Ridgefield, Connecticut
Encyclopedia
Ridgefield is a town
in Fairfield County
, Connecticut
, United States. Situated in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains, the 300-year-old community had a population of 24,638 at the 2010 census. The town center, which was formerly a borough
, is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place
.
, the town has a total area of 35 square miles (90.6 km²), of which 34.4 square miles (89.1 km²) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²), or 1.52%, is water. The town is bordered by the towns of North Salem
and Lewisboro
in Westchester County, New York
to the west, Danbury
to the north, Wilton
to the south and Redding
to the east.
The town has a Metro-North Railroad
station called Branchville
in the Branchville corner of town. The CDP corresponding to the town center covers a total area of 6.4 square miles (16.6 km²), of which 0.16% is water. Other locales within the town include Titicus on Route 116 just north of the village; Ridgebury in the northern section of town; Scotland, which is south of Ridgebury; Farmingville, located northeast and east of the town center; Limestone, located northeast of the town center; Flat Rock, located south of the town center; and Florida, located just north of Branchville.
Ridgefield was first settled by English colonists from Norwalk
and Milford
in 1708, when a group of settlers purchased land from Chief Catoonah (also known as Chief Katonah
) of the Ramapo tribe
. The town was incorporated under a royal charter issued in 1709. The most notable 18th century event was the Battle of Ridgefield
on April 27, 1777. This American Revolutionary War
skirmish involved a small colonial militia force (state militia and some Continental Army
soldiers), led by, among others, General David Wooster
, who died in the engagement, and Benedict Arnold
, whose horse was shot from under him. They faced a larger British force that had landed at Norwalk and was returning from a raid on the colonial supply depot in Danbury
. The battle was a tactical victory for the British but a strategic one for the Colonials since the British never again attempted a landing by ship to attack colonial strongholds during the war. Today, the dead from both sides are buried together in a small cemetery on Main Street on the right of the entrance to Casagmo condominiums: "...foes in arms, brothers in death..." The Keeler Tavern
, a local inn and museum, features a British cannonball still lodged in the side of the building. There are many other landmarks from the Revolutionary War in the town, with most along Main Street.
In the summer of 1781, the French army under the Comte de Rochambeau marched through Connecticut, encamping in the Ridgebury section of town, where the first Catholic mass in Ridgefield was offered. (The town of Lebanon
is where the first Catholic mass was offered in the state.)
For much of its three centuries, Ridgefield was a farming community. Among the important families in the 19th century were the Rockwells and Lounsburys, which intermarried. They produced two Connecticut governors, George Lounsbury and Phineas Lounsbury. The Ridgefield Veterans Memorial Community Center on Main Street, also called the Lounsbury House, was built by Gov. Phineas Chapman Lounsbury around 1896 as his primary residence. The Lounsbury Farm near the Florida section of Ridgefield is one of the only remaining operational farms in Ridgefield.
In the late 19th century, spurred by the new railroad connection to its lofty village and the fact that nearby countryside reaches 1000 feet (304.8 m) above sea level, Ridgefield began to be discovered by wealthy New York City residents, who assembled large estates and built huge "summer cottages" throughout the higher sections of town. Among the more noteworthy estates were Col. Louis D. Conley's "Outpost Farm", which at one point totalled nearly 2000 acres (8.1 km²), some of which is now Bennett's Pond State Park; Seth Low Pierrepont's "Twixthills", more than 600 acres (2.4 km²), much of which is now Pierrepont State Park; Frederic E. Lewis's "Upagenstit", 100 acre (0.404686 km²) that became Grey Court College in the 1940s, but is now mostly subdivisions; and Col. Edward M. Knox's "Downesbury Manor", whose 300 acres (1.2 km²) included a 45-room mansion that Mark Twain
often visited.
These and dozens of other estates became unaffordable and unwieldy during and after the Great Depression
, and most were broken up. Many mansions were razed. In their place came subdivisions of one- and 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) lots that turned the town into a suburban, bedroom community in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. However, strong planning and zoning has maintained much of the 19th and early 20th century charm of the town, especially along its famous mile-long Main Street.
In 1946, Ridgefield was one of the locations considered for the United Nations secretariat building, but was not chosen due to its relative inaccessibility.
listed on the National Register of Historic Places
(NRHP) as Ridgefield Center Historic District
. The district was added to the Register in 1984 and includes representations of mid-19th century revival, Late Victorian, and Colonial revival architectural styles. Noted architect Cass Gilbert
purchased historic Keeler Tavern
within the district and renovated it for his use as a summer home. Roughly bounded by Pound Street, Fairview Avenue, Prospect Ridge, and Whipstick Roads, the district was added on October 7, 1984. In addition to the town center historic district, there are a number of individual properties and at least one other historic district in the town that are NRHP-listed:
, formerly called the Ridgefield Symphony Youth Orchestra, has performed at Carnegie Hall
and Avery Fisher Hall at the Lincoln Center.
The Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra began as the "Ridgefield Symphonette" in 1965 with 20 players, only a third of them professionals. It became fully professional by the end of the decade and today has 75 musicians and draws soloists of international reputation. In 1984, Maxim Shostakovich
, then a Ridgefielder, conducted a sold-out concert of music by his father, Dmitri Shostakovich
, with the composer's grandson, Dmitri, performing as piano soloist.
The Keeler Tavern
Museum preserves an early 18th century house that, by the time of the Revolution, had become a tavern and inn. The tavern was a center of community activities, an early post office, and a stop on the northern New York to Boston post road. In the early 20th century, it was the home of noted architect Cass Gilbert
. The tavern is open several days a week, offers tours, and has a gift shop.
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum is a leading venue for the world's best contemporary artists. Its exhibitions have attracted national attention and respect. The museum was redesigned and expanded in 2004, and offers many special programs, including concerts.
The Ridgefield Playhouse
, opened in December 2000, is housed in the former Ridgefield Alternate High School auditorium, and was remodeled as a playhouse. It is the year-round venue for dozens of concerts and other performances, many by internationally known artists. The Playhouse also shows movies, many of them first-run.
