Everything about Ridgway Colorado totally explained
The
Town of Ridgway is a
Home Rule Municipality located in
Ouray County,
Colorado,
United States. The population was 713 at the 2000 census. The area is famous as the filming site of the
John Wayne western movie True Grit, and still has a
True Grit Cafe, full of John Wayne memorabilia. The town served as the setting for
Fort Smith and the most notable scene was the
hanging in the main city park.
The
Uncompahgre River runs through the town, and provides ample trout fishing for its residents, as does the Ridgway State Park and Reservoir, just north of Ridgway a mile or two.
Wildlife is ample; deer, elk, bear, coyotes and eagles are a common sight in and around town.
History
Ridgway began as a railroad town, serving the nearby mining towns of
Telluride and
Ouray, pronounced
yu-ray.
The town site sits at the northern terminus of the
Rio Grande Southern Railroad where it meets with
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad running between
Montrose and
Ouray. Ridgway was located about 3 miles (5 km) south of the existing town of
Dallas. Articles of incorporation were filed on
22 May 1890 and granted on
4 March 1891. Ridgway was named after Denver and Rio Grande Railroad superintendent Robert M. Ridgway.
The Rio Grande Southern filed for abandonment on
24 April 1952 and the Denver and Rio Grande Western abandoned the line between Ridgway and Ouray on
21 March 1953. The line between Ridgway and Montrose was upgraded from
narrow gauge to
standard gauge and Ridgway continued to be a shipping point until the line to Montrose was abandoned in
1976 as result of a reservoir being built on the Uncompahgre River.
Geography
Ridgway is located at (38.151934, -107.756870), at an altitude of 6900 feet.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.0
square miles (5.2
km²), all of it land.
The nearby
San Juan Mountain Range has 14 of the 53
fourteeners. (Fourteeners are mountains over 14,000 feet.) Among them, 14,150 foot (4,310 m)
Mt. Sneffels is most prominent from Ridgway.
The eponymous
Mt. Ridgway, in height, is also nearby, west of
Ouray.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 713 people, 285 households, and 190 families residing in the town. The
population density was 356.1 people per square mile (137.6/km²). There were 318 housing units at an average density of 158.8/sq mi (61.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.25%
White, 1.82%
Native American, 0.28%
Asian, 0.70% from
other races, and 2.95% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 4.77% of the population.
There were 285 households out of which 38.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were
married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 34.2% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 5.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 102.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $40,903, and the median income for a family was $45,208. Males had a median income of $31,597 versus $26,250 for females. The
per capita income for the town was $20,084. About 3.2% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 6.9% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
Residents
Among Ridgway's population there are an assortment of recognizable and famous people.
1)
Charles W. "Charlie" Ergen (born
May 1,
1953) is the co-founder and CEO of
EchoStar Communications Corporation, the parent company of
Dish Network.
2)
Ralph Lauren (born Ralph Lifschitz on
October 14,
1939) is an American fashion designer and business executive.
3)
William Dennis Weaver June 4 1924 —
February 24 2006) was an
Emmy Award-winning
American actor, best known for his work in
television, including roles as sidekick Chester Goode from
1955 to
1964 on TV's first "adult
Western"
Gunsmoke, as Marshal Sam McCloud on the
NBC police drama McCloud, which ran from
1970 to
1977, and as the protagonist in
Steven Spielberg's feature-length directorial debut, the cult TV movie
Duel in 1971.
He attended the
University of Oklahoma, where he studied drama and also was a track star, setting records in several events. He served as a pilot in the
United States Navy during the
Second World War.
((4) Victoria Hearst, sister of Patty Hearst and granddaughter of William Randolf Hearst, opened a large Christian Church called the Ridgway Christian Center in Ridgway in 2001.
Transportation
The closest airport served by scheduled airlines is
Montrose Regional Airport, located 28 miles north.
Major highways
Further Information
Get more info on 'Ridgway Colorado'.
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