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 Rigby is located in Jefferson County, Idaho, and is
the county seat. The latest official census
puts our population at 2882 but we are a growing
city and that number is changing! Our proximity to
Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons and the Snake River
make Rigby Idaho a wonderful place to be. with Rigby's
proximity to the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental
Laboratory (INEEL) Rigby is also becoming a technological
hub, but I guess it
may always have been since Filo Farnsworth Invented
the television here in the 1920's. 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 was founded by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and 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. 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 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. These neighboring towns are only about a 10-15 minute drive to the north and south, respectively. The Rigby area has seen recent population growth due to its residential taxes being less than that of Rexburg or Idaho Falls. 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".
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