100 females there were 82.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,965, and the median income for a family was $36,047. Males had a median income of $27,280 versus $17,592 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 $9,173. About 13.2% of families and 44.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.7% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Rexburg has been referred to as the "reddest place in America," owing to the area's strong conservative majority and political trends. Since 1980 no Republican presidential candidate has failed to carry the county with less than 59 percent of the vote. In that same period Republican presidential candidates polled more than 90 percent of the county's vote on two occasions, Ronald ReaganRonald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
in 1984
United States presidential election, 1984
The United States presidential election of 1984 was a contest between the incumbent President Ronald Reagan, the Republican candidate, and former Vice President Walter Mondale, the Democratic candidate. Reagan was helped by a strong economic recovery from the deep recession of 1981–1982...
and George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
in 2004
United States presidential election, 2004
The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
. John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
came close to this level in 2008, drawing 85 percent of the vote.
Rexburg obtained the national news spotlight with reports of a few children on a bus chanting "Assassinate Obama" following the election of Barack Obama in November 2008. The mayor apologized for the children's behavior.
History
The city takes its name from Ricks, the German form of which is "Rex".Rexburg was severely damaged by the Teton Dam Flood
Teton Dam
The Teton Dam was a federally built earthen dam on the Teton River in southeastern Idaho, set between Fremont and Madison counties, USA, which when filling for the first time suffered a catastrophic failure on June 5, 1976. The collapse of the dam resulted in the deaths of 11 peopleand 13,000 head...
of June 1976. The Teton River flows through northern Rexburg, and left most of the city underwater for several days after the Teton Dam ruptured. The recovery was quickened due to the cooperation of the people within the community. A museum dedicated to the Teton Dam Flood and the history of Rexburg and the area, located in the basement of the Rexburg Tabernacle, has been a major city landmark for decades.
Rexburg is home to Brigham Young University-Idaho
Brigham Young University-Idaho
Brigham Young University–Idaho is a private university located in Rexburg, Idaho. Founded in 1888, the university is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and transitioned from a junior college to a four-year institution in 2001, known for the greater part of its...
, a private institution operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The university began as a small high school-level academy in 1888 and was eventually established as Ricks College, in honor of Mormon pioneer
Mormon Pioneer
The Mormon pioneers were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Latter-day Saints, who migrated across the United States from the Midwest to the Salt Lake Valley in what is today the U.S. state of Utah...
and city founder, Thomas Edwin Ricks. On August 10, 2001 it officially became a four-year college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
and assumed the name Brigham Young University-Idaho.
Upon its dedication in February 2008, the Rexburg Idaho Temple
Rexburg Idaho Temple
Announced in late 2003, the Rexburg Idaho Temple was dedicated on February 10, 2008 and was the third temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Idaho. A fourth Idaho temple was subsequently dedicated in Twin Falls, Idaho temple later in 2008. The temple sits on the south end of...
made Rexburg the third city in Idaho with an LDS temple
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
.
Culture
Restrictions on sales of alcohol have recently been eased as the city has grown, and it is now possible to purchase beer and wine at some restaurants.Rexburg hosts the annual International Folk Dance Festival, the city's largest and most well-known attraction. Each summer, dancers are invited from all over the world to perform dances and share other aspects of their cultures.
Rexburg also has an estimated 95% LDS population.
The public high school is Madison High School
Madison High School (Idaho)
Madison High School is a public high school located in Rexburg, Idaho. They have won a number of state championships in in both boys and girls sports.-Idaho High School Activities Association state championships:...
, which has the bobcat
Bobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
as its mascot.
Media
Television- K13UF, channel 13
- K40KB, channel 40
- K43JD-D, channel 43
- K51KL, channel 51
- DKRXZ-LP, channel 63
Radio
- KBYR 91.5 FM BYU-Idaho RadioBYU-Idaho Radiooriginates from , in Rexburg, Idaho, USA, and comprises three stations:BYU-Idaho Radio Online — Your Link to Campus: Found only , this station is intended to provide listeners with a “BYU-Idaho experience,” no matter where they are in the world...
(Religious, Radio) - KADQ 94.3 FM (Alternative, Radio)
- KGTM 98.1 FM (Oldies, Radio)
- KUPI 99.1 FM (Country, Radio)
- KBYI 100.5 FM BYU-Idaho RadioBYU-Idaho Radiooriginates from , in Rexburg, Idaho, USA, and comprises three stations:BYU-Idaho Radio Online — Your Link to Campus: Found only , this station is intended to provide listeners with a “BYU-Idaho experience,” no matter where they are in the world...
(Public Radio) - KCHQ 102.1 FM (Country)
- KFTZ 103.3 FM (Top-40)
- KTHK 105.5 FM (Country)
- KBJX 106.3 FM (Adult Contemporary)
- KQEO 107.1 FM (Classic Hits)
- KID 590 AM (News/Talk)
- KUPI 980 AM (Oldies)
- KRXK 1230 AM (Sports)
- KSSL 1260 AM (Talk)
- KIGO 1400 AM (Spanish)
Newspapers
- Rexburg Standard Journal
- Scroll
- Topix
Notable natives
- Christian Jacobs, co-creator of children's TV show Yo Gabba Gabba!Yo Gabba Gabba!Yo Gabba Gabba! is an American children's television show currently airing on the Nick Jr. cable network in the United States and the Nick Jr. networks in the United Kingdom & Ireland, Italy, France and Australia as well as Treehouse TV network in Canada and RTE2 on RTEjr see Raidió Teilifís...
and lead singer for The AquabatsThe AquabatsThe Aquabats are an American rock band formed in 1994 in Orange County, California. They have released five full-length studio albums and have toured internationally. They are best known for their mythology, in which they claim to be superheroes on a quest to save the world from evil through music... - Matt Lindstrom, Major League Baseball pitcher for the Florida Marlins
- Clayton MortensenClayton MortensenClayton Grant Mortensen is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Colorado Rockies. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals 36th overall in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft. After graduating from Madison High School, Mortensen went on to play at Treasure Valley Community College, then...
, Major League Baseball pitcher for the Oakland Athletics - Wayne D. WrightWayne D. WrightWayne Danforth Wright was a Champion American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey who won all three of the Triple Crown races in different years....
, American Champion jockey