Rexburg, Idaho

History

The city takes its name from Ricks, the German form of which is "Rex", after founder Thomas Edwin Ricks. The city was incorporated in 1883.

Rexburg was severely damaged by the Teton Dam Flood in June 1976. The Teton River flowed through northern Rexburg, and left most of the city underwater for several days after the Teton Dam ruptured. 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.

When the Rexburg Idaho Temple was dedicated in 2008, Rexburg became the third city in Idaho with an LDS temple.

Geography

Rexburg is located at 43°49′N 111°47′W, at an elevation of 4,865 feet (1,483 m) above sea level.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.84 square miles (25.49 km²), of which, 9.76 square miles (25.28 km²) is land and 0.08 square miles (0.21 km²) is water.

Much of the city, including BYU-Idaho and the Rexburg Idaho Temple, rests on top of a shield volcano just north of Rigby, ID. Eruptions are not expected in the near future so far south; Yellowstone National Park and Island Park are the most likely settings for future volcanic activity in the area. Many different types of volcanoes exist near Rexburg, including cinder cones, spatter cones, other shield volcanoes, and volcanic fissures. There are lava fields to the west and south of Rexburg, the results of open fissure eruptions from about two thousand years ago. The nearby Craters of the Moon National Monument presents the most obvious features of this recent activity. Sediment deposits enriched by volcanism make the surrounding area famous for its production of large starch-rich potatoes.

Rexburg is close to the St. Anthony Sand Dunes, the West Entrance of Yellowstone National Park and the Teton Range.

Climate

Rexburg experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) with cold winters and hot summers - though even in the summer, nights are chilly and frosts have occurred in all months of the year. The wettest year has been 1983 with 20.76 inches (527.3 mm) and the driest has been 1988 with 7.48 inches (190.0 mm) including rainless months in July and October, though the wettest month was May 1981 with 4.22 inches (107.2 mm). The average snow cover peaks at around 9 inches (22.9 cm), whilst the heaviest snowfall in one month was 43.5 inches (110.5 cm) in December 1983.

Demographics

City officials have contested the census figures on the grounds that many college students were out of town while census workers were counting Rexburg's population.

Rexburg also has an estimated 95 percent LDS population.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 25,484 people, 7,179 households, and 4,925 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,611.1 inhabitants per square mile (1,008.2/km²). There were 7,617 housing units at an average density of 780.4 per square mile (301.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.8% White, 0.6% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 2.3% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.6% of the population.

There were 7,179 households of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.6% were married couples living together, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 1.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.4% were non-families. 9.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.41 and the average family size was 3.17.

The median age in the city was 22.3 years. 20.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 49.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.9% were from 25 to 44; 7% were from 45 to 64; and 3.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.3% male and 52.7% female.

2000 census

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 (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, 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 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 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. Some political experts have considered Rexburg, Idaho the true antithesis of San Francisco, America's liberal bastion. Since 1980 no Republican presidential candidate has won less than 57 percent of the county vote. In that same period Republican presidential candidates polled more than 90 percent of the county's vote on three occasions: Ronald Reagan in 1984, George W. Bush in 2004 and Mitt Romney in 2012. John McCain came close to this level in 2008, drawing 85 percent of the vote.

Public schools

The public high school is Madison High School, which has the bobcat as its mascot.

Higher education

Rexburg is home to BYU-Idaho, a private institution operated by LDS Church. The university began as a small high school-level academy in 1888 and was eventually established as Ricks College, in honor of Mormon pioneer and city founder, Thomas E. Ricks. On August 10, 2001, it officially became a four-year university and assumed the name BYU-Idaho.

Madison Memorial Hospital

The City of Rexburg and the surrounding areas are serviced by Madison Memorial Hospital located just east of the city's downtown area. The hospital offers regular classes in an attempt to educate the community on such things as preparing for childbirth and first aid for children, as well as holding Conferences and Health Fairs. In 2012 the Leapfrog Group announced the results of a study which indicated that Madison Memorial Hospital is the seventh worst performing hospital in the United States. Madison Memorial declined to participate in the Leapfrog survey, which the hospital says made the survey biased against it. Also in 2012, Rachel Gonzales - Madison's CEO, was ranked amongst the "50 Rural Hospital CEO's to Know" by Becker's Hospital Review. In 2013, Madison was ranked the healthiest county in Idaho. In 2014, the Leapfrog Group shared the results of a study which indicates that Madison Memorial Hospital received an A in comparison to other hospitals in the United States.

Media

Television

Radio

Newspapers