Weir Farm National Historic Site
straddles the Ridgefield-Wilton
border, and is the only National Park Service
property in Connecticut. The site preserves much of the farm of J. Alden Weir
(1852–1919), a painter of the American Impressionism
style, and was later used by his son-in-law, Mahonri Young
(1877–1957), noted sculptor and a grandson of Brigham Young
. The site include the Weir Farm Art Center and a gallery, and many special events take place there, including shows by visiting artists in residence.
The Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance was founded as the Ridgefield Studio of Classical Ballet in 1965 by Patricia Schuster. In 2002 it became the Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. The Conservatory is home to three pre-professional performance companies: the Ridgefield Civic Ballet, The Junior Dance Ensemble, and the Contemporary Dance Ensemble. The conservatory presents the The Nutcracker
annually at the Ridgefield Playhouse
.
Located at the intersection of West Lane and Route 35, the Peter Parley Schoolhouse (c. 1750), also known as the Little Red Schoolhouse or the West Lane Schoolhouse, is a one-room schoolhouse in use by the town until 1913. The site and grounds are maintained by the Ridgefield Garden Club. The building is open certain Sundays and displays the desks, slates and books the children used.
Ridgefield's public open space includes Aldrich Park, Bennett's Pond State Park, Brewster Farm, Florida Refuge, Hemlock Hills/Lake Windwing, Pine Mountain
, Seth Low Pierrepont State Park, and the Weir Farm National Historic Site
. Its public open spaces make up 5200 acres (2,104.4 ha), accounting for 23% of the towns overall land.
Ridgefield Golf Course is the town's municipal 18 hole golf course and was opened in 1974. The golf course was designed by George Fazio
and Tom Fazio
.
The town's largest industry is Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, whose United States headquarters are located in the Ridgebury section of town.
In 2006, the tree selected to be displayed in New York's Rockefeller Center
for the Christmas season came from Ridgefield.
The town also features a skatepark
, owned by the town and maintained by the town's parks and recreations service, in which both skateboarding
and aggressive inline skating
are done. In 2010 the skatepark was rebuilt and expanded as a result of the need to expand the Ridgefield Playhouse parking lot.
s are Veterans Park, Branchville, Farmingville, Scotland, Barlow Mountain, and Ridgebury. Scotts Ridge Middle School (Ridgefield's newest school) and East Ridge are the town's two middle school
s. The high school
is Ridgefield High School. The high school's teams are called the Tigers.
Ridgefield's Roman Catholic schools are St. Mary, serving preschool through eighth grade, and St. Padre Pio Catholic School, serving kindergarten through sixth grade and run by the Society of St. Pius X
.
Ridgefield Academy is a private school serving preschool through eighth grade, situated on a 42 acres (17 ha) turn-of-the-20th-century estate on West Mountain.
There are also various preschools and a Montessori school.
) to 342 feet (104.2 m) at Branchville. Its average village elevation is 725 feet (221 m) above sea level. The landscape is strewn with countless rocks deposited by glacier
s, and among the town's bodies of water is Round Pond
, formed in a kettle left by the last glacier 20,000 years ago. A particularly interesting feature is Cameron's Line
, named for Eugene N. Cameron, who discovered that rocks west of the line differed greatly from those east of it. This fault line was formed some 250 million years ago by the collision of "Proto North America
" and "Proto Africa
", and there are still occasional light earthquakes felt along its length. The line bisects the southern half of the town, running generally north of West Lane, across the north end of the village, past the south end of Great Swamp and generally easterly into Redding in the Topstone area. North of Cameron's Line, the town is rich in limestone
. The mineral was extensively mined, and remnants of several limekiln
s exist today. Also mined here in the 19th century was mica
, pegmatite
, and quartz
. Gold
, as well as gemstones such as garnet
and beryl
, have been found here, and dozens of minerals have been unearthed at the old Branchville Mica Quarry. Uraninite
, a source of uranium
, is found here, too.
of 2000, there were 23,643 people, 8,433 households, and 6,611 families residing in the town. The population density
was 686.7 people per square mile (265.1/km²). There were 8,877 housing units at an average density of 257.8 per square mile (99.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.12% White, 0.62% Black or African American
, 0.09% Native American, 2.08% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races
, and 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.97% of the population.
There were 8,433 households out of which 43.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.6% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.6% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the town the population was spread out with 30.6% under the age of 18, 3.2% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $107,351, and the median income for a family was $127,981 (these figures had risen to $125,909 and $154,346 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $50,236 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $51,795. About 1.3% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
of 2000, there are 7,212 people, 2,933 households, and 1,994 families residing in the CDP. The population density
is 1,125.2 people per square mile (434.4/km2). There are 3,078 housing units at an average density of 480.2 per square mile (185.4/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP is 95.52% White, 0.54% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 2.44% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. 2.26% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 2,933 households out of which 34.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% are married couples living together, 8.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% are non-families. 28.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.46 and the average family size is 3.05.
In the CDP the population is spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 41 years. For every 100 females there are 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.5 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP is $81,179, and the median income for a family is $127,327. Males have a median income of $93,084 versus $47,232 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP is $46,843. 3.2% of the population and 1.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 1.6% of those under the age of 18 and 6.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
and actor/playwright Harvey Fierstein
, who live in town, while Erland van Lidth de Jeude
went to Ridgefield High School in downtown Ridgefield and graduated in 1972. Authors have included Eugene O'Neill
, Howard Fast
and Cornelius Ryan
. Children's book authors Richard Scarry
, Maurice Sendak
and Andy Luckey
have lived in town. Ridgefield is home to American portrait artist John Howard Sanden
. Cartoonist Roz Chast
, a frequent New Yorker magazine contributor, lives in town. Businesswoman Carolyn Kepcher
, who appeared on the NBC show The Apprentice
, is a resident, as is Judy Collins
as well as author and former Chairman and CEO of Honeywell
, Lawrence Bossidy
. Conductor Maxim Shostakovich
once lived in town, as did Time
magazine owner Henry Luce
and his wife, Clare Boothe Luce
, who was also a playwright and Congresswoman. Jeremiah Donovan
was a United States Representative from Connecticut. A notable metropolitan opera singer from the early 20th century Geraldine Farrar
lived in a house on West Lane. Rush Limbaugh
lived in Ridgefield from 2001 to 2004.
