Ridgefield, Washington
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ridgefield is a small, rural community set in the pastoral, rolling-hills countryside of north Clark County, Washington, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,147.
Ridgefield is perhaps most notable for the significant Native American and Lewis and Clark Expedition history of the area, but is also the home of the beautiful and verdant Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, a primary reserve for migrating waterfowl on the Pacific Flyway, and the somewhat oddly-named Ridgefield High School "Spudders" (reflecting the area's potato-farming heritage).
While the town of Ridgefield is itself relatively modest in size (although now growing quickly), the geographic area that is locally also called Ridgefield is quite a bit larger, extending from the Columbia River to its immediate west, the Lewis River to the north, Interstate 5 to the east, and south nearly to Vancouver, Washington, and encompassing both the Clark County Fairgrounds and the Clark County Amphitheater.
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[edit] History
The area has important ties to the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-1806.
Ridgefield was an important trading center as early as the 1860s, and the city was officially incorporated on August 26, 1909. U-Haul, an American equipment rental company, had its start in Ridgefield in 1945. The community's ties to the Chinookan people was commemorated by the construction of a replica of a Cathlapotle plankhouse at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, which was dedicated March 29, 2005.
[edit] Geography
Ridgefield is located at (45.815309, -122.727846)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.2 km² (5.1 mi²). 13.2 km² (5.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.20% is water.
In the physical lay of the land, (old, pre-Growth Management Act) Ridgefield is like many towns up and down the Columbia River in that it essentially dead-ends at the river, although in this case it is an offshoot of the Columbia River, Lake River, that the city runs up to, about three miles west of Interstate 5.
The area is marked, as one would expect, with numerous fields bordered by canyons, with ridges along them overlooking the canyons in places. The canyons have been and continue to be carved from the land primarily by water erosion. The land here has been cleared of much of its earlier forests to accommodate the uses of people, first as fields for farming, mostly potatoes and plums for prunes, and growth, especially residential development continues to impact the area.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 2,147 people, 739 households, and 557 families residing in the city. The population density was 162.5/km² (420.8/mi²). There were 777 housing units at an average density of 58.8/km² (152.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.16% White, 0.28% African American, 1.12% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 2.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.77% of the population.
There were 739 households out of which 43.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.6% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.6% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.8% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $46,012, and the median income for a family was $51,121. Males had a median income of $38,125 versus $27,426 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,696. About 4.4% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Controversy
Recently controversy has erupted over the conduct of City officials in this once-quiet town. Concerns over racism in hiring practices and other ethical issues within the police department; also the arrest of a City councilman on charges of drunken driving and possession of drug paraphenalia have occurred.
[edit] External links
- City of Ridgefield, Washington Government
- Port of Ridgefield, Washington
- Ridgefield Community Website
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
[edit] Things To Do
In addition to the many things to see and do at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, the town of Ridgefield and its surrounding areas provide many opportunities for challenging, interesting and fun recreational and cultural activities. These range from kayaking on the Columbia River, open-microphone talent nights at the Liberty Theater, visits to Native American and other early peoples historical sites, skateboarding in the downtown skate park, and meals out at the local Pizza or Mexican food restaurants. Looking a bit further south, but still in that larger area still known as Ridgefield, there are many entertainment opportunities to enjoy at the the Clark County Fairgrounds, including the anuual fair as well as dog, horse and other shows throughout the year, and the Clark County Ampitheater, which stages 20 or 30 major act concerts throughout the warmer months of the year.
