With the growth of Rigby’s population, government officials are looking forward to growth of industry and the commercial sector.

Mayor Jason Richardson said that while Rigby once was anti-growth, that is no longer the case. He said he is among a number of mayors who are interested in attracting business and industry to the city he represents.

“There’s interest in our little town to participate in that,” Richardson said.

Steve Abbott, the chairman of the Rigby Urban Renewal Agency Board, said a goal of the URA board this year is to acquire property in Rigby that is run-down. Abbott said the property would then be revitalized and resold to businesses.

“We’re looking at some areas that may be beneficial for the city,” Abbott said.

Richardson said he thinks Rigby is an attractive place to do business, but he said he thinks sometimes entrepreneurs do not fully realize the potential of the city, which had a recorded population of about 4,200. Compared to Rexburg, which has a population of 28,700, and Idaho Falls, with a population estimated at 61,500, Richardson said Rigby may not seem to have a very large consumer base. However, he said 4,200 is not representative of the area’s actual population.

“A large majority of people who live in this area live in the county,” Richardson said. “It’s a confusion both in the people who live around here — who sometimes think they are residents of the city of Rigby — but also when a business comes in, they’re seeing the numbers of Rigby.”

A factor to take into account is the actual square footage of the city. Where the incorporated city of Rexburg covers 9.8 square miles, Rigby is one-fourth of the size at 2.4 square miles, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. If the population of the city itself then were to be quadrupled in a rough estimate to match the size difference, Rigby would be around 17,000 strong. Richardson said that 9.6-mile area would still not encapsulate the entire consumer base.

“One of the benefits of Rigby is that we can pull from both the student body up in Rexburg and the population of Idaho Falls,” he said.

Some businesses have decided to move to Rigby recently. A new Papa Murphy’s will be moving into the old Maverik building near the highway. Construction on a Dollar Tree where the old junior high used to be is nearing completion. A Mrs. Powell’s has been installed on Main Street to replace Great Harvest.

Richardson said he hopes new businesses continue to flock to Rigby. He said he would also like to see manufacturing businesses enter the area, pointing to the nearby railhead as a resource for shipping.

“It’s not an easy thing to start a business — it’s exciting, and I do appreciate those that have that drive,” Richardson said. “Entrepreneurial risk is a benefit to our community.”