Kurt Waldheim
, the former Secretary General of the United Nations, rested in town at the estate of a friend, and Theodore Sorenson, former advisor to President John F. Kennedy
, was once a town resident. Ira Joe Fisher
, a poet who is also a weatherman on CBS television, lives in town as does veteran newsman Morton Dean
. John H. Frey
, minority whip of the Connecticut House of Representatives is a longtime resident.
Curt Onalfo
, former head coach of the Kansas City Wizards
and D.C. United
, went to Ridgefield High School.
The 1939 film In Name Only, starring Cary Grant, Carole Lombard and Kay Francis, is partially set in Ridgefield, and the opening shot is of the wooden sign at the corner of Main St. and Branchville Road opposite what is now Jesse Lee Memorial United Methodist Church.
In the 1941 film The Lady Eve
, starring Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwick, Fonda's character hosts lavish parties in a fictional town called Bridgefield, Connecticut, a town full of millionaires, right outside of New York. This fictional town is based on the town of Ridgefield.
Government, health and education:
Local media:
Jack Sanders' history website:
Jack Sanders, an editor at The Ridgefield Press, has extensive information about the town's history at his website.
Houses of worship:
New England town
The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...
in Fairfield County
Fairfield County, Connecticut
Fairfield County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The county population is 916,829 according to the 2010 Census. There are currently 1,465 people per square mile in the county. It is the most populous county in the State of Connecticut and contains...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, United States. Situated in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains, the 300-year-old community had a population of 24,638 at the 2010 census. The town center, which was formerly a borough
Borough (Connecticut)
In the U.S. state of Connecticut, a borough is an incorporated section of a town. Borough governments are not autonomous and are subordinate to the government of the town to which they belong...
, is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 35 square miles (90.6 km²), of which 34.4 square miles (89.1 km²) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²), or 1.52%, is water. The town is bordered by the towns of North Salem
North Salem, New York
North Salem is a town in the northeast part of Westchester County, New York, United States. The county ranks second for wealthiest counties in New York State and the seventh wealthiest county nationally...
and Lewisboro
Lewisboro, New York
Lewisboro is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 12,411 at the 2010 census. The town is named after John Lewis.- History :...
in Westchester County, New York
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
to the west, Danbury
Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It had population at the 2010 census of 80,893. Danbury is the fourth largest city in Fairfield County and is the seventh largest city in Connecticut....
to the north, Wilton
Wilton, Connecticut
Wilton is a town nestled in the Norwalk River Valley in southwestern Connecticut in the United States. It is located in Fairfield County. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 18,062. In 2007, it was voted as one of CNN Money's "Best Places to Live" in the United States.Located along...
to the south and Redding
Redding, Connecticut
Mark Twain, a resident of the town in his old age, contributed the first books for a public library which was eventually named after him.-Government:...
to the east.
The town has a Metro-North Railroad
Metro-North Railroad
The Metro-North Commuter Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly, Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service that is run and managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , an authority of New York State. It is the busiest commuter railroad in the United...
station called Branchville
Branchville (Metro-North station)
The Branchville Metro-North Railroad station serves residents of the Branchville area of Ridgefield, Connecticut via the Danbury Branch of the New Haven Line....
in the Branchville corner of town. The CDP corresponding to the town center covers a total area of 6.4 square miles (16.6 km²), of which 0.16% is water. Other locales within the town include Titicus on Route 116 just north of the village; Ridgebury in the northern section of town; Scotland, which is south of Ridgebury; Farmingville, located northeast and east of the town center; Limestone, located northeast of the town center; Flat Rock, located south of the town center; and Florida, located just north of Branchville.
History
Norwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the city is 85,603, making Norwalk sixth in population in Connecticut, and third in Fairfield County...
and Milford
Milford, Connecticut
Milford is a coastal city in southwestern New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located between Bridgeport and New Haven. The population was 52,759 at the 2010 census...
in 1708, when a group of settlers purchased land from Chief Catoonah (also known as Chief Katonah
Chief Katonah
Chief Katonah was a Native American Munsee sachem for all Wiechquaeskeck in the Greenwich, Stamford, and Bedford area, from whom the land of the town of Bedford, New York was purchased. The hamlet of Katonah, New York, located within Bedford, is named for him. He was Sachem of Ramapoo...
) of the Ramapo tribe
Ramapough Mountain Indians
The Ramapough Mountain Indians, also known as Ramapo Mountain Indians or the Ramapough Lenape Nation, are a group of approximately 5,000 people living around the Ramapo Mountains of northern New Jersey and southern New York. Their tribal office is located on Stag Hill Road on Houvenkopf Mountain in...
. The town was incorporated under a royal charter issued in 1709. The most notable 18th century event was the Battle of Ridgefield
Battle of Ridgefield
The Battle of Ridgefield was a battle and a series of skirmishes between American and British forces during the American Revolutionary War. The main battle was fought in the village of Ridgefield, Connecticut on April 27, 1777 and more skirmishing occurred the next day between Ridgefield and the...
on April 27, 1777. This American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
skirmish involved a small colonial militia force (state militia and some Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
soldiers), led by, among others, General David Wooster
David Wooster
David Wooster was an American general who served in the French and Indian War and in the American Revolutionary War. He died of wounds sustained during the Battle of Ridgefield, Connecticut. Cities, schools, and public places were named after him...
, who died in the engagement, and Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold V was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the British Army. While a general on the American side, he obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted to surrender it to the British forces...
, whose horse was shot from under him. They faced a larger British force that had landed at Norwalk and was returning from a raid on the colonial supply depot in Danbury
Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It had population at the 2010 census of 80,893. Danbury is the fourth largest city in Fairfield County and is the seventh largest city in Connecticut....
. The battle was a tactical victory for the British but a strategic one for the Colonials since the British never again attempted a landing by ship to attack colonial strongholds during the war. Today, the dead from both sides are buried together in a small cemetery on Main Street on the right of the entrance to Casagmo condominiums: "...foes in arms, brothers in death..." The Keeler Tavern
Keeler Tavern
The Keeler Tavern is an 18th-century historical building in Ridgefield, Connecticut, United States. The property served as summer home to architect Cass Gilbert, who purchased it in 1907 and designed additions to the building as well as a garden....
