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DHistory
History · River Ridge

Half of River Ridge’s homes were built after 1971

More historic than 12% of U.S. towns · #134 of 161 in Louisiana. What drives it

Most of River Ridge was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1971. Below: maps from 1891 on and the census since 1980.

0on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Infrogmation of New Orleans · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

About River Ridge’s history

How historic is River Ridge?

D

More historic than 12% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
The full story ↓
History grade

What drives River Ridge’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, River Ridge is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #134 of 161 in Louisiana. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of River Ridge’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 19402.7% of homes (±1.4) · typical LA town 3.4% · U.S. 8.4%C−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical LA town 3.8 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 12%
NewerOlder
Louisiana towns of 2,500+ (161)Ahead of 17%

Louisiana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Louisiana town has 3.8 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so River Ridge’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (21% of Louisiana towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.4 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: our sources. 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 River Ridge’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of River Ridge are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18917 editions of the USGS map, 1891 to 1992. Watch River Ridge change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start River Ridge’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how River Ridge’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

River Ridge on the map, 1891 to 1992

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of River Ridge. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

River Ridge on the 1891 USGS mapRiver Ridge on the 1932 USGS mapRiver Ridge on the 1951 USGS mapRiver Ridge on the 1965 USGS mapRiver Ridge on the 1972 USGS mapRiver Ridge on the 1989 USGS mapRiver Ridge on the 1992 USGS map1891New Orleans sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of River Ridge.

The story

How River Ridge came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of River Ridge.

Read it all →

The land that is now River Ridge was developed by French colonists and their descendants in the late 18th and early 19th centuries for large sugar plantations; these lined the Mississippi River in traditional French long-lot fashion. The plantations had relatively narrow waterfronts to provide water access and extended deeply back from the river. These plantations were developed by French colonists and their descendants; they depended on the labor of African slaves. Major landowners included members of the Trudeau and Sauvé families. (Pierre Sauvé (1805–1867) had a major plantation here known as Providence.)

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

River Ridge, decade by decade

Today3 recent
School buses, River Ridge Louisiana Ap 20252025School buses, River Ridge Louisiana Ap 2025A mushroom family2012A mushroom familyLAMap-doton-River Ridge2004LAMap-doton-River Ridge
People over time

River Ridge, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00016,00018,000198020002020Peak: 17,146

Between 13,494 and 17,146 people in every census since 1980.

5 censuses, 1980–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on River Ridge’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Old corners

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Little Farms

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Harahan1 historic placeDWaggamanIts storyDMetairie1 historic placeC−Kenner3 historic placesC

Questions about River Ridge’s history

How does River Ridge rank for history?

River Ridge is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #134 of 161 in Louisiana. 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.

How old are the homes in River Ridge?

3% of River Ridge’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.4 points), against a typical 3.4% for a Louisiana town; the median home was built in 1971.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.