Welcome to City of Ridgefield Connecticut! In the following section, we have compiled a number of quick references for the area and surrounding cities. Whether you're looking to buy or sell Ridgefield CT Real Estate, allow the Home Vision Group to guide you on your journey! If you have additional questions about Ridgefield CT Homes or anything in the local area, please feel free to email us or call us at 203.438.4066.
Ridgefield CT Real Estate and Community Guide |
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 Ridgefield was first settled by English colonists from Norwalk and Milford in 1708 when a group of settlers purchased land from Chief Catoonah of the Ramapoo tribe. The town was incorporated under Royal Charter in 1709. The most notable 18th Century event was the Battle of Ridgefield (on April 27, 1777). This Revolutionary War skirmish involved a small colonial militia force (the Connecticut Continentals, part of the Continental Army), led by, among others, General David Wooster, who died in the engagement, and Benedict Arnold, whose horse was shot from under him. They faced a larger British force that had landed at Norwalk and was returning from a raid on the colonial supply depot in Danbury, Connecticut. The battle was a tactical victory for the British but a strategic one for the Colonials since the British never again attempted a landing by ship to attack colonial strongholds during the war. Today, 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. (The town of Lebanon, Connecticut is where the first Catholic Mass was offered in the state.)
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, 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.
In the late 1800s, spurred by the new railroad connection to its lofty village and the fact that nearby countryside reaches 1,000 feet above sea level, Ridgefield began to be discovered by wealthy New York City residents, who assembled large estates and built huge "summer cottages" throughout the higher sections of town. Among the more noteworthy estates were Col. Louis D. Conley's "Outpost Farm", which at one point totalled nearly 2,000 acres, some of which is now Bennett's Pond State Park; Seth Low Pierrepont's "Twixthills", more than 600 acres , much of which is now Pierrepont State Park; Frederic E. Lewis's "Upagenstit", 100 acres that became Grey Court College in the 1940s, but is now mostly subdivisions; and Col. Edward M. Knox's "Downesbury Manor", whose 300 acres included a 45-room mansion that Mark Twain often visited.
These and dozens of other estates became unaffordable and unwieldy during and after the Great Depression, and most were broken up. Many mansions were razed. In their place came subdivisions of one- and 2-acre lots that turned the town into a suburban, bedroom community in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. However, strong planning and zoning has maintained much of the 19th and early 20th Century charm of the town, especially along its famous mile-long Main Street.
Right after World War II, Ridgefield was one of the locations considered for the United Nations secretariate building. The central portion of the town center is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The town center was added to the Register in 1984 and is noted for its mid-19th century revival, Late Victorian, and Colonial revival architectural styles. Many of the houses in the historic district were designed by Cass Gilbert.
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Education and Schools in Ridgefield |
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 Ridgefield has nine public schools and two private schools. The public schools are managed by Ridgefield Public Schools. The six public elementary schools are Veterans Park, Branchville, Farmingville, Scotland, Barlow Mountain, and Ridgebury. Scotts Ridge Middle School (Ridgefield's newest school) and East Ridge are the town's two middle schools. The high school is Ridgefield High School. The school's teams are called the Tigers.
Ridgefield's Roman Catholic school, St. Mary, serves preschool through eighth grade. A private school, Ridgefield Academy, teaches preschool through eighth grade and is situated on a former turn-of-the-20th-Century estate on West Mountain. There are also various preschools and a Montessori school.
For more detailed information on each school please visit the Ridgefield Education website.
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Ridgefield CT Community Directory and Links |
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Area Information & Economic Development
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Arts and Entertainment
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Business/Community Organizations
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Environmental Concerns
Ridgefield CT Parks & Environment
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Historical Sites
Ridgefield CT Parks & Recreation
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Kids and Sports
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Local News Papers and Magazines
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Parenting
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Religious Organizations
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Veteran's Organizations
Ridgefield CT Community Center
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Ridgefield Local Demographics |
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 As of the census of 2000, there were 23,643 people, 8,433 households, and 6,611 families residing in the town. The population density was 686.7 people per square mile. There were 8,877 housing units at an average density of 257.8/sq mi.
There were 8,433 households out of which 43.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.6% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.6% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the town the population was spread out with 30.6% under the age of 18, 3.2% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $107,351, and the median income for a family was $127,981 (these figures had risen to $125,909 and $154,346 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $50,236 for females. The per capita income for the town was $51,795. About 1.3% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
Zip codes: 06877, 06879.
Ridgefield Zip Code Map
Estimated median household income in 2007: $99,831 (it was $81,179 in 2000)
Ridgefield: $99,831
Connecticut: $65,967
Estimated per capita income in 2007: $58,557
Ridgefield: $58,557
Connecticut: $35,904
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Estimated median house or condo value in 2007: $755,182 (it was $401,200 in 2000)
Ridgefield: $755,182
Connecticut: $309,200
Mean prices in 2007: All housing units: $799,540; Detached houses: $866,615; Townhouses or other attached units: $739,439; In 2-unit structures: $824,203; In 3-to-4-unit structures: $348,850; In 5-or-more-unit structures: $277,332
Sample recent home sales in RIDGEFIELD, CT (zip code 06877):
- 49 SHADOW LN: $85,000 on 2008-06-13
- 32 DOUGLAS LN: $550,000 on 2008-06-13
- 48 NORTH ST: $610,000 on 2008-06-13
- 32 OLD BARLOW MOUNTAIN RD: $645,000 on 2008-06-13
- 638 DANBURY RD: $159,624 on 2008-06-12 (COOP OR CONDO)
- 32 HICKORY LN: $580,000 on 2008-06-10
- 5 FLORIDA HILL RD: $728,000 on 2008-06-09
- 2 KIWI COR: $194,500 on 2008-06-06 (COOP OR CONDO)
- 64 PUMPING STATION RD: $887,500 on 2008-06-04
- 33 DOGWOOD DR: $45,535 on 2008-06-04
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Financing Your Home >They Said Yes
Applying for a mortgage loan brings out the paranoia in everyone, even those who are most compulsive and consistent about paying their bills on time. Remember that the lender wants your business and will do everything possible to help finalize your home purchase.
There will be nothing to worry about if you have paid your bills more or less on time. If you have a record of late payments but no serious credit problems, you may have to provide the lender with a written explanation of why certain payments were late. The loan approval may depend on whether or not the excuses are reasonable. Your lender can probably help you work things out if your problems are not serious. If your credit problems are serious, it will help to sit down with a lender even before you begin house hunting.
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| Q |
What kind of home construction is considered to be the safest in seismic areas?
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| A |
Straw-bale homes in seismic zones have proven resilient enough to withstand the shock of earthquakes. |
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