Ridgefield (town), Connecticut
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Ridgefield is a town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 23,643.
The town has a Metro North railroad station called Branchville.
Notable residents of the town, which is a distant New York City suburb, include or have included Carolyn Kepcher, an assistant to Donald Trump on the hit NBC Show The Apprentice; author and artist Maurice Sendak, best known for his "Where the Wild Things Are", and Priceline founder Jay Walker. In the past, residents have included JFK advisor Theodore Sorenson, television journalist Morton Dean, Ingersoll-Rand President [1913-1935] George Doubleday, soprano Geraldine Farrar, novelist Howard Fast, playwright Harvey Fierstein, Jolie Gabor (Zsa Zsa Gabor's mother), architect Cass Gilbert, Connecticut governors George Lounsbury and Phineas Lounsbury, Ambassador Clare Booth Luce and her husband, TIME founder Henry Luce, children's author Richard Scarry, newspaper tycoon Robert P. Scripps, conductor Maxim Shostakovich, and futurist Alvin Toffler.
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Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 90.6 km² (35.0 mi²). 89.2 km² (34.4 mi²) of it is land and 1.4 km² (0.5 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.52% water. The town is bordered by Westchester County, New York to the west, Danbury, Connecticut to the north, Wilton, Connecticut to the south and Redding, Connecticut to the east.
History
Ridgefield was founded in 1708, when a group of settlers purchased land from the Ramapoo tribe. The most notable event to occur there was the Battle of Ridgefield (on April 27, 1777), a skirmish between colonial militia (led by, among others, Benedict Arnold), and a British force returning from a raid on the colonial supply depot in Danbury, Connecticut.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 23,643 people, 8,433 households, and 6,611 families residing in the town. The population density is 265.1/km² (686.7/mi²). There are 8,877 housing units at an average density of 99.5/km² (257.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 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. 1.97% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 8,433 households out of which 43.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.6% are married couples living together, 6.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 21.6% are non-families. 18.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.78 and the average family size is 3.21.
In the town the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $107,351, and the median income for a family is $127,981. Males have a median income of $100,000 versus $50,236 for females. The per capita income for the town is $51,795. 2.4% of the population and 1.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 1.7% of those under the age of 18 and 5.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
See also: Ridgefield (CDP), Connecticut
External links
- Town of Ridgefield (http://www.ridgefieldct.org)