, a local inn and museum, features a British cannonball still lodged in the side of the building. There are many other landmarks from the Revolutionary War in the town, with most along Main Street.
In the summer of 1781, the French army under the Comte de Rochambeau marched through Connecticut, encamping in the Ridgebury section of town, where the first Catholic mass in Ridgefield was offered. (The town of Lebanon
Lebanon, Connecticut
Lebanon is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 6,907 at the 2000 census. The town lies just to the northwest of Norwich, north of New London, and east of Hartford...
is where the first Catholic mass was offered in the state.)
For much of its three centuries, Ridgefield was a farming community. Among the important families in the 19th century were the Rockwells and Lounsburys, which intermarried. They produced two Connecticut governors, George Lounsbury and Phineas Lounsbury. The Ridgefield Veterans Memorial Community Center on Main Street, also called the Lounsbury House, was built by Gov. Phineas Chapman Lounsbury around 1896 as his primary residence. The Lounsbury Farm near the Florida section of Ridgefield is one of the only remaining operational farms in Ridgefield.
In the late 19th century, spurred by the new railroad connection to its lofty village and the fact that nearby countryside reaches 1000 feet (304.8 m) above sea level, Ridgefield began to be discovered by wealthy New York City residents, who assembled large estates and built huge "summer cottages" throughout the higher sections of town. Among the more noteworthy estates were Col. Louis D. Conley's "Outpost Farm", which at one point totalled nearly 2000 acres (8.1 km²), some of which is now Bennett's Pond State Park; Seth Low Pierrepont's "Twixthills", more than 600 acres (2.4 km²), much of which is now Pierrepont State Park; Frederic E. Lewis's "Upagenstit", 100 acre (0.404686 km²) that became Grey Court College in the 1940s, but is now mostly subdivisions; and Col. Edward M. Knox's "Downesbury Manor", whose 300 acres (1.2 km²) included a 45-room mansion that Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
often visited.
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, and most were broken up. Many mansions were razed. In their place came subdivisions of one- and 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) lots that turned the town into a suburban, bedroom community in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. However, strong planning and zoning has maintained much of the 19th and early 20th century charm of the town, especially along its famous mile-long Main Street.
In 1946, Ridgefield was one of the locations considered for the United Nations secretariat building, but was not chosen due to its relative inaccessibility.
On the National Register of Historic Places
Part of the town center is a historic districtHistoric district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
(NRHP) as Ridgefield Center Historic District
Ridgefield Center Historic District
The Ridgefield Center Historic District is part of the town of Ridgefield, Connecticut. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984....
. The district was added to the Register in 1984 and includes representations of mid-19th century revival, Late Victorian, and Colonial revival architectural styles. Noted architect Cass Gilbert
Cass Gilbert
- Historical impact :Gilbert is considered a skyscraper pioneer; when designing the Woolworth Building he moved into unproven ground — though he certainly was aware of the ground-breaking work done by Chicago architects on skyscrapers and once discussed merging firms with the legendary Daniel...
purchased historic Keeler Tavern
Keeler Tavern
The Keeler Tavern is an 18th-century historical building in Ridgefield, Connecticut, United States. The property served as summer home to architect Cass Gilbert, who purchased it in 1907 and designed additions to the building as well as a garden....
within the district and renovated it for his use as a summer home. Roughly bounded by Pound Street, Fairview Avenue, Prospect Ridge, and Whipstick Roads, the district was added on October 7, 1984. In addition to the town center historic district, there are a number of individual properties and at least one other historic district in the town that are NRHP-listed:
- Benedict House and ShopBenedict House and ShopThe Benedict House and Shop is located in Ridgefield, Connecticut. The house was built in 1740 and has an adjoining cobbler's shop. It is significant as a rare surviving example of a colonial artisan's workshop. The buildings are among the oldest colonial houses in Ridgefield...
— 57 Rockwell Road (added 1998) - Branchville Railroad TenementBranchville Railroad TenementThe Branchville Railroad Tenement is located in Ridgefield, Connecticut. The building was built in 1853 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 12, 1982....
— Old Main Highway (added 1982) - Frederic Remington HouseFrederic Remington HouseFrederic Remington House in Ridgefield, Connecticut, was the home of the painter and sculptor Frederic Remington in the last year of his life. Remington designed the two-story gambrel-roofed, fieldstone-and-shingle house himself...
— 154 Barry Ave. (added 1966) - Hugh Cain Fulling Mill and Elias Glover Woolen Mill Archeological SiteHugh Cain Fulling Mill and Elias Glover Woolen Mill Archeological SiteThe Hugh Cain Fulling Mill and Elias Glover Woolen Mill Archeological Site is a archeological site in the eastern part of Ridgefield, Connecticut that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.- External links :*...
(added 1985) - J. Alden Weir Farm Historic District — 735 Nod Hill Road and Pelham Lane (added 1984; see Weir Farm National Historic Site, below)
- Keeler TavernKeeler TavernThe Keeler Tavern is an 18th-century historical building in Ridgefield, Connecticut, United States. The property served as summer home to architect Cass Gilbert, who purchased it in 1907 and designed additions to the building as well as a garden....
— 132 Main St. (added 1982) - Lewis June HouseLewis June HouseThe Lewis June House in Ridgefield, Connecticut, USA, also known as Scott House, was built in circa 1865 in Second Empire style. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984....
— 478 N. Salem Road (added 1984) - March Route of Rochambeau's Army: Ridgebury RoadMarch Route of Rochambeau's Army: Ridgebury RoadMarch Route of Rochambeau's Army: Ridgebury Road is a historic site in Ridgefield, Connecticut. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.It is along the march route taken by French commander Rochambeau's troops in 1781....
— Ridgebury Road, from intersection with Old Stagecoach South (added 2003) - Phineas Chapman Lounsbury HousePhineas Chapman Lounsbury HouseThe Phineas Chapman Lounsbury House, also known as Grovelawn and as the Ridgefield Veterans Memorial Community Center, is a Classical Revival-style building that was built in 1895. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975....
