Map of Ridgely town, Maryland

Ridgely is a town in Caroline County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,639 at the 2010 census.

Ridgely town overview:
Name:	Ridgely town
LSAD Code:	43
LSAD Description:	town (suffix)
State:	Maryland
County:	Caroline County
Incorporated:	1896
Elevation:	59 ft (18 m)
Total Area:	1.86 sq mi (4.83 km²)
Land Area:	1.86 sq mi (4.83 km²)
Water Area:	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)
Total Population:	1,611
Population Density:	864.27/sq mi (333.65/km²)
ZIP code:	21660
Area code:	410
FIPS code:	2466000
GNISfeature ID:	0586831

Online Interactive Map

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Ridgely online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Ridgely location map. Where is Ridgely town?

Ridgely location on the U.S. Map. Where is Ridgely town. — Ridgely location on the U.S. Map.

Ridgely location on the Maryland map. Where is Ridgely town. — Location of Ridgely in Maryland.

History

The town was established on May 13, 1867 by the Maryland and Baltimore Land Association. The land around present day Ridgely was purchased by the Maryland and Baltimore Land Association from Thomas Bell and the Reverend Greenbury W. Ridgely. The town was named after the Rev. Greenbury W. Ridgely.

A railroad boom in the 1860s on the Delmarva Peninsula was fueling land speculation. Civil engineer J.J. Sickler from Philadelphia was commissioned to design the town’s layout. The Land Association began construction and built four buildings, including a railroad station, hotel, and two private residences during the first year. James K. Saulsbury constructed a combined store and residence, now known as the Ridgely House.

During the Land’s Association’s first year, it went bankrupt; Ridgely was left unfinished and sparsely populated. Most properties were sold at public auction, and Ridgely began to grow gradually as a result of its location on the railroad line now called the Maryland and Delaware.

Ridgely’s economy flourished as a result of its local crop production, including strawberries, huckleberries, vegetables, eggs, and poultry. Most crops were processed in Ridgely or sent to various locations on the railroad. As the nation began to rely on highways instead of railroads for transportation and industry began to concentrate in larger urban areas, Ridgely’s economy declined.

Ridgely became known as the “Strawberry Capital of the World” as a result of its prosperous agricultural business. Every May, Ridgely hosts the Strawberry Festival to celebrate its past. A Ridgely Historical Society was created in 2005 for the same purpose.