Ridgely, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Ridgely is a town in Caroline County
, Maryland
, United States
. The population was 1,352 at the 2000 census. Its main ZIP code is 21660, but is assigned eight other "216" zip codes due to its status as a home to fulfillment companies that receive and ship mail-in offers. The primary phone exchange is 634 and the area code is 410. Maryland Route 480
bisects the town. Pelican Airport serves the area also. Ridgelyites boast of the widest main street of any town in Maryland; it was once considered "The Strawberry Capital" and still holds a Strawberry Festival each May. Its rural nature was in 2009 threatened by a proposed federal security training facility nearby, but plans were scrapped in 2010.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 1,352 people, 513 households, and 349 families residing in the town. The population density
was 1,269.0 people per square mile (487.9/km²). There were 553 housing units at an average density of 519.1 per square mile (199.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 81.58% White, 15.61% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.96% from other races
, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.18% of the population.
There were 513 households out of which 39.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples
living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the town the population was spread out with 30.4% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 89.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,750, and the median income for a family was $38,929. Males had a median income of $27,356 versus $19,844 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $15,581. About 7.8% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.4% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over.
was fueling land speculation. Civil engineer J.J. Sickler from Philadelphia was commissioned to design the town's layout. The Land Association began construction and built four buildings, including a railroad station, hotel, and two private residences during the first year. James K. Saulsbury constructed a combined store and residence, now known as the Ridgely House.
During the Land's Association's first year, it went bankrupt; Ridgely was left unfinished and sparsely populated. Most properties were sold at public auction
, and Ridgely began to grow gradually as a result of its location on the railroad line now called the Maryland and Delaware
.
Ridgely's economy flourished as a result of its flourishing local crop production, including strawberries, huckleberries, vegetables, eggs
, and poultry
. Most crops were processed in Ridgely or sent to various locations on the railroad. As the nation began to rely on highways instead of railroads for transportation and industry began to concentrate in larger urban areas, Ridgely's economy declined.
Ridgely became known as the "Strawberry Capital of the World" as a result of its prosperous agricultural business. Every May, Ridgely hosts the Strawberry Festival to celebrate its past.
Oak Lawn
was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1975. Marble Head
was listed in 2002.
Clerk-Treasurer: Carol Balderson
Assistant Clerk: Stephanie Berkey
Codes Administrator: Cary Malkus
Director of Public Works: Robin Eaton
Assistant Director of Water & Sewer: David Crist
Chief of Police: Gary Foster
Caroline County, Maryland
Caroline County is a wholly rural county located in the U.S. state of Maryland on its Eastern Shore. It is bordered by Queen Anne's County to the north, Talbot County to the west, Dorchester County to the south, Kent County, Delaware, to the east, and Sussex County, Delaware, to the southeast. As...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,352 at the 2000 census. Its main ZIP code is 21660, but is assigned eight other "216" zip codes due to its status as a home to fulfillment companies that receive and ship mail-in offers. The primary phone exchange is 634 and the area code is 410. Maryland Route 480
Maryland Route 480
Maryland Route 480 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as Ridgely Road, the state highway runs from MD 404 in Hillsboro east to MD 313 in Greensboro. MD 480 passes through Ridgely, where it has a concurrency with MD 312. The state highway was...
bisects the town. Pelican Airport serves the area also. Ridgelyites boast of the widest main street of any town in Maryland; it was once considered "The Strawberry Capital" and still holds a Strawberry Festival each May. Its rural nature was in 2009 threatened by a proposed federal security training facility nearby, but plans were scrapped in 2010.
Geography
Ridgely is located at 38°56′42"N 75°53′1"W (38.944896, -75.883489).According to the United States Census Bureau
United 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 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), all of it land.
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 1,352 people, 513 households, and 349 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 1,269.0 people per square mile (487.9/km²). There were 553 housing units at an average density of 519.1 per square mile (199.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 81.58% White, 15.61% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.96% 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 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.18% of the population.
There were 513 households out of which 39.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the town the population was spread out with 30.4% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 89.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,750, and the median income for a family was $38,929. Males had a median income of $27,356 versus $19,844 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 $15,581. About 7.8% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.4% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over.