— 316 Main Street, also known as the Ridgefield Veterans Memorial Community Center (added 1975) - Ridgebury Congregational ChurchRidgebury Congregational ChurchRidgebury Congregational Church is a historic church on Ridgebury Road and George Washington Highway in the Ridgebury section of Ridgefield, Connecticut.It was built in 1851 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984....
— Ridgebury Road and George Washington Highway (added 1984) - Thomas Hyatt HouseThomas Hyatt HouseThe Thomas Hyatt House, also known as the Cashman House, is a Colonial style house built in Ridgefield, Connecticut, circa 1735. Additions from 1770 and 1980 completed the building. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984....
— 11 Barlow Mountain Road (added 1984) - West Mountain Historic DistrictWest Mountain Historic DistrictThe West Mountain Historic District is a historic district northwest of the center of Ridgefield, Connecticut in Fairfield County, Connecticut that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984...
— state road 855 (formerly Route 102Connecticut Route 102Route 102 is a state highway in southwestern Connecticut running from the center of Ridgefield to the Branchville section of the same town.-Route description:...
) (added 1984)
Attractions, landmarks, and institutions
The Western Connecticut Youth OrchestraWestern Connecticut Youth Orchestra
The Western Connecticut Youth Orchestra , formerly known as the Ridgefield Symphony Youth Orchestra, is a not-for-profit organization providing young musicians in the Fairfield County and upper Westchester County areas with classical symphonic experience...
, formerly called the Ridgefield Symphony Youth Orchestra, has performed at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
and Avery Fisher Hall at the Lincoln Center.
The Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra began as the "Ridgefield Symphonette" in 1965 with 20 players, only a third of them professionals. It became fully professional by the end of the decade and today has 75 musicians and draws soloists of international reputation. In 1984, Maxim Shostakovich
Maxim Shostakovich
Maxim Dmitrievich Shostakovich is a Russian conductor and pianist. He was the second child of Dmitri Shostakovich and Nina Varzar.Since 1975, he has conducted and popularised many of his father's lesser-known works....
, then a Ridgefielder, conducted a sold-out concert of music by his father, Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich was a Soviet Russian composer and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century....
, with the composer's grandson, Dmitri, performing as piano soloist.
The Keeler Tavern
Keeler Tavern
The Keeler Tavern is an 18th-century historical building in Ridgefield, Connecticut, United States. The property served as summer home to architect Cass Gilbert, who purchased it in 1907 and designed additions to the building as well as a garden....
Museum preserves an early 18th century house that, by the time of the Revolution, had become a tavern and inn. The tavern was a center of community activities, an early post office, and a stop on the northern New York to Boston post road. In the early 20th century, it was the home of noted architect Cass Gilbert
Cass Gilbert
- Historical impact :Gilbert is considered a skyscraper pioneer; when designing the Woolworth Building he moved into unproven ground — though he certainly was aware of the ground-breaking work done by Chicago architects on skyscrapers and once discussed merging firms with the legendary Daniel...
. The tavern is open several days a week, offers tours, and has a gift shop.
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum is a leading venue for the world's best contemporary artists. Its exhibitions have attracted national attention and respect. The museum was redesigned and expanded in 2004, and offers many special programs, including concerts.
The Ridgefield Playhouse
Ridgefield Playhouse
The Ridgefield Playhouse is a theater located in Ridgefield, Connecticut with a capacity of 500. It hosts a variety of entertainment events such as the showing of films, plays or musical performances.-History:...
, opened in December 2000, is housed in the former Ridgefield Alternate High School auditorium, and was remodeled as a playhouse. It is the year-round venue for dozens of concerts and other performances, many by internationally known artists. The Playhouse also shows movies, many of them first-run.
Weir Farm National Historic Site
Weir Farm National Historic Site
Weir Farm National Historic Site is located in Ridgefield and Wilton, Connecticut, in the United States. It commemorates the life and work of J. Alden Weir, the American impressionist painter and member of the Cos Cob Art Colony. Tours of his studio are offered by National Park Service rangers....
straddles the Ridgefield-Wilton
Wilton, Connecticut
Wilton is a town nestled in the Norwalk River Valley in southwestern Connecticut in the United States. It is located in Fairfield County. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 18,062. In 2007, it was voted as one of CNN Money's "Best Places to Live" in the United States.Located along...
border, and is the only National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
property in Connecticut. The site preserves much of the farm of J. Alden Weir
J. Alden Weir
Julian Alden Weir was an American impressionist painter and member of the Cos Cob Art Colony near Greenwich, Connecticut...
(1852–1919), a painter of the American Impressionism
American Impressionism
Impressionism, a style of painting characterized by loose brushwork and vivid colors, was practiced widely among American artists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.-An emerging artistic style from Paris:...
style, and was later used by his son-in-law, Mahonri Young
Mahonri Young
Mahonri Macintosh Young was an American sculptor and artist. Although he lived most of his life in New York City, Young is most remembered in Utah as being the grandson of Brigham Young, and who sculpted the This Is The Place Monument and the Seagull Monument in Salt Lake City...
(1877–1957), noted sculptor and a grandson of Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
. The site include the Weir Farm Art Center and a gallery, and many special events take place there, including shows by visiting artists in residence.
The Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance was founded as the Ridgefield Studio of Classical Ballet in 1965 by Patricia Schuster. In 2002 it became the Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. The Conservatory is home to three pre-professional performance companies: the Ridgefield Civic Ballet, The Junior Dance Ensemble, and the Contemporary Dance Ensemble. The conservatory presents the The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
annually at the Ridgefield Playhouse
Ridgefield Playhouse
The Ridgefield Playhouse is a theater located in Ridgefield, Connecticut with a capacity of 500. It hosts a variety of entertainment events such as the showing of films, plays or musical performances.-History:...
.
Located at the intersection of West Lane and Route 35, the Peter Parley Schoolhouse (c. 1750), also known as the Little Red Schoolhouse or the West Lane Schoolhouse, is a one-room schoolhouse in use by the town until 1913. The site and grounds are maintained by the Ridgefield Garden Club. The building is open certain Sundays and displays the desks, slates and books the children used.
