Ridgway, Illinois Explained

Ridgway, Illinois
Official Name:Village of Ridgway
Settlement Type:Village
Image Map1:Illinois in United States (US48).svg
Map Caption1:Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates:37.7981°N -88.2606°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Illinois
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Gallatin
Subdivision Type3:Township
Established Title:Founded
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Nancy Kitchens
Leader Title1:Village president
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:2.28
Area Total Sq Mi:0.88
Area Land Km2:2.28
Area Land Sq Mi:0.88
Area Water Km2:0.00
Area Water Sq Mi:0.00
Elevation Ft:374
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:851
Population Density Km2:373.48
Population Density Sq Mi:967.05
Timezone1:CST
Utc Offset1:-6
Timezone1 Dst:CDT
Utc Offset1 Dst:-5
Postal Code Type:ZIP Code(s)
Postal Code:62979
Area Code:618
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:17-64018
Blank1 Name Sec2:GNIS ID
Blank1 Info Sec2:2399074
Blank2 Name Sec2:Wikimedia Commons
Blank2 Info Sec2:Ridgway, Illinois

Ridgway is a village in Gallatin County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 851. As of 2021, Nancy Kitchens was the town mayor.[2]

History

Ridgway was established in 1866 as a construction camp along what would become the Springfield and Illinois South Eastern Railway. It was named for the railroad's president, Thomas S. Ridgway.[3]

The village, once home to a popcorn plant, is the former self-proclaimed "Popcorn Capital of the World". Popcorn Day continues as part of the Gallatin County Fair and is held the second Saturday in September.[4]

The February 2012 tornadoes, which killed seven in the nearby Harrisburg area, destroyed the St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Ridgway.[5] The church was rebuilt in 2015 under the name "St. Kateri," in honor of Kateri Tekakwitha.[6]

Geography

Ridgway is located in southern Illinois at 37.7981°N -88.2606°W (37.798036, -88.260571),[7] north of Shawnee National Forest. It is in north-central Gallatin County, 9miles northwest of Shawneetown, the county seat. The village is concentrated along Ridgway Newhaven Road, just east of Illinois Route 1.

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Ridgway has a total area of 0.88sqmi, of which 0.88sqmi (or 99.89%) is land and 0sqmi (or 0.11%) is water.[8]

Demographics

As of the 2020 census[9] there were 851 people, 445 households, and 282 families residing in the village. The population density was 965.95PD/sqmi. There were 419 housing units at an average density of 475.6/sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 93.77% White, 1.41% African American, 0.47% Asian, 0.71% from other races, and 3.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.29% of the population.

There were 379 households, 31.4% were married couples living together, 43.3% had a female householder with no husband present.

The median income for a household in the village was $44,777, and the median income for a family was $68,958. About 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 17.2% of those age 65 or over.

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. March 15, 2022.
  2. Web site: G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1 . dead . https://archive.today/20200213063949/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US1764018 . February 13, 2020 . December 25, 2015 . United States Census Bureau.
  3. Edward Callary, Place Names of Illinois (University of Illinois Press, 2010), p. 296.
  4. Web site: Still Popping, Ill.. tribunedigital-chicagotribune. April 28, 2003 . May 3, 2016.
  5. "Tornadoes Rip Through the Midwest and South," Boston Globe, March 1, 2012.
  6. "St. Kateri Taking Shape in Ridgway," Belleville Messenger, July 30, 2015.
  7. Web site: US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990. United States Census Bureau. April 23, 2011. February 12, 2011.
  8. Web site: Bureau . US Census . Gazetteer Files . June 29, 2022 . Census.gov.
  9. Web site: Explore Census Data . June 28, 2022 . data.census.gov.