Ridgway, Illinois

Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement Ridgway is a village in Ridgway and North Fork Townships, Gallatin County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, Ridgway had a population of 851.^[1]

History

Ridgway was established in 1866 as a construction camp along what would become the Springfield and Illinois South Eastern Railway. It was named for the railroad's president, Thomas S. Ridgway.^[2]

The village, once home to a popcorn plant, is the former self-proclaimed "Popcorn Capital of the World". Popcorn Day continues as part of the Gallatin County Fair and is held the second Saturday in September.^[3]

The February 2012 tornadoes, which killed seven in the nearby Harrisburg area, destroyed the St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Ridgway.^[4] The church was rebuilt in 2015 under the name "St. Kateri," in honor of Kateri Tekakwitha.^[5]

Geography

Ridgway is located in southern Illinois north of the Shawnee National Forest. It is in north-central Gallatin County, Template:Convert northwest of Shawneetown, the county seat. The village is concentrated along Ridgway Newhaven Road, just east of Illinois Route 1.

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Ridgway has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert (or 99.89%) is land and Template:Convert (or 0.11%) is water.^[6]

Demographics

Template:US Census populationAs of the 2020 census^[7] there were 851 people, 445 households, and 282 families residing in the village. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 419 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the village was 93.77% White, 1.41% African American, 0.47% Asian, 0.71% from other races, and 3.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.29% of the population.

There were 379 households, 31.4% were married couples living together, 43.3% had a female householder with no husband present.

The median income for a household in the village was $44,777, and the median income for a family was $68,958. About 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 17.2% of those age 65 or over.