Ridgefield's public open space includes Aldrich Park, Bennett's Pond State Park, Brewster Farm, Florida Refuge, Hemlock Hills/Lake Windwing, Pine Mountain
Pine Mountain Reserve (Connecticut)
Pine Mountain Reserve is a 368 acre open space in Ridgefield, Connecticut. The space has many trails, trail heads and also Ridgefield's highest point, at above sea level.-Trail heads:...
, Seth Low Pierrepont State Park, and the Weir Farm National Historic Site
Weir Farm National Historic Site
Weir Farm National Historic Site is located in Ridgefield and Wilton, Connecticut, in the United States. It commemorates the life and work of J. Alden Weir, the American impressionist painter and member of the Cos Cob Art Colony. Tours of his studio are offered by National Park Service rangers....
. Its public open spaces make up 5200 acres (2,104.4 ha), accounting for 23% of the towns overall land.
Ridgefield Golf Course is the town's municipal 18 hole golf course and was opened in 1974. The golf course was designed by George Fazio
George Fazio
George Fazio was an American professional golfer and a golf course architect.Fazio, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was a respected player in the mid-twentieth century and competed in seven Masters Tournaments from 1947 to 1954...
and Tom Fazio
Tom Fazio
Thomas Fazio, ASGCA is a golf course architect.Fazio graduated in 1962 from Lansdale Catholic High School and was inducted into its "Hall of Fame" in 2007. He began his career in golf course design with his family's firm in suburban Philadelphia, which he left in the 1960s; he established his own...
.
The town's largest industry is Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, whose United States headquarters are located in the Ridgebury section of town.
In 2006, the tree selected to be displayed in New York's Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National...
for the Christmas season came from Ridgefield.
The town also features a skatepark
Skatepark
A skatepark is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, aggressive inline skating and scooters. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, quarter pipes, spine transfers, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, pyramids, banked ramps, full pipes, pools, bowls, snake runs stairsets,...
, owned by the town and maintained by the town's parks and recreations service, in which both skateboarding
Skateboarding
Skateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard.Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an art form, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report...
and aggressive inline skating
Aggressive inline skating
Aggressive inline skating is a form of inline skating, performed on specially designed inline skates with focus on sliding stances known as grinds with a focus on new tricks, stunts and personal style. Participants refer to the activity as "'rollerblading'", "blading", "skating" or "rolling"...
are done. In 2010 the skatepark was rebuilt and expanded as a result of the need to expand the Ridgefield Playhouse parking lot.
Education
Ridgefield has nine public schools and two private schools. The public schools are managed by Ridgefield Public Schools. The six public elementary schoolElementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
s are Veterans Park, Branchville, Farmingville, Scotland, Barlow Mountain, and Ridgebury. Scotts Ridge Middle School (Ridgefield's newest school) and East Ridge are the town's two middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
s. The high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
is Ridgefield High School. The high school's teams are called the Tigers.
Ridgefield's Roman Catholic schools are St. Mary, serving preschool through eighth grade, and St. Padre Pio Catholic School, serving kindergarten through sixth grade and run by the Society of St. Pius X
Society of St. Pius X
The Society of Saint Pius X is an international Traditionalist Catholic organisation, founded in 1970 by the French archbishop Marcel Lefebvre...
.
Ridgefield Academy is a private school serving preschool through eighth grade, situated on a 42 acres (17 ha) turn-of-the-20th-century estate on West Mountain.
There are also various preschools and a Montessori school.
Annual events
- The Nutmeg Festival on Main Street is in August. It has been organized by St. Stephen's Church and held on its grounds since 1906, when it was started there as an "apron and cake sale" by the Ladies Guild to raise money for charity.
- The Antiques Flea Market is held every June outdoors on the grounds of the Veterans Memorial Community Center.
- A local farmers market is held every Friday during the summer months.
Neighboring cities and towns
Geology
Ridgefield consists of hilly, rocky terrain, ranging from 1060 feet (323.1 m) above sea level (at Pine MountainPine Mountain Reserve (Connecticut)
Pine Mountain Reserve is a 368 acre open space in Ridgefield, Connecticut. The space has many trails, trail heads and also Ridgefield's highest point, at above sea level.-Trail heads:...
) to 342 feet (104.2 m) at Branchville. Its average village elevation is 725 feet (221 m) above sea level. The landscape is strewn with countless rocks deposited by glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s, and among the town's bodies of water is Round Pond
Round Pond (Connecticut)
Round Pond is located in Ridgefield, Connecticut, USA . Formed by a receding glacier, it is almost circular, and is in size. The pond drains across the state boundary to the state of New York into the Cross River Reservoir, providing an initial flow to New York City. Once used as a reservoir for...
, formed in a kettle left by the last glacier 20,000 years ago. A particularly interesting feature is Cameron's Line
Cameron's Line
Cameron's Line is a Ordovician suture fault in the northeast United States which formed as part of the continental collision known as the Taconic orogeny around 450 mya. Named after Eugene N. Cameron, who first described it in the 1950s, it ties together the North American continental craton, the...
, named for Eugene N. Cameron, who discovered that rocks west of the line differed greatly from those east of it. This fault line was formed some 250 million years ago by the collision of "Proto North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
" and "Proto Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
", and there are still occasional light earthquakes felt along its length. The line bisects the southern half of the town, running generally north of West Lane, across the north end of the village, past the south end of Great Swamp and generally easterly into Redding in the Topstone area. North of Cameron's Line, the town is rich in limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
. The mineral was extensively mined, and remnants of several limekiln
Limekiln
A lime kiln is used to produce quicklime through the calcination of limestone . The chemical equation for this reaction is...
s exist today. Also mined here in the 19th century was mica
Mica
The mica group of sheet silicate minerals includes several closely related materials having highly perfect basal cleavage. All are monoclinic, with a tendency towards pseudohexagonal crystals, and are similar in chemical composition...
, pegmatite
Pegmatite
A pegmatite is a very crystalline, intrusive igneous rock composed of interlocking crystals usually larger than 2.5 cm in size; such rocks are referred to as pegmatitic....
