Ridgefield dates to 1708, and 13% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 89% of U.S. towns · #51 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
13 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Frederic Remington House, a National Historic Landmark, and five historic districts with 282 buildings between them. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1959 on, and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1792.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Ridgefield’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ridgefield is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #51 of 155 in Connecticut. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ridgefield’s overall grade.
Connecticut towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Connecticut town has 73.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Ridgefield’s 120 sits near the middle of its state (61% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 301 historic buildings outnumber those of 95% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A+. The pre-1940 share (±2.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1708.
Founding year: Wikipedia (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Ridgefield’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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. Ridgefield was descriptively named. 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. They faced a larger British force that had landed at Westport and was returning from a raid on the colonial supply depot in Danbury. The battle was a tactical victory for the British but a strategic one for the Colonials because the British would never again conduct…
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1708, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Ridgefield’s post office opened in 1792, and the first U.S. census counted 1,947 people here in 1790.
How does Ridgefield rank for history?
Ridgefield is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #51 of 155 in Connecticut. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Ridgefield?
13 listings: 8 buildings, among them the Frederic Remington House (a National Historic Landmark since 1965), and 5 historic districts with 282 contributing buildings. 301 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Ridgefield?
13% of Ridgefield’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.6 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1972.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (5), the Library of Congress (6), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (13), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
★ Landmark
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