Map of Ryderwood CDP

Ryderwood is a census-designated place (CDP) in Cowlitz County, Washington, USA, west of the city of Vader. The population was 395 at the 2010 census.

Ryderwood CDP overview:
Name:	Ryderwood CDP
LSAD Code:	57
LSAD Description:	CDP (suffix)
State:	Washington
County:	Cowlitz County
Elevation:	266 ft (81 m)
Total Area:	0.16 sq mi (0.42 km²)
Land Area:	0.16 sq mi (0.42 km²)
Water Area:	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Total Population:	395
ZIP code:	98581
Area code:	360
FIPS code:	5360580
GNISfeature ID:	2586746

Online Interactive Map

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

Ryderwood location map. Where is Ryderwood CDP?

Ryderwood location on the U.S. Map. Where is Ryderwood CDP. — Ryderwood location on the U.S. Map.

Ryderwood location on the Washington map. Where is Ryderwood CDP. — Location of Ryderwood in Washington.

History

Ryderwood was established as a logging camp by the Long-Bell Lumber Company in 1923. Simultaneously, the town of Longview was created to mill and ship the lumber coming out of Ryderwood. Ryderwood was named for W. F. (“Uncle Bill”) Ryder, the logging operations manager for Long-Bell, who came to the northwest to locate a timber source. The community was envisioned beyond that of a temporary logging camp, as a permanent center that would contain a school, church and theater. Billed as a place for families to live rather than bachelor workers, Ryderwood was considered a “modern logging town”, as an article in The Log of Long-Bell proclaimed.

By 1953, due to advances in timber harvesting technology and the loss of old growth timber, Long-Bell sold the town. It was purchased by Senior Estates, Inc. for $96,000 with the goal of creating a retirement community for pensioners. The town built Ryderwood Lake in 1956, encompassing 6 acres inside an existing gravel pit.

In the 1980s, Ryderwood was home to the beginning of the Winlock Pickersfest, originally a bluegrass festival. The event relocated to Winlock in 2000. As of 2022, the festival continues to be held.

Ryderwood remains a retirement community managed by the Ryderwood Improvement and Service Association, a non-profit 501(c)4 organization staffed by resident volunteers.