, and quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
. Gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, as well as gemstones such as garnet
Garnet
The garnet group includes a group of minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. The name "garnet" may come from either the Middle English word gernet meaning 'dark red', or the Latin granatus , possibly a reference to the Punica granatum , a plant with red seeds...
and beryl
Beryl
The mineral beryl is a beryllium aluminium cyclosilicate with the chemical formula Be3Al26. The hexagonal crystals of beryl may be very small or range to several meters in size. Terminated crystals are relatively rare...
, have been found here, and dozens of minerals have been unearthed at the old Branchville Mica Quarry. Uraninite
Uraninite
Uraninite is a radioactive, uranium-rich mineral and ore with a chemical composition that is largely UO2, but also contains UO3 and oxides of lead, thorium, and rare earth elements...
, a source of uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
, is found here, too.
Climate
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 23,643 people, 8,433 households, and 6,611 families residing in the town. 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 686.7 people per square mile (265.1/km²). There were 8,877 housing units at an average density of 257.8 per square mile (99.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.12% White, 0.62% Black or African American
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...
, 0.09% Native American, 2.08% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.36% 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 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.97% of the population.
There were 8,433 households out of which 43.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.6% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.6% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the town the population was spread out with 30.6% under the age of 18, 3.2% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $107,351, and the median income for a family was $127,981 (these figures had risen to $125,909 and $154,346 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $50,236 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 town was $51,795. About 1.3% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
Town center
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 are 7,212 people, 2,933 households, and 1,994 families residing in the CDP. 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...
is 1,125.2 people per square mile (434.4/km2). There are 3,078 housing units at an average density of 480.2 per square mile (185.4/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP is 95.52% White, 0.54% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 2.44% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. 2.26% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 2,933 households out of which 34.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% are married couples living together, 8.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% are non-families. 28.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.46 and the average family size is 3.05.
In the CDP the population is spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 41 years. For every 100 females there are 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.5 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP is $81,179, and the median income for a family is $127,327. Males have a median income of $93,084 versus $47,232 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 CDP is $46,843. 3.2% of the population and 1.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 1.6% of those under the age of 18 and 6.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Notable people, past and present
Ridgefield has been associated with numerous famous people in many different fields. A brief summary includes actor Robert VaughnRobert Vaughn
Robert Francis Vaughn, , is an American actor noted for stage, film and television work. His best known roles include the suave spy Napoleon Solo in the 1960s television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., wealthy detective Harry Rule in the 1970s television series The Protectors, Albert Stroller in...
and actor/playwright Harvey Fierstein
Harvey Fierstein
Harvey Forbes Fierstein is a U.S. actor and playwright, noted for the early distinction of winning Tony Awards for both writing and originating the lead role in his long-running play Torch Song Trilogy, about a gay drag-performer and his quest for true love and family, as well as writing the...
, who live in town, while Erland van Lidth de Jeude
Erland Van Lidth De Jeude
Erland van Lidth de Jeude was a Dutch-born actor who appeared in several Hollywood films, as well as being a wrestler, an opera singer bass-baritone, and also worked with computers. While his large size Erland van Lidth de Jeude (June 3, 1953 - September 23, 1987) was a Dutch-born actor who...
went to Ridgefield High School in downtown Ridgefield and graduated in 1972. Authors have included Eugene O'Neill
Eugene O'Neill
Eugene Gladstone O'Neill was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into American drama techniques of realism earlier associated with Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, and Swedish...
, Howard Fast
Howard Fast
Howard Melvin Fast was an American novelist and television writer. Fast also wrote under the pen names E. V. Cunningham and Walter Ericson.-Early life:Fast was born in New York City...
and Cornelius Ryan
Cornelius Ryan
Cornelius Ryan, was an Irish journalist and author mainly known for his writings on popular military history, especially his World War II books: The Longest Day: June 6, 1944 D-Day , The Last Battle , and A Bridge Too Far .-Early life:Ryan was born in Dublin and educated at Synge Street CBS,...
. Children's book authors Richard Scarry
Richard Scarry
Richard McClure Scarry was a popular American children's author and illustrator who published over 300 books with total sales of over 100 million units worldwide....
, Maurice Sendak
Maurice Sendak
Maurice Bernard Sendak is an American writer and illustrator of children's literature. He is best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963.-Early life:...
and Andy Luckey
Andy Luckey
Andrew A. Luckey is an American writer, director and producer, primarily of animated works...
have lived in town. Ridgefield is home to American portrait artist John Howard Sanden
John Howard Sanden
John Howard Sanden is an American portrait artist. He was the Art Director for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association c.a. 1955-1970. He founded the Portrait Institute. Sanden was an instructor at The Art Students League of New York.In 2007, he had studios in Carnegie Hall, New York City and...
. Cartoonist Roz Chast
Roz Chast
Rosalind "Roz" Chast is an American cartoonist and a staff cartoonist for The New Yorker. She grew up in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, the only child of an assistant principal and a high school teacher who subscribed to The New Yorker. Her earliest cartoons were published in Christopher Street...
, a frequent New Yorker magazine contributor, lives in town. Businesswoman Carolyn Kepcher
Carolyn Kepcher
Carolyn Kepcher is an American businesswoman, perhaps best known for her regular appearances on the NBC television program The Apprentice. She was formerly the Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and General Manager for the Trump National Golf Club...
, who appeared on the NBC show The Apprentice
The Apprentice (U.S. TV series)
The Apprentice is an American reality television show hosted by real estate magnate, businessman and television personality Donald Trump, created by Mark Burnett and broadcast on NBC...
, is a resident, as is Judy Collins
Judy Collins
Judith Marjorie "Judy" Collins is an American singer and songwriter, known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records ; and for her social activism. She is an alumna of the University of Colorado.-Musical career:Collins was born and raised in Seattle, Washington...
as well as author and former Chairman and CEO of Honeywell
Honeywell
Honeywell International, Inc. is a major conglomerate company that produces a variety of consumer products, engineering services, and aerospace systems for a wide variety of customers, from private consumers to major corporations and governments....
