Ridgefield is a city in northern Clark County,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. The population was 10,319 at the time of the 2020 census, up from 4,763 in 2010, making it the fastest growing city in the state of Washington. Located within the

Portland metropolitan area The Portland metropolitan area is a metro area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington centered on the principal city of Portland, Oregon. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) identifies it as the Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, ...

, Ridgefield is notable for the significant Native American history and connection to the

Lewis and Clark Expedition The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gr ...

. It is also the headquarters of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, a primary reserve for migrating waterfowl on the

Pacific Flyway The Pacific Flyway is a major north-south flyway for migratory birds in the Americas, extending from Alaska to Patagonia. Every year, migratory birds travel some or all of this distance both in spring and in fall, following food sources, heading ...

, and the home of the Ridgefield High School "Spudders" (reflecting the area's

potato The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Unit ...

-farming heritage).

History

The area has important ties to the

of 1804–1806, being close to the

Chinookan The Chinookan languages were a small family of languages spoken in Oregon and Washington along the Columbia River by Chinook peoples. Although the last known native speaker of any Chinookan language died in 2012, the 2009-2013 American Community ...

town of Cathlapotle, then a settlement of 700–800 people, with at least 14 substantial

plank house A plank house is a type of house constructed by indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest, typically using cedar planks. History The oldest plank house village found is located in Kitselas Canyon at the Paul Mason Site in western British Col ...

s. The community's ties to the Chinookan people was commemorated by the construction of a replica of a Cathlapotle

at the nearby Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, which was dedicated March 29, 2005. The town was formerly known as Union Ridge, named by the many Union veterans among the first large wave of settlers after the Civil War and was renamed Ridgefield in 1890. The town's original name is preserved in the name of Union Ridge Elementary School. Ridgefield was an important trading center as early as the 1860s with its key location near the mouth of the Columbia River, and the city was officially incorporated on August 26, 1909.

U-Haul U-Haul is an American moving truck, trailer, and self-storage rental company, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that has been in operation since 1945. The company was founded by Leonard Shoen in Ridgefield, Washington, who began it in the garage ...

, an American equipment rental company, had its start in Ridgefield in 1945.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Parks in Ridgefield include Abrams Park,

Community Park Neighborhood parks, which generally range in size up to , serve as a social and recreational focal points for neighborhoods and are the basic units of a park system. Many include a playground. Neighborhood parks provide relief from the built envi ...

, Davis Park, and Overlook Park. The Ridgefield Veterans Memorial is adjacent to Community Park.

Government

Ridgefield has a council–manager form of government, with a city manager who is appointed by a

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

with seven elected members. The city council also selects a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

from among themselves. The current city manager is Steve Stuart, a former county commissioner who was hired in 2014. Jennifer Lindsay has served as mayor since 2022, replacing Don Stose.

Economy

Rental and storage company

was founded in Ridgefield in 1945.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2020, there were 10,319 people and 2,899 households in the city. The population density was . There were 3,687 housing units at an average density of . The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the city was 81.5% White, 1.05% African American, 0.68% Native American, 3.48% Asian, 0.32% Pacific Islander, 2.7% from other races, and 10.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.14%. Of the 2,899 households, 70.9% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 8.6% had a male householder with no wife present. The average family size was 3.48. The median age was 34.4 years. 7.3% were under the age of 5; 31.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 68.8% were 18 or over; and 10.7% were 65 or older.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 4,763 people, 1,591 households, and 1,258 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,695 housing units at an average density of . The

of the city was 92.4% White, 0.9% African American, 0.8% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.9% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.1%. Of the 1,591 households 48.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.0% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 20.9% were non-families. 16.2% of households were one person and 6.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.34. The median age was 32.4 years. 33.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29.7% were from 25 to 44; 22.9% were from 45 to 64; and 7.7% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.9% male and 50.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,147 people, 739 households, and 557 families living in the city. The population density was 420.8 people per square mile (162.5/km). There were 777 housing units at an average density of 152.3 per square mile (58.8/km). The

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. 20.4% were of German, 18.9% American, 11.9% English, 6.9% Irish and 6.2% Norwegian ancestry. Of the 739 households 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 households were one person and 8.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.18. The age distribution was 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% 65 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 household income was $46,012 and the median family income 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 The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Ridgefield School District has five schools: Union Ridge Elementary, South Ridge Elementary, Sunset Ridge Intermediate School, View Ridge Middle School, and Ridgefield High School.

Notable people

*William ‘Hap’ Carty, Ridgefield native who helped build U-Haul *

Scott Mosier Scott A. Mosier (born March 5, 1971) is an American film producer, director and editor best known for his work with director Kevin Smith, with whom he occasionally co-hosts the weekly podcast, ''SModcast''. Early life Mosier was born in Vanco ...

, film producer and podcaster *

Richie Sexson Richmond Lockwood Sexson (born December 29, 1974), nicknamed "Big Sexy", is an American former Major League Baseball first baseman who played for five teams from 1997 to 2008. He is also the field manager for the Windy City ThunderBolts in the ...

, former major league baseball player *

Leonard Shoen Leonard Samuel Shoen (February 29, 1916 – October 4, 1999) was an American entrepreneur who founded the U-Haul truck and trailer organization in Ridgefield, Washington. After growing up in the farm belt during the Great Depression, he envision ...

, founded

in Ridgefield

References

External links

*
History of Ridgefield
at

HistoryLink HistoryLink is an online encyclopedia of Washington state history. The site has more than 8,100 entries and attracts 5,000 daily visitors. It has 500 biographies and more than 14,000 images. The non-profit historical organization History Ink prod ...

{{Authority control 1909 establishments in Washington (state) Cities in Clark County, Washington Cities in Washington (state) Populated places established in 1909 Portland metropolitan area Washington (state) populated places on the Columbia River