Rexburg, Idaho

Rexburg, Idaho
City
Location of Rexburg, Idaho
Country	United States
State	Idaho
County	Madison
Area
• Total	5.0 sq mi (12.9 km2)
• Land	4.9 sq mi (12.6 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation	4,865 ft (1,483 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	17,257
• Density	3,534.4/sq mi (1,364.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP codes	83440, 83441, 83460
Area code	208
FIPS code	16-67420
GNIS feature ID	0374648

Rexburg is a city in Madison County, Idaho, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 17,257. The city is the county seat of Madison CountyTemplate:GR.

Rexburg is the principal city of the Rexburg, ID Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Fremont and Madison Counties.

Geography

Rexburg is located at 43°49′23″N 111°47′7″W (43.823002, -111.785321)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.0 square miles (12.8 km²), of which, 4.9 square miles (12.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (1.61%) is water.

Much of Rexburg, including BYU-Idaho and the Rexburg, Idaho LDS Temple, rests atop a shield volcano. Eruptions are not expected in the near future this far south; besides Yellowstone, Island Park is the most likely setting for future volcanic activity in this 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. Nearby Craters of the Moon State Park 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 Grand Tetons.

Demographics

Downtown Rexburg, May 2007

As of the censusTemplate:GR 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/sq mi (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.

Rexburg is often 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 Reagan in 1984 and George W. Bush in 2004. John McCain came close to this level in 2008, drawing 85 percent of the vote.

Rexburg leads the country in the number of pet schnauzers per capita. According to the American Kennel Club, on average, there is one schnauzer for every 6.12 people in the city. The next highest schnauzer city is Orono, Maine at one schauzer per 7.38 people.

History

Rexburg is home to Brigham Young University-Idaho, a private institution operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The University began as a small high school-level academy on a site known as Mosquito Bend in 1888. It was later named Ricks Academy and eventually was established as Ricks College, in honor of Mormon pioneer and city founder, Thomas Edwin Ricks. At one time, Ricks College was the largest private junior college in the United States; it became a four-year college in 2001. The city takes its name from Ricks, and was initially known as Ricksburg.

Rexburg was severely damaged by the Teton Dam Flood 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 self-dependency and community cooperation of the people. 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.

Upon its dedication in February 2008, the Rexburg Idaho Temple made Rexburg the third city in Idaho with an LDS temple.

Culture

The serving of hard liquors has been prohibited since 1947, and the predominantly LDS culture has left the city with no bars or coffee shops. 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.

The public high school is Madison High School, which has the Bobcat as it's mascot.

Rexburg was pushed into the national news spotlight with reports of a busload of children chanting "Assassinate Obama" following the election of Barack Obama in November of 2008. The mayor apologized for the children's behavior. News websites on the internet ran stories featuring video of the school busses on which students chanted their wishes that the president-elect be killed.

Notable natives

• Card Walker, former Disney executive
• Christian Jacobs, front man of The Aquabats
• Matt Lindstrom, relief pitcher for the Florida Marlins
• Justin Lyon, producer of the children's television show Yo Gabba Gabba

External links

• Teton Dam Flood Museum, Rexburg, Idaho
• Rexburg Road Issues, etc.
• Brigham Young University-Idaho