, Lawrence Bossidy
Lawrence Bossidy
Lawrence A. Bossidy is a businessman and author. He is a retired CEO of AlliedSignal , and has also spent more than 30 years rising into executive power at General Electric.-Early life and education:...
. Conductor Maxim Shostakovich
Maxim Shostakovich
Maxim Dmitrievich Shostakovich is a Russian conductor and pianist. He was the second child of Dmitri Shostakovich and Nina Varzar.Since 1975, he has conducted and popularised many of his father's lesser-known works....
once lived in town, as did Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine owner Henry Luce
Henry Luce
Henry Robinson Luce was an influential American publisher. He launched and closely supervised a stable of magazines that transformed journalism and the reading habits of upscale Americans...
and his wife, Clare Boothe Luce
Clare Boothe Luce
Clare Boothe Luce was an American playwright, editor, journalist, ambassador, socialite and U.S. Congresswoman, representing the state of Connecticut.-Early life:...
, who was also a playwright and Congresswoman. Jeremiah Donovan
Jeremiah Donovan
Jeremiah Donovan was a United States Representative from Connecticut. He was born in Ridgefield, Connecticut where he attended the public schools and was graduated from Ridgefield Academy. He moved to South Norwalk, Connecticut in 1870 and engaged in the retail liquor business until 1898 when he...
was a United States Representative from Connecticut. A notable metropolitan opera singer from the early 20th century Geraldine Farrar
Geraldine Farrar
Geraldine Farrar was an American soprano opera singer and film actress, noted for her beauty, acting ability, and "the intimate timbre of her voice." She had a large following among young women, who were nicknamed "Gerry-flappers".- Early life and opera career :Farrar was born in Melrose,...
lived in a house on West Lane. Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
lived in Ridgefield from 2001 to 2004.
Kurt Waldheim
Kurt Waldheim
Kurt Josef Waldheim was an Austrian diplomat and politician. Waldheim was the fourth Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981, and the ninth President of Austria, from 1986 to 1992...
, the former Secretary General of the United Nations, rested in town at the estate of a friend, and Theodore Sorenson, former advisor to President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, was once a town resident. Ira Joe Fisher
Ira Joe Fisher
Ira Joe Fisher is an American meteorologist and poet. He was the weather reporter for CBS's The Saturday Early Show, a position he held from 1999 until 2006...
, a poet who is also a weatherman on CBS television, lives in town as does veteran newsman Morton Dean
Morton Dean
Morton Dean is an American television news journalist who has worked for CBS News and ABC News since the mid-1960s....
. John H. Frey
John H. Frey
John H. Frey is an American businessman and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he is the State Representative from the 111th District , first elected in 1998. In the 2004 election, Frey won with 68.7% of the vote and was the highest vote-getter in the 151-member Connecticut House of...
, minority whip of the Connecticut House of Representatives is a longtime resident.
Curt Onalfo
Curt Onalfo
Curt Onalfo is an American former soccer player.As a player, he played two seasons in France, two in the USISL, one in Mexico and four in Major League Soccer, achieving his most success with Los Angeles Galaxy and D.C. United. He earned also earned one caps with the United States national team...
, former head coach of the Kansas City Wizards
Kansas City Wizards
Sporting Kansas City is an American professional soccer club based in Kansas City, Kansas that competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada...
and D.C. United
D.C. United
D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception, in 1996.Over the...
, went to Ridgefield High School.
The 1939 film In Name Only, starring Cary Grant, Carole Lombard and Kay Francis, is partially set in Ridgefield, and the opening shot is of the wooden sign at the corner of Main St. and Branchville Road opposite what is now Jesse Lee Memorial United Methodist Church.
In the 1941 film The Lady Eve
The Lady Eve
The Lady Eve is a 1941 American screwball comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges, and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda. The film is based on a story by Monckton Hoffe about a mismatched couple who meet on board a luxury liner...
, starring Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwick, Fonda's character hosts lavish parties in a fictional town called Bridgefield, Connecticut, a town full of millionaires, right outside of New York. This fictional town is based on the town of Ridgefield.
Utilities serving the town
- Electricity: Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P)
- Water: Aquarion serves central and west parts of town (down Route 33 south to St. Johns Road, north along Route 35 to Farmingville, west to the Eleven Levels area and West Lane). Small water companies serve some other parts of town. The water line was recently extended up North Street to Barlow Mountain and Scotland Elementary Schools, a proposal that took years to pass.
- Telephone/Internet: AT&T
- Cable television/Telephone/Internet: Comcast Cable in Danbury
- Local newspaper: The Ridgefield PressThe Ridgefield PressThe Ridgefield Press is an American weekly newspaper published each Thursday for Ridgefield, Connecticut. The newspaper was established in 1875 and has a paid circulation of about 7,000 copies...
External links
- Town of Ridgefield official website
- Ridgefield Public Schools
- Ridgefield High School Athletics
- Ridgefield Open Space Association
Local media:
- The Ridgefield Press, Ridgefield's community newspaper since 1875
- Ridgefield Magazine, published bimonthly, with features on Ridgefield and surrounding towns
- The News-Times, published daily in Danbury, carries news of Ridgefield
- WLAD, 800 AM, covers breaking news of Ridgefield
- RidgefieldLive.com , a community chat board
Jack Sanders' history website:
Jack Sanders, an editor at The Ridgefield Press, has extensive information about the town's history at his website.
- Ridgefield Names: A history of a Connecticut town through its place names
- Notable Ridgefielders in the Twentieth century
- Postcard views of Ridgefield in the early 20th Century
- Timeline of Twentieth century events in Ridgefield
- Diary of Ridgefielder Jared Nash, 1865-1866
- Old maps of Ridgefield
- A list of Ridgefield authors
- Books about Ridgefield
- Information on Ridgefield cemeteries
Houses of worship:
- St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church
- St. Elizabeth Seton Roman Catholic Church
- First Congregational Church
- St. Stephen's Episcopal Church
- Jesse Lee Memorial United Methodist Church
- St. Andrew's Lutheran Church
- Ridgebury Congregational Church
- Ridgefield Baptist Church
- First Church of Christ, Scientist
- Temple Shearith Israel