Ridgefield

History

Ridgefield was settled by English colonists from Norwalk in 1708, when a group of them purchased land from Chief Catoonah of the Ramapo tribe. The town was incorporated under a royal charter from the Connecticut General Assembly issued in 1709. Its most significant 18th-century event was the Battle of Ridgefield on April 27, 1777. This American Revolutionary War skirmish involved a small colonial militia force (state militia and some Continental Army soldiers), led by, among others, General David Wooster, who died in the engagement, and Benedict Arnold, whose horse was shot from under him. The dead from both sides are buried together in a small cemetery on Main Street on the right of the entrance to Casagmo condominiums: "...foes in arms, brothers in death...". The Keeler Tavern, a local inn and museum, features a British cannonball still lodged in the side of the building. There are many other landmarks from the Revolutionary War in the town, with most along Main Street. In the summer of 1781, the French army under the Comte de Rochambeau marched through Connecticut, encamping in the Ridgebury section of town, where the first Catholic mass in Ridgefield was offered. For much of its three centuries, Ridgefield was a farming community. Among the important families in the 19th century were the Rockwells and Lounsburys, which intermarried. They produced two Connecticut governors, brothers and business partners George Lounsbury and Phineas Lounsbury. The Ridgefield Veterans Memorial Community Center on Main Street, also called the Lounsbury House, was built by Gov. Phineas Chapman Lounsbury around 1896 as his primary residence. The Lounsbury Farm near the Florida section of Ridgefield is one of the only remaining operational farms in Ridgefield. In the late 19th…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.52%, is water. Ridgefield is bordered by the towns of North Salem and Lewisboro in Westchester County, New York and the town of Southeast in Putnam County, New York to the west, Danbury to the north, Wilton to the south and Redding to the east. The Metro-North Railroad's Branchville station is in the Branchville corner of town. The census-designated place (CDP) corresponding to the town center covers a total area of , of which 0.16% is water. Other locales within the town include Titicus on Route 116 just north of the village; Ridgebury in the northern section of town; Scotland, which is south of Ridgebury; Farmingville, located northeast and east of the town center; Limestone, located northeast of the town center; Flat Rock, located south of the town center; and Florida, located just north of Branchville. Ridgefield consists of hilly, rocky terrain, ranging from above sea level (at Pine Mountain) to at Branchville. Its average village elevation is above sea level. The landscape is strewn with countless rocks deposited by glaciers, and among the town's bodies of water is Round Pond, formed in a kettle left by the last glacier 20,000 years ago. Another interesting body of water in the town is Mamanasco Lake, an lake near Ridgefield High School. A particularly interesting feature is Cameron's Line, named for Eugene N. Cameron, who discovered that rocks west of the line differed greatly from those east of it. This fault line was formed some 250 million years ago by the collision of "Proto North America" and "Proto Africa", and there are still occasional light earthquakes felt along its length. The line bisects the southern half of the town, running generally…

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Ridgefield High School
  High · Ridgefield · 1,474 students · 12:1 ratio
• Saxe Middle School
  Middle · New Canaan · 1,315 students · 11.3:1 ratio
• New Canaan High School
  High · New Canaan · 1,294 students · 12.3:1 ratio
• Wilton High School
  High · Wilton · 1,231 students · 11.1:1 ratio
• Bethel High School
  High · Bethel · 1,063 students · 12.7:1 ratio
• Broadview Middle School
  Middle · Danbury · 1,026 students · 12.2:1 ratio
• Rogers Park Middle School
  Middle · Danbury · 950 students · 12:1 ratio
• Middlebrook School
  Middle · Wilton · 894 students · 10.4:1 ratio