Our Town
History of Ridgefield
More than 300 years ago, 30 families from Long Island settlements purchased an area of land from the Ramapoo Indians. In 1709, Ridgefield was established by way of a Royal Charter. Seated in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains in central Fairfield County, Conn., Ridgefield now houses nearly 25,000 people. Its 34 square miles are rich with history, from the stretch of Main Street where Benedict Arnold’s horse was shot out from under him in the Battle of Ridgefield to the cannonball lodged in the Keeler Tavern’s side from British fire in 1777.
With a vibrant mile-long Main Street, an excellent education system, a passion and appreciation for the arts and an array of recreational opportunities, Ridgefield residents take pride in the town’s balance of small-town charm and its modern, growing community.
Who We Are at Talk of Our Town
Ridgefield CT. Trivia time. Latitude: 41.305 N, Longitude: -73.501 W. Elevation: 659 feet. Population: 23,643 – as of the 2000 census – and 31% of us are under the age of 18.
Ridgefield is like so many communities in this country, it both heaves with life and groans with exasperation. There’s an acquaintance made every day, a deal struck on the hour, a confluence of opinion every couple minutes, and no doubt, a laugh every nanosecond.
Our town may be like many others, but think back over the countless conversations you’ve shared (or overheard), on the sidelines and in the bank lines – about how Ridgefield is different – how we stand out. There’s likely not a handful of communities our size and our ilk that boast a museum of contemporary art, a theater barn, a cool music venue and a downtown full of must-haves. Our schools vibrate with achievement, businesses are being established, restaurants are opening their doors and the inarticulable sense of community is passed on like a handshake, in Church, Synagogue, around dinner tables, every day. Ridgefield is special.
The vast majority of us had a paperback copy of Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” dropped on our desks in 9th or 10th grade. Let me jog your memory: It’s a narrative told by a nameless Stage Manager, a tableau peopled with folks as interesting, multi-faceted, crazy and plain as the people we pass here every day. Wilder’s objective in his story of the mundane was to recognize the full spectrum of a town’s life, raising it high, exalting every event as truly rather spectacular.
Welcome to Talk of Our Town, Ridgefield’s channel for who we are. We are a town like no other, in a setting like so many. Join us as we celebrate our uniqueness, and laugh with us as we highlight the mundane. The Talk is about OUR town. These (web) pages are written by and about you. Write in, send us photos. Contribute to this conversation about Ridgefield, it promises to be a conversation that sets us apart.
Interesting that you would compare Ridgefield to Our Town. I have lived in Ridgefield for nearly 17 years, but I grew up (and still vacation) in the real Our Town that Wilder’s play was based on, Peterborough, NH. As a child I played in Mr. Dole’s pastures and barn – the milkman immortalized by Mr. Wilder.
Ridgefield drew us in largely because of it’s great similarities to the Peterborough area: it’s beauty, history, and unique cultural combination of arts community, independent shopkeepers, and business/industry. Ridgefield is much more populous than Peterborough, but it still has that wonderful eclectic small-town personality.