Ridgway is a borough in Elk County, Pennsylvania,founded by Philadelphian shipping merchant Jacob Ridgway and lumber baron Ralph Hindo. Jacob Ridgway earned substantial wealth both in Philadelphia and abroad in London. He constantly sent sums of money back to be invested in property. In the early 1800s as part of a larger land purchase, Ridgway aquired 40,000 acres that became Elk county. One of Jacob Ridgway's business associates, Ralph Hindo, convinced Ridgway that the area could become a very lucrative spot for a lumber camp due to the proximity of Elk creek and the Clarion River. Although James Gillis is often credited, Hindo played a large role in the early planning and development of what is now the town of Ridgway. Ridgway is 119 miles (191 km) east by south of Erie on the Clarion River. Coal and natural gas abound in the district. In the past, the industrial interests were manufacturing leather, iron, clay, and lumber products, silk goods, railroad snow plows, dynamos, and machine tools. In 1900, the people living here numbered 3,515; in 1910, 5,408; and in 1940, 6,253. The population was 4,591 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Elk County.

Art and Culture

Ridgway, Pennsylvania is home of the Ridgway Chainsaw Carving Rendezvous, the largest chainsaw carving gathering of its kind, whose proceeds go to the Make a Wish Foundation and the local YMCA. More information on the Ridgway Chainsaw Carving Rendezvous can be found at http://www.chainsawrendezvous.org

The main newspaper in town is The Ridgway Record. An online condensed version can be found at http://www.ridgwayrecord.com

Education

Ridgway houses two school systems in the borough and township. The Ridgway Area School District and St. Leo's Catholic School make up Ridgway's school systems.

Ridgway Area School District

Ridgway Area School District (RASD), has two buildings used to educate. There is an elementary and a middle/high school building.

The Francis S. Grandinetti Elementary School is located on Boot Jack Hill in Ridgway Township. IU9 Preschool, Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade are the grade levels available for students.

The Ridgway Area Middle/High School is located at 1403 Hill Street in Ridgway, PA. Although one building, the middle school and high school students are separated by two floors. Students at the middle school level, are in grades sixth through eighth. Students in high school range in grade level from ninth to twelfth grade.

St. Leo's Catholic School

The St. Leo's Catholic School has three buildings, a building for preschool children, another building for kindergarten students, and a main building, for children in grades 1-8. The preschool building is located to the left of the building, while the kindergarten building is located just to the right.

In the main building at St. Leo's educates children from grades 1-8. After completing 8th grade, students have the choice to transfer to public school (see above), or to transfer to Elk County Catholic, in St. Marys.

Geography

Ridgway is located at (41.424739, -78.729733).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.7 square miles (6.9 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,591 people, 1,927 households, and 1,233 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,722.7 people per square mile (663.9/km²). There were 2,089 housing units at an average density of 783.8/sq mi (302.1/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.54% White, 0.17% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.17% from other races, and 0.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.52% of the population.

There were 1,927 households out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the borough the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $33,141, and the median income for a family was $45,224. Males had a median income of $31,855 versus $21,296 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $17,157. About 4.9% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links