Ridgeway, New York

Last updated

Ridgeway, New York
Orleans County New York incorporated and unincorporated areas Ridgeway highlighted.svg
Location in Orleans County and the state of New York.
New York in United States (US48).svg
Location of New York in the United States
Coordinates: 43°14′25″N78°23′14″W / 43.24028°N 78.38722°W / 43.24028; -78.38722
Country United States
State New York
County Orleans
Area
[1]
  Total50.24 sq mi (130.13 km2)
  Land50.03 sq mi (129.57 km2)
  Water0.22 sq mi (0.56 km2)
Elevation
410 ft (125 m)
Population
 (2010)
  Total6,780
  Estimate 
(2016) [2]
6,487
  Density129.67/sq mi (50.07/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
  Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
FIPS code 36-61742
GNIS feature ID0979422

Ridgeway is a town in Orleans County, New York, United States. The population was 6,886 at the 2000 census. The name of the town is derived from "Ridge Road," an important highway in the 19th century.

Contents

The Town of Ridgeway is on the western border of the county, which is bordered to the north by Lake Ontario.

History

This area was settled after the American Revolutionary War largely by migrants from New England and eastern New York state, after the Seneca Nation, of the Haudenosaunee, or Six Nations ceded it in the Treaty of Big Tree, in 1797. The Seneca controlled this area at the time of the influx of White Americans but until the period of 1644-1647, it was the realm of The Wenro & Neuter People. Much of the area was purchased by Dutch speculators, known as the Holland Land Company, in 1792-1793. [3]

The Town of Ridgeway was formed from Batavia in 1812, [4] in the period of the War of 1812, when Britain and the United States fought over the border with Canada. In 1818, part of the town was used to create the new Town of Shelby. [4] Orleans County was formed by the State Legislature in 1825. [4]

In 1823, Ebenezer Mix was hired to survey and lay out the future village of Medina, the northern portion of which lies within Ridgeway. [5]

Shelby and Ridgeway have one town court to serve both towns. Additionally, both towns share an assessor. [6]

The Servoss House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. [7]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 50.3 square miles (130 km2), of which 50.0 square miles (129 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) (0.46%) is water.

The town is bordered by the Town of Hartland to the west in Niagara County. New York State Route 269 (County Line Road) partly defines this border.

New York State Route 63 (Lyndonville Road) and New York State Route 104 (Ridge Road) intersect in the western part of the town. New York State Route 31E passes through the southeast part of Ridgeway.

The Oak Orchard River flows through the town toward Lake Ontario to the north.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1820 1,496
1830 1,93929.6%
1840 3,55483.3%
1850 4,59129.2%
1860 4,7062.5%
1870 5,0968.3%
1880 5,4957.8%
1890 5,7905.4%
1900 5,8981.9%
1910 6,53810.9%
1920 5,969−8.7%
1930 6,0681.7%
1940 5,826−4.0%
1950 6,2176.7%
1960 6,91111.2%
1970 7,2094.3%
1980 7,2781.0%
1990 7,3410.9%
2000 6,886−6.2%
2010 6,780−1.5%
2016 (est.)6,487 [2] −4.3%
U.S. Decennial Census [8]

As of the census [9] of 2000, there were 6,886 people, 2,627 households, and 1,841 families residing in the town. The population density was 137.6 inhabitants per square mile (53.1/km2). There were 2,872 housing units at an average density of 57.4 per square mile (22.2/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 91.93% White, 4.40% African American, 0.45% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.96% from other races, and 1.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.35% of the population.

There were 2,627 households, out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.0% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $35,206, and the median income for a family was $41,696. Males had a median income of $33,189 versus $20,881 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,316. About 10.5% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.5% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Communities and locations in Ridgeway

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orleans County, New York</span> County in New York, United States

Orleans County is a county in the western part of the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,343. The county seat is Albion. The county received its name at the insistence of Nehemiah Ingersoll though historians are unsure how the name was selected. The two competing theories are that it was named to honor the French Royal House of Orleans or that it was to honor Andrew Jackson's victory in New Orleans. The county is part of the Finger Lakes region of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alabama, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Alabama is a town in Genesee County, New York, United States. The town is in the northwestern part of the county. New York State Routes 63 and 77 intersect in the town. The population was 1,869 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the state of Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clarkson, New York</span> Town in Monroe County, New York, United States

Clarkson is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States. The population was 6,904 at the 2020 census. The town is named after General Matthew Clarkson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charleston, New York</span> Town in Montgomery County, NY

Charleston is a town in Montgomery County, New York, United States. The population was 1,373 at the 2010 census. The town was named for Charles Van Epps, an early settler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cambria, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Cambria is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 5,743 at the 2020 census. Cambria is an early name for Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hartland, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Hartland is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 4,117 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Hartland, Vermont, the homeplace of some early settlers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royalton, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Royalton is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 7,660 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somerset, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Somerset is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 2,662 at the 2010 census. The town is believed to be named after Somerset, New Jersey, the source of some early settlers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crawford, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Crawford is a town in the north of Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 9,130 at the 2020 census. The name comes from a settler who gave his name to a community in the hamlet now called Pine Bush.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlton, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Carlton is a town in Orleans County, New York, United States. The population was 2,994 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from Carleton, a shipbuilding district near Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaines, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Gaines is a town in Orleans County, New York, United States. The population was 3,226 at the 2020 census, and 3,378 at the 2010 census. The town is named after General Edmund P. Gaines, who defended the area during the War of 1812.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murray, New York</span> Town in Orleans County, New York

Murray is a town in Orleans County, New York, United States. The population was 6,259 at the 2000 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shelby, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Shelby is a town in Orleans County, New York, United States. The population was 5,319 at the 2010 census.

Enfield is a town in Tompkins County, New York, United States. The population was 3,401 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ontario, New York</span> Town in Wayne County, New York, US

Ontario is a town in the northwest corner of Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 9,778 at the 2000 census, and 10,136 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the Great Lake on its northern border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elba, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Elba is a town in Genesee County, New York, United States. The population was 2,370 at the 2010 census. The town is at the northern border of the county and is north of the city of Batavia. The town contains the village of Elba, located near the town's center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewiston, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Lewiston is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 15,944 at the 2020 census. The town and its contained village are named after Morgan Lewis, a governor of New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockport (town), New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Lockport is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 20,529 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from the series of canal locks on the Erie Canal. The locks lift boats from the lowland of Lake Ontario past the Niagara Escarpment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sodus, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Sodus is a town in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 8,384 at the 2010 census. The town takes its name from a native word for the bay in the eastern part of the town: "Assorodus," meaning "silvery water."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newfane, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Newfane is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 9,666 at the 2010 census.

References

  1. "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Population and Housing Unit Estimates" . Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  3. Grinnell, E.W. Medina, Here's To Our Heritage. Medina Historical Society. p. 2.
  4. 1 2 3 Grinnell, E.W. Medina, Here's To Our Heritage. Medina Historical Society. p. 2.
  5. Ginnell, E.W. Medina, Here's To Our History. Medina Historical Society. p. 5.
  6. "Shared Services Notes – Town of Ridgeway" . Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  7. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  8. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  9. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.