History
In 1867, the land around present day Ridgely was purchased by the Maryland and Baltimore Land Association from Thomas Bell and the Reverend Greenbury W. Ridgely. During this time period, a railroad boom on the Delmarva PeninsulaDelmarva Peninsula
The Delmarva Peninsula is a large peninsula on the East Coast of the United States, occupied by most of Delaware and portions of Maryland and Virginia...
was fueling land speculation. Civil engineer J.J. Sickler from Philadelphia was commissioned to design the town's layout. The Land Association began construction and built four buildings, including a railroad station, hotel, and two private residences during the first year. James K. Saulsbury constructed a combined store and residence, now known as the Ridgely House.
During the Land's Association's first year, it went bankrupt; Ridgely was left unfinished and sparsely populated. Most properties were sold at public auction
Public auction
A public auction is an auction held on behalf of a government in which the property to be auctioned is either property owned by the government, or property which is sold under the authority of a court of law or a government agency with similar authority....
, and Ridgely began to grow gradually as a result of its location on the railroad line now called the Maryland and Delaware
Maryland and Delaware Railroad
The Maryland and Delaware Railroad Company is a Class III short-line railroad, formed in 1977 to operate several branch lines of the former Penn Central Railroad in both Maryland and Delaware. These branches were omitted from the system plan for Conrail in 1976 and would have been discontinued...
.
Ridgely's economy flourished as a result of its flourishing local crop production, including strawberries, huckleberries, vegetables, eggs
Egg (food)
Eggs are laid by females of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and have probably been eaten by mankind for millennia. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen , and vitellus , contained within various thin membranes...
, and poultry
Poultry
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
. Most crops were processed in Ridgely or sent to various locations on the railroad. As the nation began to rely on highways instead of railroads for transportation and industry began to concentrate in larger urban areas, Ridgely's economy declined.
Ridgely became known as the "Strawberry Capital of the World" as a result of its prosperous agricultural business. Every May, Ridgely hosts the Strawberry Festival to celebrate its past.
Oak Lawn
Oak Lawn (Ridgely, Maryland)
Oak Lawn is a historic home located at Ridgely, Caroline County, Maryland, United States. It is a large rectangular -story brick structure with an arched brick colonnade connecting the two-story brick kitchen wing. The main house was erected in 1783 and the kitchen and arcade added before 1798...
was 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...
in 1975. Marble Head
Marble Head
Marble Head is a historic home located at Ridgely, Caroline County, Maryland, United States. It is a two-story, three-part stuccoed brick house that was apparently built in stages between 1803 and 1820...
was listed in 2002.
Town Officials and Staff
Commissioners: Anthony Casey, Dale Mumford, and Linda Epperly-GloverClerk-Treasurer: Carol Balderson
Assistant Clerk: Stephanie Berkey
Codes Administrator: Cary Malkus
Director of Public Works: Robin Eaton
Assistant Director of Water & Sewer: David Crist
Chief of Police: Gary Foster
Famous residents
- Buck HerzogBuck HerzogCharles Lincoln "Buck" Herzog was an American infielder and manager in Major League Baseball who played for four National League clubs between 1908 and 1920. He played for the New York Giants, the Boston Braves, the Cincinnati Reds, and the Chicago Cubs...
, a former major league baseball player with the New York GiantsSan Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
, Boston BravesAtlanta BravesThe Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
, Cincinnati RedsCincinnati RedsThe Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
, and Chicago CubsChicago CubsThe Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
between 1908 and 1920. Recently his carriage house was saved from demolition and moved to the center of town. - Baseball Hall of Famer Jimmie FoxxJimmie FoxxJames Emory "Jimmie" Foxx , nicknamed "Double X" and "The Beast", was a right-handed American Major League Baseball first baseman and noted power hitter....
began his career here as a semipro catcher. - The town's namesake once practiced law with Henry ClayHenry ClayHenry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
. - The town was home to former Maryland Congressman Thomas Alexander SmithThomas Alexander SmithThomas Alexander Smith represented the 1st congressional district of Maryland in the United States House of Representatives from 1905 to 1907....
. - The Charles T. Dean political and farming family.
Points of interest
- Adkins ArboretumAdkins ArboretumAdkins Arboretum is a native garden and arboretum located within Tuckahoe State Park at 12610 Eveland Road, Ridgely, Maryland. It is open daily except major holidays; an admission fee is charged.- Mission :...
- The Benedictine School, a residential facility for considerably handicapped youth, dates back to 1891 on a farm near Ridgely. Colin PowellColin PowellColin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
has served twice on its Board of Directors. - Tuckahoe State Park