Ridgeway is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Orleans County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

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

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...

History

This area was settled after the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

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. The Town of Ridgeway was formed from Batavia in 1812, 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. Orleans County was formed by the State Legislature in 1825. In 1823, Ebenezer Mix was hired to survey and lay out the future village of

Medina Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...

, the northern portion of which lies within Ridgeway. Shelby and Ridgeway have one town court to serve both towns. Additionally, both towns share an assessor. The Servoss House was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2008.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (0.46%) is water. The town is bordered by the Town of Hartland to the west in

Niagara County Niagara County is in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 212,666. The county seat is Lockport. The county name is from the Iroquois word ''Onguiaahra''; meaning ''the strait'' or ''thunder of ...

New York State Route 269 New York State Route 269 (NY 269) is a north–south state highway located in western New York in the United States. The highway runs for along the Niagara County, New York, Niagara–Orleans County, New York, Orleans county line and ...

(County Line Road) partly defines this border.

New York State Route 63 New York State Route 63 (NY 63) is a state highway in the western part of New York (state), New York in the United States. It extends for in a generally southeast–northwest direction from an intersection with New York State Route 15 ...

(Lyndonville Road) and

New York State Route 104 New York State Route 104 (NY 104) is a east–west state highway in Upstate New York in the United States. It spans six counties and enters the vicinity of four cities—Niagara Falls, Lockport, Rochester, and Oswego—as it foll ...

(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

to the north.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 6,886 people, 2,627 households, and 1,841 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,872 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 91.93%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 4.40%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.45% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.96% from other races, and 1.77% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

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 Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $17,316. About 10.5% of families and 14.4% 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 ...

, including 21.5% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Charles Bogardus, Illinois state legislator, farmer, and businessman, lived in Ridgeway * John Caldwell, former US Congressman from

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, was born here.

Communities and locations in Ridgeway

*Glenwood Lake – A small lake shared with the Village of Medina. It drains into the Oak Orchard River. *Jeddo – A hamlet by the west town line on NY-104. *Knowlesville - A small hamlet on the Erie Canal. Named after settler William Knowles. Home to the Orleans County fairgrounds. *

- The north part of the Village of Medina is in the town. *North Ridgeway – A hamlet at the west town line on NY-269. * Oak Orchard on-the-Ridge – Location on NY-104 on the eastern side of the town, next to the Oak Orchard River. * Oak Orchard River – A stream that flows northward through the town. *Ridgeway – A hamlet at the intersection of Routes NY-63 (Lyndonvile Road) and NY-104 (Ridge Road). *West Ridgeway – A hamlet west of Ridgeway village on NY-104.

References

External links

Historical notes on Ridgeway

{{authority control Rochester metropolitan area, New York Towns in Orleans County, New York Towns in New York (state)