The Ridgeway Township post office opened in 1834, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Balch (1881), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 1,535192 years
How historic is Ridgeway Township?
A−
More historic than 77% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Ridgeway Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Ridgeway Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ridgeway Township is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ridgeway Township’s overall grade.
Few Michigan towns list much on the Register (a typical Michigan town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Ridgeway Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (32% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±5.2 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Ridgeway Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Ridgeway Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Ridgeway Township is a civil township of Lenawee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,535 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated community of Ridgeway can be found within Ridgeway Township.
Its first post office opened in 1834. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,542 in 2010, 1,535 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Ridgeway Township, 1834 to 1939
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Ridgeway Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1939Blissfield 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 Ridgeway Township.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Another post office, Balch, opened and closed inside today’s town.
The Ridgeway Township post office opened in 1834, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Ridgeway Township rank for history?
Ridgeway Township is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns. 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 Ridgeway Township?
44% of Ridgeway Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.2 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1947.
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 Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
