Ridgetop is a city in
Davidson and
Robertson counties in the
U.S. state of
Tennessee. The population was 1,874 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Ridgetop is located in Robertson County except for two small portions of the city that fall in Davidson County.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.
There is a small man-made lake built to draw in tourism in the early 1900s. Underneath the town is "Ridgetop Tunnel", a railroad tunnel bored in the early 1900s. When completed in 1905, it was the longest free-standing (i.e., with no columnar supports) tunnel in the world.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, there were 2,155 people, 803 households, and 613 families residing in the city.
2000 census
As of the
census of 2000, there were 1,083 people, 385 households, and 314 families residing in the city. The
population density was 678.3 people per square mile (261.3/km
2). There were 399 housing units at an average density of 249.9 per square mile (96.3/km
2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.12%
White, 1.48%
African American, 0.09%
Native American, 0.55%
Asian, 0.18% from
other races, and 1.57% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 1.02% of the population.
There were 385 households, out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.5% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.4% were non-families. 16.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.4% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $52,381, and the median income for a family was $57,589. Males had a median income of $40,813 versus $26,250 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $19,610. About 4.3% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 15.5% of those age 65 or over.
Filming
Scenes for ''
Hannah Montana: The Movie'' were filmed at the special events facility "Smiley Hollow". The movie was released April 10, 2009.
Notable residents
*
Grandpa Jones - American
banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
player and "old time" country and gospel music singer and member of the
Grand Ole Opry
The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...
*
David "Stringbean" Akeman - American country music banjo player and comedy musician best known for his role on the hit television show, Hee Haw, and as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He and his wife were neighbors of Grandpa Jones' and were both murdered at their home in 1973
*
Willie Nelson - American country music singer and songwriter who wrote some of country's biggest hits with several crossover hits by many artists such as Roy Orbison. Willie owned a ranch in Ridgetop, TN from 1963 to 1970 where he wrote many of his songs. It burned down in 1970 and Willie took it as a sign and moved back to Texas.
References
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Cities in Tennessee
Cities in Robertson County, Tennessee
Cities in Davidson County, Tennessee
Cities in Nashville metropolitan area